Keep Santa Cruz Cross
Photos and words by Chris Corona

I’ll never forget when I first moved to Santa Cruz, standing in line at the grocery store and seeing mountain bike mags where tabloids usually sat. I rode XC MTB for several years in Philly and I just moved to MTB heaven. The dirt here is soft, smooth and loamy. The scent of the redwoods paired with the ocean mist is a smell like no other. The weather is mild and fog can roll in just as fast as it burns off, depending on nature’s mood. The scenery is like no other here – seeing a visitor’s look on their face staring at a giant redwood is priceless. Seeing the look on their face when they are standing on a bluff overlooking the Pacific, just 20 minutes after the giant redwood is even better.

Cross bikes never really piqued my interest until some heads told me about their experiences in the surrounding wilderness. Big endurance rides that involve roads with hardly any traffic. Lonely dirt roads that lead to lonelier single tracks not touched in months by a human. The quiet and the loneliness lured me out to several recommended locations. Wilder Ranch, Big Basin, and Nisene are just a few that come to mind. Ride one park or combine different segments of each. Endless options.

I started taking photos to prove to my friends how beautiful of an experience it is out here. By now, I have been lucky enough to show most of my friends the places we adventure. The diversity and beauty.

There are several of us here that truly enjoy the trail experience best on cross. The range and ruggedness of a cross bike offer an experience all in its own. We live for the adventure and desire bigger and different challenges. Santa Cruz is the perfect place for such adventure and cross bikes are the tool to see it all.

Keep Santa Cruz Cross…

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