WATSONVILLE — A little more than two months after workers began construction of an off-road bicycling track in Pinto Lake County Park, 5-year-old Jacob Tapiz became one of the first to ride through the series of jumps, tight curves and small hills.
Jacob’s father Tony Tapiz said he has been driving his son to similar tracks in Santa Cruz and Capitola so he can practice his riding. The boy is ranked 16th in the state for his age group in BMX riding, Tapiz said.
“It’s nice to have a resource that’s right down the street from us,” he said.
While Jacob was the star of the day, dignitaries from the City of Watsonville and Santa Cruz County cut a bright red ceremonial ribbon and officially opened the track on Monday, which is located in a previously unused stretch of grass within the park.
Organizers attributed the relatively quick completion time to cooperation of Santa Cruz County Parks, Public Works and Environmental Health departments, along with Watsonville Wetlands Watch.
“That’s what it takes sometimes to get things like this done,” said County Parks Director Jeff Gaffney.
The so-called pump track is a 10,000-square-foot patch of earth sculpted with banking turns and jumps for off-road bicyclists.
Pump tracks are designed for riders to navigate a series of off-road features, as they create momentum by “pumping,” or using up-and-down body movements to keep moving.
They are also low-maintenance, requiring touch-ups about once a year.
With pump tracks in Chanticleer Park and Polo Grounds Park, the track will be the third run by Santa Cruz County. A handful of others are scattered throughout the county, most visibly in Aptos alongside Highway 1.
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend said the track will offer a recreation resource for the high population of young people in Watsonville, and the families who flock to the park by the thousands on the weekends.
“This is exactly what we need to be doing,” he said. “This is exactly where we need to be investing, and this is exactly where the future is.”
The work included grading, installing a concrete ADA ramp and a walkway, and access staircase and railing.
The track cost about $120,000, all of which was written into this year’s county budget.
