"This is not Disneyland, or Hollywood. I'll give you an example: I've read that I flew up the hills and mountains of France. But you don't fly up a hill. You struggle slowly and painfully up a hill, and maybe, if you work very hard, you get to the top ahead of everybody else." - Lance Armstrong
Distance: 32.5 mi
Climb: 1000 ft
Starting at Santee's West Hills Park just east of the 52 on Mast Blvd, we go south to Prospect and around Gillespie Field to Vernon. We turn north on Winter Gardens to Lindo Lake and continue to San Vicente Reservoir. Next, we ride southwest through Lakeside to Mast Blvd and then over for an easy ride through Santee Lakes before returning to the start.
Distance: 38.2 mi
Climb: 1070 ft*
This ride starts in Mission Bay Park and continues through Linda Vista before we make our way to Mira Mesa. We then turn west toward UCSD where we have a coffee stop before riding down Gilman Drive to the Rose Canyon Bike Path and back to Mission Bay Park.
Distance: 32.1 mi
Climb: 1800 ft*
Have you ever said to yourself "Man, I wish I could string together a whole bunch of Recycler rides, I wish I knew what it was like to ride this road in the opposite direction, or I wish I could climb as many steep hills as possible in a single ride!!!" Well, in this ride two of your three wishes will come true. Join us at the Solana Beach train station for a big loop around Encinitas, La Costa, Rancho Santa Fe, and San Dieguito.
Distance: 32.8 mi
Climb: 1331 ft
This ride starts at Mission Bay and goes through Rose Canyon and up to UCSD. After climbing Gillman Drive, we cross the campus and make our way to the top of Torrey Pines Road. We ride back down La Jolla Scenic Drive through Bird Rock and Pacific Beach along the coast then back to Mission Bay.
Distance: 34.5 mi
Climb: 1295 ft
Beginning at Woodglen Vista Park in Santee, we go west to Mission Trails Park then climb up and around Cowles Mountain before dropping into Santee. We continue out through Lakeside to get to El Monte Park for a quick break. We return through Lakeside and Santee on our way back to Woodglen Vista Park.
Distance: 35.3 mi
(excludes ferry ride)
Climb: 743 ft
Start at Balboa Park then head through the park, the Gaslamp Quarter, and along Harbor Dr. toward Pepper Park. After a restroom stop we pick up the Sweetwater River bike path to Bonita Plaza Rd. After looping around Bonita we rejoin the Bayshore Bike Path to Coronado. After a coffee stop we take the ferry back to San Diego then back up to Balboa Park.
Riders who would like to avoid the distance and climb of the Bonita loop can cross the Bayshore Bikeway bridge across the channel at mile 9.2 and continue south on Bay Blvd until rejoining the route with a right on Lagoon Dr. This shortened version of the ride results in a distance of 28 miles with a climb of 550 ft.
Distance 37.7 mi
Climb 1732 ft
Starting at Dos Picos Park this moderately challenging circuit takes us through oak forests to the overlook of San Vicente Reservoir. Then we ride west past Mount Woodson through the "flatlands" of Ramona. Next we cover familiar territory along Dye, Ramona, Warnock San Vicente, and Hanson. Our coffee stop is at Packards, a Recyclers favorite. Then a circuitous route through eastern Ramona back to Main Street and then back to Dos Picos Park.
Distance: 33.5 mi
Climb: 1060 ft*
A fairly easy ride from Old Town, along the San Diego River bike trail, and west to Ocean Beach. We then climb up to Point Loma, and out to the Cabrillo National Monument. On the way back we drop down for a lap around Shelter Island and Harbor Island. We continue to downtown where we climb up into Mission Hills then down through Presidio Park and back to the start.
Distance: 33 mi
Climb: 1535 ft*
Beginning at the Sabre Springs Transit Station we go west on the 56 bike path and continue through Carmel Valley to Sorrento Valley. From there we climb to take a loop through Carmel Country Highlands and Del Mar Mesa. Next, we cross to the north side of the highway 56 and head toward Black Mountain before heading east on the bike path to return to the start.
