To the Stars

400km/17284ft ACP Brevet

To the Stars is the 400k equivalent of the 8k600k, with Palomar Mountain as marquee climb.

This brevet will start from the Homewood Suites at Liberty Station. For randos who are flying in to take part, the start/finish is about a mile from San Diego International Airport. Parking is also available at Liberty Station by Homewood Suites. From Point Loma, you’ll start your ascent on Linda Vista Rd to climb out of the San Diego River valley. The early start means light traffic and hopefully well-timed green lights through the urban settings in Linda Vista and Kearny Mesa. Once you reach Scripps Ranch, you will arrive in the “country” though the swath of residential homes along the way would appear otherwise.   

The more commonplace route to Palomar is to ride through Escondido and Valley Center to climb Palomar South Grade. To the Stars 400k will seek the road less climbed. After negotiating your way up Pomerado Rd, Scripps Poway Parkway and Hwy 67 to Ramona for warm up, you’ll make your way up Black Canyon Rd, a dirt road through the Mesa Grande reservation to reach Lake Henshaw before your climb up Palomar East Grade. Whereas most would end their suffering at the general store where the South Grade descent starts, this route will go all the way to the Palomar Observatory, which adds another 1,300 ft of elevation gain from and back to the general store. Just before the start of our descent down South Grade, you can hopefully find solace and knowing that in the first 81 of 250 miles, you have finished 60% of the climbing.   

From the general store to the start of Cole Grade to reach Valley Center, you’ll enjoy an extended descent to leave the mountains behind as you make your way to the coast. From Escondido you’ll take Jesmond Dene to Deer Springs Rd and then to Fallbrook, known as the “Avocado Capital of the World” before making our way to Oceanside where you’ll begin your way north to San Clemente along the coast before turning around. For visiting randos not familiar with Southern California riding, be advised that you will need to jump on Interstate 5 between Oceanside and Las Pulgas unless you have a base pass. As daunting as it may sound, riding on that stretch of Interstate 5 is legal and safe. For added pleasure, you might even blow pass cars stuck in traffic riding south bound back into San Diego County.

The final stretch will be the coastal riding at night from Oceanside through La Jolla to reach the finish at Point Loma. Your only “obstacle” will be making your way over Torrey Pines. Right before turning into Liberty Station, you’ll catch a glimpse of the downtown skyline illuminated by the bright city lights then pass the USS Recruit on watch for your return.

Please read our accepted proof of passage.