Bicycling 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach

“Doc” Reichbaum catching the waves along 17-Mile Drive.  (Photo courtesy of Rizayel Mukashev.)

Coming during Concours week?  See update below.

Biking 17-Mile Drive is an awesome way to experience a beautiful stretch of our 29-mile coastal trail.  It’s just one of the many highlights of bicycling Monterey County!

BYOB/bring your own bicycle, or rent one from any Monterey County rental location.  You may even rent one right in Pebble Beach at Stillwater Cove.

Things to know about pedaling Pebble…

Bicycling is allowed in Pebble Beach 7 days a week.  Gate entrance fee?  Cyclists, unlike motor vehicle drivers, receive a special welcome by being admitted at the Pebble Beach gates free of charge.

Special event weeks

Any exceptions?  Yes, special events such as the US Open or the Concours d’Elegance may make it necessary for Pebble Beach Company to temporarily exclude bicycling, due to safety concerns.

At other special events—because of  heavy motor vehicle traffic—cycling may be discouraged, even though allowed.

For all special events, Pebble Beach Company—event by event—decides their policy on bicycles.   How to know what the decision is for a particular event?  Special event info may be posted on this site, or call Pebble Beach Company to inquire.  Also, you will normally see signs up at Pebble Beach at those exceptional times, such as during the US Open, when bikes are not allowed.

As noted in the June 13 US Open post on this site, you may see a small number of cyclists at the “bikes excluded” special events:  health care providers on bicycles!  See the June 20 feature at the Pebble Beach Company site for more about the Pebble Beach cycling medical team.

For the 2010 Concours d’Elegance…

Bicycles will be welcome during Concours week with one exception:  There will be no bicycle access on Sunday, August 15, the day when 17-Mile Drive and other parts of Pebble Beach will be most heavily impacted by cars.

Hey, open road—let’s race!

Kindly note that racers are encouraged by Pebble Beach Company to enjoy high-speed cycling at Fort Ord, Laguna Seca, and other Monterey County locations that are better suited to racing.

Velo Club Monterey (here AKA “Knights of the Central Coast“) and other groups regularly enjoy rides along 17-Mile Drive.  Want to bike with Velo Club Monterey in Pebble Beach or elsewhere in MoCo?  Visit their website for rides schedule and other info, including tips on participating in group rides.

An excellent local resource on bicycling Fort Ord is the Monterey Off-Road Cycling Association (MORCA) .  Check out not only their website but also their Google group to keep up on the latest news.

For other suggestions on where to ride, see “Where to Bike” in this site’s 20-section guide, Tips for Tourists Bicycling Monterey County©.

For other local cycling resources, refer to Monterey County Bicycle Shops, Services, Clubs, and Resources.

Bike-and-ride to Pebble

If you’d like to bicycle in Pebble Beach but your schedule, stamina, or other reasons make it challenging, refer to this site’s bike-and-ride tips.  From hotel shuttles to bike racks on cars to our local bus service, there are solutions to help more people bicycle.

And yes, the Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) has bus service to Pebble Beach 7 days a week, with bike racks on those buses, too.  Service hours are tailored to employees working in Pebble Beach (“commuter bus”), so plan for that and review the MST schedule to find the times that work best for you.  Check out the  2x Pebble Beach Express schedule on the MST site.

Strenuous rides and elegant evenings

Maybe you are not staying overnight on the Monterey Peninsula, and you want to get a good workout on a strenuous bike ride, then follow it up with an evening out.   Can you easily do both?  Sure, just refer to shower and change locations for day visitors. And if you are lodging here overnight, look for “How Monterey County’s Accommodations Show It’s a Cycling Friendly Place.”

If you’re enthused about combining bicycling in Pebble Beach with a touch of elegance, and the amenities that typically accompany a special date, we’ve got you covered; refer to “Bike Valet Parking.”  And if you think you can’t dress in style for cycling, consider Copenhagen—and Monterey County!  See “Cycle Chic a la Monterey [County].”

Ecotourism and Pebble Beach

Being in a place where nature’s beauty is stunning causes most people to feel gratitude, along with a desire to help preserve that beauty.

You may have noticed that Pebble Beach dining venues are serving more sustainable seafood and organically grown produce on some of their menus, which is wonderful.  For examples, check out the Club XIX and Stillwater menus, and this article about Peppoli.

What else is Pebble Beach Company doing to sustain this beautiful environment for future generations?  Check out their website’s Environmental Stewardship page to learn about conservation efforts affecting marine life, plant life, water, and more.

It’s significant that many of the Pebble Beach Company’s individual venues earned designation as certified Monterey Bay Area Green Businesses in 2009.  You may read the list in the Pebble Beach Company July 15, 2009 press release at their site; and you may also confirm that good news, and learn more, by visiting the Monterey Bay Area Green Business website.  What about the golf courses?  Pebble Beach Golf Links was cited by Links Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Green Courses.”

Also refer to the Company’s website regarding their 2009 WRAP award from California Integrated Waste Management Board—received for the 10th year. For these efforts to be most effective, though, requires a commitment from the rest of us. Here’s an easy example.  Please use the recycling bins at special events.  And if you’re a volunteer or employee (permanent and temporary alike), stick to the Company’s guidelines regarding where those recyclables go next.  Effective results require a team effort.

Crank it up a notch

Better yet, whenever possible, avoid those mountains of discarded plastic and paper altogether!

If you are a frequent cyclist, staying hydrated is on your mind, and you probably brought your own stainless steel or other reusable beverage container with you.  Forgot?  You may purchase a reusable mug with the Pebble Beach logo at the Pebble Beach store. Similarly, you likely brought your own reusable tote for carrying any purchases.  If not, purchase a Lone Cypress bag at Pebble Beach so you are able to say “No paper or plastic, thank you!  I have my own.”

Bring your own cloth hankies, napkins, and so on, too.  It all adds up!

Here, there, everywhere

If you live in an area where eco-awareness and actions are commonplace, count your blessings.  And if you are an individual who has been mindful about caring for the planet for decades (or virtually all your life), a tip of the bike helmet to you!

It’s easy to forget that not everywhere is environmental sustainability highly prized.  The eco-steps that Pebble Beach Company and others are already taking are vital.  And on this dear Planet Earth—here, there, and everywhere—there’s still a long way to go to set things right.

There are many ways you can help keep Pebble Beach and Monterey County beautiful.  Leaving a motor vehicle behind to travel by bicycle, even part of the time (see bike-and-ride tips) may be your favorite way.  For a few more things you may want to do, please refer to the “Bicycling and Ecotourism” section of Tips for Tourists Bicycling Monterey County©.

Getting out to enjoy nature is perhaps the best inspiration for safeguarding it.  It would be fun to hear what you learned about this beautiful planet—and perhaps a new action that has inspired in you—from your bicycle trip around Pebble Beach, other parts of  Monterey County, or wherever you are.

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Below are scenes of some of my personal good times in Pebble Beach.  Come make your own memories soon!

Spanish Bay was just the place for Mom and Daughter to celebrate the 16th Birthday!

Below, the sweet 16 gal and her pal share the tough job of tackling dessert at Roy’s.

For more Pebble Beach memories, see “Piping in the New.”