Victory Lap

Bike Ride Around the Rose Bowl

Many champions have been crowned at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. In 2015, the Tour of California will pick its winners here, too. The final stage of the Tour concludes with several speedy 3.1-mile laps around the stadium and Brookside Golf Course. Should be exciting, right? Don't let the competition have all the fun. Preview the Tour’s inspired finish on a 9-mile ride that includes the lionized loop and an adjoining scenic street. Approach the bowl on the same road as the pros, following bike-friendly Arroyo Boulevard past lovely homes that overlook the Arroyo Seco. Tall oaks arching overhead form a photo-worthy canopy. Pass below the Arroyo Seco Bridge, an elegant concrete span on Highway 134, and cruise down to the Rose Bowl. Get set and go on a loop around the stadium and the adjacent golf course on a paved biking and walking lane that borders the roads. Pedal past long green fairways and catch views of the San Gabriels as you make your lap. A short climb back up Arroyo Boulevard is rewarded with a fun, fast, and winding ride to the finish. Coming up roses!

Begin from San Pascual Park (960 San Pascual Ave. in Los Angeles). Take San Pascual Ave. northeast for 0.4 mile and bear left up Arroyo Blvd. Go north for 2.5 miles and turn left onto the bike trail that loops around the Rose Bowl. Bike back on Arroyo Blvd. to San Pascual Park. Use the Arroyo Seco Trail Guide

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View