Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

S.D. to S.F. – by Bike

A not-so-relaxing honeymoon

Climbing the Central Coast hills north of S.L.O.
Climbing the Central Coast hills north of S.L.O.

Held every October, the Million Dollar Challenge is a fundraising bike ride for challenged athletes in which participants cycle down the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego.

The reverse route, however, can be considered a bucket-list item for cyclists.

Round-tripping to work via bike, my wife Bessy and I had been clocking in 40 miles daily, with some century rides here and there. We decided to make the S.D.-to-S.F. ride our honeymoon trip – it would be a bonding experience, we thought, and reflect our personalities by taking us to San Fran for the first time the hippie way.

Why not Hawaii or some other relaxing honeymoon destination, you ask? We already live in a beachgoer’s paradise in San Diego!

Thanks to the Million Dollar Challenge, we had route maps with turn-by-turn directions. Our neighbor, who just so happened to be a tour coach driver, had volunteered to drive along. The only real question remaining was how many miles we could do a day before camping out in the support SUV.

People familiar with the route advised us to stay on PCH all the way. After a ton of preparation and planning, I figured we could shoot for four days at 150 miles a day following PCH – thinking this would avoid the bulk of the hyper-detailed MDC route. Big mistake.

Day 1: Pass L.A.

We start from downtown San Diego with a goal of stopping at Santa Monica, hoping to pass quickly through desert-like Camp Pendleton to avoid sunburn. We’ve done L.A. before, so all's going well until we reach LAX, where to stay on the supposed PCH we have to go through a tunnel that becomes a full-blown highway.

Sponsored
Sponsored

We survive the pushy L.A. drivers, somehow, and arrive in Santa Monica with three hours of daylight to spare... so we decide to push up the coast to Malibu for a total of 160 miles.

Day 2: Central Coast Cruising

Day two, we wake and roll on a scenic 30 miles of beach, cliffs and easy rolling hills in Malibu, hitting speeds of nearly 25 m.p.h. with no wind.

After reaching Santa Barbara, our first round of confusion begins with the area’s maze of bike routes. We're pulled over and instructed by police that this section of highway 1/101 is not open to cyclists...adding an unnecessary 20 miles to our trip.

Our intended stop is Gaviota, after which the road elbows up to San Luis Obispo. Still feeling good, we decide to push it. Leaving Gaviota, we enter a tunnel up the 101, which surprisingly allows cyclists – and acts as a wind funnel just to increase difficulty.

At this point, we decide to veer off the MDC course by continuing on I-101. Onward we go via multiple hill climbs, passing vineyards and ending up in a truck stop of a town called Santa Maria, clocking in at 140 miles for the day.

Day 3: Trouble in the Hills

Back on the I-101 to S.L.O. Once again we hit an un-bikeable section of the PCH and are pulled over by police.

On back roads, which at least had good signage, Bessy double-flats and we need to replace the tires. With luck, we encounter a large cycling group who help out to change her tires and tubes; our plastic tools didn't cut it.

We continue on, headwinds picking up, and stop in a beautiful town called Cambria filled with bakeries. Sick of Cliff bars, we make this our refueling point. Torque would be needed for the distance ahead – Google Maps may show distance and hills, but it doesn't show wind!

We suffer through more headwinds. Verbal communication ceases in order for us to conserve energy.

Once we start climbing hills, the winds stop. Bessy begins to fall back, knowing I will wait for her ahead, and I move forward to plan a resting point as the sun begins to set. I decide mile marker 80 is the appropriate spot, and our driver Alejandra relays the message back to her. (This is a good time for an FYI: no cellphone or GPS reception within a 70-mile radius as you enter Big Sur State Park.)

I push past some no-name town that should've been the stop point as evening fell, but I’m a man of my word on the hunt for the mile marker.

Turns out it’s a new county, however, and the mile markers have changed. My only hope is a sign reading “town of Gorda 7 miles away.” I'm seven miles of hills ahead of Bessy, with no cell service.

