California’s Paso Robles wine region—on the north end of San Luis Obispo County (SLO)—is plenty sophisticated, heartily rustic, and a lot laid back. Award-winning pinots and estate beef burgers pair with a cool “so what?” ease here. Halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, on California’s Central Coast, Paso is the heart of an up-and-coming culinary scene that has grown renowned as a fast-evolving wine, microbrew, craft distillery, cider, and food destination.

Our cycling is pretty stellar too! Long, uncrowded, rolling country roads twist and wind amongst vast ranches, past endless vineyards, along stunning coastline, and through dense, mossy oak passes. Build your physical and mental endurance with 300+ miles and 21,000+ feet of climbing, over 5 days and 6 nights, in a true gem of California riding. Or get dirty with our new 2023 Gravel Camp, a 4 day and 3 night adventure.

Paso Robles & Cambria

Sample Tour: 5 Days / 6 Nights

It’s not about the HC climbs of ribboning roads over epic mountain passes here. This corner of California is for that jack-of-all-trades hero, the Rouleur. The riding here suits the cyclist that likes to sprint a little, climb a bit, grind down some occasional gravel, and hammer a lot on roads ceaselessly packed with rollers and steep coastal pitches. We’ve got our share of epic STRAVA segments, many of them from the California edition of the famed Eroica and Nova Eroica rides.

Stage mileage and elevation can be scaled up or down to suit your desires and love of suffering.

Stage One: San Miguel & Far North

Today’s welcome ride is a gentle warm up. It’s an opportunity to wake up your legs, test your rig, and get to know your team for the week. We head out of the hotel to experience the old Mission town of San Miguel and its remote canyons in the northernmost end of San Luis county. This will be your first taste of the area’s golden hills, rolling climbs, and twisty descents.

Stage Two: The Santa Margarita Hills

From the hotel, we head south past vineyards and wide-open cattle ranches through some the region’s old one-street towns that retain an “old west” spirit. The first 10 miles are relatively flat before the climbing begins. The route travels along the Huer Huero Creek over the oak-and-pine-lined hills that surround Santa Margarita Lake and down into the Pozo Valley. We will follow an old stagecoach route past the Pozo Saloon—California’s second oldest watering hole—before turning onto a long six-mile climb that tops out at 10.6%. There’s one more long, fast, winding descent through small, isolated ranches down to the main road that brings us into Santa Margarita for our delicious winery lunch.

Stage Three: The Adelaida Backcountry

We are off the grid today, heading deep into backcountry to experience some of the most magical views and stunning roads in north SLO county. The ride begins with a fast rolling stretch to the charming town of Templeton. We meander back towards downtown Paso with a short gravel detour. Our course points west on a long climb into backcountry Adelaida. Once famous for its mercury mines during the late 1800s, Adelaida is now known for its world-class wineries and rolling roads framed by tunnels of oak trees. The ride ends with a final climb and rollercoaster descent back into Paso Robles.

Stage Four: To The Coast

Today, we take the long, meandering way to the coast to enjoy the cool, salty sea air. Straight out of Paso, we climb yesterday’s final descent, gaining 1500’ in the first 10 miles. Our reward is another ribboning descent through the oaks and vineyards. At mile 27, we ride south through beautiful farm country, flowing into another steep, fast technical descent with hair-pin turns. At the bottom, is an out-and-back through avocado and citrus orchards in search of a pair nesting bald eagles that hunt in the nearby reservoir. The course climbs out of the basin and speeds down into the seaside town of Cayucos. From here, it is another19 miles north to Moonstone Beach in Cambria.

Stage Five: Cambria and Little Sur

Today offers two very different rides in a single course. It starts with a long, not-to-be-missed climb on the back side of Cambria that gains 2200’ in 14 miles. The average grade is 3.4%, but pitches to a leg-busting 19% in places. We pause at the saddle for a stunning panoramic view of the Pacific before making the cautious, technical, twisting descent back into Cambria on the same road. Once back to HWY 1, we point into the headwind and ride north to Ragged Point—the southern start of the famed Big Sur drive—for a coffee. Then, ideally with a helpful tailwind, we hustle back south towards Cambria, taking a stop at Piedras Blancas to watch the giant elephant seal colony followed by an outdoor lunch at San Simeon landmark.