Jaime's story: Sea Otter Classic

BaseCamp athlete Jaime Baeza shared her experience at the 2025 Sea Otter Classic bike race in California.

Four days of fun at Sea Otter Classic. My husband and I rode the Pacifico road fondo for something different, and it was really fun. Thankfully the early morning start was spared the cold marine layer that morning, so once the sun came out, we were warm and could shed a layer. The route went through Fort Ord, Seaside, Monterey, and Pacific Grove. I've always been intimidated to descend the corkscrew at Laguna Seca, but it turns out it was a blast.

There were four aid stations, and I only stopped at one because I’ve noticed how much time they can add and I was prepared and only needed a water refill once on the 51 mile route.

We started with an almost 3 mile descent, so I knew that coming back into the venue was going to hurt. There were a lot of people that would ride past me pushing too hard, and then they’d be pulled over on the side of the road because they’d blow up and have to stop, and then they’d repeat that process again. 🙄😂 It was steep; once my computer said the grade was 18%, I decided to stop looking at it. My goal was to pace myself to reach the top without having to stop. It was pretty brutal in the steep parts, but I did it. I used all of my PMA and even resorted to counting my pedal strokes, and man that focus on counting really helps the brain focus on something other than the pain. I picked up a lot of kit compliments along the ride. Haha.

Bonus, I finally got to meet Joe Pomeroy after three years on BaseCamp training together!