I'll be in Monterey this coming weekend and will have time to do some riding. Trouble is, other than the touristy areas such as Cannery Row, 17 Mile Drive and Laguna Seca areas, I'm no more familiar with the area than the typical tourist. :confused:
So, if anyone can make some recommendations I'd appreciate it. Anything between 30 and 60 miles is good for me, and hill climbs are fine to if they aren't endless.
Thanks in advance for the input.
~Ron

Some of the popular ones:

1. Fort Ord. There are a lot of paved roads closed off to traffic. Start at CSUMB, go out Giggling Road to Hennekens Ranch Road, over the low ridge to Eucalyptus, then up Barloy Canyon Road, which is the back way to Laguna Seca. Down South Boundary Road to Gen. Jim Moore Road and back to CSUMB. Map of Ft. Ord here: http://www.mtycounty.com/pgs-map/Fort-Ord-Map.htm

2. Carmel Valley. Start in Monterey, head up Augajito Road to the summit of the ridge between Monterey and Carmel, then down Hwy 1 to Carmel Valley Road. On your way out Carmel Valley if you need more climbing you can take a side trip up Robinson Canyon, an out-and-back piece of canyon running. Continue out Carmel Valley to Laureles Grade, which goes back over the ridge with a climb of about 1,200 ft and some 10% grades, and back on Hwy 68 to Monterey. The traffic can be significant on this route, but it's not all that bad.

3. If you're more ambitious, continue out Carmel Valley Road to Tassajara Road, and then Cachuga Road through Jamesburg and back over the ridge to Carmel Valley Road. The traffic drops off after Carmel Valley village; it's a long, slow climb up to Tassajara, flattish to Jamesburg, then a stiff little climb up to Sky Ranch before dropping back down to Carmel Valley Road. The Tassajara/Cachuga sections are some classic California rural riding.

4. Pebble Beach/Carmel. Just head out the road in Monterey and keep the ocean on your right. Bikes are free in Pebble Beach. Go in the Pacific Grove gate, follow 17 mile Drive, exit the Carmel gate, then continue through Carmel on Scenic Road. You'll come out near Carmel Valley Road, and you can just slog out the climb up Hwy 1 to the ridgetop and take Augajito back to Monterey. It's basically flat except the climb to the top of Hwy 1, and that's only about 750 ft.

5. Big Sur. Head down Hwy 1 on an out-and-back. The summertime traffic can be heavy with RVs, and there's not a lot of shoulder. Still, a fantastic piece of scenery. If you're really ambitious, take a side trip up Palo Colorado Canyon to Bottchers Gap. It's about a 2K+ climb, some of it very steep (15%+ pitches I think). Prevailing wind is from the north, so you'll probably be facing a headwind during the ride back on Hwy 1.

Ride up Carmel Valley Road, then down the other side of the range into the town of Greenfield. Stop, fuel up, and then reverse the route. Carmel Valley Road changes name to Arroyo Seco at some point, and you have to get on Elm to get into town, but it's a very simple route that is pretty cool to ride.

Oops, duplicate post.

Mohair,
Thanks for the ride tip my friend. Carmel Valley on my motorcycle is a terrific ride, so I'm happy to hear it's the same on the cycle. That one is a must do. Seems I've been to Greenfield on a motorcycle ride many years ago.

Blofeld,
A terrific list of rides! Thanks so much for putting the list together. It's appreciated. I'll print it out and keep it with my map of the Monterey/Carmel area. Like I told Mohair, Carmel Valley is a must do. I'm also thinking the 17 mile drive/Augajito loop sounds like fun, too. I've always enjoyed riding the motorcycle along Hwy 1, so if time allows I may try it on the cycle as well. Sounds like I may have to make more than 1 trip to Monterey this Summer.


Thanks again for the tips guys. Looking forward to the weekend.:thumbsup:

check out this ride too, I did it and it was pretty nice...

http://www.velobella.org/rides_monterey_bay.htm
http://www.velobella.org/pdf/map_a_ride_031604.pdf
http://www.velobella.org/pdf/map_b_ride_031604.pdf