Tandem Cycling - Central California Routes

We were going to do a mini-tour from San Luis Obispo to Ventura like we did last year, but we are finding it difficult to find hotels in Solvang or Santa Barbara on the weekend.
The ones that have rooms are very expensive and we can't afford it right now. So we are going to go up to SLO and stay at my daughters place and do some rides out of there. I was considering the Pozo / Parkhill loop and wondered if anybody else has done it. It gets hot out there so we would start early and finish before the heat.
Other days we are going to do Foxen Canyon / Santa Rosa Rd and Carpinteria around Lake Casitas and back thorugh Ventura. My other daughter lives in Ventura so we can stay there as well. Any other routes we should consider?

We were going to do a mini-tour from San Luis Obispo to Ventura like we did last year, but we are finding it difficult to find hotels in Solvang or Santa Barbara on the weekend.
The ones that have rooms are very expensive and we can't afford it right now.

An less expensive alternative in Santa Barbara is to stay at the UCSB Summer Inn (http://www.summerinnsantabarbara.com/rates.html). It is a dorm room on campus, and the bathroom down the hall. Its kind of fun, you feel like a college student again.

I saw that during my search for hotels, but also saw this:

Q. Do I have to be a an alumni of UCSB to stay at the Summer Inn?
A. No. UCSB Alumni receive a discount but we are open to non-graduates as well. All guests must have a campus-related reason for staying.

Is a bicycle tour campus-related?

It depends on what you are looking for in your ride. The Pozo loop is very pretty but, as you noted it can get hot. Just depends on the time of year. Most of the inland routes can get pretty warm this time of year. You could ride up the coast from SLO to Ragged Point along Hwy 1. That's a beautiful ride. If you want to add some hills you can take the Old Creek/Santa Rosa Creek roads to add a couple thousand feet of climbing.

We just did the first loop (52 miles) as part of the Windmill Century out of Santa Maria just a few weeks ago. There were a few stretches that were not all that exciting, but the roads were empty and the temperatures very moderate. I think the route is available on mapmyride

I was considering the Pozo / Parkhill loop and wondered if anybody else has done it. It gets hot out there so we would start early and finish before the heat.

We rode this loop last weekend. Started at 7 AM in Atascadero and were done before noon. It wasn't an especially hot day and we had no problems.

Let me know if you have further questions.

Were you in my neighborhood diabloridr??? I thought you lived further north.

Have done Ragged Pt a few times. It is a beautiful ride and Ragged Pt is a great to place to hang out for lunch. But the wind gets old after awhile. Really like riding from Big Sur to Pt Lobos and back, but I don't think we want to drive that far.

Never been on Old Creek but have been on Santa Rosa Creek. Looked on Ridewith gps and it looks like there is a 2 mile climb with steady 10%. That might too much after we do the Foxen Cyn / Santa Rosa ride.

I think we might give the Pozo loop a try and start early. I always like a new ride that we have not done before.

I did send an email to the Summer Inn at UCSB and they responded back that they did have a room available and the price is really good. But still we can't afford 3 nights of hotels so we are going to do that later this year.

If you are willing to head up to Paso Robles there are some really nice routes through the wine country as well. The Pozo loop you can ride out of Santa Margarita which is closer to Cal Poly. There is a park and ride just off the 101. You could also ride up over the grade but that isn't much fun.

Were you in my neighborhood diabloridr??? I thought you lived further north.

Depends, what is your neighborhood?

Depends, what is your neighborhood?


I live not too far from Paso Robles.

I live not too far from Paso Robles.

We live not too far from Atascadero.

If you are willing to head up to Paso Robles there are some really nice routes through the wine country as well.

Thought about that as we visted many of the wineries such as Adelaida and it is beautiful there, but on the roads we have driven there isn't much of a shoulder. Might be ok on a week day when the traffic to the wineries isn't as much.

We live not too far from Atascadero.

ohhh, For some reason I thought you lived up towards Livermore or south bay area.

Thought about that as we visted many of the wineries such as Adelaida and it is beautiful there, but on the roads we have driven there isn't much of a shoulder. Might be ok on a week day when the traffic to the wineries isn't as much.

Winery traffic is never an issue for us in choosing routes, though everyone has there own tolerance for traffic,etc.

We rode Vineyard and Adelaida yesterday.

ohhh, For some reason I thought you lived up towards Livermore or south bay area.

Spent 20 years in Livermore before we escaped a few years back.

Spent 20 years in Livermore before we escaped a few years back.

That makes sense. One of these days, after my knee gets fixed, we'll have to go for a ride. Are you riding with one of the Atascadero groups?

Are you riding with one of the Atascadero groups?

Usually riding the tandem on Saturdays with the "Zoo Group".