Distance: 35 mi
Climb: 650 ft*
An easy ride that starts at the Train Station in Solana Beach travels up the coast highway to Oceanside for coffee by the harbor and returns.
Distance: 32.1 mi
Climb: 1690 ft*
Starting in Del Cerro, we ride north and then east past Mission Trails park out through Bostonia, Granite Hills, and east to Lake Jennings Park. We return through Lakeside and Santee along Prospect Ave and Gillespie Field. The climb up Fanita Drive is challenging, topping out by Grossmont College. We again pass Mission Trails Park and return to where we started.
Distance: 35.5 mi
Climb: 1200 ft
This is a slightly modified version of the official route. Starting from the Old Town Trolley station, we head out to Ocean Beach, Point Loma, around Liberty Station, Harbor Drive and then up to Balboa Park. After a loop around the park, we proceed through North Park and Mission Hills to Presidio Park, returning to the trolley station.
Distance: 39 mi
Climb: 1950 ft*
This one is a little familiar and a little different. From Pepper Park in Chula Vista we take a familiar route south toward the border before reaching San Diego and turning east on Coronado. Next, we pass by hidden trails and a brown field before turning north for a tour of ranches. Once we hit sunnyside up on the pretty road, we go west to the beautiful plaza. Finally, we catch sweetwater and go with the flow back to the start.
Distance: 32.5 mi
Climb: 1000 ft
Starting at Santee's West Hills Park just east of the 52 on Mast Blvd, we go south to Prospect and around Gillespie Field to Vernon. We turn north on Winter Gardens to Lindo Lake and continue to San Vicente Reservoir. Next, we ride southwest through Lakeside to Mast Blvd and then over for an easy ride through Santee Lakes before returning to the start.
Distance: 35.7 mi
Climb: 2165 ft
A challenging climbing ride from Rancho San Diego near Cuyamaca College, out Willow Glen Drive to Dehesa Road. We climb up Dehesa Road to Tavern Road then up to Alpine for coffee. We return along South Grade Road, through Harbison Canyon, and rejoin Dehesa Road to get back to Rancho San Diego.
Distance: 34.3 mi
Climb: 1156 ft
Starting in Old Town, we go west around Mission Bay and then up through La Jolla. Once we hit UCSD, we do our best to confuse everyone before exiting toward Miramar where we take a quick coffee break. Next we head south on Kearny Villa Rd, following the Vomitting Sheep route in reverse, returning to the Old Town transit parking lot.
Distance 37.2 mi
Climb: 1345 ft
Starting at the Poinsettia Train Station on Avenida Encinas in Carlsbad, ride north past Carlsbad State Beach, into Oceanside. In Oceanside enter the San Luis Rey River bike path and ride east to Santa Fe Ave and then turn south. After a brief coffee stop in San Marcos we head west back to the start.
Distance: 33.4 mi
Climb: 1325 ft*
Join us on this magical journey through the five kingdoms of Middle San Diego on our quest toward the Loch to vanquish the beastly Panniculus and free the Jewel for its return to its rightful place at the foot of lonely Mount Soledad. Along the way we may encounter flying beasts guarding their secluded Miramar den, sun beaten Anglers who prey upon the inhabitants of the Loch, and a Hall of Knowledge where the Boffins roam in their pursuit of enhanced cognitive perception. It will be a long journey with many trials and it will not be until after we conquer the Loch that we will be able to seek respite at the shop of Panera the Caffeinated. We continue our journey by looking north to Aquarius and consulting the magic Cristobal to understand that our future lies to the west. Feeling buoyed by our success we will muster our strength to climb up to the 7 realms of the Boffins before our final descent to the carriages
* = Climb adjusted down from the value shown on the mapping site to correct for elevation drops due to bridges that pass over valleys. That is, the road passes over the valley rather than dropping into the valley as the map elevation suggests.