I rush into the convenience store in the town of two buildings, only to encounter mountain people who visibly disliked tourists – no help on how to contact a park ranger, nothing!

Too exhausted to go back after the 117-mile ride, I have no option but to dial 911 at the pay phone, where still I'm offered no help as emergency services are miles away. While on the call, I see Alejandra pull in like an angel coming down to save us. How on earth did she know to go ahead to find me?

Regardless, she's able to coordinate Gorda as the night rest point by going back to relay to Bessy my location. Yeah, she was still biking and didn't take a ride up – tough as nails.

pit stop

Day 4: Pushing Through

We sleep in a bit, only to wake up with one thought on our minds: get out of Big Sur! The quicker you finish, the less time you’re suffering (my motto for triathlon races); it’s another day of strong headwinds and hills.

We reach Santa Cruz to rest after 97 miles.

Day 5 and the Finish Line

Anything out of the remote Big Sur is cakewalk as we trek on again. You know you’re close when you’re doing a hill climb and a guy passes you easily on a fixie bike. All is well, though, until eight miles out, when once again the PCH turns into evil six-lane highway and I fall into a storm drain, blowing out my wheel.

Our driver was just ahead so I'm able to change it quick, and – so close to our goal yet so tired – keep pushing forward.

At 96 miles into the ride for a grand-total 610 miles, the San Francisco sign was a thing of beauty to our eyes. We head straight to a spa and jacuzzi. The grand challenge reward: an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse – our first time eating real food in five days.

The next couple days we explore San Francisco strictly by foot, before the "quick" drive back down to San Diego.

What started as a wild idea had become a success! We were left with the utmost feeling of confidence and accomplishment by pushing through, as a couple, where strong winds had made riding nearly unbearable.

Now what to do for next year's anniversary...?

~ Roger and Bessy Leszczynski

“Don't let anyone tell you that you can't – not even yourself.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Pacific Beach – car thief's paradise

Take photos of your automobile and license plate
Next Article

Looking back at race relations in Coronado

A former football player recalls the good and the bad
Climbing the Central Coast hills north of S.L.O.
Climbing the Central Coast hills north of S.L.O.

Held every October, the Million Dollar Challenge is a fundraising bike ride for challenged athletes in which participants cycle down the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego.

The reverse route, however, can be considered a bucket-list item for cyclists.

Round-tripping to work via bike, my wife Bessy and I had been clocking in 40 miles daily, with some century rides here and there. We decided to make the S.D.-to-S.F. ride our honeymoon trip – it would be a bonding experience, we thought, and reflect our personalities by taking us to San Fran for the first time the hippie way.

Why not Hawaii or some other relaxing honeymoon destination, you ask? We already live in a beachgoer’s paradise in San Diego!

Thanks to the Million Dollar Challenge, we had route maps with turn-by-turn directions. Our neighbor, who just so happened to be a tour coach driver, had volunteered to drive along. The only real question remaining was how many miles we could do a day before camping out in the support SUV.

People familiar with the route advised us to stay on PCH all the way. After a ton of preparation and planning, I figured we could shoot for four days at 150 miles a day following PCH – thinking this would avoid the bulk of the hyper-detailed MDC route. Big mistake.

Day 1: Pass L.A.

We start from downtown San Diego with a goal of stopping at Santa Monica, hoping to pass quickly through desert-like Camp Pendleton to avoid sunburn. We’ve done L.A. before, so all's going well until we reach LAX, where to stay on the supposed PCH we have to go through a tunnel that becomes a full-blown highway.

Sponsored
Sponsored

We survive the pushy L.A. drivers, somehow, and arrive in Santa Monica with three hours of daylight to spare... so we decide to push up the coast to Malibu for a total of 160 miles.

Day 2: Central Coast Cruising

Day two, we wake and roll on a scenic 30 miles of beach, cliffs and easy rolling hills in Malibu, hitting speeds of nearly 25 m.p.h. with no wind.

