Bike The Coast 25 Mile Ride Recap

A couple months ago I entered a sweepstakes being put on by Visit Oceanside. You could win two entries to Bike The Coast and two Oceanside bike jerseys. I have done the Bike The Coast event in the past (I rode it in 2014 and did the 50 mile option) and had a great time (even if I did it on my beach cruiser, had many people laugh/ question my sanity and only passed people who were changing flat tires {who then quickly passed me back once they were done}).

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I actually forgot that I had entered the giveaway until last week when I received an email telling me I WON! 

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The hubby sold his bike earlier this year (he had only ridden it a handful of times in the past few years and we were thinking about getting "folding" bikes that we could put in the #AdventureMobile so put it on Craigslist before summer) so we had a slight dilemma. Thankfully a friend had one that he could borrow so we were back in business!

Riding in style!

PS I really think they should have had instructions on the back of
the race numbers... because apparently this is what happens when
you give a runner a bib... She has NO IDEA how to put it on her bike!

Friday afternoon, the hubby and I made our way down to the Oceanside Pier to grab our bike bibs and goodies. Pick-up was easy breezy (we were there about 1:30pm before going for a 7 mile run along the beach). Since we signed up with a comped code, I didn't pay much attention to the registration process. I guess I didn't realize that I didn't have to pick a shirt size (probably because I provided a jersey size for our prize pack), but was STOKED when we got our bags and there were pint glasses included. I would much prefer a usable item (like a glass or mug) than a tee I will never wear.

I was trying to figure out how to put my bike helmet in my #FlatCarlee but I just couldn't get it to work out right... but a streamer fit!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Bike The Coast (which is probably 99.9% of you), it's not a race. They call it a "ride". I think they do this is so they don't need to close the streets (I'd assume it is much cheaper and easier to put on if people are just riding in the bike lanes on open roads). The issue with this is you have to obey traffic laws (ha, that sounds funny, right?!). So although it feels like a race (there are bike numbers and starting corrals), you are having to stop at traffic lights and must stay within a bike lane (unless you are passing) - so it's sort of like a normal Saturday morning. The hubby joked that we would've been done an hour earlier if we didn't have to do all the stops (there were sheriffs writing tickets for bikers who were not coming to a complete stop with their foot on the ground in some areas).

We started (and ended) under the Oceanside Pier... not too shabby of a place to kick off (and finish) a ride!

Getting ready to head out on our 25-miler!

The event offers three distances - a 25, 50 or 100-miler (there are normally five, but because the bike trail is closed currently they got rid of the 7 and 15-milers this year). The 25 mile course is an out and back from Oceanside to Encinitas. The 50 mile course is an out and back from Oceanside to Del Mar. The 100 mile course is two loops of the 50 mile course. Whichever option you do, the views along the journey are AMAZEBALLS!

Thankfully there weren't very many turns on the course, but when there were, they had directional signs!

Cruisin' along the beach!

There was an aid station at our turnaround point that we briefly stopped at. There were lots of snacks (sandwiches cut into quarters, pretzels, orange slices, banana chunks, trail mix, etc) and plenty of fluids. I grabbed a peanut butter and honey square which was DELISH! (I don't know if you remember, but I fueled with the peanut butter and honey Uncrustables for Ragnar this year and LOVE them.) The volunteers did a great job of keeping everything stocked!

SNACKS!

I got a ton of comments about my streamers and skirt. Apparently I stuck out like a sore thumb due to the fact I was not wearing Lycra and having a BLAST! Everyone else seemed to serious (maybe they were jealous of my spoke beads...).

Life should be about having fun and making others smile... I think I accomplished both of those tasks!

The weather was PURE PERFECTION. When we started (our wave went off just before 8:45am) it was in the mid-50s and when we finished (it took us about 2.5 hours to finish with all of the stops) it was in the mid-60s. There was a slight breeze, but nothing too crazy and the sun was out and welcoming us in all its gloriousness. It was just another reminder of how amazing of a place we are blessed to live in (and how every penny of the HIGH sunshine tax we pay is worth it).

When we finished, we dropped our bikes off in the bike valet (they give you a numbered band for your bike and your wrist so they can make sure the rightful owner is claiming and taking their bike afterwards) and went to grab our goodies. We got a beautiful medal (I love all of the sparkle) and $5 in tickets to use in the Taste the Coast expo. The hubby and I combined our tickets and shared an acai bowl from Aloha Acai Bowls - it was FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC!

GET IN MY BELLY! (PS Don't my spoons sort of look like a shaka?!)

We didn't stick around for too long because I had an event I was working in San Diego and the hubby had a welcome home party to go to for a friend who just returned home from a 7 month deployment, but everyone we saw hanging out appeared to be having a great time (I mean, what's not to love about the beach, good food, live music and friends?!).

FINISHER!

A BIG THANKS to Visit Oceanside for putting on the sweepstakes that I won and another HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE to Oceanside for putting on this awesome event! Maybe one day I'll work my way up to the 100-miler...

Isn't the medal sparkly and purrrrrrty?!

Do you enjoy riding a bike?