Vintage bike ride needs a new home in Cambria. Here’s what’s next for Eroica California
If Eroica California organizers can find a new venue in Cambria, an international cadre of cyclists, most of them riding vintage bikes, will descend again on the small coastal village starting April 5, 2020, as the riders did a year earlier.
The annual event, which moved from Paso Robles to Cambria in 2019, brought about 1,000 people into town for the weekend, according to Eroica officials.
But the Main Street meadow where the 2019 event was centered may not be available. The Cambria Historical Society is converting the land into the new home for the historic Old Santa Rosa Schoolhouse.
According to local Eroica participant Aaron Linn, other options appear to be limited in the Cambria area, which shares many attributes with the classical bike ride’s home turf.
Finding a new home for Eroica California
According to the Eroica California newsletter, “Eroica began in the hills of Italy as an homage to the old days of cycling, when riders wore wool outfits to venture up and down challenging dirt and gravel roads, rain or shine.”
The area surrounding Cambria offers many of the same challenges and advantages of Eroica’s home domain of Gaiole in Chianti, a village in Tuscany, along with spectacular scenery, the ride’s organizers have said.
But Linn said that finding a new Cambria location for Eroica California is proving to be a challenge, despite expanded support from the Cambria Tourism Board.
Eroica events take place all over the world, but Eroica California is the only event in the international cycling series that’s held in Northern America, the organization said.
On its website, Eroica California describes the proposed event as “an entire weekend of activities, featuring vendors from the original vintage market in Gaiole alongside swap meet regulars from up and down the West Coast.”
“Complete with music and new gastronomic delights, there will be plenty of chance for fun and activity before embarking on a wonderful and challenging tour of California’s Central Coast,” organizers say.
Why is Cambria a good fit for cycling event?
Why do Eroica officials consider Cambria to be the “cycling hub of the Central Coast”?
The Eroica California newsletter lists four reasons organizers want the ride to be centered in Cambria again.
They include available routes for the cyclists. Among Eroica California’s four cycling routes are itineraries that vary from being mostly along the ocean, such as from Cambria to Piedras Blancas, or through the rural, rolling hills of Santa Rosa Creek Road to a southward direction on Highway 1 to Cayucos and other coastal towns.
Elevation gains from 1,400 to 8,200 feet add to the challenge for cyclists riding old-time bicycles.
In addition, the area offers resources that make cycling easier. Cycling clubs in the North Coast and throughout San Luis Obispo County ride regularly in the area, and there are bike shops that can help with parts and maintenance if repairs are needed.
Available alerts about road closures along the route and traffic issues are among other resources available to make a cyclist’s ride better.
Cambria also has lots of lodging choices. When riders come to the region for Eroica California, they can choose from a variety of lodging options, from oceanside inns to bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rental homes.
Cyclists also appreciate being close to major routes and being in a compact, cycling-friendly community.
One final advantage is lessons learned from other cycling rides and races in the area.
Various cycling events start, end or go through Cambria, which helped reaffirm to Eroica organizers that their 2019 choice was still the best one for the 2020 event, if they can find a proper place to hold it.
For details about Eroica California or to offer suggestions for a North Coast venue, email info@eroicacalifornia.com or visit EroicaCalifornia.com.
This story was originally published November 22, 2019 at 5:15 AM.
