Shop Rides at Revolution Bike Shop/HERevolution Multisport

Saturday Group Rides

All rides will depart from and return to Revolution Bike Shop and HERevolution Multisport. Rides will start promptly Saturdays at 8:30 AM (see below for routes).   

Are these rides for me?

These are not competitive race training pack rides, so if you are looking for those types of outings you are probably better off joining one of the local racing clubs for their group rides (i.e. Swamis or SDBC). On the other hand, these rides are definitely not for beginners, either. If you are fairly new to the sport, or have had a long layoff, I'd recommend having completed at least 2-3 solo rides of at least 35 miles in length. You should be able to mainain an average speed of around 15 m.p.h. for your solo outings, as the speed of the group usually averages around 17 m.p.h. (this is an average for the entire ride; there are times where the pace can pick up to 22+ m.p.h.).

In an effort to keep the bunch together, there are regroup spots positioned strategically along the route - those who want to ride hard and fast, especially on the hilly segments, can ride ahead to the next regroup spot and wait for the rest of the cyclists to catch up. The group leader will try to reign in any riders who are trying to lead the pack and push the pace during the early part of the rides.  Having said that, due to the wide range in cyclist's abilities and the fairly limited support resources we have available, we can't guarantee a "no drop" ride. It is recommended that riders carefully review the posted routes in case they get separated from the group. 

The groups rides usually have around 15-25 cyclists, and are comprised of both men and women. If you are looking for a good workout, but don't want to be hanging on for dear life due to an extremely fast pace with no rest stops, then these rides are probably for you. 

Housekeeping items

The rides are free of charge, but we ask a some things in return: 

1.  Helmets must be worn

2.  Obey all traffic rules and ride single file when there is not a dedicated bike lane 

3.  Please have at least one spare tube, two water bottles, and enough nutrition for a 3+ hour ride 

4.  Please make sure your bike is in good working order (if not, Revolution Bike Shop offers a basic tune-up for $60)

Please plan to arrive at least 20 minutes prior to the posted roll out time to pump your tires, use the restroom, etc.  

Where is Revoltion Bike Shop/HERevolution?

Both Revolution Bike Shop and HERevolution are located at:

235 S. Hwy. 101; Solana Beach, CA  92075

Google Maps link to the shop.

Questions: Please contact me (Eric) at 858-414-7093; Revolution Bike Shop at 800-985-7814; or Darcy Eaton (HERevolution/TriPro Fitness) at 760-560-7077.  

Saturday Morning Rides and Routes

Saturday, December 22, 2012 - Ride #1. See below for route link.    

 Ride #1: Del Dios/Elfin Forest/Coast Loop. 42 miles with approximately 2300 feet of climbing. This route starts out from the shop and heads into Fairbanks Ranch, into Rancho Santa Fe, up Del Dios Hwy. into Escondido, through Elfin Forest, into San Elijo Hills, and then works back to the Coast Hwy. via La Costa and back to the shop. Most of the climbing is bunched in the middle third of the ride. This is probably not the best ride to join if you are fairly new to the sport, or have had some time off of the bike, as there is no option to shorten the route and there is a 1.5 mile climb to Lake Hodges. Cue sheet and route for Ride #1 (via Map My Ride) 

• Ride #2: RSF/Carlsbad/Coast ("Kelly Loop"). 40 miles with a few hills and some rolling terrain, but by far the easiest of the regular routes (approx. 1,250 ft. of climbing).  We start from the shop and head into Fairbanks Ranch, then into Rancho Santa Fe, west to Encinitas via El Camino Del Norte, north into Carlsbad via El Camino Real, left on Kelly (around Agua Hedionda Lagoon), back to the coast, and south on Coast Hwy. back to the shop. This ride is the better option for slower/newer cyclists who might be worried about the climbing on the other routes.  Cue sheet and route for route #2, (via Map My Ride)

• Ride #3: Rancho Sante Fe/Elfin Forest/Del Dios Loop. 45 miles and fairly hilly with about 2700 ft. of elevation gain. We start from the shop and head into Fairbanks Ranch, then into Rancho Santa Fe, west to Encinitas via El Camino Del Norte, then to San Elijo Hills via Rancho Santa Fe, then into Escondido via Elfin Forest/Harmony Grove, back to Rancha Santa Fe via Del Dios, and finally back to the shop via Hwy S8/Lomas Santa Fe. There are not many flat bits in this ride - you are either going up or down, and there is usually a head wind on the second half of the ride. If you think the entire route might prove a little too challenging, there is an option to cut the ride short by heading to the coast by making a left at La Costa (corner of La Costa and Rancho Sante Fe), which works out to about a 30 mile ride with no further climbing. Cue sheet and route for ride #3, via Map My Ride.   

A note on Map My Ride: Each of the rides can be sent to your smartphone, but you can't print the maps or directions.  Also, if the notes/directions don't immediately load, click on the full screen button (located in the upper right hand corner of the map) and the turn-by-turn directions will appear on the left hand side of the screen.  Lastly, I've noticed that the elevation gains are nowhere close to being accurate.  If you are trying to gauge the difficulty of a route by the amount of climbing, you should use the numbers supplied by me in the descriptions listed above (taken with my Garmin Edge 500), rather than those from Map My Ride. A safe rule of thumb is to add 25% to any Map My Ride elevation gains.