# Visiting San Diego in Feburary



## xblazermnx (Aug 15, 2008)

Hello all, hope every had a great Thanksgiving. My girlfriend and myself will be attempting to flee the snow of Colorado in February and am looking for road ride ideas. Doesn't matter if it is an organized or group or solo. We typically like 50-70 mile ride. And being for the Rocky Mountains, we like a hill or two. Let me know what you guys think, and cant wait to come to San Diego, Ive never been there.


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## rcharrette (Mar 27, 2007)

*Same here*

I'm here in SD now with the family (we are from CO as well). We are staying at Campland in Mission Bay and have our road bikes.
I hooked up with this shop Moment San Diego Bike Rides - Moment Cycle Sport - San Diego, CA
I've done a few of their group rides as well as just downloaded some of these onto my Garmin and rode them alone. TONS of road riding here.
Also we found this map useful when riding with the family:
Bike Map - iCommute

Enjoy!


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

I will most likely be in San Diego in February as well. Never been there before either. Can anybody recommend a place to rent a road bike?


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

andyaa said:


> I will most likely be in San Diego in February as well. Never been there before either. Can anybody recommend a place to rent a road bike?


Moment Cycle Sport in Point Loma seems to be doing a brisk rental business every time I'm down there.


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## Special Eyes (Feb 2, 2011)

San Diego is a large area, with plenty of fine riding. I visit my family a few times a year and ride 40-60 miles around the North County areas of Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Escondido area. So many great routes with good bike lanes. Beware that nothing is flat, so you're usually going up or down (at least in that area). A few climbing routes take you to Ramona and back. Lots of routes that include the Pomerado Road area. I'm sure there are great routes in other neighborhoods, but this is what I do. I can show you my Stava rides.


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## mando54 (Jun 6, 2012)

Well, there's Palomar mountain, Fallbrook, Temecula, all kinds of riding up and down the coast. You can ride up to San Clemente or Irvine and take the train back, and plenty more. Join the Campy lunch ride out of Oceanside. You won't have any problem finding places to ride, hills to climb or groups to go with.


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## sandiegosteve (Mar 29, 2004)

Lots of options, but plenty of cars and pot-holes.

Search Strava for segments; I do that a lot when I want some variation. RidewithGPS also has some neat rides listed.

Depending on where you stay, you can just go up and down the coast (always nice) or inland with a number of options. I'm on the coast and combine the two. There are a few climbs (Palomar), but most of the uphill sections are less than 15 minutes - we are not in the Rockies by any measure. But, you are usually either going up or down, not a lot of flat.


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## BlackIce619 (Sep 14, 2012)

We have a ton of routes here in San Diego that are available. Within minutes, as others have mentioned, you could ride a scenic route on the coast.... or make a couple turns and tackle some of the hills we have. 

Depending where specifcally you will be staying in San Diego.... the options can be unlimited! 

Strava is a great resource to find routes, along with Garmin Connect. 

*Ride with Javi *is a great group that allows cycling to join at all levels - Ride With Javi - Home

Feel free to send me a message if you want anything in more detail when it comes to routes in my area :thumbsup:


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## stevesbike (Jun 3, 2002)

Personally, I think the cycling around San Diego has really taken a hit over the last decade or so with growth and traffic. Riding Palomar area is pretty sketchy (tourists/tour buses bombing it to casinos etc). I'd consider the Santa Barbara area or even north LA - Westlake Village area is a good starting point for Santa Monica mountains rides, which have become popular with pro teams doing their early camps. Light traffic, great climbs, and a city nearby for off the bike stuff.


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

I will be staying in Mission Valley, not far from the airport. My wife will be attending a conference in one of the local hotels.
The Ocean Beach Bike Path isn't too far from the hotel. For starters I could pick that up and ride it to Ocean Beach and back. 
Pretty sure I will have a car so I could drive to the start of a ride. Will have to look up some routes on Strava and Garmin.


