There’s nothing like Autumn in the mountains. This past weekend I spent some time up at Snow Summit in Big Bear Lake riding the mountain bike and just enjoying the beautiful surroundings. The fall is such a great time of the year. With cool temps in the mornings and warm afternoons, this is the perfect time to get your ride on! Snow Summit is a great place to visit not only in the winter but the summer and fall as well. With lift service to the top of the mountain you several options for returning to the bottom. Fast flowing single track, gnarly, rocky technical runs or speedy open fire roads, there is something for every ability. If you don’t ride a bike you can still ride the lift up to the top, enjoy the beautiful views and either hike back down or ride the lift. After tearing up the mountain I decided to just cruise the Big Bear Valley and check out all the color. Wow… it was every where, I couldn’t have hit it better. The color was peaking or close to peaked, absolutely gorgeous. Here are a few shots of the day’s journey.

This past weekends MTB camp trip to the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area was a huge success! A total of 19 participated and we all had a great time. The area has some of the best and most scenic mountain biking in So Cal. Between the Big Laguna Trails system and the Noble Canyon wilderness area there are miles and miles of uncrowded, sweet single track flowing through wide open meadows and tight forest canopy. This is all accessed right from the campgrounds, just gear up and head out. The LMRA is located approx. 15 miles east of Julian in east San Diego county and sits just under 6000′ in elevation. The area is open year round with snow in the winter months. Also I would personally like to thank everyone who attended the trip and look forward to more of these types of events! We had lot’s of laughs, lot’s of food and hours and hours of killer riding.

Thanks again to all,     Tim

Penny Pines Trail (BLT)

(Video filmed and produced by Mike Selvar)

Well spring has finally sprung! The weather is great, so now it’s time to lose that winter layer and get out and ride. Our mid week mountain bike group rides are in full swing. Usually a moderate paced group with varied rides and terrain from week to week. Also now meeting every first Sunday of the month is the beginner/entry level group mountain bike ride. This is a fun ride, slow paced and catered to the first timer. A great way to work on your skills and meet fellow riders! All the details are in the guided/group rides page of this site http://ridewithdcs.com/tours/. Can’t make one of these rides, don’t fret, just dust off that old bike of yours that’s been sitting in the garage all winter and get out and ride! Doe’s your bike need a little attention? No worries, we have you covered. Be it a full tune up or just a minor adjustment, let us get you up and riding with quick turn around times and quality, affordable repairs and service. Spring time is ride time! Take advantage of this beautiful time of the year and enjoy the great outdoors!

Ride on        Tim

Well today a few of us took advantage of the killer day outside today and decided to go out for a nice little ride on the mountain bikes. We thought we would keep it local so we hit some open land near by and put together a cool, mellow spin in the dirt. Along our route we came across some of the local BMX crew ripping it up the dirt jumps they had built. These guys were going off so I just had to get some photos of the boys in action. They all had there own style and were very cool about spreading the love! Thanks guys for letting me shot some shots and give my friends and I a killer show!

Ride on!!!   Tim

What a blast the beginner/entry level group MTB rides have been! We’ve had and excellent turn out, great weather and a very enthusiastic bunch of riders. I encourage anyone thinking joining the group to do so. It’s a great way meet new friends, work on your fitness and just enjoy the great outdoors! We usually ride for 1 1/2 hrs at a nice slow pace, continuallyregrouping and nobody gets left behind. All you need is your bike, a helmet, water and comfortable clothing (breathable). We usually meet the 1rst Sunday of very month and detailed info is posted on the guide/group rides page on this site http://ridewithdcs.com/tours/. As the day’s start  to become longer we will be firing back up the mid week MTB ride as well. This is usually a moderate paced ride with varied terrain and length at various locations so keep in touch with this site for details. Here are a few pics from yesterdays beginner/entry level ride as well as a few we took when Johnny and I went out for some more trail action!

Keep riding,   Tim 

Happy New year to everyone! 2011 is setting up to be a very exciting year here at DCS. First off we have 2 new group rides forming. One will be a Beginner/entry level mountain bike group focusing on the basic fundamentals of mountain biking. The other will be a mid week road group were the rides will very from week to week. Stay in touch with this site for upcoming announcements. Also don’t forget to keep that ride of yours in top running condition with a full service tune. For just $40.00 you get a complete bike tune up (brakes, gears, wheels etc.)  and a bike wash to boot! Don’t have a bike yet? Then check out our line of quality used bikes for sale. All bikes have been tuned up top to bottom and are ready for immediate enjoyment! So let’s make this the year to get fit and enjoy the new you!

Keep riding,  Tim

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)