Del Mar, California

Hi, I as wondering if some SDers can give me some advice...

I have to work at Del Mar Racetrack next week and want to take some time off for a quick ride. (No showering facilities so I don't want to get too skanky)

Can anyone recommend a short route (20-25 miles) that departs from the track? I don't know the area well at all. In fact, when I go there via the 5, it's an off-the-freeway-get-back-on-the-freeway kind of thing. I looked at a map, but I'm not sure which streets are ridable and which ones to stay away from.
I'll probably be riding between 9am-11am, so it's after rush hour.
Any suggestions will be appreciated!

Coast Highway is a good ride. Take Via Del Valle west to Coast Hwy. You can can go north for a flat ride, with a bike lane even. You'll get your 20 miles on this stretch no problem.

Now if you're adventurous and really like a challenging (nearly impossible) hill, you can attempt Torrey Pines. Simply go south on Coast Highway. At the top of the hill is UC San Diego, which has lots of roads with big shoulders/bike lanes to cover. I haven't ridden the Torrey Pines hill yet cause I'm a wimp. What goes up must come down, and the "down" part is what scares me. You can tell me all about it if you brave it.

-Shimpie

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Originally Posted by Shimpie

Coast Highway is a good ride. Take Via Del Valle west to Coast Hwy. You can can go north for a flat ride, with a bike lane even. You'll get your 20 miles on this stretch no problem.

Now if you're adventurous and really like a challenging (nearly impossible) hill, you can attempt Torrey Pines. Simply go south on Coast Highway. At the top of the hill is UC San Diego, which has lots of roads with big shoulders/bike lanes to cover. I haven't ridden the Torrey Pines hill yet cause I'm a wimp. What goes up must come down, and the "down" part is what scares me. You can tell me all about it if you brave it.

-Shimpie

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OH NO!! Torrey Pines is in the route for the Amtrak Century next month.
Is the climb that bad???? YIKES!!!
I hear it is at mile 80 too, great!

Yep, take Via De La Valle west to Coast Highway... I always head south (towards the college) and you can get in some minor rollers and amazing scenery... tons of riders along this stretch so cars are pretty savvy and watch for you... if you have time, stop at the Pannikin (it's a white and yellow house that will be on your right, west, as you head south) one day and replace every calorie you may have burned and then some by having one of their orange cinnamon rolls... sigh... heaven. :D

redhot... Torrey Pines is about a mile and a half at 6-7%... I just get into granny gear and do it... and going southbound you climb it and there is no big downhill after if that's a concern... you'll be fine considering the climbing you're already doing... trust me! :)

The inside of Torrey, into the park, is steeper, but Amtrack doesn't have you do that... :)

Thanks BC!!
How are you doing BTW after your surgery?
Any plans to come up to Camarillo any time soon?

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Originally Posted by redhot3368

OH NO!! Torrey Pines is in the route for the Amtrak Century next month.
Is the climb that bad???? YIKES!!!
I hear it is at mile 80 too, great!

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It's not THAT bad!! I said I was a wimp didn't I? :rolleyes: I would ride up the hill, I just wouldn't ride it going down. I just hate long descents!

Shimpie

Thanks for the tips everyone! I will certainly go that route and maybe even check out these cinnamon rolls.

Joy

The nice thing about Torrey Pines (if you turn right at the stoplight at the top of the hill and follow the path along the golf course) is that you end up in the park, and there's a large bathroom where you can park your bike inside and not have to worry about getting oogled while you cool off from the ride. The trail is a nice little descent to cool off from the climb too.

I've gone down Torrey Pines many many times, keeping my speed around 30-35mph. I suppose I could get going faster than that if I wanted to, but you have to keep an eye out for the tree roots that have made bumps in the shoulder. The downhill itself isn't so bad; it's in the winter when the Santa Anas make treacherous crosswinds that stir up road debris and sand that force you to close your eyes while speeding down the hill that's BAD... :eek:

From where you'd be coming, you'd have to do both Torrey Pines AND the hill back up into Del Mar. That's almost as hard as Torrey Pines in my opinion, maybe even harder if you hit the light at Carmel Valley Road.

And, I do NOT recommend riding down Camino Del Mar (Coast Highway) through Del Mar. There are NO reasonable bike lanes, and the drivers are totally inconsiderate and pull out of side streets and driveways with no regard for anything that's smaller than an SUV. Its all stop signs, and dangerous.

Instead - forgive me if this sounds screwy - I don't know all the road names!
If you open maps.google.com for Del Mar, you can get a better idea of this path. It sounds confusing, but really isn't that bad. Slower than Camino Del Mar, but safer because there are very few through cars.

Try this:
When you leave the race track via Jimmy Durante and travel South (towards the beach).
At the first light (15th street?), make a right, and follow it all the way to where it comes to a T.
At the T, make a left, and follow that road (has a few speed bumps) until it makes another T.
At THAT T, make a Left,
then an immediate right into what looks like an alleyway with 2 speed bumps(Pacific?).
Follow the alleyway, and at the end, make a Right.
Then, make an almost immediate left,
and follow that road (Stratford, I think?) for a fair distance, through the neighborhood, and keep going on through past the gatehouse near the end.

At the very end of this road and down a narrow sidewalk path, it will let you out onto Coast Highway, completely bypassing downtown Del Mar.

On your way back, you might as well check out how crazy Camino Del Mar can be; crossing back over to the side streets is pretty tough. :p

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Originally Posted by redhot3368

Thanks BC!!
How are you doing BTW after your surgery?
Any plans to come up to Camarillo any time soon?

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Redhot... I'm actually doing pretty well... that's sweet of you to ask! I considered doing a ride this week, but haven't yet... the tenderness is decreasing but still there. This weekend I worked an event and was out til 2am Fri and Sat was my 20 yr HS reunion. I got home at 3am. I AM NOT 21 ANYMORE! :eek: :D I napped like an old lady all weekend... LOL

I will be back up to Camarillo within the next month or two as I will be landscape designing my bro's new house... he got a corner lot and we're putting in an island bed...

HE is training right now to ride the Knoxville Double Century again this year... I'll be sure to let you know when I come up if we have time to ride... he and I usually try to get at least one ride in... I make him go nice and slow. :D

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Originally Posted by Shimpie

Now if you're adventurous and really like a challenging (nearly impossible) hill, you can attempt Torrey Pines.

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?????? you don't need to fear torrey pines! i always heard the horror stories of that hill... and then i had the chance to ride it last year during the amtrak ride... no problems!

Thanks for everyone for their advice. My photo shoot got bumped an hour so I hopped in the car and did a recon of the area. The Torrey Pines hill looks ominous... I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I saw some gal in bright pink powering up it with a couple of guys in tow (someone on TE perhap?) and I was just in awe. And yes, I can see how chaotic Camino Del Mar can be.

I think I may just head north on Coast. I can't imagine climbing a hill, getting back in my car with sore muscles -- and stinkiness -- and driving 100 miles back to LA. I got stuck in major traffic on the 405 today (deceased motorcycle rider in Orange County) and it ended up taking me 3-1/2 hours to get back.