Beaches of Southern California

† Explanation of BAC Ride Fee – This fee is not included in the Estimated Cost and is non-refundable once submitted. The Ride Fee for US and Canada is $85 and $100 for all other countries, both are per participant.

Ride Description

OVERVIEW
We will immerse ourselves in ocean scenery, countless beaches and southern California’s surf culture as we ride seaside walkways and the Pacific Coast Highway from Orange County south to San Diego and back. Starting in Costa Mesa near the John Wayne Airport, we will ride the waterfront of “Surf City USA” Huntington Beach and overnight in posh Newport Beach then continue to ride south through seaside communities with an overnight in quiet San Clemente and a long ride past some of the best surf breaks in Southern California in San Onofre State Park. We have a layover day in Oceanside where we will have time to explore an early Spanish Mission, visit the multi-million dollar theme park “Legoland”, or swim in front of our hotel and watch the sun set over the Pacific from our rooftop happy hour.

We then swing inland on riverside cycle paths to Escondido overnight, then our one climbing day (4B) of 4,800’ to the historic gold mining town of Julian. A layover day will allow us to ride on quiet roads through California oak forests, or tour the quaint town and enjoy Julian’s famous apple pie. Leaving Julian we will descend through the Cleveland National Forest and an interior hinterland dotted with horse ranches and small avocado and citrus groves to the town of Alpine where we have a layover. We will then complete our descent to protected bike paths along the San Diego river to arrive for a two night stay at our comfortable San Diego hotel base. There we will take advantage of San Diego’s superb bike trail network to enjoy stunning city views from Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument, ride seaside bike paths along the San Diego harbor front and downtown Embarcadero, and ride or take a harbor ferry to the famous Hotel del Coronado. Other nearby sites of interest include the historic “Old Town “and “Gas Lamp” districts, the USS “Midway” museum, and Balboa Park. After our layover day we will return to the starting point by riding up the coast through Mission Bay, La Jolla, Del Mar and Encinitas, overnighting in Oceanside before our final day’s ride up coast back to our Costa Mesa starting point.

RIDE RATING 2B
The majority of days will be spent riding near sea level on flat or gently rolling terrain and will be comfortable 2B rides or less. One day only will exceed the ride rating as a 4B ride with a 4,800’ climb but van support will be provided to assist cyclists as needed. While most of the routes will be on either separated trails or roads with wide well marked shoulders, there will be some sections with narrower shoulders and / or more traffic so riders should be comfortable riding in some traffic.

WEATHER
We will be spending most of the ride in a semi-arid Mediterranean climate zone where November highs average in the low 70s F and low temperatures average mid to high 50’s.   However it will be November so cooler breezes off the ocean and on occasion light fog or rain can occur. Temperatures up in Julian range from an average high of 64 F to average low of 38 F in November so bring warmer gear.

LODGING AND LUGGAGE
All accommodations will all be either Holiday Inn / Express or Crowne Plaza hotels with the exception of two nights in the Julian Lodge and two nights at Ayres Lodge in Alpine.
Luggage will be strictly limited to a maximum weight of of 35 lbs. per piece.

FOOD
Trip fees will cover the first and last night’s dinner, a “pizza night”, all lunches, all breakfasts, and “Happy Hour” each day*.
* Note: Although the food and supplies for lunches and Happy Hours will be provided by the ride leader, all participants will be asked to assist with preparing the lunch buffet area, laying out the lunch supplies and clean up. This will be done on a rotational basis in teams of four. The same procedure will be used for Happy Hours.

LOGISTICS
The ride will start with a group dinner on Sunday November 4th, 2018 at the Crowne Plaza Costa Mesa in Orange County, CA located ten minutes from John Wayne International Airport(JWA). Airlines flying into John Wayne are Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest, United, and Westjet. The hotel has a shuttle to and from the airport. Vehicles may be left at the hotel parking lot at a $5 per day cost. Bike boxes may also be left at the hotel. We will return to the Crown Plaza Costa Mesa on Saturday November 17th, 2018 for a final group dinner and departure the following day.  Bicycle rentals are available from nearby ARB Cyclery or The Cyclist.com.  Hotel shuttle is available for transport to and from either bicycle shop.  

COST & ADMINISTRATION
The estimated cost for this tour is $1,900 and does not include the BAC registration fee. Cost includes all breakfasts, all lunches (* see note above), two dinners, one pizza night, and happy hours each day (* see note above), lodging, navigation aids (cue sheets, GPS files and cycling maps) and luggage transfer by van. Emergency support will be provided if necessary.

SINGLES & SOLOS POLICY
Singles are welcome! It is recommended that singles who want a roommate, try to find their own. However, after receipt of the initial deposit, a single without a roommate will be placed on the ride and given until May 1, 2018 to find a roommate. If they are unable to find a roommate, they will have the option to receive a full refund (minus the BAC fee and credit card fees) or pay the $972 single supplement and stay on the ride. If a single pays the supplement, they may continue to seek a roommate, but must plan to participate without a roommate if necessary. The ride leader will assist by attempting to match singles who apply for the ride. Single supplement payments will need to be made by check directly to the Ride Leader.

CANCELLATION POLICY
The BAC ride registration fee and credit card fees are not refundable unless the entire tour is cancelled. Refunds of tour payments will depend upon whether a replacement rider signs up, and on costs that can be recouped. The amount refunded will be based on the principle that the tour’s remaining participants will not incur any additional cost as a result of cancellations. If the cancelling participant is replaced, a refund will be made at that time. If the cancelling participant can't be replaced, any refund will be determined after the ride and final expense report is completed. If a single participant cancels and another roommate cannot be found, in addition to other costs that cannot be recouped the cancelling roommate may also be liable for the single supplement fee of the roommate remaining on the tour. BAC encourages members to purchase trip cancellation insurance.

RIDE PARTICIPANT RESPONSIBILITY
Please remember that BAC Ride Leaders are volunteers, and that successful tours depend on participants providing much of their own support. Participants are expected to come to the ride well trained, in good health and ready to accomplish the required daily riding using well-maintained bicycles. All participants should accept responsibility for a safe and enjoyable tour. We encourage you to read the ride description carefully and respond to requests from Ride Leader. While on the ride, support your Ride Leader with offers to help with various tasks such as happy hour preparation and clean-up. Please do not interfere with the ride by inviting non-participants onto any portion of the ride or tour. Please keep the Ride Leader informed of any special request you might have and respect the Ride Leader’s decisions.

SIGN-UP
To register for this ride, use the sign-up links just above the Ride Description. After preliminary acceptance, you will be moved to the pending list and receive an email requesting you to go back to the BAC site to digitally sign the Release of Liability (ROL), and pay the non-refundable BAC fee ($50) and tour deposit ($1,000) by credit card. As soon as your deposit has been processed, your name(s) will be added to the Participant List. The second payment of $900 will be due by May 1, 2018. BAC members with questions may contact the Ride Leader by "clicking" the name at the top of this Ride Description, or by calling Sue at (760) 698-9215.