California Trip - Day 3 - Decline

on 30 January 2009.

Today started off in a similar fashion to previous days. An early start and a long drive. Starting off in Santa cruz and heading to Valencia is about a 5 hr drive. Along the way there are some great views, a beautiful lake and if you are lucky, maybe some snow. (we were that lucky)

I should also mention, the Buttery Cafe in Santa Cruz. . . . Spectacular, the start of any day should be as good as this!

After a fairly long drive we arrived in Valencia and stopped in at H3 Publications, home of Decline and Road Magazine. After saying hi to the crew here and having a quick tour we were given a taste of the local trails by gear editor Mark Jordan. We were hoping that editor, Scott Hart could come along too, but last week he had an unfortunate encounter with his wrist and a brake rotor. (there was also a heli-evac involved) - watch for future video blogs at ryanleech.com

On the trail Ryan, Darcy and I chased Mark up the climbs and held on for dear life on the descents. The riding was fast, groomed and a nice break from the wet muck of the British Columbia winter. Next time you are heading south through Valencia towards LA. make sure you look to the east and think about heading to the hills of for a pump of the lungs, and a healthy dose of adrenalin.

Dustan

Salt Lake, Heading South on the I5