Tour de Sheeper

Palo Alto to San Diego

"Photos from San Diego Tour" by Eduardo Llach.

Friday, November 13 through Tuesday, November 17, 2009

• Tour Overview
• Route Descriptions
• Riding Conditions and Tour Amenities
• Hotel Contact Information
• Support
• Meeting Time and Place
• Registration and Fees

Adventure Overview

Team Sheeper would like to invite you to join our team's classic end of the triathlon season event . For the first time, we've extended our adventure beyond its historical ending in Santa Barbara to continue all the way to San Diego for a total of 560 miles. This year's version offers athletes the chance to do a supported 1-5 day bike and triathlon tour along the California coast, averaging over 100 miles per day with opportunities to freshen triathlon skills with swims in a 50 meter outdoor pool , and the Pacific Ocean. Also, a short run will be led through a Redwood tree canopy in Big Sur and another one will be led along the beach boardwalk in Southern California

Over the first three days (340 miles), the route takes us over the Santa Cruz Mountains to Watsonville's artichoke and strawberry fields, down the Big Sur coastline, past early California missions and through SoCal surfer towns. The 3-day tour ends at UC Santa Barbara. For those who want to continue south, Day #4's route follows Pacific Coast Highway through Ventura to Manhattan Beach. On Day #5's we traverse LA to San Clemente, Dana Point, Camp Pendleton, Del Mar and Oceanside and end with a swim in La Jolla Cove.

Athletes provide their own lunches and transportation home, including their bike. There are car rental and flight options at the end of Day #2 (San Luis Obispo), Day #3 (Santa Barbara), Day #4 (Los Angeles – LAX) and Day #5 (San Diego). The tour includes route maps, gear sag, team lounge post-ride snacks, breakfasts and dinners.

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Route Descriptions

Day #1: Palo Alto to Big Sur
125 miles via Redwood Gulch, Hwy 9, Eureka Canyon, Watsonville, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur. Huge day, but tailwinds, team energy and an early start make it all possible. There is ~5,000 climbing which includes Skyline and Summit roads and rollers along Big Sur coast. Hotel and dinner at the Big Sur Lodge in a redwood groves of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.

Day #2, Big Sur to San Luis Obispo
105 miles through Lucia, San Simeon, Morro Bay. This is a rolling coastal day with a quiet morning along Big Sur to Ragged Point with lunch or afternoon stop in Cambria. ~4,000 climbing. Some athletes may leave the tour here and rent cars to drive home.

Day #3, San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara
105 miles via Pismo Beach, Lompoc, Gaviota Pass to Santa Barbara. Mostly flat with a definite Southern California feel. We will finish at UCSB where we can swim and shower. ~3,000 ft climbing. Some athletes may leave the tour here and rent cars or fly home. Our hotel is in downtown Santa Barbara.

Day #4, Santa Barbara to Manhattan Beach
120 miles via Carpentaria , Ventura, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Point Magu, Malibu, Santa Monica to Manhattan Beach. Rolling coastal riding on frontage roads and the beach-hugging Pacific Coast Highway. Our small hotel is 2 blocks from the beach.

Day #5, Manhattan Beach to San Diego
125 miles. We'll tackle urban LA early and by mid-morning get back on the coastal route through Newport Beach and San Clemente, then continuing on triathlon race routes at Camp Pendleton and Oceanside. In the final 20 miles of the tour we'll ride through the coastal towns of Cardiff, Solano Beach and Del Mar to La Jolla. Our hotel is 2 blocks from La Jolla Cove for another swim in the warm Pacific waters.

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Riding Conditions and Amenities

To accomplish this ambitious 550+ mile tour, we’ll ride through diverse California landscapes with diverse land use, areas that are wilderness, rural, agricultural and urban. Each day the mileage is significant and the fall days are getting shorter. In the northern sections, hilly conditions will be the challenge; in parts of the southern sections, traffic and navigation will be the challenge. This part of the tour description is intended to set expectations so that each athlete who signs up for the tour is fully prepared for the rigors and riding condition of this tour.

