Today was a whirlwind of challenging climbs and stunning coast Vista Points. We stuck onto Highway 1 all day, with variation between a full width bike route lane and no shoulder at all. Fortunately, cars along the coastline have been very accommodating, by either slowing down completely to pass when safe to do so or shifting wide into the opposing lane. While climbing tough hills, drivers have often cheered us on or passed by with the Shaka sign. It’s a nice sign of encouragement as the sweat rolls down our faces and we crank out ~10km/hr up 6-8% extended climbs.
We hit another milestone today, surpassing the 2000km mark! With four days to cover about 500km, we are starting to imagine what the end line will feel like and whether we will actually take a full rest day in LA unlike our intense hike “off days” in SF area.
With over 1000m of ascent in the first 50km of our route from Monterey, most would think our ride was extremely challenging, and it was, but since we stuck along the coastline all day we were distracted by stunning views. We cycled through Big Sur, known for it’s continuous scenic coastline and highway alignment built at the edge of the cliff.
We passed a Swiss cyclist who has been living in a hammock for his entire tour, and also bumped into one cycle duo we saw back in Mendocino. It’s nice to see some familiar faces and help motivate each other as we edge closer towards LA.
Big Sur and the California coastline certainly did not disappoint, and although Oregon’s coastline could pass as a strong second best, to cycle through a full ~100km of Pacific Coast was pretty spectacular. Many towns along the route are known for just one resort or restaurant, so there wasn’t much opportunity to break and check out small towns along the way. Otherwise, our route could be summed up by several state parks and Vista Points.
San Simeon isn’t known for too much other than its proximity to the Hearst Castle. Hearst built the castle in the early 1900’s, originally as a family home, but now stands as a tourist attraction for it’s incredible architecture.
We have three days left until LA, all of which with a fraction of climbing compared to today. We will ride Highway 1 until it terminates closer to Santa Maria, and then we will mainly stick to Highway 101 to finish off our remaining routes. We’re definitely looking forward to a flatter ride after today’s climb.
Count:
Bars devoured – 44
Bananas chomped – 49
Peanut butter wraps – 28
Arizona iced tea drained – 12.5L
Warmshower hosts – 13
Gallons of Gatorade – 6.5
Total ascent – 21,650m
Calories burned – 78,150
Total distance – 2105km
Pacific Coast Trail 