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Frequently Asked Questions
Fundraising

Donation Handling Procedures can be found on our fundraising page.

Do I have to join a team? Does it change my fundraising minimum if I join a team?
No, but teams have a lot of fun and often collaborate on training rides, fundraising events, and helping new riders with logistics. Ask us for referrals if you are interested in joining a team.

Are there resources provided by the organization to assist participants toward the fundraising goals?
You’ll receive a Fundraising Handbook brimming with advice, tips, and ideas. Once you register, you’ll receive a personal fundraising website link to include in your emails, letters, and social media posts. We are also fundraising experts who can help design a customized plan to reach the minimum fundraising goal. We have helped many who were nervous about reaching the minimum surpass it, so don’t be intimidated. It’s very attainable.

What are the Fundraising Minimums and Fees?
All on-tour cycling participants register by paying a $100 registration fee and agree to raise funds or self-fund the $3,300/$3,500 fundraising minimum. Review fundraising minimums, support, and key dates. Once registered, participants reserve their spot-on tour, gain access to resources and the ability to personalize their fundraising page.

If I do not reach the fundraising benchmarks by the deadlines, am I disqualified from participating?
No, we just ask you to guarantee the difference on a credit card and you’ll have until November 1 to continue fundraising to your goal. Some riders do the bulk of their fundraising during and after the ride when they can post photos to social media and include a recap of the journey in post-ride emails and letters.

Participants must reach a minimum fundraising goal ($3,300 for returning participants and $3,500 for first-time riders). If you are unable to raise the minimum, you are committed to donate the difference. Unless you opt out of the in-person tour by July 18, 2025, your credit card will be charged in the event you do not reach the minimum fundraising amount by November 1, 2025.

If you are unable to join the in-person tour, please opt-out by emailing [email protected] and [email protected] as soon as you know. You are responsible for the required fundraising minimum if you opt-out after July 18, 2025.

What are the details to send funds via check, donor-advised fund, or a matching gift?
Please refer to our Fundraising page.

Training & Routes

How much training is required? Can I do this?
Absolutely! The CCC is a fully supported ride open to novice to expert cyclists. If a rider is not feeling up to completing part of the ride or just wants a bump up a hill, our sag support is always at the ready to give a lift in our comfortable air-conditioned vans.

We provide a Training Plan and Calendar written by our CCC experts with ideal daily and weekly targets which build incrementally as the tour approaches. We will help you get ready to breeze down the coast

Where can I find the daily routes for the tour?
You will receive links to Daily Route Guides (aka DRGs/Cue Sheets) to download along with proper GPX files to save to your Garmin or similar a week or two prior to the tour. We wait to publish these files closer to the tour in order to ensure they are as fresh and accurate as possible. We are constantly monitoring the CCC route for local event updates, construction and detours leading up to and during the tour (so always listen to daily safety briefings and follow the signs/chalk on the road versus DRGs or GPS files). Meanwhile, you can see an overview map, daily route recaps including mileage and elevation on our website’s Event Information tab.

On-Tour

How many cyclists participate?
As a boutique tour, the ride is capped at 250 riders as we ride through seaside towns and quiet, scenic roads not open to larger groups.

Is there a minimum age requirement to participate?
Yes, participants must be 18 years or older to join the tour as a rider or volunteer per our insurance policies. Campers under the age of 18 are not permitted on the tour.

Can I bring my dog?
We love dogs, but some of our sites are not dog friendly and some participants prefer a pet-free environment. We advise participants to kindly leave pets at home for compliance with our permits and the safety and comfort of all participants.

Can my family/friends join me on the tour? And bring a vehicle/RV?
We love for others to join the party, but please let us know if you are planning to bring a guest along so we can share details and guidelines. We have very limited overnight parking and tent camping spaces in some locations and cannot always accommodate extra vehicles (especially RVs) or campers. We also ask that tour guests purchase a meal ticket for each meal they join to help offset our costs and ensure our catering teams make enough food for hungry riders. You can also review volunteer opportunities.

Is there a mass start time for each day? A cutoff time for completion each day?
CCC is a tour, not a race. There is no mass start. Riders may ride out any time between within an hour window each morning (usually 7:30-8:30 am) and go at their own pace to the next base camp. We close the course as twilight approaches, so if anyone falls far behind due to a later start, an extra-leisurely pace, and/or a long lunch, our team will bump them up to the next rest stop or camp before dark, but most arrive in camp/hotel between 2:00-5:00 pm.

