Letter from Rich.

Dear La Costa Riders

We are coming up on a critical year. The old trails need some love and the newly adopted trails need some serious work that will help them remain sustainable despite the daily heavy use.
I think a couple of things need to be said.

#1 La Costa is not beginner friendly. La Costa is intermediate and up. The trails should remain that way.
#2 We want our trails to remain as close to single track as possible.
#3 We want our trails to stay close to a 24 inch tread width and when the trail begins to push 4-5 or more feet wide something is wrong.
#4 When a trail begins widening because riders are going around a feature that is not right.
#5 Mtn biking is not about avoiding natural features. Mtn biking is about mastering natural features and incorporating them into your ride.
#6 We don't own the trails, the trails are not ours. We are borrowing the trails. It is our privilege to have them.
#7 We should work this winter to minimize our footprint on the hill and build sustainability into the trails.
#8 Trails don't need to be straight to seem fast. Flow can make a ride seem fast without the speed. Lets build more flow into the trails.
#9 Single track with flow makes people happy helping keep things single track and is good for the habitat.
#10 It is incumbent on all locals to go the extra mile and help keep La Costa healthy by doing more.

I will be setting up some trail days with the land manager. I would like to see it rain and then get to work with a couple of big trail days. So most likely something in late January and again in February.
Some smaller crews can be organized to hit some special projects. My big focus is to keep the trails single as possible. The biggest challenge is to keep our footprint minimized. Seeing the cutting of switchbacks unnecessarily segments the habitat while increasing our footprint in that area. Lack of flow through a turn results in turns that creep and rut. Then turn to powder in the summer.
Getting more trail in other areas is heavily influenced by compliance with what we have now.

Land managers count everything. They are biologists and naturalists who count every bird,reptile,plant and our footprints. Single track is good and compliance to the existing single track is golden.

The hill is big so I would like to have crews on different parts of the trail. That means I will need some lead people that can walk the hill before we do our work, maybe a week before, and we can talk about what needs to be done.
Being on the same page defines good work.

Talk to you soon once the dates are firmed up. Pray for rain.

Thanks Rich

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"My favorite part of riding a bike is when I get off the bike." - Jim Gaffigan

f'ckin lycra-clad-ipod-wearing-strava-racers are the idiots responsible for making the trail wider and cutting around features...i've seen it with my very own eyes.

btw, Joe tell Rich I said hello and will be there when he nails down a date for the trail days.

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'the notorious North County Sancho'

AMEN RICH!!! The number of alternate lines out there has gotten ridiculous. And I'm not talking about riding around the features, I'm talking about riding around small rocks!

Count me in once it's scheduled.

Got the same email. I'll be there for sure.

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"We'll ride it until they pave it."

-Big Clyde

I'd like to help out as well.

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It is not enough to fight for the West; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it's still here. -Edward Abbey

I up for helping too. La Costa is my one of my home grounds

I'm in for the cause.

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"it can go full porno alley"

- Kimba - One love, many bikes - 2020

I plan to be there... hopefully we can get 100+ riders out like some past trail days at La costa

I'm in.

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Thus, if we are to understand the world, we should live somewhere between judgement and amazement — Alfredo Lopez Austin

Rich Julien is, or should be, a trail-building legend. From Flightline and onward, his touch can be found all over San Diego.

I have to admit that living down in San Diego, I've yet to ride La Costa, but I know what the trails there stand for. It's a rarity when land managers in these parts are reasonable regarding trails.

I'll make the trip up there on trailwork day,(s), because, just because.

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Scum on a Bike

count me in keep me updated.