After reaching Santa Barbara, our first round of confusion begins with the area’s maze of bike routes. We're pulled over and instructed by police that this section of highway 1/101 is not open to cyclists...adding an unnecessary 20 miles to our trip.

Our intended stop is Gaviota, after which the road elbows up to San Luis Obispo. Still feeling good, we decide to push it. Leaving Gaviota, we enter a tunnel up the 101, which surprisingly allows cyclists – and acts as a wind funnel just to increase difficulty.

At this point, we decide to veer off the MDC course by continuing on I-101. Onward we go via multiple hill climbs, passing vineyards and ending up in a truck stop of a town called Santa Maria, clocking in at 140 miles for the day.

Day 3: Trouble in the Hills

Back on the I-101 to S.L.O. Once again we hit an un-bikeable section of the PCH and are pulled over by police.

On back roads, which at least had good signage, Bessy double-flats and we need to replace the tires. With luck, we encounter a large cycling group who help out to change her tires and tubes; our plastic tools didn't cut it.

We continue on, headwinds picking up, and stop in a beautiful town called Cambria filled with bakeries. Sick of Cliff bars, we make this our refueling point. Torque would be needed for the distance ahead – Google Maps may show distance and hills, but it doesn't show wind!

We suffer through more headwinds. Verbal communication ceases in order for us to conserve energy.

Once we start climbing hills, the winds stop. Bessy begins to fall back, knowing I will wait for her ahead, and I move forward to plan a resting point as the sun begins to set. I decide mile marker 80 is the appropriate spot, and our driver Alejandra relays the message back to her. (This is a good time for an FYI: no cellphone or GPS reception within a 70-mile radius as you enter Big Sur State Park.)

I push past some no-name town that should've been the stop point as evening fell, but I’m a man of my word on the hunt for the mile marker.

Turns out it’s a new county, however, and the mile markers have changed. My only hope is a sign reading “town of Gorda 7 miles away.” I'm seven miles of hills ahead of Bessy, with no cell service.

I rush into the convenience store in the town of two buildings, only to encounter mountain people who visibly disliked tourists – no help on how to contact a park ranger, nothing!

Too exhausted to go back after the 117-mile ride, I have no option but to dial 911 at the pay phone, where still I'm offered no help as emergency services are miles away. While on the call, I see Alejandra pull in like an angel coming down to save us. How on earth did she know to go ahead to find me?

Regardless, she's able to coordinate Gorda as the night rest point by going back to relay to Bessy my location. Yeah, she was still biking and didn't take a ride up – tough as nails.

pit stop

Day 4: Pushing Through

We sleep in a bit, only to wake up with one thought on our minds: get out of Big Sur! The quicker you finish, the less time you’re suffering (my motto for triathlon races); it’s another day of strong headwinds and hills.

We reach Santa Cruz to rest after 97 miles.

Day 5 and the Finish Line

Anything out of the remote Big Sur is cakewalk as we trek on again. You know you’re close when you’re doing a hill climb and a guy passes you easily on a fixie bike. All is well, though, until eight miles out, when once again the PCH turns into evil six-lane highway and I fall into a storm drain, blowing out my wheel.

Our driver was just ahead so I'm able to change it quick, and – so close to our goal yet so tired – keep pushing forward.

At 96 miles into the ride for a grand-total 610 miles, the San Francisco sign was a thing of beauty to our eyes. We head straight to a spa and jacuzzi. The grand challenge reward: an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steakhouse – our first time eating real food in five days.

The next couple days we explore San Francisco strictly by foot, before the "quick" drive back down to San Diego.

What started as a wild idea had become a success! We were left with the utmost feeling of confidence and accomplishment by pushing through, as a couple, where strong winds had made riding nearly unbearable.

Now what to do for next year's anniversary...?

~ Roger and Bessy Leszczynski

“Don't let anyone tell you that you can't – not even yourself.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Coyote tracks in frail San Diego avocado grove

Second place winner in Reader neighborhood writing contest
Next Article

Not enough Readers in Mission Beach

Mayor Todd Gloria's skin color
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.