The third day’s cycling on the Cycle California trip was always going to be epic. There were some apprehensive faces over breakfast as the team loaded up on pastries, cereals, toast, fruit and the obligatory waffle dowsed in maple syrup. The previous evening had been an early affair, with the whole team back in bed by 10pm, despite it being a Friday night (shame on us!). We all had one thing in mind however…The Big Sur…one of the finest cycling roads in the world (and a few bumps to overcome!).
Our route began with a rather tough climb south out of Monterey towards Carmel. It soon became steep as we headed towards a cycle lane running parallel to the highway. It was a big ask for the whole team, Sue commenting that her legs “just like lead” which was fully understandable at this time in the morning!
We crossed over then entered 17-mile drive, a toll-road (for motorists) that is a real gem in the area. As we descended this fantastic stretch of tarmac the fresh smell of eucalyptus and pine hung nicely in the cool morning air. Turning off 17-mile drive we entered Carmel, a beautiful town at the southern end of the Monterey peninsula. (See what this road is like HERE!)
We turned a corner and got our first glimpse of this infamous road, a craggy and wild looking spear of amber-coloured rock jutted right out into the ocean. We were on the Pacific Coast Highway and on the Big Sur.
The road had completely changed as we entered the Big Sur, with gorgeous vistas as far as the eye could see, the morning low-lying cloud had begun to burn off and we knew were in for a real treat today! We soon arrived at Bixby Bridge, an impressive reinforced concrete construction linking two steep valley sides just south of Carmel (check out a video of us cycling across it HERE!).
The views just kept coming!
As we pedaled the waves crashed below, birds of prey soared on the thermals and the sun baked the rocky coastline.
As we descended, the temperature changed as we passed through numerous columns of air. For a few seconds it was almost chilly, the next few warm. These were feelings that only those on bicycles could feel.
We were soon at McWay falls in the Pfeiffer State Park. Here we were met by Ben, our driver from Adventures By The Sea. We loaded up the bicycles and made our way to our motel for the evening. What a day…and there’s more of the Big Sur tomorrow!
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