A Call To Ride

Every year it creeps up on you. Like an annual tide the thought of The Ride swells and rises from the deepest parts of your being. Whispers barely audible reverberate in your mind..."Am I ready?"..."Will it rain this year?"..."I hope i don't get lost in Santa Cruz, again."

Yes, it is the email you have been waiting for- the declaration of The Ride XI. That's right, 11 years. Eleven years of an annual gathering in the dead of winter to treat ourselves to an epic ride down the coast. As any veteran of The Ride can tell you, there is no easy way. On one hand the directions and rules are simple: be self sufficient, keep the ocean on your right, and never get separated from your shit. On the other hand, the execution of actually pedaling your bike down the coast presents an arena that can break the spirit of any human. The challenge is there, are you ready?

I remember when this call to Ride was answered by 3 people (the first year (1998), in which I did not participate). The rain was torrential that year and the group of 3 (Pablo, Briggs, and "Johnny Law" Myers) were separated from each other before Pacifica! The continued downpour led to flats, wrong turns, and getting stopped twice on the freeway by the same cop, once going the wrong direction. I was back in the shop playing air traffic controller trying to get everyone on the right roads and back as a group. It did not happen until the end of day 2 at Ragged Point when Pablo rolled up on Briggs while he as on the phone with me. Long story short, they all stayed in Ragged Point that first trip and enjoyed a 180 mile 3rd day to SB.


"After the first day of rain and wet cycle shorts I suffered two small razor thin slices on my end quarters. If you figure we rode an average of 6 to 8 hours each day then those thin little slices had to endure roughly 44,000 revolutions. Every day the pain grew increasingly intense. The most painful moment in the day was not sitting on the saddle. It was after I sat, until I could stand it no more, that I had to stand, when it really hurt. I figure it has something to do with the rush of blood to the area and fresh air hitting the exposed nerves. The wave was so intense and burned so hot that I was forced to scream just to avoid passing out." - Pablo

The next year was my first year and the group had swelled to 8. I had only ridden my first century a few weeks before on New Year's Day and was staring at 5 days of going longer than I had ever gone before. We had epic weather that year. There was a cyclist named Al in our group, friend of some San Diegans also on The Ride. He was in his forties, maybe fifties, and could climb like I have never seen someone in real life climb before. It was revealed over breakfast one morning that as part of his normal weight lifting routine, Al did a few squats, as in a few hundred. But even Al's spirit was broken by The Ride. We were all limping in to Seaside (yes, the first day) and finally made it to the bike path. All of us were passed by this guy on a cruiser bike. He rode away from us. There we were, 8 of us on what amounted to probably close to 25K in machinery and none of us could make our light aero bikes catch that damn cruiser bike.


"To see the sun rise and watch the sun set during one exercise session is something very few people have ever experienced on this planet, and I like it. Asking why I am on my bike riding down the coast is not the question". - 2003 The Ride participant

The Ride XI
January 19th - 23rd 2008

Day one: Leave from Golden Gate Bridge and head out along the Alcatraz course to the Great Highway. Turn right on Skyline and drop down to Pacifica. Go on Highway 1 along Devils Slide and pray for no head wind. Stop in Half Moon Bay for a refill of liquids. Stop in Davenport to refuel and prepare for the final push to Seaside. When arriving in Santa Cruz... good luck getting through. Point B is the Holiday Inn Express in Seaside and the day's mileage is roughly 125.

Day two: Grab coffee and a muffin and ride to Big Sur where you stop on the right hand side of the rode and have the biggest, and best breakfast you can imagine- River Inn. Directly following you will experience a series of hills and breath taking sights that will leave you both defeated and rejuvenated. Stop in Morro Bay at the Days Inn with roughly 130 miles.

Day three: This is what I consider the hardest day, another 125+ miles, but the most desolate and longest climbs of the ride. Have breakfast in San Louise Obispo and jump on your steed for a day of attrition. Spend the night in Santa Barbara at the Lemon Tree Inn. When you get to this point it feels real good. The weather changes to sunshine and the hills are behind you.

Day four: Flat 110-mile day, with some strong head wind around Point Mugu. Have breakfast in Santa Barbara and lunch in Santa Monica. Ride along the bike path in Venice Beach you're spinning about 10 miles an hour and enjoying the sights. It's like riding in the twilight zone. Take the secret bike paths that weave you through town and stop for the night at the Sea View Inn near the beach in Manhattan Beach.
Day Five: This is used to be my favorite day. We ride 18 to 20 miles through LA on Highway 1. It's something like a scene out of the movie Terminator. It is very BMX like, just look out for white mini vans. The diversity of terrain from the rural coastline of northern California to the heart of LA is Kool. Finally you stop for lunch in Laguna and then ride onto Camp Pendleton. It's a straight shot into the land of sunshine and honey. We stay at the Olympic Resort in Carlsbad and fly out the next day from the airport across the street. Have your bike bags sent via UPS to the resort with clean clothes stuffed inside. We go to movies that night because we have plenty of time and energy with only 105 miles of riding.


Some stuff for future generations of Riders to know and ponder:
--Beware of the small yapping dog at the top of the hill inbetween Pismo Beach and Guadalupe.
--The name of the breakfast place at the bottom of Big Sur has "River" in it. "River Inn" or "River Ranch Inn". Something like that.
--The hamburgers at Ragged Point are not worth it. Daydream about them to get you there, but don't actually order one.
--Water/fluid up before leaving Half Moon Bay on Day One. There is nada until Davenport.
--Don't follow Doug through Oxnard, not this year, not next, not ever.
--It's a Days Inn in Morro Bay. 2nd Main St exit, to the right and up the hill. The pizza guys are shorthanded. At the risk of planning, maybe they need a heads up next time.
--If you stand, put your head down and hammer, it is exactly 570 pedal revolutions to get up Vandenburg Hill #1.
--Speeds of 50 mph will be reached on the two-mile descent to the ocean on Day Three (on the way to SB).
--Before that, you cross El Jaro Creek exactly five times. El Jaro either meanders, or the locals are lazy and name all their creeks El Jaro.
--Malibu is f----ing endless. And hilly.
--Thumbs up to Malibu Chicken, on the left across from the fishing pier. Don't get killed crossing.
--Don't miss the bike path through Marina del Rey... on the right off Washington after the Venice bike path ends.
--the breakfast place in San Luis is McClintock's, on the right on Higuera.
--Tracey and Darin are Ironman legends in Aptos.
--There is a great, inspirational, one-vehicle Martin Luther King day parade in SLO. It does not delay traffic.


- "Johnny Law" Myers

As this is my 10th year of The Ride, I extend a special invitation to anyone who would like to join me on the original route. Yep, I'm going all the way down to San Diego, barring any meeting with mini-vans. I may take the liberty to pull a switcheroo on the final hotel, but will keep all who are interested in the loop.

So there it is. Your invitation to join in on The Ride. From here on out let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you on the road.