Riding my single on the Sunday morning ride and with a small group who ride Tuesday and Thursday evenings during the summer.

jnbrown....if you are really considering the Paso Robles area and want a bunch of route slips for the area send me a pm and I will find a way to get them to you. We ride the Great Western Bike Rally most years and have theirs covering a wide range of distances.
You are correct about the roads and not many shoulders, but once you are out of town and off the few major highways it is great riding, light traffic and pretty respectful drivers.
Our favorite summer riding treat is around SLO and the coastline north and south of there. But for spring /winter riding, Paos Robles is really hard to beat....at the same time however, it is way too hot in the summer for me.

Bill J.

We usually do Prefumo Canyon out to Avilla beach on the coast the day after the Wildflower Century. There is about a half mile of dirt at the top but the views of the coast are worth it. Down hill has some steep sections. From there we head south and have taken a variety of routes back to SLO depending on heat and time limits. There is a funky bike shop in Arroyo Grande if you go that far south.

Wow,clicked my news button after finishing above forum post and this article comes up.......http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2011/07/19/1688289/south-county-beat-iras-bike-shop.html
I have only been in this shop one time but Ira's passion was obvious. If you go to this shop and if you are in the area you should, you will know you are in a special place that only bicyle junkies understand.

Wishing Ira and his family all the best.

We ended up doing Pozo Rd / Park Hill loop on Saturday and really enjoyed it.
Almost no traffic and more climbing than I expected.
The road gets rough in spots but certainly tolerable.
We saw deer and lots of wild turkeys.
The second half had what seemed like endless roller coaster hills and then a long down hill that was fun.
Since we are still paying the lease on our daughters apartment until the end of the month we are going back up next week for some more riding, so hit me with some more route suggestions.

Since we are still paying the lease on our daughters apartment until the end of the month we are going back up next week for some more riding, so hit me with some more route suggestions.

What ride length (miles) are you interested in?

What ride length (miles) are you interested in?

40 to 70 miles

A few North Country Ideas, most of these will be from Atascadero, though you can adjust the start point to meet your needs:

1) Vineyard to Adelaida, go left, Left on Chimney Rock, Left on Klau Mine which returns to Adelaida. We usually retrace our route back on Vineyard, but you could alternatively take Adelaida back to Paso and then work your way south.

2) Same as above, but go RIGHT on Chimney Rock, Then Right on Nacimento Rd back into Paso, etc...

3) Same as above, but do not take Nacimento Rd all the way to Paso. Instead turn left on San Marcos. When you get to Hwy 101, go north (it's legal), exit in San Miguel, then take River Rd back to Paso, etc.

4) From Creston, Take Hwy 41 to Shandon (reload here, no services for rest of ride), Leave Shandon on Truesdale Rd, Right on Shell Creek Rd, then Rt on Hwy 58. You can go Right on Either (A) La Panza, (B) O'Donovan or (C) HWY 229 to get back to Creston. [O'Donovan is flat and easy, Hwy 229 has a tough little climb but is the most beautiful, and La Panza has a sweet, long downhill after some climbing for the most smiles.]

5) From Santa Margarita: Head North on El Camino, Right on Santa Barbara, Quick Left on Viejo Camino, the Right on Halcon to cross the Salinas River on a good oiled dirt crossing. Then Left on Rocky Canyon, cross Hwy 41, Rt on South El Pomar, Right on El Pomar, Left on Cripple Creek, Right on Creston Rd, Right on Hwy 41 for 200 yd, Left on 229 through Creston. Left on Hwy 58, Right on Huero Huero, Left on Park Hill for 200 yards, Right on Las Pilitas, Right on Pozo Rd, Left on Hwy 58 back to S.M.

Many more where that came from, but that should keep you occupied.

Diabloridr,

Thanks for the suggestions. Still apprehensive about riding on the west side because afraid of getting buzzed by angry drivers visiting the wineries, otherwise it would be my first choice.
I realize this would be different living there you might know how to deal with it. Would rather ride on roads with some shoulder and little traffic.

The high in Paso Robles is going to be 100 so we would have start early and finish by 1pm. I was also looking at options closer to the coast like Old Creek Rd out of Cayucos but wonder if its too steep on a tandem, looks like 10% for a few miles.

Still apprehensive about riding on the west side because afraid of getting buzzed by angry drivers visiting the wineries, otherwise it would be my first choice.
I realize this would be different living there you might know how to deal with it. Would rather ride on roads with some shoulder and little traffic.

The high in Paso Robles is going to be 100 so we would have start early and finish by 1pm. I was also looking at options closer to the coast like Old Creek Rd out of Cayucos but wonder if its too steep on a tandem, looks like 10% for a few miles.

You're definitely more adverse to traffic than me, though having spent 20 years in the Bay Area makes this seem like car-free paradise. I've never had issues on Vineyard, the traffic is light and considerate. Chimney Rock/Klau Mine might be a good loop for you as there are only a couple of winery's back there and the road doesn't go anywhere else. It's pretty isolated, though we have hit some traffic when people are picking up/dropping off at a Boy Scout camp back there.

I'd avoid Nacimento Drive, at least during Summer weekends, due to heavy traffic headed to the Lake.

