Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - SF to Big Sur -- advice?

Hi, all -- I'm planning on riding from SF to Big Sur for a kind of metric double century-plus and wanted to get some advice on the best route. I'm familiar with the route down to Santa Cruz, but from there to Big Sur I'm not so clear. Is it safe to just continue on CA-1 all the way down? Also, what is the climbing situation on that stretch? Any huge climbs that would be totally inhospitable after 80 miles?

Thanks in advance!

Flat as a pancake from Aptos to Monterrey.

It's been too long and I can't remember the details, but you don't stay on 1 the whole way. I think if you post in the NorCal forum someone can give you details.

www.adventurecycling.org has free-download gps files in their "Pacific Coast Route" page.

I would recommend getting the Krebs map of the area (google it) or working with a county map and the adv. cycl. gps points to highlight your route.

have fun, it's a great ride.

Yeah, just stick to 1. The real climbs are due south of Big Sur.

I would recommend getting the Krebs map of the area (google it)

This.

Valygrl is right; Krebs maps are fantastic, and they've got an especially good one that covers the whole BF Bay area and on down to Monterrey.

Once you hit Santa Cruz, you'll have to leave route 1 for a while as it turns into a limited-access freeway. If you like, you can get back on 1 a few miles south of Watsonville, but you'll have to leave it again before long, and take alternate routes till Monterrey.

My favorite way from Santa Cruz to Monterrey is a little longer and a little hillier than tha most direct options, but not much so. You make your way to a point just south of Watsonville by one of a variety of routes (all easy to follow on the Krebs map), then head through Elkhorn Slough to Castroville, along farm roads to Marina, and catch a path from there that runs along the dunes between the freeway and the ocean, into Monterrey. (At which point the path becomes badly overcrowded, and you'll probably want to abandon it for surface streets.)

South of Monterrey, you can stay on 1 all the way to Big Sur. The final approach into Big Sur is a significant climb, so save some energy for the end.

I can give you more detailed directions if you like, but again, the best way is to grab a Krebs map and explore.

Thanks, all, for the tips!

Sanitycheck, thanks for the heads-up, re: 1. Would it be wise to take Soquel along the 1, then cut south to San Andreas for a few miles? This is the path that the AIDS/LifeCycle takes, but then they go east rather than continue south on 1, so I'm not entirely sure where to reconnect with the 1.

And, that final approach to Big Sur: what exactly do you mean by "significant?" =) We talkin' avg. 7-8% for 5 miles, or something equally hellacious?

Thanks again!