Specialized Gran Fondo
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Gran Fondo Road and Mountain : Routes
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Routes
The Gran Fondo offers two road route options and a mountain bike route! While these are rides, not races, some cyclists enjoy challenging themselves with regard to their finish time. All three routes will be chip-timed, so those wishing to may share their times with family and friends.
Below are general descriptions of the routes. Maps and turn-by-turn directions are provided in the 2012 Gran Fondo Guide.
Carmel Valley Route (96 miles)
Experienced cyclists visiting Monterey County seek out the famed "Monterey Loop”— the foundation of Sea Otter Classic’s Carmel Valley Route!
Departing Laguna Seca Recreation Area, this route travels first through the Salinas Valley—John Steinbeck Country. The Salinas Valley is renowned, too, as Salad Bowl of America, and its rich agricultural lands include some of the finest boutique vineyards in the region. Local business Vosti's hosts the first stop on our route, where you may fuel up on snacks. Nineteen miles further, at Zabala Vineyards, there will be more refueling options as a reward for your first 43 miles.
After biking through the flat Salinas Valley, and covering 50 miles, riders begin a 10-mile ascent to Cahoon Summit. While not overly challenging, this climb tests your legs in the final three miles to the summit. At the top, another rest stop awaits you, stocked with light snacks.
The final rest stop of the day, at Mile 85 in beautiful Carmel Valley, is the historic Los Laureles Lodge in Carmel Valley Village. Fuel up at the lodge in preparation for the final 10 miles back to the finish, because the challenge of Laureles Grade awaits you. The 3.5-mile grade tests even the most seasoned century riders, but the reward is just around the corner: The finish at Laguna Seca.
For 2011, this route will finish by leaving Highway 68 at York Road (which is past the entrance to Laguna Seca), then taking a specially arranged route from York Road that leads us back to the venue via South Boundary Road.
Children on the Carmel Valley Route
This is a very challenging, mostly remote route. It may be suitable for children ages 12 and up. Please be sensitive to the limits of young riders (ages twelve through seventeen) when considering appropriate registration. Sorry, no child of any age may be pulled in a trailer in the Gran Fondo, and no child under age twelve is allowed in the Gran Fondo on any route.
Rest Stop Closure Times for the Carmel Valley Route
For safety reasons, riders are to be at the finish line well before dark. These closure times help riders keep track of their progress in reaching the finish by that time.
7:00 a.m. - Event Start
9:30 a.m. - Vosti's Rest Stop 1 Closed
Noon - Zabala Vineyards Rest Stop 2 Closed
3:30 p.m. - Cahoon Summit Rest Stop 3 Closed
5:00 p.m. - Los Laureles Lodge Rest Stop 4 Closed
7:00 p.m. - Finish Line / Course Closed
Coastal Route (49.3 miles)
This out-and-back route departs from Laguna Seca and heads for the coast. Once there, the route winds along the Monterey Bay shoreline. You’ll enjoy breathtaking vistas—and, most likely, some sea otters—as you bike the popular Monterey Bay Coastal Trail.
Although this trail is commonly referred to as "the bike path," it is a multi-use trail, shared by pedestrians, runners, skaters, cyclists, and other non-motorized trail users. Please be courteous in sharing the trail with others.
Your ride along the coast starts with the northern community of Marina, then winds through Sand City, Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove. In Monterey, you will be treated to your first rest stop, near San Carlos Beach, where you'll be offered a variety of refueling and hydration options. This rest stop will be available on your return as well.
In Pacific Grove, the route passes the Point Pinos Lighthouse, then continues to the Coastal Route’s southernmost point—the Pacific Grove gate into Pebble Beach, just after Asilomar State Beach.
After reaching the Pebble Beach gate rest stop (at 25 miles), a hydration station serving electrolyte drinks, this route heads back to Laguna Seca. The final rest stop is in Monterey, and from there, it's a short ride north on the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail back through the communities of Sand City, Seaside,and Marina. You'll return to the Laguna Sea Recreation Area via South Boundary Road.
Children on the Coastal Route
This route may be suitable for children ages 12 and up. Please be sensitive to the limits of young riders (ages 12 through 17) when considering appropriate registration. Sorry, no child of any age may be pulled in a trailer in the Gran Fondo, and no child under age twelve is allowed in the Gran Fondo on any route.
Rest Stop Closure Times for the Coastal Route
For safety reasons, riders are to be at the finish line well before dark. These closure times help riders keep track of their progress in reaching the finish by that time.
9:00 a.m. - Event Start
2:00 p.m. - San Carlos Beach Rest Stop 1 and 3 Closed (Route is an out and back, so you can stop here twice!)
Noon - Pacific Grove Turnaround Rest Stop 2 Closed
7:00 p.m. - Finish Line / Course Closed
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Mountain Bike Route (20.2 miles)
This route offers recreational off-road cyclists a great opportunity to enjoy the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) trail system on the Fort Ord Public Lands. Gran Fondo participants will be challenged by short, sandy climbs, fast downhill sections, and almost 20 miles of the sweetest singletrack on the Monterey Peninsula. Along the route, there will be two rest stops where riders will be offered a variety of light snacks and hydration options.
Children on the Mountain Bike Route
This route may be suitable for children ages 12 and up. Please be sensitive to the limits of young riders (ages twelve through seventeen) when considering appropriate registration. Sorry, no child of any age may be pulled in a trailer in the Gran Fondo, and no child under age twelve is allowed in the Gran Fondo on any route.
Rest Stop Closure Times for the Mountain Bike Route
For safety reasons, riders are to be at the finish line well before dark. These closure times help riders keep track of their progress in reaching the finish by that time.
9:30 a.m. - Event Start
Noon - Rest Stop 1 Closed
2:00 p.m. - Rest Stop 2 Closed
7:00 p.m. - Finish Line / Course Closed
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