The many surges of the COVID19 pandemic had taken the shine out of group riding since the first major shut down in spring of 2020. So, I have been getting back into the old solo riding out in the wild mode. It's one of the perks of living in San Diego's North County (rather than the old dig in Uptown) that it doesn't take much riding from home before 'the wild' starts.
A favorite car-less riding ground for yours truly is, of course, the magical low hills of De Luz and the lovely big sky country that is the Santa Rosa Plateau. Both less-accessible by heat-phobic me during the summer months.
Santa Margarita Preserve lot has nice port-a-toilets, water spigot, and picnic tables.
After the ride in on the main motorways of E Vista Way, Hwy 76, and S Mission Rd (so early in the morning that the drivers hadn't made it into their car, yet), the awesomeness began with the wiggly drop off down De Luz Rd from Fallbrook's quint Downtown district. I opted left at the Y-intersection this time to take the meandering De Luz Rd climb instead of the more abrupt Sandia Creek Rd (besides, the former was repaved earlier this year and was nice and smooth for a change).
Oh, on the right just after the intersection with Sandia Creek Rd is the Santa Margarita Preserve with a set of nice port-a-toilets, water spigot, and picnic tables. This is the last restroom opportunity for the next 20 miles. So, whether you need to go or not, it's always a good idea to stop and do the loo business before heading up the hills.
The repaved first couple of miles on De Luz Rd, climbing NW from the creek bed.
De Luz Rd is a chain of curvy rolling hills.
After the first long-ish climb to Harris Rd, De Luz Rd becomes a series of curvy rolling hills through lush valleys and lovely little glens. A welcoming widespread ruralness away from the cities. Needless to say, being self-sufficient is the name of the game when out riding in places like this. Carry more than enough water, food, medical and repair supplies with you, and a printed out map (cellphone reception is spotty at best), especially if you are riding solo.
A bit after the CDF Fire Station (water spigot available) the road split again at a Y-intersection. I veered left for a side excursion to inspect the base of Tenaja Truck Trail for future rides and found it quite sandy (both for my pudginess and for the 28mm road tires). Will have to wait for a good rain to firm it up a bit before attempting that scenic dirt route up to Fisherman Camp.
So, I retraced back out to the Y-intersection and took De Luz - Murrieta Rd up to the oaky country from the dry creek bed, stopping by at the Old De Luz School and Post Office for a snack break while perusing the hiking map of the nearby trails.
After De Luz School the road gently climbs back toward Camaron Rd in series of oaked-in curves. It's a lovely place, though the tree shade makes the many little dimples and groves on the pavement very difficult to see.
The fastest way back to civilization (and if you don't feel like much more steep climbing) is, of course, to continue on De Luz - Murrieta Rd into Murrieta (it becomes a nice curvy firm dirt downhill in the last couple of miles and runs into the Murrieta flat land as Guava St), or to endure the boring shadeless climb up the west side of Rancho California Rd before dropping into Temecula just north of Old Town. But the day was still young for me, and the air cool enough to entertain the thought... so I veered left up the steep climb on Camaron Rd, then veered left down and up and down the rarely level Carancho Rd instead.
Of the many hideously steep monsters hiding in this part of the hills, Los Gatos between Carancho and Avocado Mesa is the only one that gets all the attention. In a way, it should... the gradient there is just ungodly... for a long long long time. Though, if you are a cycling hillbilly, the whole of Los Gatos (from Vista Del Mar and not just that one section that starts at Carancho) is like one of those irresistible Greek tragedies one has to try and cry on (if any breath can be spared for the latter).
I did much slow-grind hiking on mtb shoes on that death march than I'd like, and had much less breath to cry than to reoxygenate all the screaming muscle and lung tissues. But... I survived and got to see a lot of view to boot. I don't ever want to do it again... but I probably will. Hills like that are something like a very addictive form of mental illness. It is a lucky thing that once you've made it to Via Volcano, then you can come down the Plateau via Clinton Keith Rd without having to climb any more hill for a long while. Gosh knows you legs won't even like a pedal push to clear a speed bump for a few miles after that ordeal.
