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GGW @ The Ranch

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The Girls Gone Wilder all-women mountain bike ride returned to the scene of the crime on May 18: Wilder Ranch State Park.

by Traci Hukill

May 19, 2014—Girls Gone Wilder headed out into the blue yesterday afternoon after gathering at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing for our monthly ride. We made a quick stop at Another Bike Shop so one of the girls could get her seat post adjusted, then we rolled onto Mission Street Extension on our way out to Wilder Ranch. The wind was blowing hard—hard enough to make for whitecaps all over the bay as far as we could see—though it did keep things cool.

There were nine of us: Joh Rathbun of Shine Riders Co., Alyse Weyman of Bicycle Trip, GGW stalwart and mountain biking diva Brigitte Sundman, GGW founding member and resident superwoman Dr. Wendy, newcomers DJay (a dirt bike rider) and Angela (SUP marketing queen), recent Tahoe transplant Megan, seasoned mountain biker Sabine and yours truly. A fetching crew, if you ask me, given to general jolliness. We paused by the corral for photos with the two newish gray geldings, who hung their heads over the fence for love and dandelions. Then it was off to Engelsmans Loop.

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We started out up the right leg (meaning we went straight after the bridge). It was steep at first, then merely relentless. The sun was strong and if it hadn't been for the wind—the very wind we'd been talking smack about on the way out—it would have been a pretty not and gnarly climb. As it was we stopped a few times, huddled in the scraps of shade. This may be the last time this summer Girls Gone Wilder pedals up Wilder in the heat of the day.

At the intersection with Wild Boar and Long Meadow we split up into groups, with the fast girls (in the mountain biking sense, not the 1950s back-seat-of-the-DeSoto sense) heading off to Wild Boar, Log Cabin and eventually onto Wilder Ridge Loop. We newer riders, with Joh as a guide, hung a left on Engelsmans. I hoped to show the women the wild iris patch, but the flowers were done blooming—no purple in sight.

The Engelsmans bypass, built in 2011, is a really fun little piece of singletrack. All the suffering of the uphill portion evaporated in the fun of sweeping down the switchbacks with that big huge view in front of us. On down the fire road we flew, back to the farm complex. And not a broken bone among us.

The fun was not yet over, however. Beer (don't miss the Scrumpy Cherry cider) and French fries awaited us at Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing, though a couple of our number couldn't stay for the festivities. And when we rolled up around 5pm, the Closet Shopper's Fashion Truck, parked just outside the brewery, was already buzzing with curious women from the brewery and the nearby wine tasting rooms. Filled with stylish consignment clothing carefully selected by proprietress Shannon Juliana and irresistably priced, the Fashion Truck was a hive of activity all evening. Word is the Fashion Truck may be back to SCMB in the future, so keep an ear to the ground! It's too good to miss.

All in all, another fun Girls Gone Wilder outing. Details are still forming but we're thinking of Saturday, June 14 for our next ride, at Saratoga Gap near Highways 9 and 35. Yep, a field trip—followed by a picnic at the Mountain Winery. Read more here and stay tuned for details.

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