Day #1 has the highest mileage and most climbing. Some cyclists will want to bring front and rear lights to safely complete the ride in daylight hours (Sunrise 6:45 am, Sunset 5:00 pm). Day #2 has morning climbing to Ragged Point. The remaining coastline to Santa Barbara (Day 2 and 3) has a mix of flat roads with coastal rollers. In the last 20 miles of Day #3 we will ride along the shoulder of 4-lane Highway 101. On Day #4 traffic will build as we near Ventura and build again starting in Malibu. Here the shoulder of Pacific Coast Highway is by beach-goers to park cars.

We'll take on the most urban sections of the tour through Los Angeles very early on Day #4 when traffic is lightest, following city streets through Torrance and Carson, and bike paths through Long Beach. At Seal Beach the route rejoins the busy Pacific Coast Highway, but on generous shoulders. South of San Clemente we'll ride on bike paths and lanes following the old highway through Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base. Traffic will build again approaching San Diego. Despite highly urban sections, Southern California still offers miles of ocean riding, with rocky bluffs, sandy beaches, sand dunes, rugged hills and uplands, and coastal watersheds dotted with sycamores and oaks. There is no better way to be a Californian than to see our coastline from a cyclist's perspective, so we’re excited to offer this experience and share it with the team.

We've selected comfortable hotels as close to the route as possible. Several of the days can be enhanced with an afternoon pool or ocean swim. Every evening features a relaxed team lounge to rehydrate, refuel and swap stories followed by a healthy, substantial team dinner at a restaurant within walking distance.

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Hotel Contact Information HOTEL NOT INCLUDED IN FEE

You need to book and pay for your own rooms. Here is the information you will need to make your own hotel reservations. We have blocked rooms at each of these hotels. The blocks are effective only through October 13th. Big Sur, Santa Barbara and Manhattan Beach are all very popular destinations, so make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.

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Support

Sig Paulozzo, our experienced support driver and all-around helpful tour wrangler will provide sag support. We place a great emphasis on safety and will do our very best to see that each rider arrives at our daily destination safely. Since the support vehicle is trying to support riders at various paces , do not expect the support vehicle to rove or sweep the course. We’ll have plenty of nutrition and ‘pocket food’ available in the morning and the route instructions will include the location of services. Make sure you take advantage of all services and support so that you can be self reliant for the periods of time when our support vehicle is out of range. Team Sheeper encourages everyone registering for the Palo Alto to San Diego tour to be prepared, motivated and self sufficient.

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Meeting Time and Place

The Palo Alto to San Diego tour starts on Friday, November 13th. We will meet at 5:45 am to load luggage and conduct a ride briefing before departing at 6:15 am. The meeting place is directly on our route at Tibco Corporation (rear parking lot) located at 3303 Hillview Ave & Foothill in Palo Alto.

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Registration and Fees

Cost does not include hotels or return transportation for you or your bike. On Day #3, 4, 5 we will finish close to airports that are accessible by airport shuttle services. The pre-tour letter will contain contact information for shuttles. For athletes continuing to La Jolla/San Diego, the team sag vehicle can transport your bike back to Menlo Park if space is available in the team sag vehicle. Please indicate your need for bike transport in your 5-day tour registration (comment section).

1 Day to Big Sur = $100
2 Day to San Luis Obispo = $200
3 Day to Santa Barbara = $300
4 Day to Manhattan Beach/LA = $400
5 Day to La Jolla/San Diego = $450

Please register with our Menlo Swim and Sport registration system.  If you have not already done so, the first step is to create a new Account on the Menlo Swim and Sport system.  From there you will choose the Registration link and then choose the Tour de Sheeper - Palo Alto to San Diego from the drop-down.

There are 10 first come - first serve spots for bikes coming back from San Diego. We will not have room in the van for your bike for riders flying home from other destinations due to the luggage load in the cargo area of the van. If you wish to reserve a spot, send an email to Tim Sheeper directly.

Register now!

** Refund/Credit Policy: Registered participants are entitled to a full refund minus a $50 processing fee with cancellation 30 days before the start of camp. Registered participants are entitled to a full refund minus a $100 fee with cancellation 14 days before the start of camp. Refunds will not be given to registered participants with a cancellation 14 days or less before the start of camp. You may opt for a 100% credit in lieu of a refund which is good 2010 through 2011 and is transferable to another family member for any Team Sheeper Camp or Tour.

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