There aren't many 'big sky' space left in this part of Southern California, and the Santa Rosa Plateau is one worth lingering in after having earned your way up it. Traffic is next to nothing during the work week. It's a fabulous place to pedal very softly, bird watch, and drink in the view without rushing back into any of the towns below.
Rolling down the hill on Clinton Keith Rd is a blast with the caveat that much of the 'bike lane'/shoulder is actually not usable. It's steeply canted from the fog line to the pavement edge... so, avoid it and stay in the lane at least until the fire station. It's too fast a downhill to risk a stupid crash on.
A quick pit stop at the Albertson's on Washington St, and then a quick bypass of Murrieta via Adams St (the most pleasant north-south road to ride on, really, all the way to Temecula, as it dead end for cars in two different spots) before merging my way thru Temecula traffic (I crossed I-15 via the 1st St bridge rather than staying on Jefferson in order to avoid the freeway interchange craziness).
Then the curvy climb up Rainbow Valley Blvd earned me another long downhill/flat stretch back to Vista via Old Hwy 395 and Hwy 76 (busy fast road, but pretty flat with a wide shoulder to ride on). It's a long day on the bike (but it doesn't have to be that long if you have a car and just start/finish in Fallbrook)... just the way I like it, even if the quads doeth protest too much.
Thanks to COVID19 pandemic, which hit San Diego in March, 2020 has been a rather bust year for venturing out for exotic adventure rides in the country. I did sneak a few good ones in before going into shut down (just riding solo locally) mode, and even made some new cycling friends... though we probably wouldn't recognize each other without the mask and the helmet on!
I'm grateful that my riding groups (Swami Cycling and Girlz Gone Riding - San Diego) are made of responsible people who value the good of the community over short-term gratification and haven't organized any group ride since the first stay-at-home order in March. It's a matter of perspectives. This pandemic, like many other national/global crises before it, will pass. It won't kill anyone to just ride solo for a while and to not take the risk of needing medical care just when our medical infrastructure is on the brink of breaking.
The vaccines are rolling out, and there's summer on the other side of winter. Hang in there, and we'll all be out adventuring and cheering each other up and down the hills again soon!
It's been a long while, but yours truly haven't retired from the wearing habit of steep hills hunting. I have moved to the northern bit of the county, though, and it takes a while getting to know all the monsters in one's new environs.
Without further ado, here is a list of 10 famous road cycling climbs in San Diego's North County (that is, north of Hwy 56, and west of Valley Center Rd/Bear Valley Pkwy or Hwy 67) that local riders tend to allude to when comparing how painful their last series of undulated suffering was. To be sure, there are gorier ascents than those on this list. I'm just listing the ones with the best combination of well known/ridden and toughness in different areas of North County. The list of the true hardest climbs will come later.
10. Three Witches (San Dieguito Rd from El Apajo to just before Camino del Sur): To escape from the old money neighborhood of Rancho Santa Fe via San Dieguito Rd to the neuvo riches along Camino del Sur (Santa Luz, 4S Ranch, etc), you must dispatch Three wicked Witches guarding the way: As far as tough climbs go, this triple-steps two-miler is rather tame both in gradient and in length. It is; however, a featured climbs on many trans-coastal rides including the San Diego Century. One must climb little hills before graduating to the truly nasty ones. Three Witches is a great hill to train on for more nastiness to come.
Scripps Poway Pkwy climb toward Hwy 67.
9. Purple Monster (Scripps Poway Parkway from Pomerado to Hwy 67): Yet another featured climb from the famed San Diego Century ride! The 1.8 mile stretch of Scripps Poway Parkway to Hwy 67 on the Purple Course of the SDC is quite jacaranda purple in the cool of springtime, which is also the best time of year to tackle this ascent (or, really, any ascent east of I-15). The Strava segment has the climb starts a bit later than it should, really, as Purple Monster really stops being friendly to eastbound riders as far west as the intersection with Community Rd.
As a side note, although we call Scripps Poway Pkwy a monster, it is actually the nicest way to bike commute between Poway proper and Hwy 67. It is the mellowest climb - gradientwise - and the least traffically stressful compared with the likes of Highland Valley Rd and Poway Rd. There is ample shoulder on both ascent and descent to stay well away from the all too fast cars in the traffic lane.
