Wow the weather for riding around here has been primo! Yesterday we went for a MTB ride in the OC on the  Santiago Oaks Trail. I’ve been out there a few times but have never really figured out the trail system and the best direction to ride it. As my brother Danny and I headed out to start our ride I was thinking to myself that it would sure be nice to ride with some one who is familiar with the trail. Just as we came up to a fork in the trail another rider came spinning along and asked us if we need some help. Perfect, I told him we weren’t too familiar with the trails out here and if he could point us in the right direction. He said “better yet why don’t you just tag along and will ride them together, I usually ride alone so it would be good to have some company for a change”. Eric, super cool guy (and super strong rider) rode with us for a couple of hours, showing us all the different options out there and which way to ride them. Thanks again Eric for a killer ride (and your patients). That’s one of the elements that makes Mountain Biking such a cool sport, the camaraderie between riders, the sense of community. Not all sports offer that but Mountain Biking just seems to be a big BROFEST. Everyone is always pumped, smilin and willing to help each other out. Weather it’s in the parking lot or out on the trail it’s always a good vibe! So the next time your out on the trail and some body looks a little confused, ask them if they need directions or have them tag along. Chances are someone else showed you how to ride that loop your on the 1rst time…

Here’s a few pic”s of the ride. Sorry no action shots, to stoked on the terrain to stop riding! Again, many thanks Eric for hooking us up on the trail, very cool! We’ll spread the love…

view from the top

Spring time bloom

With over 2 million fans over 9 days of racing and 300,000 alone on the last stage 8 in Rancho Bernardo/Escondido the Tour of California was the largest sporting event ever for the state of California. On Sunday in downtown Escondido the scene was crazy with over 100,000 fans lining the streets in anticipation of a classic finish with the worlds best cyclist. In the end Levi Leipheimer and team Astana held off the attacking field and took the overall classification. Sundays mountainous (Tour de France like) stage 8 proved to be worthy as one of the toughest a stage as any of all the Grand Tours. After the stage Lance Armstrong called the Tour of California now “one of the top 3 or 4 hardest races in the world”! The scene on the streets throughout the course, especially on Mnt. Palomar, was like a page out of the Tour de France. With fans dressed in wacky outfits, cow bells in hand, chanting for their favorite rider, it felt like July in the Alps not February in California!  Cycling is growing in this country and the TOC will be a big part of it for many years to come.

Final Standings: Overall  1rst- Levi Leipheimer  (AST)  2nd- David Zabriski  (GRM)  3rd  Micheal Rodgers  (THR)

King of the Mountains:  Jason McCartney  (SAX)

Sprinter:  Mark Cavendish  (THR)

Best Young Rider:  R Gasink (RAB)

Well it’s another rainy day here in Southern California, 5th day in a row. That doesn’t happen real often here so it becomes a bit of a challenge to get your ride on. Yesterday I had to just suck it up and go out on the rode for an hour, I was getting stir crazy and the leg’s were screaming… let me out! As long as it’s not pouring rain, riding in it is kinda fun, you just need to dress properly (click on training/riding tips).Another option to keep the legs spinning during bad weather is riding the bike on a stationary trainer. You can do this with either a road or mountain bike and there are many choices out there for trainers. The way I like to do it is put the trainer in the garage, open the main door, turn on some music and spin for 45 minutes to an hour. this way I still feel like I am outside, it’s chilly and frankly not as boring as being indoors. I also like to read a magazine as well.

We are just 6 days untill the start of The Tour of California and hopefully this will be the last rain for a few weeks. All the teams are set and this years field is the biggest assembly of world class riders ever for a US race. Virtually all the top names on the circuit will be there and this could be a preview of what’s in store for the Tour de France!!! Versus network will have complete live TV coverage and we will be bringing you daily updates her at RIDEWITHDCS.com so check in daily! I would also like to give a huge shout out to my good friend Vince from http://dirtcartel.com/. With out all his awesome help I could not have been able to develop and maintain this site! He is a super good guy and has a KILLER MTB WEB SITE so click on the link and check it out. It’s full of product review, interviews and all that’s Mountain Bikes!!!