I wake up at 7 am, eat a quick breakfast, load up the rented car and head out to Fairfax, California. From San Francisco, it is a 30-minute drive. I meet Mark, from Mountain Bike SF in front of the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. My rented Santa Cruz Hightower C is ready for today’s riding. Mark gives me a map of the Tamarancho trail system, a few quick tips and I set out to meet the trail entrance.
I have the bike until 6 pm and I intend to make full use of it. I climb the first meters to get to the trailhead. Climbing through the residential area, I meet a fellow rider heading the same direction. We exchange greetings and he quickly overtakes me climbing up. These locals are no joke. Then, why would they be – with more than 600 kilometers of trails in Marine County and a mountain biking heritage, going back to the very beginning of this sport, mountain biking is running in their blood.
