maxglide

After almost thirty years, the 50 mile Rosarito-Ensenada Fun Bike Ride is ending.
If you've ever wanted to do this ride, September 27 will be your last chance.
Their website is: www.rosaritoensenada.com

evildoer

They advertised the "last ride" about 5 years ago but on the day of that ride they announced it would return. Hoping the same thing happens again this time. Wonder if this is a result of lower attendance due to the increase of crime in Baja. If so that's too bad. It's a great ride.

coughie

It is a great ride, and the scenery's a lot different than what you're probably used to. Definitely go if you have a chance.

maxglide

The "last ride" from five years ago had to do with a change in ownership, because the ride promoter was retiring. At the last minute someone stepped up and bought the rights to continue.
Yeah, acording to the website- ridership is suffering due to the ill-conceived notion that baja is a dangerous place. Also many people think that you need a passport to cross the border- this is not true.

Too bad, this was a classic ride.

obie

[QUOTE=maxglide;7279842]ridership is suffering due to the ill-conceived notion that baja is a dangerous place.

QUOTE]

Well, in numbers I would do Baja. By myself I don't drive solo down there anymore.

Too many surfers get hassled, robbed and jobbed down there. Go to some surfer forums and do a search for 'Baja' stories. A lot of the robberies and worse never make the news - but the word does get around.

merlin55

The Tecate ti Ensenada was a much better and harder ride at 70'ish miles. The hassle factor of getting back to the start of the ride and border crossing was huge in the late 1980s. Now it is a hassle and dangerous...

maxglide

[QUOTE=obie;7281899]I've NEVER heard of any of riders in this bike ride being "robbed or worse".
If you don't want any transportation hassles check out www.outback-adventures.com

roadfix

This ride was fun. I did it 6 times during the early 90's.

But now if I wanted to ride with a crowd and have beer I can do that locally on any of the Ridazz rides.

OCshark

I did it in 94; would never do it again. Too many instances of hurt riders being extorted for thousands of dollars before receiving medical aid. That country is so damn corrupt I'll never go back.

It was a fun ride, and I had a great time. It's too bad the government can't keep things under control anymore.

maxglide

**********?? You've got to love these forums- where else can some knucklehead make wacky statements and get away with it. The only medical aid on the race course is provided by Balboa Ambulance- an American company....

magicant

The registration is still really cheap. I'm surprised they don't just raise it by $5 or something and still make a profit if 5000 riders is their current break-even. I don't think anyone's going to reconsider doing the ride because it's $5 more expensive.

The border crossing is definitely a PITA, though. It took 2 hours to get through last time I did it. I imagine the belief of the need for passports now is what contributed to the decline, not fears of being robbed. Not everyone has a passport and the process to get one isn't something many people would go through just for this ride.

maxglide

The only things you need to get across the border by ground transportation is- a drivers lic. and a birth certificate.
A passport is not!! required.

frank828

i'll be there this year. did it last september. sad that this is gonna be the last one too.

fyi, for the cheapest tequila to take home, go to the big supermarkets.

magicant

That's why I said "belief" - it was widely reported that you would need a passport. Which was the plan, but pushed back to 2009.

maxglide

You are absolutely right Magicant. Didn't mean to diss you.
I was just emphasizing the point because, as you mentioned- it is widely believed that passports are required.

OCshark

See here: https://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...xico_2812.html

Specifically:

And here:

https://findarticles.com/p/articles/m..._9/ai_57438234

You might be fine with Mexican liability insurance, but there's been plenty of other cases reported on local radio and in the L.A. Times about people down there on vacation who get injured in an accident, and the police hold them until their families cough up cash.

All I'm saying is it's a dirty government, and I'm not going there ever again.

Mr. Beanz

Done it about 7 times. I quit riding it figuring if I want to ride really crappy roads, I can do it locally on the Palmspring century!

But really, IMO, the roads are better than PS!

maxglide

All countries have laws that prevent people from leaving skipping out on your financial obligations. Most of your reply was taken out of context, as it had to do with uninsured motorists involved in an injury accident.
Your previous statement was -" Too many instances of hurt riders being extorted for thousands of dollars before receiving medical aid". That my friend, is an out and out falsehood.

maxglide

bump

Nachoman

Fail.

evildoer

I think what has everyone concerned lately are the stories about all the kidnappings. There's another one in today's UT. https://www.signonsandiego.com/uniont...n30kidnap.html According to the article there have been 22 reported kidnappings this year and they estimate as many as 200. The victims don't appear to be chosen randomly and are almost all from families doing business in Tijuana. This would be out of the almost 40 million people who cross at San Ysidro every year.

The world is a dangerous place and cycling can be a dangerous sport. If you head down for the this the most dangerous thing you will do that day is the ride itself. With over 5000 people on the road many who are drinking along the way and have never done an organized ride this can be a bit crazy. On the other hand if you get an elite start or start close to the front it clears out fairly well in a few miles and is a great ride with zero stops.

My biggest concern is the wait at the border. Seems to get worse every ride.

dddave

damn, i've always wanted to do this, too. oh well.

Curlin

i'm doing it

farewell ride

El Pelon

I work in Tijuana two or three times a week. I have ridden bicycles and motorcycles throughout Baja, and I have competed in many organized cycling events south of the border. The Rosarito to Ensenada ride is fun. If you want to avoid all the craziness, start up front, and keep your pace up for the first 1/3 of the ride.

As far as kidnappings and robberies, these are two entirely separate types of crime. The kidnappings are being perpetrated against the owners and operators of the maquiladoras, narco traficantes (drug traffickers), and family members of the same. The Arrellano Felix Organization used to control all drug trade in the northern Baja corridor. They started to blow up about 4 years ago, and a turf war ensued. The Gulf cartel, the Sinaloan cartel, and a number of independent operators have moved in and are trying to assert themselves. At the same time, the U.S. government has increased enforcement along the border. As a result, the quantity of drugs coming across has fallen off dramatically. Thousands of persons who used to make their money off of the drug trade are now, for a lack of a better term, unemployed. As a result, many have turned to kidnappings to support their lifestyle, as well as to exact revenge on rival cells. If you are not "in the business," your chances of getting kidnapped in Baja are probably only slightly higher than getting hit by frozen waste from passing jet.

Robberies are a different story; they are far more common and, unlike kidnappings, often target gringo tourists. To avoid robberies, stay away from night clubs after midnight, adult entertainment (strip clubs, massage parlors, etc.) after midnight (or altogether if you want to avoid a trip to the apothecary ), and the cuota after dark! The cuota (or route 1D) is the toll rode that takes you from the Playas region of Tijuana to Ensenada.

Robbers have been cruising the cuota in faux 'unmarked' police cars, pulling over expensive vehicles, and robbing their occupants. Please note, though, that even though this has happened on a number of occasions, it still is pretty rare. The authorities have taken several steps in the past few months to make things safer including increased police and army patrols. As a result, the cuota is much safer than it was last Fall, when a member of the MacMillan team was robbed of his vehicle and money on the way home from the Baja 1000.

If you drive the cuota at night, do not stop for an unmarked car. There are no unmarked patrols on the cuota. If you are being stopped, feel free to turn on your blinker and wait to pull over until you arrive at the next caseta de cobro (toll booth) or populated area.

Mexico is a wonderful place, and as long as you use common sense, it is a great place to ride and play. If anybody has any questions about travel down there, or where to stay in Ensenada (which I HIGHLY recommend following the ride because of the number of borrochos driving back at night), feel free to pm me.

Cheers

El Pelon

DScott

Kidnappings are on the rise, and there is speculation that very often the police are involved: https://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,4003595.story