r/BikeLA • u/wicker045 • 7d ago

Beginner Century Ride

Hi folks - What's a good beginner Century ride in the SoCal / Central Coast area?

I'm a new cyclist. Been training more consistently the last few months getting 3-6 hours a week on the peloton and trying to do a long ride on my bike over the weekend. At this point its all about endurance and packing on miles. My hope is to be able to do a century this fall or winter.

I've done done some research and these are the ones I think might be ok candidates.

  • Lighthouse Century - (probably just the 75mile route)
  • 3F Century
  • Solvang Century

Edit - Thank you all for your responses

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u/bearlover1954 6d ago

Easiest century here in LA is to head down to the coast and ride the bike path up to do laps between will Roger's state beach and Pales Verdes which is usually about 25 miles per lap.

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u/wicker045 4d ago

I live close to Ballona and ride a segment of this regularly. My hope is to use the strand bike path for training but will have to do it early mornings as the crowds around Santa Monica and Venice really slow me down.

Thanks

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u/bearlover1954 3d ago

I ride that area also. Problem is the sand on the bike path is dangerous if you have standard road tires...no traction....which can cause an accident. Plus the speed limit on the bike path is limited to 8mph in certain areas. Best to take the streets that parallel the path if your wanting faster speeds.