What do we eat? Are meals included?
The food provided on tour is healthful, delicious, plentiful, and included in your Rider Package. Our incredible catering team serves a hot buffet breakfast and dinner each day in camp, which include items like made-to-order omelets, ribs, salmon and offer variety to satisfy a range of preferences and nutritional needs.

Rest Stops are placed every 20-25 miles and offer hydration, bars, gels, chews, PB&J sandwiches and lots of other refreshments to fuel your ride. Our route offers a bounty of outstanding restaurants, scenic views and social atmospheres in case you wish to treat yourself to a relaxing lunch as you ride through a town, you’ll receive our Must-See Guide for reference. We also host a social hour each night in camp featuring activities, snacks and local wine and beer tastings.

What is included in the Rider Package?
Please refer to our Event Information page.

I’m not registered, but can I just join in for one leg of the tour?
California Coast Classic organizers strongly discourage bandit riding, even for those who are part of the CCC community, friends of registered riders or those who do not plan to use support, aid stations or other tour resources. Although it is probably not their intent, unofficial riders could adversely impact the event in a variety of ways.

Despite being a 501(c)(3) charity, The Arthritis Foundation is required to secure a multitude of permits from three districts of the California Department of Transportation and nearly all the municipalities we travel through on the California Coast Classic Bike Tour route. There are mandates to rent signage, procure insurance, collect waivers, pay for CHP/local law enforcement monitors and put in traffic controls. All these requirements pose a significant cost to the Foundation. * Some entities even calculate permit fees on a per rider basis.

Complaints about cyclists along the route will be directed towards the organizers whether or not the cyclists in question are officially part of the ride. If an unregistered rider has an issue on route, it will likely affect the event.

Official participants put forth considerable effort and personal expense to take part in the CCC Tour including training, fundraising/self-funding and getting themselves and their gear to and from the ride. They may react negatively to cyclists who would join in without registering and doing what is expected of all participants.

Cyclists are advised to register as official participants if they wish to ride in the CCC Tour. Volunteering is a great alternative for those who want to be involved with the CCC Tour and support the Arthritis Foundation’s mission.

*Note that because of our corporate partners whose generous contributions cover most of the operational costs of the ride, the funds that the riders raise go directly to our mission to help patients and their families.

Lodging

Should I camp or hotel? What should I bring if camping out?
If you enjoy camping, we recommend you camp. Camping fees are included in the Rider Package and most of our riders choose this option. Our base camps are the center of activity and where meals, social hours, bike mechanics, massage teams and amenities are located. We provide nice shower trucks with plenty of hot water and a charging station for phones and other electronics. You’ll just need a tent, sleeping bag and sleeping pad. We’ll provide a Rider Handbook with lots of info when you register and a Travel Planner in spring with additional camp information, options and host hotel room block info.

If you are not a camper, we have great hotels with negotiated rates that riders may book at additional expense (average of approximately $170 per night). Some choose to camp most nights and enjoy a hotel a few times during the tour for the best of both worlds.

Are the campsites near hotels? Is transportation provided from camp to nearby hotels? Are there participant rates/reserved blocks of rooms at hotels near the campsites?
Yes, yes and yes! Campsites are located near host hotels, in some cases on the same property. Luggage trucks will deliver your gear to your hotel or campsite each day. Registered riders will receive our Travel Planner with location, group rates and booking instructions. On tour logistics are all coordinated to make it a seamless experience for our riders.

Travel

How do I get my bike to San Francisco?
We work with professional bike shipping vendors that offer Pack and Ship service. Please consult the Bike Shipping Guide and Travel Planner in the Rider Resource Hub for details.

What if I don't have a bike or don’t want to transport my bike?
We’d be happy to make recommendations for purchasing a bike/gear and have partnered with Unlimited Biking and Bicycle Angels to provide excellent service to our riders.

  • When you book a bicycle with Unlimited Biking for the California Coast Classic Bike Tour your bike will be delivered to you during packet pick up on Friday, September 5 at Hyatt Centric Fisherman’s Wharf Hotel. Unlimited Biking will also be on-site to collect your rental from you at the finish line on Saturday, September 13. For more information visit the Unlimited Biking website.
  • The Arthritis Foundation also proudly partners with Bicycle Angels who loans road bicycles for free to people who are registered to participate in a fundraising charity cycling or triathlon event, but don’t have a suitable bike to use for training and the event. They loan bikes to persons living within 100 miles of Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Denver, and Salt Lake City. Get more info and details on the Bicycle Angels website.
Help, I Still Have Questions

Please reach out to Erin Starck at [email protected].