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Rosarito-Ensenada Bike Race
2008 event dates: Aprl 19, Sept. 27 (10 a.m.)

Tale of two parties. TOP: the 50-mile ride is tough. But it was rewarding for Surfer Mike (left), PubClub's Bartender and eventually even for Lynne. BELOW: It's quite a different scene at Papas and Beers in Rosarito. (Be sure and read The Bartender's journal at right).

•  Race Facts:
- The start is in front of the Rosarita Beach Hotel, 10 a.m.
-The The Finish Line Fiesta will be at the "Manzana Ocho" on Ensenada's entrance Boulevard
– Shuttle service is available from the Fiesta Area in Ensenada from 2-7:30 p.m. For those staying in Ensenada, it goes to Rosarito from 7-9 a.m. The price is $18 in advance, $20 on-site.
– Registration is required (at least for the t-shirt and post-race party). Here is the event's Official Web Site.

• Baja Border Towns Bar Guide

Each April, nearly 10,000 maniacs converge on Baja California just south of the border in order to drink, participate in a bicycle race, and drink some more.

Actually, some clarification is in order. There are 10,000 participants but another few thousand who go to Mexico just to party. They leave their bicycles at home and never venture farther down the road than Papas and Beers.

It's the Rosarito to Ensenada Bicycle Race.

There are two ways to approach the event. One is to load up a bicycle and actually ride. The second is to load up the cooler and just party. Either way, it's a rewarding weekend.

The bike race is 50 miles in length, traveling from the beachside town of Rosarita, where the movie "Titanic" was filmed, to the port city of Ensenada. It's not an easy ride and will take between 3-4 hours to compete. The people in the logo-heavy silk shirts and color-coordinated helmets, shoes and pants on their $3,000 bikes complete it in two hours.

It's both scenic and challenging. There's a fiesta afterward but its mainly a subduded affair, at least in comparision to the night before and the evening ahead.

The day begins shortly after the night before at the same spot, Papas and Beers in Rosarita. From noon until sunset on Saturday afternoon, this sand-filled oasis is host to about a hundred daytime revelers whose only goal is to empty the bar's liquor supply. By late afternoon, the scene turns slighly chaotic.

Those Who Race

At the finish: PubClub's Bartender with his warm but tasty beer

Make no mistake about it. Riding a bicycle from Rosarito to Ensenada is not an easy task. It is a true physical challenge and should not be attempted by anybody who has trouble making it to the corner gas station.

It's not the 50 miles that's the problem. It's something known as "the hill." For anyone who has participated in the event, this needs no explanation. For others, suffice to say that while climbing "the hill" it would seem to make navigating the Swiss Alps like a Sunday afternoon ride through a park. It goes up and up, but never away. Officially, it's only listed as two miles long, but it seems to last for 25.

The ride starts at 10 a.m. from the front of the Festival Plaza Hotel. Cyclists cruise south along the rugged Baja California, It travels all to briefly along the beautiful Mexico coastline on the free road (Mexico 1). The route turns east heading inland for two miles through rural countryside before going south to "the hill." It then continues south over rolling hills for 8 miles, then drops 8 miles downhill for the final 8 flat miles along the ocean to the finish line just outside of Ensenada.

Then it's another mile through town before reaching the post-event reception, known as the "Finish Line Fiesta."

Along the way, there are several places to stop and refresh with water and fruit, provided free by race organizers. But there are only places to get beer and they are not free ($2, USD).

This is a one-way journey. Fifteen passenger shuttle vans with trailers for the bikes travel from Ensenada to Rosarito (7 a.m. to 9 a.m before the event, and after the race until 7:30 p.m . Tickets are $18 with advance purchase or $20 on the day of the event. Day of event van tickets can be purchased at either the start line registration area in Rosarito Beach or at the post-event reception.

The entry fee is $25USD or $37 with the t-shirt. It includes the ride refreshments, minor bicycle repair and full U.S.-based medical support plus a warm beer or soft drink at the Finish Line Fiesta.

A $5.00 late fee applies if purchased less than 15 days before the event. T-shirts (100% pre-shrunk cotton with a 6-color design) are $12 additional The ride entry packet, mailed approximately three weeks before each event, includes a bike number with attached beer coupon, helmet number, registration wristband and an information sheet that includes a map. Day-of-event registration will takes place in the plaza area of the Festival Plaza Hotel near the starting line in Rosarito Beach from 7:30-10:30 a.m.

Those Who Do Not Race

There are not many occasions on a worldwide basis where drinking before noon is morally acceptable. The Rosarito Bike Race is one of those occasions where it is.(As Jimmy Buffett and Alan Jackson would say, "It's 5 o'clock somewhere!")

For many, the bike race is not a bike event or a race of any kind. It's a wild weekend to be spent barefoot at a bar, beer sprinked with body shots of margaritas and mate-finding.

The only race in Papas and Beers is to get to the single people first.

For them, the weekend is all about the party. And the party starts and finishes at Papas and Beers in Rosarito Beach.

