Oceanside to San Diego 50 Mile Skate
Saturday, August 9, 2008 8:10 AM


The SD50 - the world-famous something-less-than-50-mile skate/bike from Oceanside to San Diego will be held on Saturday, August 9, starting (roll!) at 8:15 at the Oceanside Amtrak station.

More details to come but here is a quick outline of the event. We skate and bike from the Oceanside Amtrak station to the San Diego downtown Amtrak station, mainly along the Pacific Coast Highway, a route of stunning natural beauty. The skate is at-your-own-pace but we do keep track of everyone and we do regroup frequently. The route is almost entirely on the open road with car traffic and, while most of the pavement is good there are some rough patches. There are some hills - most notably the challenging climb up Torrey Pines and some downhills that could be intimidating to some. We usually have a number of bikes that will help skaters to brake on the steeper hills. The distance of the skate varies a bit from year to year - typically it is significantly less than 50 miles square but 50 sounds much better when boasting on Monday morning to your out-of-shape colleagues so the official, unverified distance is 50 miles.

We will have maps prepared of the route.

Transportation: Many people take Amtrak to the Oceanside from the downtown San Diego station. There is a train that leaves at 6:10am, arriving at 7:01 and another at 7:05am arriving at 7:55am.
Unfortunately, there are no trains early enough going south to Oceanside. Many people also drive to the Oceanside Amtrak station and take the train back to Oceanside at the end of the skate to pick up their cars.  Shoes are required on the train.

Support: If anyone would like to volunteer to drive a SAG vehicle let us know; otherwise, we're planning on having "course support" but not a SAG vehicle. "Course support" means that we will have a driver on call is volunteering to pick up anyone who needs a ride or any sort of assistance. We will also have a stop at the Solana Beach train station, approximately the half-way point so anyone who wants to bail out at that point can hop on the train. We will also have the traditional SAG station at the top of Torrey Pines with refreshments and supplies.

Half-distance options: We will have a stop at the Solana Beach Amtrak station, approximately the half-way point. If you'd like to skate/bike just half the distance this would be a good point to skate to or from.

Post-skate festivities: We usually have lunch together in downtown San Diego after the skate and sometimes more elaborate festivities are planned. More details to come.

Weather: The temperature will be in the mid-60s throughout the day, will a firm tailwind blowing down the coast from Oceanside to San Diego and, although dry and clear, puffy white clouds will hover directly above the skaters providing delicious, refreshing shade. This is true, trust us.

PLEASE RSVP! This is will help us to organize the event. Please provide your cell phone number (cell phones STRONGLY advised for safety and in keeping the group together) so we can prepare a list to exchange, and your mode of transportation (skate or bike). Please pass this information along to other skaters or skate lists.

Feel free to ask any questions you might have. We're are always especially glad to have new skaters joining us. The SD50 is pretty relaxed and a fun event.

Michael

sundayskate@sk8.org



Last updated on 7/15/2008 8:18 PM PST CY
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