Ride Like a Girl – Women's MTB Ride – Santa Cruz

The November edition of our women’s ride series will start in Pogonip Open Space Preserve and work its way into to the maze of trails above UC Santa Cruz. We're reasonably sure we won't encounter any actual pogonip - a mangled version of a Shoshone word meaning "freezing fog"!

Join ride leader Rebecca Lewington at 8:30am just off Highway 1 at Harvey West Park in Santa Cruz. It's a charming spot with proper bathrooms and even a pump track. We'll gather up for a quick huddle to talk about the ride at about 8:45, and roll by 9:00am.

We'll likely split into two groups. The Teal group will cover about 14 miles with 2,000 feet of climb, including the insanely fun Sweetness trail. The Denim group will be a bit more challenging in both distance and difficulty, covering about 18 miles with 2,800 feet of climb. The extra comes from the even more insanely fun Magic Carpet trail. But fear not! None of the climbs are terribly steep.

Note that these trails are not suitable for inexperienced riders. Intermediates should be fine, but be prepared to walk a couple of tricky sections.

As always, the mission of Ride Like a Girl is to have fun, learn new trails and meet other women (cis, trans and femme) who love to mountain bike. We’ll take care of you: these are stress-free rides where no one is left behind. Be warned: people make new friends when they Ride Like a Girl!

Please bring your mountain bike, obviously, in good working condition. (No ebikes, please. Ride Like a Girl is strictly muscle-powered.) Whether you’re running tubeless tires or not, please make sure you have a spare inner tube to fit your wheels, plenty of water and some food for the trail. We always hang out for a while after the ride, so bring along your favorite beverages and snacks if you feel like it. And a chair!

If you need a ride, or want to set up a carpool, leave a comment and we'll see what the group can come up with.

And please consider joining BTCEB. We are much more than a group that puts on rides. BTCEB tirelessly advocates for better bike access on trails in the East Bay and we need your support. Join today at https://btceb.org/join-us/.

If you have questions, ask 'em below and we’ll get right back to you.