Cali Bike Tours: My Huntington Beach Circuit [@calibiketours]
Yesterday (7/21) I completed the 29-mile Long Beach to Huntington Beach circuit with Cali Bike Tours. We started from Bikestation Long Beach being hit by thick, cold raindrops already knowing there was a chance of showers. The rain drops stopped before we left downtown and we even saw yoga on the beach and Elizabeth Williams, the tour guide and owner of Cali Bike Tours, explained that this yoga stuff is a free, regular event in Long Beach—Yoga on the Bluff (?).
A very official point of interest on our tour was the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve—we did not stop there because this is a bike tour, not a bird-watching tour (but my past as a travel writer for the Auto Club of Southern California kind of tugged on me). Most of the tour was on surface streets (in part because the Huntington Beach area has a 5mph speed limit for bikes on the trails) and Elizabeth Williams is a seasoned professional about traffic rules and routes so everything went smoothly there. The pace of the tour was about 10mph (but Elizabeth is more than capable of going faster) and we had to fall into single file more than a few times to share the road with parked cars (which is unavoidable once we leave the bike-friendly limits of Long Beach).
Some quick pointers for the Cali Bike tour:
- Let Elizabeth know about yourself before you go on a tour. I emailed a “public safety statement” just in case of a health emergency. This statement is not required but might be helpful (e.g. telling your fellow riders you have, say, asthma might be a prudent thing to do).
- Don’t pin the tour guide between you and the curb. The tour guide needs access to the street at all times (especially for the left-turn lane) to lead with hand signals at the right time.
- Bring a water bottle filled with water for you to drink.
This was the first time in my life that took a southern bike route from Long Beach so it was great to have guide along with intimate knowledge of the area. Next time, I would like to go further! My (tentative) goal is to reach Newport Beach from Long Beach (a 40-mile roundtrip) and now I know of a company with a route that will suit my needs. Fast or slow, rain or shine, I recommend Cali Bike Tours!