When: March. 1st and 2nd, 9 a.m. 'till 3 p.m.
What: Demo bikes from Specialized, Intense, Ibis and Yeti Cycles
Where: Soquel Demonstration Forest

Howdy Trailheads!

It’s that time already. DIRT DEMO IN THE DEMO It’s back, and with the
number of bikes we have lined up for you, it’s going to be huge! Full
representation coming from Ibis Bikes, Specialized, Yeti and Intense Cycles.
Add our ever growing fleet of THC Demo bikes and I’m projecting a total of
70 plus bikes! Yikes


Not only is this event FREE, we will once again have the BBQ cooking up warm
food, a huge spread of snacks, drinks, and of course a keg of Fat Tire. So
mark your calendar, tell all your buddies and pack your gear for two days of
riding 2008 models on the sweetest trails we have in the Soquel
Demonstration Forest.

What about the landslide?

Now, some of you may be wondering about Highland Way at the landslide.
Well, we know it’s closed. So what! Where else could we host such an
event? Right. Nowhere. So this is how we’ll help out. I’ve attached a
good map of how to get there, which you can print out and take with you. No
getting lost excuses. This is the best way to go. Or, for those that wish
to park on Highland Way at the slide, you have two choices. Choice one is
easy, bring your bike and ride the last mile of Highland Way. Choice two,
hop on our shuttle. I wouldn’t count on it being as good as the Disneyland
Sky Bus, but we will provide transportation to and from the bridge for those
needing a lift. You will be able to fill out the necessary paperwork while waiting for the shuttle...

OK, here is a checklist of what to remember:
* Your driver’s license is mandatory.
* Your credit card is a must have.
* Your riding gear. (Helmet, gloves, hydration, tools, fuel)
* If you know how to remove your pedals, bring ‘em. We always
appreciate that!
* Trail difficulty ranges from as easy as it gets to advanced.
* Kids are welcome, but they need a parent or guardian.
* This event is about testing out multiple bikes.
* If you want to do a three-hour ride, just rent one of our bikes
sometime or bring your own bike.

A special note about long rides. I feel bad for those that show up to ride a particular bike and the dude that last borrowed it spends the whole day with it. Can you guess how the rider feels as s/he waits and waits for the bike to return, only to run out of time and has to go home? If you are new to mountain biking and the loops will take you hours, don’t ride the loop! Ride out and back. This will keep the bikes in rotation and allow you the opportunity to ride something different. Thank you all for your cooperation.

Directions:

This is how you get there now: First the Goggle Map version-here, then my own embellished version.

This assumes you have already driven over the hill to Santa Cruz are headed south on Hwy 1.
Approx. ten minutes south on Hwy 1 you will exit on Freedom Blvd.

1. Head northeast on Freedom Blvd toward Soquel Dr - 2.6 mi
2. Slight right to stay on Freedom Blvd - 2.3 mi
3. Turn left at Corralitos Rd - 1.8 mi
4. Continue on Eureka Canyon Rd - 2.3 mi
5. Slight left to stay on Eureka Canyon Rd - 0.5 mi
6. Slight left to stay on Eureka Canyon Rd - 2.1 mi
7. Turn left to stay on Eureka Canyon Rd - 3.9 mi
8. Turn right at Ormsby Cutoff Rd - 62 ft
9. Continue on Highland Way - 2.4 mi

Arrive at: 4 H Camp Loma 29650 Highland Way Watsonville, CA 95076
Now that you’re at Camp Loma, pass it. The entrance to SDF is just ahead. The world’s smallest sign for a State Forest will be on the left at a small bridge. You can drive across the bridge and into the big parking lot or park on Highland Way.

Here are my custom directions:

This should only take 65 minutes from Hwy 85.

1. Drive Hwy 17 to Santa Cruz and go South on Hwy 1. Continue past Aptos.
2. Go left on Freedom Rd. and drive the 2.3 miles to Corralitos Rd. Mexican restaurant and mini mart on the left!
3. Turn Left on Corralitos Rd and in 1.8 miles you come to a stop sign. Go straight!
4. Continue straight and you are on Eureka Canyon Rd. You’ll see a Fire station on the right in like 200 feet.
5. This is your road to the Demo. Up Up Up like 8.8 miles the twisty mountain road to Highland Way. This is the high point and is marked by the Ormsby Rd, Buzzards Lagoon intersection. Go down.
6. Drive down Highland Way about 2 miles, which is starting to look like a trail with the lack of traffic these days!
7. On the left you will see Camp Loma. Pass it. Another 1000 feet and the entrance to the Demo is on your left. See our photo of small bridge with the even smaller green state sign marking said forest. Note, the chain in this photo is NOT THERE. Go on, drive over the bridge. I promise there are no trolls.
8. You are there! Yeehaww!!

Goggle Map approximates it to take 40 minutes from THC to the Freedom Blvd exit, then another 40 minutes to the Demo. I don’t remember it taking that long, so I’ll drive it again and get a real estimate for you all.

Excellent! I hope to see you there!

Update on the Demo:

Hey everyone, guess what? I went to the Demo on Friday the 15th and it only took me 64 minutes! No, I was not hauling ass. I even sailed through a speed trap on 17 just past Black Rd.

Anyhow, you have to know. The Demo is off the hook right now! Conditions are tacky, fast and cool enough to hammer as hard as you like. Paul and I rode to Tractor from Aptos Rd, climbed Sulfur and dropped Brail to climb back out Hinns. Sweet love, baby. But! There are so many branches down from those high winds we had that we spent a good amount of time clearing the worst sections. There are a few trees down on Sulfur that we walked under or around that need clearing out.

Dang, it's a good thing there is a huge trail work day planned for Satuday the 23rd. Yea, next weekend. The weekend before our Dirt Demo! So I've crafted an idea to recrute more help. We are starting to hand out coupons for doing trail work. That's right, if you sign up for this weekend of fun you will be holding a coupon that is good for a one time purchase of 10% off any bike or frame and 20% off any part or accessory. I set it up to expire in 30 days, so you will have plenty of time to hit our Dirt Demo first! Yup, that is 200 bucks off an Ibis frame folks. Not shabby. Need the new Fox Talas? Put 140 bucks back in your pocket baby! -Let's get to work folks."

To print coupon go here!

Specials of the month:

• Demo bike rental $25(Normally $75) per day
• 15% off all clothing
• 20% off '07 Specialized & Yeti bikes
• 15% off '07 Fox forks
• 20% off Light n' Motion & Niterider lights (applies only to what is in stock)

Lars Thomsen
Owner
Trail Head Cyclery, Inc.
14450 Union Ave.
San Jose, Ca 95124
(408) 369-9666 phone
(408) 369-9630 fax
www.trailheadcyclery.com