Rosarito Ensenada Bike Ride 9/24/11

As planned, my husband and I participated in our second Rosarito to Ensenada Bike Ride on September 24, 2011.  I should start by stating that I am not a cyclist.  I own a Specialized Expedition Mountain bike, its a great bike and its easy to ride...when I actually ride it.  In fact the only reason we own bikes was in order to participate in this ride in 2010.  It’s the only ride we do, and the only one we will probably ever do.  The plus is it forces me to get in shape to train and is another great reason to take a weekend trip down to Baja, our favorite vacation spot.  They say that casual riders will finish in around 4 hours and I believe that is true.  I am still far from a casual rider.  The only time I get on my bike is when I am working toward another ride, but hopefully this ride has gotten me into a better mindset where I will not stop training now that its over and I have the Cinco De Mayo ride already to look forward to.

As stated in an earlier blog, we had decided to stay in Rosarito this time, for a myriad of reasons, the most important being the two hotels we stay at in Ensenada (Coral and Punto Morro) were both already booked 60 days in advance of the ride. 

After a lot of researching we decided the Rosarito Beach Hotel would be our best bet for Rosarito.  Neither of us have actually stayed in Rosarito, but since this hotel is where the ride starts it seemed easy enough to roll out of bed and be right there for the ride.  Which it was.

We stayed in the New Pacifico "condo" Tower, and we actually got an amazing rate.  Instead of booking online we called the hotel and asked about the bike ride package.  We saved about $80 (US) off the price of the room plus got free dinner for each of the nights we were staying at the hotel.  We also received a spa discount which we never found time to use :-(.


We had a master suite, and its a bit small (remember I am comparing to the size of the rooms I am used to at Coral and Punta Morro) but its quite nice, clean and has amazing views.  It actually reminded me of the rooms I used to stay in at "Twelve Hotel" in midtown Atlanta.  It had a full mini kitchen, small seating area, separate-ish bedroom and a nicely appointed bathroom.  The hotel felt very secure, the pools were nice (but unheated, and not lit at night), and the food was basically acceptable (it was free so I can't complain).


The one thing I missed is at Hotel Coral they take all bikes and lock them in a conference room so they don't take up space in the hotel room, and they don’t dirty up the common areas.  This was not an option at the Rosarito Beach Hotel so we had to bring our bikes into the already small room.  There were also no chairs on our nor most of the balconies.

We woke early on ride day and it was very nice to have the ability to not have to rush to catch the shuttle into town.  We finally left the room around 9am to go to Pancake Republic (the only place we ever eat breakfast in Rosarito) for some pancakes.  Then we went back to the room to get our bikes and stretched and set up for the ride.


It was very busy at the starting line and although I have read reports from others that there seemed to be more Americans than locals over previous years, for me with my only other experience being the 4/17/10 ride, I would beg to differ.  I definitely felt in the minority although it made no difference, everyone is very nice, and riders are all just there to have a good ride and some fun.


The start went off at exactly 10am, and although still difficult due to the amount of riders, I was able to start riding right at the start line, with less chaos than our previous ride, and It thinned out rather quickly.

Although most of the course is closed except to immediate local traffic, there were a couple hills in the beginning that were down to one lane with a lot of stopped traffic and police escorts.  Exhaust wasn't an issue, but it was at times quite cramped.  We don't go fast on this part anyway because we bring candy to throw out to the local kids so its a slow start but well worth it to see the smiles on their faces.

We arrived at the 16 mile checkpoint a little over an hour after the start, got a quick drink and continued on.

Now as flat as the ride looks from the elevation map, there really isn’t any part of the ride that is truly flat with the exception of the last 8 miles or so.  The hills are not huge, but they are there.  Our goal of training specifically training on hills at home really helped.  I don’t think we made up any time from our first ride, but it was definitely an easier ride than last time.

Once you get to the overpass to go under the toll road, there is a small hill left before a nice downhill into La Mission, where you will encounter El Tigre. 

