P34
IN
THE
WIND
TECATE TRAIL RIDE TAKES OFF
T
hree weeks ago, only 20 had
committed for the Los Ancianos Motorcycle Club's trail ride to
benefit the Tecate, B.C. Mexicoarea Red Cross and the Rancho
Santana, which allows the club
to use its private riding area.
But the lure of being able
to ride those previously neverbefore open-to-the-public trails
was too hard to resist and by the
time the ride started on Saturday morning, June 15, 108 eager
enthusiasts began their adventures. The club laid out 60 miles
of typical Los Ancianos/Tecate
trail: tight first-gear rock sections,
deep third- and fourth-gear sand
washes, a few fast dirt roads to
catch your breath and plenty of
twisty second-gear turns through
a seemingly never-ending maze
of manzanita. If you'd had enough
fun earlier, they thoughtfully provided cut-offs at 25 and 40 miles.
Afterward, participants relaxed in the barbeque area of
the ranch for fish tacos, plenty
of Tecate cervezas and hours of
bench racing.
"We thought if we got 40 or
50, it'd be great, but I think we
had close to 100 people," Los
Ancianos spokesman Scott Penwarden said. "It's really positive.
The real focus was the benefit [for] the Red Cross and the
ranch. The club makes no money on it and actually the club is
contributing money in addition to
the [$60] entry fees for this."
Natalie Schons winds her way
through the manzanita in the early
going at the Tecate benefit trail ride.
Ray Abbott of the Los Ancianos, said, "The club paid for the
entry fees for the club members
[who rode]. That's our way of giving back as well."
While the dry, dusty conditions
left every rider with a silt-caked
face, the smiles underneath it all
You can't beat post-ride fish tacos
and Tecates - and there was plenty to
go around.
showed everyone had a great
time and hope there's another
benefit ride in the future.
Mark Kariya
