It won’t be summer forever, so it’s time to start planning your end-of-season cycling finale with a trip somewhere warm, right as the cold weather and #trainerseason starts to kick in on the East Coast.
And for riders looking for one final outdoor hurrah before turning their attention to Zwift, California is an easy-access-but-epic getaway. Especially when you’re riding with the legendary Eros Poli. (He promises to always be the last one up the climbs.)
You’ll begin in San Francisco, wind your way down the coast, and head inland towards Paso Robles, experiencing the best riding that Northern California has to offer—with routes that have been perfected over decades, thanks to our local guides and route planners.
And this is no ordinary bike tour: You’re supported at every turn of the pedals, from soigneurs and mechanics on the road with you during the day in case you need mechanical support (or an extra snack or water bottle) to daily massage and laundry service, plus a perfectly dialed in bike and tour guides who not only know the roads like the back of their hand, the stories they can tell about racing in the Pro Tour will have your heart beating faster as you crest over big climbs.
It’s hard to beat California’s climate in November: Cool enough that you won’t spend the day cursing the sun, but warm enough that legwarmers are almost never required. It’s the perfect temperature for long endurance rides, and leisurely outdoor happy hours and dinners following big days on the bike. (Of course, you’ll have to take a break from the fireside chats with fellow riders to fit in a daily massage, but we all make sacrifices.)
Over the course of six days, you’ll cover more than 300 miles of rolling hills, ocean views, mountain climbs, and vineyards as far as the eye can see. You’ll also climb a whopping 6,653 meters, making each day a challenge—but the views and descents are well worth the climbs. And of course, Eros is along for the ride to make sure that you’re making the most out of every climb, especially through Day 4’s San Lucia mountains. If you want to slow him down a bit, just ask him to tell you all about the first time he was in California… It was the 1984 Olympics, where he earned a gold medal.
This tour is near and dear to the inGamba founders: It’s one of our longest running trips, and hits some of the spots that they explored in the nineties while riding just for the fun and love of it in their off-season. (They also explored the vineyards, and still keep track of which pinot noir is as close to perfection as any wine can get!)
There’s a reason so many pro racers choose California as their training grounds, and why former professionals opt to make their homes in the state after their racing careers have ended. It’s the perfect combination of great roads, great food and drink, and the biggest, widest views that you’ll find in America. Whether you’re finishing your gravel or road season with one final adventure or you’re considering your first ever bike trip, inGamba’s California route makes it easy—and magical.
