by John Wintersteen
I recently took the trip of a lifetime and spent an extended weekend riding and hanging with Tyler Pearce aka VC Adventures. If you’re not familiar with Tyler, he's a 2x ultra-distance national champion, ELITE content/film maker, Eliel athlete, and an all-around amazing dude. Knowing how much he has inspired me to push myself well past my preconceived limitations of myself, my amazing wife Jamie decided to surprise me and set up a guided riding adventure with VC! To say I was stoked would be an understatement.
Tyler gave me a ring to find out what kind of adventure I was after and he quickly put together an adventure plan- three days of unreal riding in the mountains near Yosemite. Steep ups, steep downs, and beauty all around. However, the weather gods had other plans. With 2-3 inches of snow and temps in the 20s in the forecast we opted to pivot to 3 days of epic riding along the central coast. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we now had the chance to stay in Cayucos, which is a charming little town on the coast. Instead of riding in the mountains, we would ride up the coast and rip some gravel in the foothills.
I flew out to Fresno, connected with Tyler, and we headed out to the coast. We spent the duration of the drive getting to know each other and going over the details of what lay ahead for us. There’s an old adage that says 'don’t meet your heroes', but in this case, Tyler was exactly the man he portrays himself to be and we immediately hit it off. As we got closer to our destination and the scenery started getting more coastal, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my wife for organizing all of this for me.
En route we stopped at the local grocery store in town and got all the supplies we would need for our stay at the VRBO waiting for us. After unloading, I finished building my bike up and we headed down to the pier for a shake-out ride. We met up with Walker from Cache_Seven, who would be driving the SAG truck and shooting content of the trip. After an impromptu photo shoot, we headed back and Tyler prepared the first of many homemade meals to fuel us for the big day to come. We headed to bed early and I found myself struggling to sleep as I thought about the ride to come.
Day 1: Old Creek to Cambria and Up the PCH
On the first morning, we fueled up for our adventure with a hearty breakfast of homemade oatmeal topped with granola and fresh fruit. As we enjoyed Tyler’s hand-made goodness, the two of us discussed our plans for the day. Our journey would begin with an early departure from the house and heading towards Old Creek. The challenges of this route would start early for us with an extended climb that could last about an hour, taking us up into the foothills above Cayucas. From there we would stop for a snack before heading up the coast towards Big Sur as we tried to get back while beating the sun. With breakfast over and digested, I got kitted up in my Eliel Factory Team gear and Palomar vest, and headed out to meet Tyler so we could get started.
The day began a little brisk, but we warmed up quickly on the initial climb. There were exhaustive amounts of steep switchbacks, with little-to-no breaks, but I was riding with a cycling hero so it was surprisingly easy to suck it up and power through. Reaching the summit was beautiful and rewarding, and we were promptly greeted with a blistering descent into a quaint town. Cambria, the next little town up the coast, boasts a charming cafe and some pretty nice restaurants. We stopped in town for a coffee, a cookie, and picked up some lunch to enjoy later on our route.
From Cambria, we continued our journey along the coast, soaking in the sheer beauty of the sun bouncing off the ocean on an absolutely gorgeous day. With hardly a cloud in the sky, we motored north until we reached Ragged Point. This spot offered a stunning overlook of the cliffs, where we took a few moments to relax, discuss our progress, and enjoy our lunch.
As we resumed our trip north, the traffic seemingly cleared out ahead of us, allowing for full enjoyment of our environment. Parts of the road were out up ahead due to a recent rockslide before getting to Monterey. We may have seen a total of 15 cars once we got past Hearst Castle. The route also featured super-steep climbs and descents, with the ocean on our left and mountain cliffs on our right. The weather was perfect, with mid-60s temperatures and sunny skies. I made sure to make use of my Palomar vest’s two-way zippers to keep me comfortable throughout the day.
Eventually, we reached a point where turning around became the best option, knowing we would have a strong tailwind to help us on our way back. As the sun began to set, we raced home, enjoying the stunning golden hour vibes. The tailwind made the return journey exhilarating, allowing us to cruise back with little effort. We spent the final hours of sunlight reflecting on how amazing the day had been and looking forward to the adventures that awaited us the next day.
Trying to figure out your favorite moment from an eight-hour day on the bike is no easy task, but there is one memory that stands out to me. We had just turned around to head back to Cayucos when I had a surreal moment. I was riding on arguably one of the most beautiful roads on earth with a completely unobstructed view of the Pacific on my right, and to my left was VC recording ME! I just started shaking my head at the absurdity of it all and giggling at how lucky I am.
