The Rosarito Ensenada bike ride is a 50 mile fun ride held twice a year, in April and September. It begins in Rosarito Mexico, about 18 miles south of the border. The course follows the coast for the first half, then cuts inland for the second section, with some hills and curves. Finally the road heads back towards the coast and into the city of Ensenada Mexico. At the end of the ride a giant fiesta awaits the riders and their friends. Approximately 10,000 riders participate and another 30,000 are present at the fiesta. Its a fun time for everyone.
The morning Jason and Mike prepared for the ride, some rain and drizzle was still lingering from the storm that had passed by the night before. Not to be held back, they barely gave this any thought. The more important problem was how to get to Rosarito by the 10:00 am start time. Finally, a decision was made to load the bikes in Mike's car and drive to the border, and then to decide how to proceed from there.
When the guys reached the border, the choices were down to driving to Rosarito and trying to find a parking space, or parking on the US side of the border and biking all the way to Rosarito from there. After consulting the wisdom of a coin-toss, the car was parked and the bikes were being walked through the gates into Mexico.
Biking through Tijuana in the morning wasn't too hard for Jason and Mike, but at the outskirts of the city a series of hills separated TJ from Rosarito. These hills proved to be a good warm-up for the rest of the ride. Although somewhat challenging, they were conquered regardless.
After a refreshing downhill, the guys reached the Rosarito city limits and stopped for a picture. Their were clouds lingering on the horizon and as they biked towards the start line a slight drizzle turned into a steady rain. The decision to bring their jackets was looking like the right choice.
One lesson that Jason and Mike learned right away was that on this ride, children line the sides of the road with plastic bags and Halloween candy baskets yelling "Candy! Dulces!" The bikers on the ride would throw handfuls of treats to them. After a quick run into one of the shops at the start of the ride, the guys were participating in this fun tradition as well.
Not too far after the start, the clouds broke and a beatiful day warmed up the bike team. Riding along side the ocean in Mexico with the sun and waves gave the guys a few great photo opportunities.
After a short bit, the course turned inland and passed through a small village. The road began to ascend a series of hills, culminating in one long incline that tests all rider's endurance. A lot of work was needed, but Mike and Jason successfully powered through this section as well.
Once at the top of the plateau, a section of rolling hills and curves continued to push the riders' endurance, which lead to a rewarding downhill section that would be very scary if the road hadn't been blocked off to cars during the ride, due to the amount of blind curves involved. At the bottom of the hill, the road reconnected with the coast. Mike and Jason could see the city of Ensenada was very close at this point.
Finally, the guys reached the finish line, completing not only the ride from Rosarito to Ensenada, but from the US/Mexico border itself. The fiesta provided a bit of diversion and nourishment, then Jason and Mike loaded their bikes on the shuttle back to Rosarito and got to sit and relax for the easy ride back.
If you enjoyed this story, please check out another Greg Gangley adventure starring Mike Senese and Jason Sattler: Jason and Mike Bike to Tucson.
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