Itinerary

Tuesday, October 28 – Monterey to Big Sur – 30 miles (48 kms)
Most likely the group will meet in a public park in Monterey or Carmel in the early afternoon. South of Monterey/Carmel, we enter the fabled Big Sur coastline and ride some big hills with the Pacific Ocean crashing well below us (watch for sea otters!) before finishing our day among the redwoods in Big Sur. We will stay in one of several lodges along Highway One.

Wednesday, October 29 – Big Sur to San Simeon – 63 miles (101 kms)
The hills of the Big Sur coast get even bigger for the first 40 miles of today’s ride. You are either climbing or descending virtually the entire way and Highway One is often carved right out of cliffs that rise sometimes over 1000’ above the ocean. This is some of the most dramatic riding of the trip. South of Ragged Point the hills level out as we ride through idyllic ranchland past an elephant seal colony and Hearst Castle before getting a well earned night’s rest in San Simeon.

Thursday, October 30 – San Simeon to Pismo Beach – 57 miles (91 kms)
In the morning our route sticks close to the coast and winds through the picturesque small towns of Cambria and Cayucos and skirts the Morro Bay National Estuary. As we get closer to San Luis Obispo the route heads inland for a while and runs through ranch and farmland as well as some larger towns. Our accommodations may be in Pismo Beach, Arroyo Grande or Oceano. 

Friday, October 31 – Pismo Beach to Lompoc – 42 miles (67 kms)
South of Pismo Beach the coastal route crosses through fertile farmland before heading inland (and getting hillier) around Vandenberg Air Force Base. This is the shortest day of the tour, but the hills toward the end make up for it!

Saturday, November 1 – Lompoc to Ventura – 85 miles (136 kms)
Our longest day! Most of the riding is relatively level along the coast, however. We start the day along an isolated stretch of Highway One meandering through rural areas before joining US 101 for significant stretches around Santa Barbara. US 101 is a busy freeway through this stretch, but this is the designated Pacific Coast bike route and there are large shoulders, along with stunning views over the ocean. Mid way through the ride we’ll pass through the opulence and sandy beaches of Santa Barbara. South of Santa Barbara we pass through a series of small coastal communities and some of the riding is back on US 101.

Sunday, November 2 – Ventura to Santa Monica/LA – 60-70 miles (96-112 kms)
Southern California ambience dominates the route today as we mostly stick close to the water and ride down along the Malibu coast and beaches. Much of the riding in the morning is through urban areas while the afternoon finds us along the scenic Malibu coastline. The hills are few and far between as we wind up our trip in the classic Southern California beach town of Santa Monica or further along somewhere in LA.

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