Day 2: Cayucos Gravel in Wine Country
We kicked off day two with some wonderful breakfast burritos that Tyler made from scratch. As we wolfed down our meal, we discussed our plan for the day. Today’s adventure would take us into the foothills above town and eventually into wine country, but not before a gauntlet of three progressively-harder gravel climbs with grades north of 20% for sustained periods. We planned a café stop in Templeton to break the day up a bit and would end the day ripping the twisties in wine country.
When we first started out, the entire coast was draped with a thick misty fog. It made the departure a little wet and eerie, but also pretty cool as we began with a gorgeous climb through some canopy trees on gravel. Everything was super vibrant, reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest, giving off some otherworldly vibes, and I was pretty pumped to see how the green from my Eliel Gravel Team kit would pop.
Upon completion of our first big climb of the day, we stopped at a cafe in Templeton. This tiny historical railroad town had once served as the last stop on your way to San Luis Obispo. I had the first latte of my life and I am happy to report that it was fantastic. Walker met up with us and discussed the best places for him to go to get good footage of us before we headed out. I was pleasantly surprised to find my legs were still feeling ready, and hoped that I could sustain that feeling as we worked through the first climbs.
Shortly after departing, we began our second gravel climb of the day. This one was a little longer and a little steeper, with grades topping out around 15%. We settled into a nice rhythm and enjoyed the scenic vistas as we climbed out of Killer Canyon. A little under an hour later, we reached the top, where we were then able to enjoy our descent down some fast and loose gravel. We hit some paved roads at the bottom and I started preparing for the last climb of the day, which promised to be a real doozy.
As we started up the third and final climb of the day, I started getting in my head a bit. I knew we had grades north of 20% ahead over chunky and loose gravel, but I insisted to myself that walking was not an option. Even if I had to grind up the mountain at a 35 cadence, I was going to get to the top and not walk my bike. As we were nearing the crux of the climb, Tyler pulled his phone out to record some video. He tells me that the previous two riders he had taken up this route had to walk. He then puts the camera on me and says in a firm but playful manner “but you’re not going to walk, are you John?” which manifested an extra carrot for me to chase up to the top. Walk I did not!
After the arduous climb we started the descent through wine country, and were treated to some of the smoothest roads I’ve ever ridden on. Super fast and twisty, with plenty of line-of-sight so you could really rail the corners. I could feel how much I had leveled up from the previous day descending. As the canopy trees danced and swayed above us, I was able to send it with minimal use of the brakes. This descent was one of the highlights of the trip for me, and I made sure to soak it all in.
We had one more little kicker to climb as we neared Whale Rock Reservoir near sundown. There is one particular view that will stay with me the rest of my life where the Pacific Ocean can be seen behind the reservoir and it looks kind of like an infinity pool. Add in the sun reflecting off the water, and this view made me feel tiny in the best way possible. With that lingering vision of beauty in our minds, we made the final descent back into Cayucos.
After getting cleaned up, Tyler, his family, Walker and myself went to dinner at this cute little restaurant in Cambria called Robin’s. The food was a unique fusion of Mexican, Thai, and Indian fare. Everything I ate was fantastic. We sat out on the patio soaking in the charm and discussing the trip so far. Overall, just a beautiful day that won’t soon leave me.
All Good Things Must Come to an End
The last day of our trip was a chill day. I slept in and headed into town to check out Cayucos and pick up some souvenirs for the family back home while Tyler got some family time in on the beach. I snagged lunch, sat on the pier, and watched the powerful oceanic waves roll in. After heading back and getting kitted up, Tyler and I did a nice, relaxed ride up the coast. We stopped again in Cambria for a snack and decided to turn around. We headed back to Cayucos with a spectacular tailwind that made the miles fast and easy. It was golden hour and we were just absorbing all of the accompanying vibes that this place was feeding us.
The next day, Tyler took me back to Fresno so I could catch my flight and we said our goodbyes. I had a solid layover in Salt Lake so I had plenty of time to start reflecting on the trip. It was everything I wanted it to be and so much more. Tyler is an absolute gem of a human and he went above and beyond. Like him remembering who my favorite band is from an off hand comment and then using their music in the clips he made of my riding. It’s Brand New for the record.
Special Thanks
Jamie, thank you from the bottom of my heart. This was the trip of a lifetime and I have so many memories that I am never going to forget. This trip was so incredibly humbling in many ways, and I believe I am a better human today than I was when I left. You have given me the gift of perspective. I love you. You are my person.
Tyler, you already know how much I enjoyed the adventure and experience. The scenery was something out of a movie every single day. The routes challenged me in the best ways and showcased the beauty and variety of the Central Coast. Also when is the restaurant opening? I think I enjoyed your cooking as much as the riding. You have a gift!
Corbett, thank you for going above and beyond to make sure I had all the Eliel thermal gear I needed for the potential cold weather. You and the team went above and beyond to get it ready and get it shipped out in time for my flight. You all are rock stars!!
