Hey everyone! My name is Al Abut (@alabut on IG) and I’m organizing a series of training rides to explore our local mountains here in the San Diego area.
These are open to all skill levels, with the goal of building confidence and familiarity with the terrain 💪
❌ There is no group leader or sweep! These are “Choose Your Own Adventure” rides. We’ll start together with some friendly hellos and safety checks, but the distance and pace is up to each rider.
⚠️ These are self-supported rides. Bring your own water, food, tools and any gear you think you’ll need.
Don’t worry if you can’t make all the rides, just come to the ones that fit your schedule!
All rides meet in Alpine at 8:30am and roll out at 9am. The meeting spot is on an unmarked road called Honey Hill Ranch Rd (google maps link).
Note that this is an unmarked road and there’s no signage 🤦♂️
Meg @speedmeow says:
“I’ve parked in that area for bike overnights near the grocery store on side streets and sometimes you get a note on your car from the sheriff saying you can’t park there for 72hr. But you’re allowed otherwise if it’s shorter than that.”
Distance: the length is up to each rider. You go as far or as fast as you want to go! The goal is to learn what the climb into the mountains is like.
Pace: also up to each rider. I am a slow but steady rider. You can chill with me in the back at a party pace 🎉 or push to the front with a race pace 🏎️ — it’s entirely your call!
Route: we’ll go up Viejas Grade and into Descanso before continuing up into Mt Laguna (full route on ridewithgps).
⚠️ Make sure to download the route into your phone or GPS device in advance and save it for offline use, because cell connection might be spotty in some sections.
Personally, I’m planning on riding with a lighter load for the first recon ride and keeping it to a single day of riding without pushing too hard. I probably won’t even do the full route.
The recon rides are all about testing the elevation, getting a feel for the route, and making sure everyone’s comfortable with the terrain. The goal is to learn, enjoy, and support each other. 🚴♂️✨
This time, I’m planning to ride fully loaded with all my bikepacking gear — tent, sleeping bag, and everything else I’ll need for the big event. Again, feel free to join me for the whole ride or just part of it.
🌙 If you’re curious about overnighting, you’re welcome to bring your camping setup and test a short overnight too. Just know that ⚠️ I don’t have a campground reservation and we’ll have to be scrappy about it but I’ve got some good ideas based on feedback from friends that have done it in the area.
Once the recon rides are done, we should be ready for the main event: the Adams Avenue Bike Shop summer camping trip! 🌟
The big camping trip we’re training for will ride out to Mt Laguna over two days (Saturday June 21st and Sunday June 22nd) and ride back in one (either Monday June 23rd or Tuesday June 24th).
Some more experienced people are going to do it in one shot and ride up Sunday, but I’m breaking it into two days for this first attempt.
The trip is planned around the annual summer camping weekend hosted by Adams Avenue Bicycles and there’s still spots the last I checked with them.
👉 If you’re camping the weekend of June 22nd, then make sure to RSVP with Adams Avenue Bicycles by signing up at the shop or DMing them on Instagram at @adamsavebikes
A huge thank you for AAB for putting together their campout! The shop reserves the Wooded Hill Campground — an incredible spot that’s only for groups and usually booked way out in advance. They’ve put in a ton of effort to make this happen and help support our local cycling community in so many ways 🙌
This annual trip is a fun, inclusive gathering of riders of all experience levels. And you definitely don’t have to ride out to join the trip, most people don’t ride there and just car camp instead.
No RSVP or camping needed for the training rides
The recon rides are open to anyone, even if you don’t want to go camping and just want to get some good mountain time in.
So if you’ve been curious about bikepacking, then let’s get familiar with the route, test out our gear, see what it’s like to ride up hills with or without a heavy load, and have fun on the trails.
The idea is to make these rides as accessible and flexible as possible. Let’s demystify the mountains and trails! It’s all about building confidence, having fun, and helping each other out along the way 💪
Whether you’re a seasoned rider or just curious about bikepacking, everyone’s welcome to join in the adventure. DM me on IG or drop me an email if you have any questions or want my cell to coordinate on the day of.