Papas and Beers is a large bar with a beach volleyball court, dance floor, picnic tables and food stations. In the daytime, it's drenched in sunshine and the patrons are drowned in beer, tequila shots and other forms of liquor.

It starts in the early afternoon and continues until just past sunset, at which time people either pair up for a quick rendezvous, nap, shower, or a combination of all three. A couple of hours later, they are back at the same place.

Inhibitions are left at the border for the largely single crowd.

Smiles and shades are standard equipment at the daytime party.

The Night Party

We hate to be repetitious, but it's back to Papas and Beers.

The scene is typically Mexico. That is to say, wild and uninhibited.

Friday, even bike riders go out and party hard. Tequila flows like water – it's healthier here, too – and there is enough beer consumed to empty a brewery. People dance on the bars, do body shots and eventually remove their own and other people's clothing. Inhibitions are checked at the border.

This is a beach party with walls. Papas and Beers is open-air with a large sand volleyball court. Most of the action occurs at the main bar area and on/around the wooden dance floor.

As one mght expect, it's a causual affair, with shorts, t-shirts and sandals the preferred attire.The crowd is largely single, with a farily even mix of gals to guys. Sexual encounters are frequent, sometimes even in the bar itself.

Friday is the wilder of the two weekend days. Saturday, those hearty daytime souls do their best to stir up revelry and some race participants do make it out again. But for many who rode that day, its a mellow evening of dinner and maybe a few drinks at the Rosarito Beach Hotel.

Arrival and Accommodations

Rosarito Beach is located approximately 45 minutes South of the United States border in Baja, California. The nearest International airport is in San Diego; from there, it's about a one-hour journey. The drive from Los Angeles takes about three hours. Driving in Mexico requires Mexican insurance ($30USD), which can be purchased at San Ysidro, the last United States exit off Interstate 5. See the insurance link on this page provide information. It is also advisable to fill up on gas here; some stations also sell insurance.

Accommodations fill up quickly, so it's best to make reservations in advance. The king of the beach, and one place that Jimmy Buffett lists as his "Margarativille," is the Rosarito Beach Hotel. is the nicest hotel in the area and has a popular pool for hanging out and relaxing.

The Hotel California is just across the street from Papas and Beers, and there's a good taco stand on the way to boot, so from a location standpoint it's hard to beat. Don't be fooled by the latter's name. Yes, it's the title of a famous Eagles song, but as soon as you check into this place you are glad you get to leave. It's sparse accommodations at best – small towels, little hot water and mattresses harder than the water. The "suite" is a basic room with a couch.

Camping spots are available in Rosarito, but only on Friday nights.

For more hotel information and pricing, call Baja California Tours at 858/454-7166.

A popular alternative is to stay in Ensenada and continue partying there at the conclusion of the race, though by far the majority of people stay in Rosarito.

The Weather

Like Estero Beach, weather is not an issue. It will be warm and sunny.A night, a cool and satisfying breeze will be blowing and nights are mild and comfortable.

Next stop on the Party Bus: Special Events

Rosarito Beach
Baja, California
Mexico

First-hand notes from The Bartender:

"I've done it both ways. The first time, I rode in the bike race then on another occasion I shunned it to spend the entire time in Papas and Beers in Rosarito.

Each has its pluses and minuses.

Okay, the only real minus to Papas and Beers was having to sober up enough to go back there at night.

It's a wild scene in the daytime, about 100 people soaking up the suds under brillaint sunshine, with semi-serious beach volleyball games sprinkled in to keep everyone active.

Eventually, the alcohol wins out, and the activities turn a bit insane. Body shots, dancing on tables and blurry romantic encounters eventually rule the day.

It's quite a different scene from the race. Frankly, I was mislead into thinking the real party was in the ride. That ended about an hour after the start when we turned inland from the beach and headed up "the hill."

And kept heading up "the hill." It seemed a never-ending journey. All the while, I was battling not only nature and my own body fatigue, but my sweet yet oft-complaining girlfriend at the time, whom I knew would not enjoy the weekend to begin with but insited on coming along anyway (no doubt to insure I would not retreat to Papas and Beers).

"I'm miserable," she proclaimed upon joining me at the top of "the hill" so I spent the next few minutes retreiving water, juice, bananas and anything I could get my hands on in an effort to bring a smile to her pretty face.

Eventually, Lynne and I managed to get moving and crossed the finish line in silence, though together.

Our total travel time was four hours. We had been passed sometime earlier by our friend and neighbor, Surfer Mike, who finished in two hours riding a Strand cruiser equipped with toliet paper on the handlebars for comfort and sporting a clown harn for fun. It was a marvelous achievement, Surfer Mike.

Waiting for us at the end of this physically challenging day was not a huge keg party as I expected but a rather sedate gathering and one warm cerveza in a styrofoam cup. Still, it was one of the best beers I've ever tasted.

That evening, our mutual misery for one another a thing of the past, Lynne and I had a relaxing margarita served in a large coconut at the Rosarito Beach Hotel. Next door, the rest of our gang was arriving at Papas and Beers for Round Two. For me, that scene would come at another time and on another trip."