Ride Review: Ride the Coast 2013

Ride the Coast 2013 turned out to be a great ride for a good cause.

It was a hot one today in Santa Ana, California, with temperatures reaching 90 degrees. Of course, everything is relative, because my hometown of Tempe, Arizona had a high of 118 today, so I’ll take the 90 degrees.

But, despite the heat, I opted for my long-sleeved, Ride the Coast T-shirt from a previous year, both for the protection and because I anticipated it might be cold along the beach (and because it has bitchin’ flames on the sleeves). I also pulled off my (Switchblade) windshield, to maximize the airflow. That turned out to be the perfect combination. It was a little bit hot at the commencement of the ride, so I was glad for the missing windshield, but along the beach it got downright chilly, so I was glad for the sleeves (and I got lots of compliments on the bitchin’ flames). Take that, Tempe Arizona. Where could you go for a bike ride and get cold this time of year?

This is a police-escorted ride, so once it starts you fly through every red light and stop sign on the way. Never once did I have to put my foot down during the 70 mile course. It is really quite an accomplishment, with a dozen or so motorcycle cops racing ahead to stop traffic at all of the intersections. Equally impressive is the fact that we go through so many police jurisdictions, and all cooperate in the process. Even Huntington Beach, known for its anti-biker attitude, gets into the spirit (not that they assist in the traffic control, but at least none of us were stopped for loud pipes).

The ride commenced at the Santa Ana Auto Mall. From there we took the 55 to the 22 freeway, and headed to the coast in Long Beach. From there, we traveled the coast all the way to Jamboree, in Newport Beach, and then turned North, ending at Original Mike’s in Santa Ana at about noon. The wait staff there did a great job serving the horde of bikers that arrived en masse.

Proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Santa Ana. For numerous photos taken of the event, go here.