100 miles with 2,700 feet of elevation gain*
Locate ride on interactive map.
[Interactive Course | enlarge]
[Route Profile]
Amtrak Century - Counties Visited:
Orange County and San Diego County
Amtrak Century - Cities/Towns Visited:
Irvine, Mission Viejo, San Juan Capistrano, San Clemente, Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar, La Jolla, and San Diego
Amtrak Century - Climbs:
Mile 78 (cat. 4)
Amtrak Century - Stops:
Mile 27 (San Juan Capistrano), 49 (Camp Pendleton), 60 (Oceanside), and 81 (Torrey Pines)
Amtrak Century - Description:
The Amtrak Century is a fairly flat and scenic point-to-point ride from Irvine to San Diego, an ideal route for first-timers. Most cyclists return to the starting point in a private Amtrak train, hence the name of the ride.
The start is located at the Irvine Amtrak station. After leading north for a few miles, the ride starts heading south and gradually works its way up to the highest point, Foothill Ranch. The course then descends to the Ocean in Capistrano Beach and follows the Pacific Coast Bicycle Route.
At Las Pulgas (Camp Pendleton), the route continues on Freeway 5 to Oceanside. It then passes a few more beach cities and leads up Torrey Pines. Next, the bike path leads down to San Diego. Instead of heading straight for the Amtrak station, the route visits Sea World and Spanish Landing Park, which offers a great view of the San Diego skyline.
Amtrak Century - Pictures:
[San Diego]
[Amtrak]
Amtrak Century - Personal Notes:
2007:
This was Sandra's first century, congratulations on the accomplishment.
The most scenic part of the ride overlaps with one of my favorite training rides, Dana Point Century (Southbound).
2008:
The cool temperature in the morning and the tailwind all day made for a fast ride. Without paying attention to it, I ended up finishing in under five hours riding time (total time was more though).
Amtrak Century - Current Weather:
