Cycling Workouts
Loops
The maps in this section were created with the
GMaps Pedometer tool. Give
the maps a second or two to load, then you should be able to zoom and drag them
around, just like in regular GoogleMaps. Although distances are provided for
each loop, they are probably slightly short for the longer loops since the
plotted course cuts some corners on the map. Also note that bike workouts
usually start from Lake & Russell, but the workout coordinator may
post a different starting location in the workout description.
Dixon Loop
Total distance: 19.1 miles
The Dixon Loop (aka "20-mile loop" or "Pedrick Loop") is the most common
cycling loop and the most suitable for beginners. The loop starts at the
intersection of Lake and Russell, heads west down the Russell bike path, turns
south toward Dixon, and eventually turns back and enters the UCD campus from
the south. There is a very brief uphill where the course takes an overpass
over I-80. Sadly, this is the closest thing there is to a hill in Davis
without going significantly farther from campus. A map of the course is
available
here.
Airport Loop
Total distance: 15.4 miles
The airport loop is another excellent course for beginners. This course is
even shorter than the Dixon loop and is entirely flat. A map of the course
is available
here (note that the
end of the course returns on a frontage road adjacent to CA-113, not on 113
itself!).
UCD Race Course
Total distance: ~18 miles
The flat and fast 18 mile course used in the UCD Sprint Triathlon starting
in 2006. A map is available
here.
Clockwise Winters Loop
Total distance: 25.5 miles
This "standard" variant of the Winters loop starts off like the Dixon Loop, but
turns right onto Sievers Road instead of left. It eventually loops back to
Stevenson Bridge Road and returns to Lake & Russell the way it came out.
This course is completely flat. A
map of the course is available
here.
Winters-Dixon Loop
Total distance: 29.1 miles
This variant of the Winters loop heads down Putah Creek road, turns left onto
Boyce road, returns to Sievers, and then finishes the same as the Dixon Loop.
A map of the course is available
here.
Extended Winters-Dixon Loop
Total distance: 39.0 miles
This variant of the Winters loop is similar to the previous one, except that
it heads farther down Putah Creek Road and then continue all the way back to
Mace Blvd instead of turning down Old Davis Road like the Dixon Loop. A map
is available
here.
Lake Solano Loop
Total distance: 34.4 miles
A more intermediate level loop. The Lake Solano Loop is somewhat longer than
most of the loop above and also has a couple of gently rolling hills. A map
of the course is available
here.
Cantelow Loop
Total distance: 47.0 miles (actually more like 50, but
the map is slightly inaccurate)
Cantelow is a course for more experienced riders. It is significanly longer
than the other courses listed on this page (50 miles) and also contains a
legitimate hill (Cantelow Hill) at mile 25. There are also some rolling hills
before Cantelow that are still steeper than anything seen on the other courses
on this page. A map of this course is available
here.
Cardiac-Cantelow Loop
Total distance: 66.2 miles (although this is probably a
bit too short)
This loop hits another big hill (Cardiac) before continuing on with Cantelow
Hill. The distance and climbing make this a course for experienced riders;
make sure you're comfortable with the basic Cantelow Loop before tackling
this one. A map of the course is available
here.
Mix Canyon-Cantelow Loop
Total distance: 58.4 miles
This loop is the basic Cantelow Loop, with a detour up Mix Canyon Road thrown
in. Mix Canyon (often simply referred to as "Mix") is the absolute hardest
hill in our area and only the very strongest cyclists are capable of making it
all the way to the top. The grade gets progressively harder the farther up you
go, so you may elect to only go partway up if you're not an incredible cyclist.
A map of this course is available
here.
Wooden Valley Loop
Total distance: ~90 miles
If you're looking for a long ride with a lot of hills, this is a great ride.
The ride heads out toward Fairfield and then ends up coming back over Cardiac
for a total of about 90 miles. A map is available
here (note: there are
so many points on this map that some web browsers take a long time to
render it and some may even fail completely).