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## BlackIce619 (Sep 14, 2012)

andyaa said:


> I will be staying in Mission Valley, not far from the airport. My wife will be attending a conference in one of the local hotels.
> The Ocean Beach Bike Path isn't too far from the hotel. For starters I could pick that up and ride it to Ocean Beach and back.
> Pretty sure I will have a car so I could drive to the start of a ride. Will have to look up some routes on Strava and Garmin.


Mission Valley is a great starting point to get you anywhere you want. Along the coast and a little north you will hit Torrey Pines for a little climbing, nice scenic route.

Bayshore Bikepath is a nice flat route that you can pick up speed and enjoy the scenary as well. 

I would recommend driving the bicycle down to Eastlake, or just riding down, and taking a loop around some of our hills. I created a quick simple course that will give you a fun workout. 
Garmin Connect - Honey Springs and San Miguel Rd

Enjoy!


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

From Mission Valley, a great visitor route would be the big bay loop. It's flat but scenic. Ride south through downtown to Chula Vista/Imperial Beach and then back up the Strand. You can take the ferry back across the bay and then ride back to the start. Make sure to bring some cash for the fare. It's about a 25 to 30 mile route from Liberty Station.


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

You should post again a couple or few days before you head out. Depending on exact dates, weather and what group rides I know of when you'll be here I could recommend some options from nearby Mission Valley that would start in the morning and typically range from 50 - 80 miles.


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

I will be in San Diego next week and probably will be able to ride on Friday and/or Saturday the 22nd and 23rd. 
I was thinking of this route Great Western Loop San Diego and maybe this route as well coronado round trip.

Still need a place to rent a carbon road bike.


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## Bikegeek1968 (Jan 30, 2004)

Hi all

I run a small bike rental service in South Orange County California, and I provide discounts to BikeForums and Roadbike Review forumites. I saw that several of you are staying in the San Diego area but if you (or your friends) ever find yourself in Dana Point, San Clemente or San Juan, take a look at my available bikes. I deliver to other areas, and it would not be a problem to drop off a bike in North County San Diego. I have modern Cannondale CAAD10's with Ultegra and a random selection of vintage road racers from the 70's and 80's.

Riverstone Cycles has a link to reservations and rates, plus guided tour are available for groups of up to 4 riders.

And nous parlons Francais!

Happy riding,

Mark


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

andyaa said:


> I will be in San Diego next week and probably will be able to ride on Friday and/or Saturday the 22nd and 23rd.
> I was thinking of this route Great Western Loop San Diego and maybe this route as well coronado round trip.
> 
> Still need a place to rent a carbon road bike.


Something's wrong with that Coronado route. That is nowhere near 42 miles. We do that ride starting at Liberty station, which is west of the airport, and it's only about 35 miles IIRC. It is a scenic route however. 

Never done the GWL...but it's on my list. It's a ton of climbing and in the boonies.


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

The Garmin site was down when I just clicked on those links but assuming the GW loop is the one that starts/finishes at the Starbucks in Rancho San Diego that is a very good route - easy to follow. There is a decent amount of climbing and some fun & fast descents. It can get cold and windy in those mountains so keep an eye on the forecast. 

On Saturdays there are quite a few group rides that can be options also if you want a fast/hard workout. 

Moment Cycle Sport in Liberty Station on Pt Loma (near airport) had high-end rentals last time I was in there. I would give them a call - there are also several other threads in this forum where people have looked for rentals in SD and found them, so digging up some of those will give you some leads.


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

chudak said:


> Something's wrong with that Coronado route. That is nowhere near 42 miles. We do that ride starting at Liberty station, which is west of the airport, and it's only about 35 miles IIRC. It is a scenic route however.
> 
> Never done the GWL...but it's on my list. It's a ton of climbing and in the boonies.


I took another look at the Coronodo route in Garmin. If you add mile markers you can see that it goes all the way out then turns around around and comes back on the same route.


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## chudak (Jul 28, 2012)

andyaa said:


> I took another look at the Coronodo route in Garmin. If you add mile markers you can see that it goes all the way out then turns around around and comes back on the same route.