I don't think my husband or I were really concerned about El Tigre this ride.  We walked almost the whole hill last ride and we had been training specifically to ride it this time.  Its a long hill but only a few sections are actually that steep.  At the end of the day, hubby rode it without stopping, I stopped 5 times but did not walk any of it.  It took me 28 minutes to ride it (including stops).  It took us 36 minutes to walk it in 2010.  So really if you are just a casual rider, you don't lose much by walking, but for us it was a goal that we had to reach.

At the top of El Tigre you go through a chute where they check your numbers, I was quite thankful it was less busy and we were able to ride through versus walking.  Perhaps it was timing, but either way it was nice.  There are two small hills after the chute and then you are up to the mesa...which again is anything but flat.  I tracked the ride on Google Earth and basically you go from 700 feet at the chute to almost 1,100 feet at the top of Santa Rosa (the second hill).  The thing is, you go up 100 feet back down 60, up 80 back down 20.  So there is never really full recovery time after a small climb.  Again its not the end of the world, but the mesa for me is where the ride really sets in and the term "moderately difficult" really comes into play.

Training on hills really is the only way to get through this part.  Its also much warmer up on the mesa, but luckily we had a fabulous cross wind that made it quite enjoyable.  We also reapplied sunblock at this point.  Sunblock is your friend on this ride...and remember the top of your legs!

Once you get to the end of the Mesa you will pass what I have heard called mile 32, or the biker bar.  Now on Friday night my husband and I met some really cool guys from Orange County at Papas & Beer: Sonny, Dana and "Primo".  They have been doing the ride for some time (20 years for Sonny), and I know they originally passed us around mile 15 because I saw them go by, but I assume from talking to them about the biker bar we passed them at mile 32.  Either way, I know a lot of people stop here for a beer.  I should be so lucky to have the endurance to stop and drink and still make it up Santa Rosa!  Maybe someday!

After the biker bar, is what is in my opinion the hardest part of the ride.  El Tigre has got nothing on Santa Rosa.  Maybe its because you are already 32 miles in and have climbed so many small hills, maybe its because you know its the last big hill and you are home free, maybe its just because you can see the hill coming from so freaking far back.  Whatever it is, Santa Rosa ended up being a half walk hill for us, no shame, its freaking steep, long, hubby had really bad cramps and I was tired.

Now once you get to the top of the second smaller hill and you see the blue building on the right, you can pretty much breath a sigh of relief.  There are still two tiny hills before the downhill but at this point they are  cake.

The downhill is amazing, and luckily I didn't see anyone down this time.  I somehow got a shoelace stuck in my chain but I was able to stop without completely eating it (thankfully).  We made a quick stop at the 42 mile checkpoint before heading back to join the toll road on our final journey into Ensenada.

The last 7 or so miles into town are really the best for me.  Its mostly flat and the couple of tiny hills are nothing.  To look out in the distance and know that the fiesta awaits makes it a very easy ride.

Our actual start to finish line time was 5 hours and 9 minutes, but actual ride time was 4 hours 39 minutes.  We had a few stops for one reason or another but its really not about the time, its about the enjoying the journey.  Although I have no other events to compare this ride to, I have to believe it is the best event of its kind.  This is not a race, its a weekend of making new friends, seeing the amazing Baja coast and proving to yourself that you are stronger than you think.  In our previous ride there was a point where I looked at my husband and I said "never again".  That was something I never came across this time.  Similar to child birth, once its over you forget how hard it was and really only reflect on what an amazing feat you have accomplished; along with a few thousand of your newest friends. 

I want to thank the people at Paseo Ciclista Rosarito Ensenada  for running such a smooth event, from the registration to medals, the fiesta to the affordable prices.  This is an event that really anyone can participate in as long as you have the will, there is a way. 

"Do or Do Not, there is no try" - Yoda

Hasta el Cinco De Mayo, 2012!