This novel 200k is a tour of the 5 major piers and other minor ones in San Diego County. It is designed to challenge the route creator in organizing the "flattest" brevet in San Diego County and for riders who are looking to ease into the PBP qualifying season. Unlike the San Diego Top to Bottom, this 200k starts in the middle of San Diego County in Mission Valley, then spanning north from Oceanside to Imperial Beach.
After a leisurely breakfast at the IHOP in Fenton Marketplace in Mission Valley, you'll start the brevet traversing on sections of the San Diego River bike path to Mission Bay where you'll begin your ride north to come to the first pier of the day. Taking the usual Rose Creek and Rose Canyon to UCSD and down the I-5 bike path to Sorrento Valley to reach the coast at Del Mar, you'll head up to Oceanside to the Oceanside Pier, famously known as the starting location of the Race Across America each year in June. Cruising on the Strand, you'll start your trek south through the usual beach communities in order to stay on the narrow strip of "flat" roads in San Diego punctuated by the dips carved into the coastal landscape by various rivers, creeks and lagoons. After the Torrey Pines climb, you'll ride by 3 successive ocean piers beginning with the Ellen Browning Scripps Memorial Pier located in the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, UCSD in La Jolla. Next up is the Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach, where a hotel still operates offering rooms and cottages to guests. Riding over the San Diego River into Ocean Beach, you'll arrive at the Ocean Beach Pier, touted as the longest concrete pier on the West Coast at 1,971 feet. Cutting cross Point Loma to San Diego Bay, you'll ride along the beautiful waterfront in Downtown. There you'll pass the lesser piers such as the Broadway Pier, Navy Pier and the other numberous piers hidden from view in the 32nd St Naval Base. The final pier is the Imperial Beach Pier. From IB, you'll make your way back to Mission Valley. Along the San Diego River, you'll finish at Fenton Marketplace. There are plenty of restaurants.
There are plenty of restaurants, cafes and taco stands along the route. Riding in an urban setting, the approximity to places for food and water comes at the cost of cars and numerous traffic lights. Be patient and you'll be rewarded with amazing coastal sceneries from Oceanside to Imperial Beach.
If you are joining us for the first time, you will need:
ALL SAN DIEGO RANDONNEURS EVENTS ARE ONLY OPEN TO PARTICIPANTS WHOSE RUSA MEMBERSHIP IS CURRENT.
You will need to register for this ride in advance. There is no day-of registration. Start/Finish will be staffed. SAG support and staffing at a control along the route will depend on volunteers available for this event.
All riders must follow RUSA rules. Helmet, lights and reflective gear are a must (lights and reflective gear must be worn between dusk to dawn). Riders must follow all local traffic laws and regulations.
Although bicyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as motorists and are subject to the same rules and regulations, it is crucial that bicyclists pay attention to traffic signs and signals and follow all rules to reduce the risk of collisions, while on the road. Refer to the California Driver Handbook to become familiar with these rules. This excerpt is found at the DMV website for Sharing the Road (FFDL37) and can be read here.