Eroica California bike rides return to SLO County

People headed for the North Coast April 29 through May 1 should factor in cycling traffic as the Eroica California ride puts an estimated 1,500 riders on area roads, most of them on vintage bicycles.

According to the Eroica California website, the event centered in Cambria will feature a variety of events, including a sunset ride on that Friday. There’s also a Nova Eroica ride to Cayucos and a Concours d’Elegance on Saturday, and four separate ride routes on Sunday.

Those Sunday routes will take riders to such areas as Piedras Blancas, Templeton, Cypress Mountain, Cayucos and Paso Robles.

Vintage bicycles are at the core of the event.

“We want people to rediscover the beauty of fatigue and the taste of accomplishment: the heroic cycling of Bartali and Coppi and the sacrifice that seeks out our physical boundaries where thirst, hunger, and exhaustion are felt with all their strength,” organizers said about the 2015 launch of the Central Coast Eroica. “It’s cycling that can spread respect and create bonds between loyal opponents. It is cycling in a healthy way, and its participants are inspiring and beautiful to watch.”

For details, go to https://eroica.cc/en/california/ride-california.

Kathe Tanner

The Tribune

805-781-7904 (voicemails only)

Kathe Tanner has been writing about the people and places of SLO County’s North Coast since 1981, first as a columnist and then also as a reporter. Her career has included stints as a bakery owner, public relations director, radio host, trail guide and jewelry designer. She has been a resident of Cambria for more than four decades, and if it’s happening in town, Kathe knows about it.