Rosarito-Ensenada

50 Mile Fun Bicycle Ride

50-MILE RIDE FAST FACTS:

Event Sponsor: Bicycling West, Inc.

Race start: 10 a.m., at the south end of Rosarito's main street. Start line fills before 8:30 a.m. It takes about 45 minutes for the main body of bikers to cross the start line.

Registration: Most Southern California bike shops have entry forms, and many can pre-register you. Call Bicycling West for the location nearest you. Day-of-event registration in Rosarito from 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m at Festival Plaza Resort at the south end of Rosarito.

Route: The Rosarito-Ensenada Free Road from the Rosarito Beach Hotel to Ensenada. (The Free Road runs parallel to the toll road south from Rosarito to La Mision, then cuts east into the mountains. It rejoins the main road north of Ensenada, just past the end of the toll road. Rosarito and Ensenada police will keep the entire route clear of motorized traffic and provide escort and support.)

Finish line: 200 yards before the jetty in the marina area south of El Sauzal. No activities at the finish line. Rehydrate, cruise into town slowly, and meet up with your biking companions, friends or support people at the Finish Line Fiesta in downtown Ensenada.

Length: 49.4 miles.

Cost: $30 if postmarked by April 3; $35 after. Entry fee includes full medical support, en-route water stops, sanitation and refreshments stations, bike check before the race, minor bike repairs and a free beer or soft drink at the Finish Line Fiesta. Emergency medical transport includes ground, sea and air services. Support also includes pickup wagons. Nobody gets left on the road.

Finish Line Fiesta: 12:30 pm to dusk. Free admission. Pay-as-you-go food and beverage stalls. Manzana Ocho park on Blvd. Costero, across from the Rivera del Pacifico Convention Center in downtown Ensenada.

Shuttle bus return for bikes and riders: Ensenada-to-Rosarito return shuttle service for bikes and riders from 2 to 8:30 p.m on race day. Transportation by vans with trailers. $19 in advance of race; $21 in Ensenada.

TIPS FOR FIRST-TIMERS

• Do a 50-miler first. You wouldn't run a 10K run without knowing you could handle 10 kilometers.

• Bring the right equipment and make sure it's in good condition. Road bikes, mountain bikes and tandems are all appropriate.

• Don't over-inflate the tires of racing bikes before the ride. If it's a hot day, the sun can heat up the pavement while waiting for the start and pop them.

• Ride with your ability level. Since bikers will fill a dozen blocks of the main street of Rosarito, position yourself in the appropriate part of the lineup. The fastest and most experienced bikers ride to the front, those who want a more leisurely experience ride in the middle, and the inexperienced, less able and those who just want to party ride to the rear.

• Stay to the right unless passing. Yell "Passing on left" as you overtake another rider.

• Monitor yourself. Don't dehydrate. Drink before you're thirsty. Eat when you're hungry. Rest before you're exhausted.

• Bring sunscreen and use it frequently.

• After crossing the finish line, re-hydrate and cruise slowly into Ensenada for the Finish Line Fiesta.

• Slow down for the speed bumps entering downtown Ensenada. They have popped many a tire, spoiling an otherwise great day.

 Rosarito – Ensenada 50 Mile Fun Bike Ride

Twice a year, in April and September, 10,000 maniacs converge on Baja California just south of the border in order to drink, participate in a bicycle race, and drink some more. Actually, some clarification is in order. There are 10,000 participants but another few thousand who go to Mexico just to party. They leave their bicycles at home and never venture farther down the road than Papas and Beers.

It's the Rosarito to Ensenada Bicycle Race.

There are two ways to approach the event. One is to load up a bicycle and actually participate. The second is to load up the cooler and just party. Either way, it's a rewarding weekend. The bike race is 50 miles in length, traveling from the beachside town of Rosarito, where the movie "Titanic" was filmed, to the port city of Ensenada. It's not an easy ride and will take between 3-4 hours to compete. The people in the logo-heavy silk shirts and color-coordinated helmet, shoes and pants on their $3,000 bikes complete it in two hours.

It's both scenic and challenging. There's a fiesta afterward but its mainly a subdued affair.

The party is mainly just scenic. The day begins shortly after the night before at the same spot, Papas and Beers in Rosarito. From noon until sunset on Saturday afternoon, this sand-filled oasis is host to about a hundred daytime revelers whose only goal is to empty the bar's liquor supply. By late afternoon, the scene turns slightly chaotic.

Arrival and Accommodations

Rosarito Beach is located approximately 45 minutes South of the United States border in Baja, California. The nearest International airport is in San Diego; from there, it's about a one-hour journey. The drive from Los Angeles takes about three hours. Driving in Mexico requires Mexican insurance ($30USD), which can be purchased at San Ysidro, the last United States exit off Interstate. It is also advisable to fill up on gas here; some stations also sell insurance.

