The latest adventures of Team SHOEBACCA saw a few of the guys heading north along the beautiful coast of California for a springtime trek along the sweet, damp trails of Laguna Nigel. Team SHOEBACCA met up with local trail wizards Kevin and Damion, who took our boys on an awesome ride though some of their home trails.

The trail of choice of the day was the Aliso Woods trail, a super-fast and fun network of well-maintained trails and fire roads. You can't beat the scenery of a spring ride, and our riders were treated to the sights of spring flowers popping open, damp trails and great views of the Pacific Ocean. One such scenic point was at a peak they climbed known as "Top of the World." This afforded them the breathtaking sight of rolling hills in the distance and beautiful, deep canyons. This climb is not an easy one, and not everyone can cut it, but Team SHOEBACCA had the goods to take on the trail to this 1,036-foot high point, where they could look down on the ocean just a few miles distant.

Team SHOEBACCA extends special thanks to Damion (www.damionhickman.com) and Kevin for putting together an exciting and invigorating ride!

In competition news, the US Cup Mountain Bike Race is in full swing, having just completed the third stage, known as Sage Brush Safari. This series has a rich race history in San Diego County, and this stage is always a blast for the riders and the fans alike!

The trails feature fire road climbs and breathtaking fast-flowing single tracks. Team SHOEBACCA has had a great showing of athletes at these first few events of the series, and have put up some great numbers for some stellar finishes. Of course, that Team SHOEBACCA gear sure looks great on the podeum! If you are interested in getting your own Team SHOEBACCA gear, we are working fast and furious to get it up here at SHOEBACCA.com, so keep checking back for updates.

Finally, a recent ride with Team SHOEBACCA gave a friend in nature a unique experience, as they came across this adult gopher snake. Although headless in the picture due to a quick snap of the camera phone, we can assure you that Team SHOEBACCA's new pal was unharmed, and was released along the exciting trail they were riding, which is rumored to be full of mice and lizards, so the snake should be pretty happy. Slither by again soon for the latest news on Team SHOEBACCA!