Each morning Dave Smith fires up his tricked out Ford Econoline at the base of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos, California, and heads from this spot near the coast to the Soquel Demonstration Forest at the summit of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
The Saturday afternoon parking lot at Epicenter Cycling teems like a vibrant cycling ecosystem. Toyota Tundras arrive with knobby tires hanging off the tailgates. The adjacent pump track swarms with groms coasting over the rollers and berms under the watchful gaze of proud parents. Flocks of riders pedal up Aptos Creek Road toward the single-track Mecca of Soquel Demonstration Forest.
Goldilocks-like, the Santa Cruz City Council has adopted the middle of three approaches to bringing back the lonely reservoir, eschewing both big-ticket items and do-nothingism.
