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The good thing about staying in a motel is that it’s easy to wheel your bike in and
out, even on the second floor. Although I’m over 4 hours away from my house, I’m only
10 minutes away from Santos Mountain bike park. I was invited here by professional mountain
biker and fellow YouTuber, Phil Kmetz. We’re going to do some riding and get some video
clips. Phil has ridden in all four corners of the planet, but chose to drive 10 hours
to ride in Ocala FL on spring break. Now I must admit, when I moved down here I didn’t
even expect to see mountain bike trails, let alone good ones, but I was thrown for a loop.
Through sheer ingenuity and perseverance, Floridians have created some top notch singletrack.
A prime example of this is Santos.
Today is the Fat Tire Festival. Thousands of riders have come here from out of town
to ride demo bikes, hit the freeride section, and enjoy miles and miles of singletrack in
the main part of the park.
At Santos, there’s a particular section that’s somewhat isolated from all the other
trails—a playground for advanced riders, called Vortex. This sign implies a high possibility
of destroying your bike or leaving in an ambulance so I think we’re in the right place. When
you get into the trailhead, the first thing you see is a small set of dirt jumps with
wooden lips. I could ride these all day.
Venture a few more yards into the park, and you’ll see—banana hammock. It’s a good
time.
Phil and I warmed up around the front of the park and even played a short lived game of
BIKE, which I lost. I got one letter on him with a tree ride, but that was it. Time to
ride some singletrack.
The sign at the front of the trailhead warns you about checking out the trails before you
blast through them, but that’s just for newbs right? Yeah I’ve got this under control.
Phil tried to warn me, but I found myself face to face with an unexpected hairpin turn
after this hump. I was warned, by both Phil and the sign, but luckily I bailed just in
time.
After the big crowds left the “Vortex Pit” I got to watch Phil session this double. He’s
got exquisite taste in old school BMX tricks.
It’s been years since I rode dirt jumps, so next time I’ll be spending a lot more
in this pit. Before the sun set I did manage to do a real sloppy 360 over this tabletop.
Although I did get to ride for an hour the following morning, this trip was just too
short. After seeing what Santos had to offer I’m really pumped to check out more mountain
bike parks, even if it means traveling a few hours. The locals here in Ocala are some of
the coolest, friendliest, and skilled riders I’ve met. What they’ve built here is incredible,
and I can’t wait to come back real soon.
Thanks for riding with me today, and I’ll see you next time.