Scripps Poway Parkway climbing toward Hwy 67.
8. El Fuerte/Alicante (Carlsbad): This is probably my least favorite local hill repeat loop. It hurts multiple times in both directions, and a lot of it is the sort of hill that doesn't look like it should be that painful (or long) a hill, but it keeps kicking where it shouldn't. Then you get to a downhill, and it's all over with so soon... only to be followed by more climbing. Basically a lot of pain and not quite enough immediate rewards (but, keep coming back to it, and you'll likely get quite a lot stronger as a climber in the long run).
The whole El Fuerte/Alicant is 7.6 miles long, with multiple nasty uphill stretches no matter which direction you ride it. The worst bit of the CW direction is probably the mile long climb from Poisettia to Alga. (Alga Rd climb from Alicante to El Fuerte is its own popular reference hill in North County, by the way) From the CCW direction, the stretch from Altiva to Corinthia is just awful. I personally prefer the CCW direction mostly due to traffic on Alicante north of Alga Rd.
The gnarly strait of Gibralta dip...
Note: There is a much steeper way of climbing Alga Hill (the hill that Alga Rd, El Fuerte/Alicante live on), but it isn't very well known, and so doesn't have an entry of its own on this list. It involves approaching from Gibralta Dr north of La Costa Ave, traversing a terrible concrete dip that is not recommended at all during or right after rain, and turning right onto Bolero Dr all the way to the top.
7. Lake Wohlford Rd (Valley Center): A featured climb on the annual Giro di San Diego Gran Fondo, this curvy 2 miler from Valley Center Rd to the lake is best tackled during the week when traffic is less bustling with boat-towing SUVs and trailers. The first mile is the steepest, then it modulates quite a bit on the way to the bridge which marks the top of the climb. Being a mostly east-west climb before veering due north at the lake, timing the climb so that the sun is not in the eyes of the drivers coming up behind you is quite important.
The gnarly 1st uphill mile on HVR.
6. Highland Valley Rd from Sycamore Creek Rd to Ramona (Escondido): Highland Valley Rd is not one I would recommend to anyone new to cycling... mostly due to traffic. To be sure, HVR doesn't carry as much traffic as does the 78 to the north or even Poway Rd to the south, but the first mile of climbing is not only very steep, but also has no shoulder to speak of, and is so curvy and narrow that one can't count on motorized traffic to stay on the right side of the road. It is east of the 15, so tend to be very hot in the summer - fall months... but if you head out there early, you run the risk of having the sun rising right into the eyes of the drivers driving up the curvy road behind you.
For seasoned cyclists, the HVR descent is one of the best in town, but one must always be careful to not count on the road being clear of rock fall debris on the other side of the blind curve (and that the oncoming cars will stay on their side of the yellow line). There are a couple of right turns on the descent that keeps turning longer than they should. It is a fun but quite unforgiving descent.
5. San Elijo Rd/Double Peak Dr (San Marcos): Known simply as 'Double Peak' climb. The 3 miles climb starts off quite gently at the intersection of San Elijo Rd at S Melrose Dr and continue straight thru San Elijo Hills community. It gets steeper (6-8%) after passing Elfin Forest Rd. San Elijo Rd keeps climbing for another 1/3 mile or so past Double Peak Rd traffic light, but we'll turn left on Double Peak Rd for a very punishing last mile up to Double Peak Park parking lot (those inclined could indulge in another short but steep dirt ramp to the proper top of the hill for extra credit). This is the fearsome last (and featured) climb on the local annual sufferfest Belgian Waffle/Wafer Ride.
Double Peak and its sister Mt Whitney require a post of their own, when it comes to horrible chain-stretching climbs. Stay tuned!
Descending Couser Canyon in the late morning shade.
