RYAN “R-DOG” HOWARD WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE SMALL BEACH TOWN OF APTOS, CALIFORNIA.
If you need to find a spot on the map, just trace your finger a touch south of Santa Cruz and stop when you’re about a millimeter off of Capitola. See that part where Monterey Bay starts to flatten out? That’s Aptos, and it’s home to some of the best mountain biking to be had. And amongst that playground of insane dirt, Ryan honed his trail-building craft.
R-Dog’s eye for taking raw earth and creating a riding paradise is showcased in the latest 805 Beer Film, The Build. In it, we take a peek behind the labor of love that goes into taking a blank canvas from rideable to rippable, to all-time fun with friends. The nostalgia of epic dirt and an ice chest full of beer in the forest leaves you itching to slam the laptop shut, grab a shovel and get after it. No dig, no ride… no beer. Don’t know what you’re missing out on? You can watch the full film below, and read on to learn more about The Build.
Oftentimes we have the misconception that trails just pop out of the ground, ripe for riding. But the amount of work that goes into creating something that works and flows is far from an easy undertaking. The care and curation of details bring out the personality of each builder as you ride a new line. The unsung heroes of trail building have spoiled Northern California with patches of riding heaven littering the mountains.
And if you can dream it, Ryan can build it. Just give him a shovel and a cooler full of cold ones for the day’s work. With that combo, he’ll put together something that sends common architects to their knees.
Under the cover of a California canopy of trees in undisclosed Santa Cruz, R-Dog is tilling up, digging, and packing a new line to session with friends. Amidst the array of machines, empties and dirt-covered shovels the creativity flows and the trail shapes up.
So, the next time you hit a new trail, leave it better than you found it and raise a cold one to the creators who put the hours in to make it a reality. See more of The Build on both our social channels and Ryan’s as well. Stay subscribed to our YouTube too so you don’t miss a thing from the world of 805.