The routes through Creston will have even less traffic, though they are more inland and will be warmer.

We've climbed Old Creek on our tandem, there's maybe a half to one mile of real granny gear work. We haven't gotton our courage up yet to take the tandem up Santa Rosa Creek yet, so if you have Old Creek should be within your ability.

Highs this weekend are supposed to barely crack 90. We've had an unsually mild Summer.

I've never had an issue on Vineyard either and that's part of one of my favorite training loops (I ride it a lot). Peachy Canyon to Vineyard to Adilaide, it's a great loop.
I'd second the Chimney Rock/Klau Mine loop too. It's almost always deserted. Another of my favorites is to take Adalaide to Chiminy Rock to the lake road back to Paso. The lake road can be trafficy on weekends but it's got a wide shoulder for the majority of they way and aside from a couple rollers you're going down hill through most of that section. There are also a lot of loops east and north east of Paso. There is very little traffic NE of Paso in the Ranchita Cyn and Hog Canyon areas but this time of year they will be warmer.

I've climbed and descended both Old Creek and Santa Rosa Creek on the tandem. It's hard to tell someone if a climb is doable or not. It may be for us and not you but Old Creek is quite a bit easier than Santa Rosa Creek. If you climb Old Creek and then go down Santa Rosa there is still a 3/4 mile section of 20% grade to climb on Santa Rosa before you do the descent and the descent is very technical and the pavement is bad. I wouldn't suggest it unless you are very confident in your descending skills. I get airborne on my single going down it! You might be better off taking hwy 46 back to the coast. It's got a very tandem friendly descent.

We also enjoy Old Creek Road a lot. It starts pretty mellow out of Cuyucus and has a nice down hill after the initial climb. From that wooded bottom on up to the junction of highway 46 is pretty tough on us as we're a 120 yr old team with modest strength at best. But even at that it is quite doable and well worth the climb for the fun ride down 46 back to Highway 1. If it happens to be windy with gusts going down 46 be alert as small changes in the direction of the road may lead to some sudden side gusts that will move you around a bit more that you'll want. Nice wide shoulder on 46.

Back to the Paso area...+1 on Peachy Canyon with more climbs and serious downhills in places.
Then off in the other direction completely it is +10 on Hog Canyon....easy riding, no traffic. I forget how we get out there but once you turn back towards Paso on HC it is a super fun ride. It is a fairly long, gently rolling and mildly curvy, slightly down hill run back towards Paso...it is one of those roads that has you grinning , carrying all the speed you legs with give you and loving life in a big way!!...have I said I love Paso Robles and the Central Coast.

Bill J.

So we ended up doing the ride out of Creston on Sunday and it was really great.
We drove out to Creston on Hwy 229 to preview the finish and that is one crazy road.
We got a late start at 9am and it got hot especially on the climbs, so we decided to take La Panza back instead of 229 and it was also a nice road.
I especially liked Truesdale Rd out of Shandon cutting through the vast expanse of vineyards. We didn't see even one car for miles.

On Monday we decided to do Peachy Canyon returning on Adelaida Rd. Being Monday morning there was very little traffic and it was another outstanding ride. That last downhill from Adelaida to Paso Robles was a blast. Its hard to believe you drop only 1100 feet because it seems to last a long time.

Thanks for the great recommendations that I otherwise would not have thought of doing.
If you ever need any ride recommendations in San Diego County please ask.

I saw that during my search for hotels, but also saw this:

Q. Do I have to be a an alumni of UCSB to stay at the Summer Inn?
A. No. UCSB Alumni receive a discount but we are open to non-graduates as well. All guests must have a campus-related reason for staying.

Is a bicycle tour campus-related?

We did the Cool Breeze Century on Saturday, and stayed in Santa Barbara Saturday night, so as to visit with our sons, both attending UCSB. As is common in the Summer, there was no availability of hotel rooms, and so we stayed at the Summer Inn.

We now know it as the Suffer Inn. There are lots of irksome problems:


Parking is 0.2 miles away from the dorm.
You need a parking permit from a kiosk, or they will eagerly ticket you.
The mattresses are used by institutions. Like dorms and prisons. They are thin and hard. I awoke at 5 AM just uncomfortable everywhere. My 1/2" 12 oz. backpacking pad is much better.
The bathroom/shower is okay, but you can't linger, as there are only two on the floor, and you feel like you are delaying other guests.


I talked to the manager (a student). There is no requirement for having some relationship with the University. If you request a reservation, it will be given. It is run by the Alumni Association, to garner good will among their alumni. But I don't see how subjecting them to penal living conditions helps them in that regard.

It might be okay as a bicycle touring option, for a weary cyclist inured to hardship. With a car, it is no fun dragging luggage 0.2 miles, and there are no amenities on site. You have to drive to them, after hiking 0.2 miles to your car.

A Motel 6 is much much better in every way than the Suffer Inn.


http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6183/6067820139_a6942ce621_z.jpg