ROSARITO BEACH AREA>    Festival Plaza Hotel>    Corona Plaza Rosarito>   Arenas Del Mar Rosarito>    Rosarito Beach Hotel>    La Jolla de Rosarito Condos>    Oceana Condominiums>    Castillos Del Mar Motel>      

PUERTO NUEVO AREA >    Las Rocas Resort & Spa>    Grand Baja Resort>    New Port Beach Hotel>   

ENSENADA AREA>    Hotel Cortez Ensenada>    Las Rosas Resort & Spa>    La Pinta Ensenada>    Baja Beach Resort>    Hotel Santo Tomas>    San Nicolas Resort>    Estero Beach Resort>    Hotel Coral & Marina>    Hotel Villa Marina Ensenada>   

Accommodations fill up quickly, so it's best to make reservations in advance.

Those Who Race

Make no mistake about it. Riding a bicycle from Rosarito to Ensenada is not an easy task. It is a true physical challenge and should not be attempted by anybody who has trouble making it to the corner gas station.

It's not the 50 miles that's the problem. It's something known as "the hill." For anyone who has participated in the event, this needs no explanation. For others, suffice to say that while climbing "the hill" it would seem to make navigating the Swiss Alps like a Sunday afternoon ride through a park. It goes up and up, but never away. Officially, it's only listed as two miles long, but it seems to last for 25 miles.

The ride starts at 10 a.m. from the front of the Festival Plaza Hotel. Cyclists cruise south along the rugged Baja California, It travels all to briefly along the beautiful Mexico coastline on the free road (Mexico 1). The route turns east heading inland for two miles through rural countryside before going south to "the hill." It then continues south over rolling hills for 8 miles, then drops 8 miles downhill for the final 8 flat miles along the ocean to the finish line just outside of Ensenada.

Then it's another mile through town before reaching the post-event reception, known as the "Finish Line Fiesta."

Along the way, there are several places to stop and refresh with water and fruit, provided free by race organizers. But there are only places to get beer and they are not free ($2, USD).

This is a one-way journey. Fifteen passenger shuttle vans with trailers for the bikes travel from Ensenada to Rosarito ((7 a.m. to 9 a.m before the event, and after the race until 7:30 p.m . Tickets are $19 with advance purchase or $21 on the day of the event. Day of event van tickets can be purchased at either the start line registration area in Rosarito Beach or at the post-event reception.

The entry fee is $30.00 USD plus $ Mexican City Tax. It includes the ride refreshments, minor bicycle repair and full U.S.-based medical support plus a free warm beer or soft drink at the Finish Line Fiesta. The Rosarito Bike Race link provided at left provides details and on-line registration.

A $5.00 late fee applies if purchased less than 15 days before the event. T-shirts (100% pre-shrunk cotton with a 6-color design) are $12 additional The ride entry packet, mailed approximately three weeks before each event, includes a bike number with attached beer coupon, helmet number, registration wristband and an information sheet that includes a map. Day-of-event registration will takes place in the plaza area of the Festival Plaza Hotel near the starting line in Rosarito Beach from 7:30-10:30 a.m.

Those Who Do Not Race

There are not many occasions on a worldwide basis where drinking before noon is morally acceptable. The Rosarito Bike Race is one of those occasions where its is.

For many, the bike race is not a bike event or a race of any kind. It's a wild weekend to be spent barefoot at a bar, beer sprinkled with body shots of margaritas and mate-finding.

For them, the weekend is all about the party. And the party starts and finishes at Papas and Beers in Rosarito Beach.

Papas and Beers is a large bar with a beach volleyball court, dance floor, picnic tables and food stations. In the daytime, it's drenched in sunshine and the patrons are drowned in beer, tequila shots and other forms of liquor.

It starts in the early afternoon and continues until just past sunset, at which time people either pair up for a quick rendezvous, nap, shower, or a combination of all three. A couple of hours later, they are back at the same place.

The Night Party

We hate to be repetitious, but it's back to Papas and Beers. The scene is typically Mexico. That is to say, wild and uninhibited.

Friday, even bike riders go out and party hard. Tequila flows like water – it's healthier here, too – and there is enough beer consumed to empty a brewery. People dance on the bars, do body shots and eventually remove their own and other people's clothing. Inhibitions are checked at the border.

Papas and Beers basically an outdoor beach party. Papas and Beers is open-air with a large sand volleyball court. Most of the action occurs at the main bar area and on/around the wooden dance floor. As one might expect, it's a casual affair, with shorts, t-shirts and sandals the preferred attire. The crowd is largely single, with a fairly even mix of gals to guys. Sexual encounters are frequent, sometimes even in the bar itself. Friday is the wilder of the two weekend days. Saturday, those hearty daytime souls do their best to stir up revelry and some race participants do make it out again. But for many who rode that day, its a mellow evening of dinner and maybe a few drinks at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

The Weather

Weather is not an issue. It will be warm and sunny. At night, a cool and satisfying breeze will be blowing and nights are mild and comfortable.

Bicycling West

PO Box 9441

San Diego CA 92169

Telephone: 858/483-8777

Email: Bike@RosaritoEnsenada.com