I know it’s several months before we get to April 27, but I wanted to get a discussion going.
I’ve done BWR CA three times previously, all out of San Marcos. This year they’re changing the start location to Del Mar and it looks like there will be quite a shake up in the route this year compared to previous iterations.
That being said, is there anyone from around there that has any insight into the popular sectors in that area? There is no doubt that they’ll make it a point to incorporate previous/popular sectors in the route this year, but given the new start location, that opens the door for some new fresh stuff as well.
Any ideas, insights, or suggestions regarding this upcoming BWR CA would be awesome.
I’ll ask around and see if there are any rumored routes floating around. I would think that the sections around Lake Hodges will be included, also the climb up Double Peak is such a trademark feature of the race as well. If you care to look at the previous routes for some clues you can find all the previous routes here for the wafer: Every BWR San Diego Wafer Course Since 2015 — Gravelstoke
I don’t imagine there’ll be huge shake-ups in the routes compared to previous years, maybe Lusardi will be included, but that’s a huge risk considering how much it retains any amount of rainfall.
I’d guess the start will just be straight up Via de la Valle to Del Dios and then Hodges. Maybe it’d be fun to hit the switchbacks on the Santa Fe trail on the way back once the field has thinned out?
Is BWR a road bike or gravel bike kind of race? I have it as a possible this year and wondering what bike would suit it. I think my SuperSix can fit like 38-39mm tires. Is that doable?
Short answer is, yes. I’ve done it on 650bx42, 700x32 and 700x42. All worked. I enjoyed it a lot more with bigger tires though. But, to be fair, the year I did it on 32s was the same year they had you descending a very rocky jeep trail…can’t remember the name of the segment. I’m sure @stevie_dee knows what it’s called.
Different race than the one being discussed here but there’s another BWR in California this year, in Monterey on August 2nd. Looks like it’s all in Fort Ord with a course that looks like scribble scrabble.
I saw that too, somewhere, but couldn’t find any info on the website. I’d love to do a BWR in Ft Ord (I think). It would be cool of they could add another Cali event.
Cool. That course looks like it would hurt. I’d categorize that as a genuine leg buster…looks like mmx crammed in a lot of trails that branch off the main fire road in order to get the distance up. I’d have to think about that one when it’s closer to event time.
I’ve done the Ft. Ord RR many times in the past and it is just so lumpy out there in general - the races have always been a battle of attrition and I’m sure this would be no different.
Haha, yeah, I can imagine myself getting irate while on course and making a bunch of wrong turns. I think I’ll save myself the 200 bones and maybe explore that area on my own if and when I am passing through.
Pamo, 30 slicks on a road bike. Oh, that’s after I wiped out just before the little bridge and destroyed myself. Yeah, that was both a tough year and a learning lesson that I need a bit more tire.
The route is mostly what I expected of the changes, though I figured they’d work double peak in (makes it more complicated).
I’ve signed up for the imperial century Roadi-Oh and full Waffle, pray for the legs! I’m looking forward to it, though I suspect I’ll need a different strategy this year given back to back events.
A mountain bike (light xc or hardtail) is probably the way to go. Similar stuff to what is in the XL at sea otter.
@Stevie_Dee you can get 30+ miles out there that is mostly gravel with limited singletrack and but would need to do loops. I think loops would be easier to manage course personally.
If that’s the course… kinda looks like so,e one wandered around for 60 miles and uploaded to Strava.
For the legs 