Cyclists in San Diego will get a once-a-year shot at doing something that's otherwise illegal every other day of the year: pedaling across the Coronado Bridge. Bike the Bay returns on August 23, offering riders of all ages and abilities a 25-mile loop around the Bayshore Bikeway, with routes as short as five miles and as long as 50 miles, all wrapping up with a festival at Embarcadero Marina Park South.
The event is non-timed and non-competitive, and it prohibits other motorized vehicles from the course, according to Fox 5 San Diego and KUSI News. The main loop begins and ends at Embarcadero Marina Park South, located at 200 Marina Park Way behind the San Diego Convention Center, and travels through Coronado, Imperial Beach, Chula Vista and National City along the way. Bicycles and pedestrians are otherwise barred from the Coronado Bridge year-round under state regulation, and Bike the Bay is one of just two organized events granted a Caltrans permit to occupy its lanes, according to San Diego Magazine.
Multiple Routes, Multiple Start Times
The 50-mile ride kicks off earliest, starting at 6:30 a.m. on event day, with the 25-mile ride departing at 7 a.m. and the five-mile ride following at 8:30 a.m., per the report's timeline. Walk-up registration opens at 6 a.m. that morning. Riders who choose the shorter five-mile route across the bridge have the option of taking the ferry back to the Embarcadero rather than riding the full loop back.
Organizers allow Class I and II e-bikes on the course, which have a maximum speed of 20 miles per hour. Riders without their own bicycle can rent one through Rad Power Bikes, and anyone hoping to rent on the day of the event is asked to contact organizers online in advance. Troxus is also hosting promotional rides at the event.
A Bridge Built for Ships, Not Bikes
The Coronado Bridge itself is part of why the ride draws a crowd every year. The span stretches 2.1 miles, or 11,179 feet, with a maximum vertical clearance of 200 feet above San Diego Bay, and its distinctive 90-degree curve was engineered specifically to give U.S. Navy aircraft carriers clearance beneath it, according to Wikipedia. The bridge opened on August 3, 1969, at a construction cost of $47.6 million, replacing the municipal ferry system that had previously connected San Diego and Coronado, per the California Department of Transportation.
Bike the Bay isn't the only organized event allowed on the span. The U.S. Navy holds an annual Bay Bridge Run/Walk across the bridge as well, which marked its 39th edition in May to support quality-of-life programs for roughly 500,000 military family members across five local Navy bases, according to the San Diego Metropolitan Transit System.
Fundraiser Fuels Regional Bike Advocacy
Bike the Bay is an annual fundraiser benefiting the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1987 that advocates for safer cycling infrastructure across the county's more than 7,000 miles of public roads, according to Candid. This year's ride marks the 19th annual edition of the event, which was launched in 2008 by founder Andy Hanshaw as the region's premier non-competitive bayfront cycling event, as reported by the Coronado Times.
The ride's route follows the Bayshore Bikeway, a planned 24-mile circuit around San Diego Bay of which roughly 18 miles are already built as dedicated, car-free Class I paths, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. Regional agencies have been steadily filling in the remaining gaps: last July, the Port of San Diego approved $2 million in matching funds alongside a $5.7 million SANDAG grant to help National City build a segment of the bikeway that closes a 1.4-mile gap along the bayfront. In February, SANDAG also approved $55 million in Smart Growth funding that includes about $3.5 million to build a Chollas Creek connection to the bikeway.
Bridge Changes Loom Later This Year
The bridge itself is due for a major transformation later this year. Caltrans is preparing to begin construction on a $145 million suicide-deterrent project that will add transparent stainless-steel safety netting along the bridge rails, a plan Hoodline detailed in its report on the netting project. It's not yet clear what, if any, effect the construction will have on future editions of Bike the Bay or the Navy's bridge run, but this year's ride proceeds as planned.
Beyond the bridge crossing, the event doubles as a community celebration meant to promote appreciation for the work behind safer, more accessible streets. The post-ride festival runs until 2 p.m. at Embarcadero Marina Park South and includes food, beverages, a beer garden and live entertainment. Full event instructions and a route map are posted on Bike the Bay's website for anyone planning to join the 25-mile loop, the shorter five-mile crossing, or the full 50-mile route.