Couser Canyon Rd runs north-south along the east side of Lancaster Mountain, and is exposed to the east, so it's best cycling it in the morning hours for optimum visibility (the afternoon sun can cast very dark shadow on the road and hide you from motorized traffic... and also hide road cracks and debris from you). This is an awesome cycling road connecting Escondido to Rainbow and on to Temecula via Rice Canyon and Rainbow Valley Blvd. It is a relatively mellow, quite scenic, curvy and constant 3.8 mile climb. Fairly low traffic, tho best avoid on weekends and holidays as it is a favorite of local sport motorcyclists.
Coronado Hills Dr from La Moree.
3. Coronado Hills Dr (San Marcos): This is the lone legit route up to the top of little Mt Whitney, the tallest peak on the Cerro de las Posas mountain range that dominates the skyline of San Marcos. It starts out mellow enough heading south from La Moree, but when it starts kicking as you approach the only house on the east side of the road, it kicks with a vicious glee... and doesn't really let up until you earn the saddle at the intersection with Washingtonia. To get to Mt Whitney you would turn right there and climb more rolling bumps of various degrees of savagery until you get to the radio tower. Or, if you are looking for a morning of horrid hill workout, you could continue down the other side of the saddle to the SE end of the road and ride back up... and just keep going back and forth from one end of Coronado Hills to another until your legs fall off. It's a distinct possibility.
The flat bottom just before Cole Grade Rd kicks up the hill for 3 miles of pain.
2. Cole Grade Rd from Hwy 76 to McNally (Pauma Valley): The 2.5 mile bicycling escape route from Rincon to Valley Center is one hot climb. Even when it's cold out, it's always hot climbing up Cole Grade Rd. Newcomers may roll their eyes at the number of times old spinners claim that they hurt so much more climbing up Cole Grade after Palomar Mtn than they did on Palomar itself... but it is oh-so-true!
I think much of it is due to the physical and psychological drain Palomar usually has on you before you get to Cole Grade, and also because of the latter's more severe gradient... and the general lack of wind carving up that side of the hill.
Nevertheless, Cole Grade remains the safest way to ride back up to Escondido from the SW side of Palomar Mtn (I, for one, would happily go downhill on Valley Center Rd from N Lake Wohlford to Harrah's casino, but not the reverse, which I had to do when I rode the first Giro di San Diego Gran Fondo in 2012. Happy to have survived it, and would rather not do it again... ever).
Besides, whenever the Tour of California cycling race comes to town, the pros are usually made to ride up Cole Grade Rd after going over Palomar Mtn, and its steep S curve section is usually where the decisive break of the day gets away from the main peloton.
1. Palomar Mtn by Hwy 76 and South Grade Rd (S6): San Diego's very own Highway to the Stars, South Grade Rd was built in 19 to transport the Hale Telescope to Palomar Observatory.
To the local cyclists, this 12 miler with 21 hairpin turns is our version of the Tour de France's famed L'Alpe d'Huez, with similar distance, gradient, and curvature. It is probably the most consistent long climb in the county. Aside from the lone 1/5 mile long false flat just before the left turn onto South Grade Rd, the climbing gradient is a near constant 7% (the last mile is the hardest one). With no chain-stretching gradient anywhere on the route, cycling up Palomar Mt from the south is more a test of will than anything else... especially during the hot summer months when the long middle stretch of the climb is infested by horse flies and gnats.
Avoid this ride on weekends and holidays when wiggly South Grade Rd is the hot spot for local sport motorcyclists, and the narrow lanes of Hwy 76 is busy with boat-towing trailers and semi trucks. Also, bring plenty of water with you if you attempt this in the hot season. The only watering spot on the climb is the little convenient store on Oak Knolls campground on the first mile of South Grade Rd, then there is nothing until Palomar Mountain General Store and Mother's Kitchen at the top.
As awesome a climb as Palomar South Grade Rd is, it is an even better descent... albeit one best taken with plenty of caution. If you are just doing out-and-back up Palomar, look at the opposite lane on the way up and make a mental note of any potentially hazardous debris field or pot holes/road cracks that might catch you on the way down. Also, beware of the 3 cow grates on the road (you never know if there could be anything stuck in them), and the blind curves. I've been lucky and only seen deer on the road twice in the many years I've ridden there. Some others have seen more. Don't go bombing down that road faster than you could safely control your bike.