Ha! That explains it....we usually take the ferry across the bay from Coronado.


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## JaeP (Mar 12, 2002)

andyaa said:


> I took another look at the Coronodo route in Garmin. If you add mile markers you can see that it goes all the way out then turns around around and comes back on the same route.


If you do the Coronado route there is a group that has been regularly riding the Strand for the past 30 years (Affectionately known as The Donut Ride). The group is called The Crown City Cyclist and they leave Coronado promptly at 7:00 am and cruise down to Imperial Beach where they turn around. One group races back to Coronado. This group is fast as there are some Cat 1 and 2's. Afterwards, there is coffee and donuts at Pats house.

Someone once described the Great Western Loop as mostly flat except for the hills. There is equal amounts climbing as there is down hilling. If you go early on a Sunday you may bump into world famous bicycle painter, Joe Bell. He usually has a vintage ride that covers half of the Great Western Loop.


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

JaeP said:


> If you do the Coronado route there is a group that has been regularly riding the Strand for the past 30 years (Affectionately known as The Donut Ride). The group is called The Crown City Cyclist and they leave Coronado promptly at 7:00 am and cruise down to Imperial Beach where they turn around. One group races back to Coronado. This group is fast as there are some Cat 1 and 2's. Afterwards, there is coffee and donuts at Pats house.
> 
> Someone once described the Great Western Loop as mostly flat except for the hills. There is equal amounts climbing as there is down hilling. If you go early on a Sunday you may bump into world famous bicycle painter, Joe Bell. He usually has a vintage ride that covers half of the Great Western Loop.


I will have this Friday and Saturday to ride. What does the weather look like, high around 60? Will it be colder on the Great Western Loop?


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## Kristatos (Jan 10, 2008)

andyaa said:


> I will have this Friday and Saturday to ride. What does the weather look like, high around 60? Will it be colder on the Great Western Loop?


You can look at the forecast for Alpine, CA and that should give you a pretty close approximation of the weather out there. It's supposed to be nice this weekend. Generally the GW loop will have lower lows and higher highs than around coastal SD during times of nice weather (during storms it can snow out there). Having some layers is not a bad idea, but if you were starting late like 10AM you might be fine with just shorts and short sleeves if the weather turns out like the current forecast.


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## JaeP (Mar 12, 2002)

andyaa said:


> I will have this Friday and Saturday to ride. What does the weather look like, high around 60? Will it be colder on the Great Western Loop?


Forecast for the inland is around 60 and sunny. Hope you enjoy your rides in Sandy Eggo!


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## human powered (Aug 13, 2012)

UC Cyclery also rents out carbon rigs. RENT A BIKE - UC Cyclery | La Jolla, CA


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

do the GW Loop early
the climb up the Viejas Grade has no shade whatsoever. If the day warms up it can be pretty toasty
If you have time on Saturday do the Donut Ride. I used to be a regular but wife's work schedule has stopped me attending. Starts @ 7 AM sharp. 8 miles of cruising, 8 miles of 25 -33 mph paceline with attacks. Over by 8ish and then you can do a regular ride


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## andyaa (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks, everybody for all the helpful advice I had a great time in San Diego. I rented a Felt carbon road bike from Hollands in Coronado and rode the Great Western Loop (40 miles) on Friday. Lots of climbing, way more than I am used to here in the Midwest, didn't break any speed records, but it was an awesome ride. Loved the views of the canyons. On Saturday I rode the Coronado round trip (43 miles). Started at Joe's Crab Shack and rode around to the ferry landing in Coronado and then back. Totally different ride from the day before, lots of people out and about enjoying the sunny weather. Temp never got over about 65 degrees but both days were great for biking. Here are links to both sets of ride data, if anybody is interested... Great Western Loop, San Diego by aarhelger at Garmin Connect - Details, Coronado, round trip, San Diego by aarhelger at Garmin Connect - Details


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