The Los Cabos Bike Leg: 90 Rolling Kilometers That Decide Your Run

The big picture

90 km with roughly 981 m of stated elevation gain. It's not a flat leg and it's not a climber's course: it's a rolling route built on long, steady climbs at shallow gradients. Several race reports from past editions describe exactly this profile: hard but steady effort on the climbs, fun descents, very good pavement on highways mostly closed to traffic in and around the mountains surrounding Los Cabos.

A 2023 report describes a rolling out-and-back between the San José area and Cabo. One caveat: the race is returning after years away and the course may have changed. Trust only the updated official map before planning your pacing.

Long climbs, shallow gradients: what it means for you

This kind of terrain rewards riders who can hold sustained watts for a long time, not those who surge. Shallow gradients fool you: speed stays decent, the sense of effort is diluted, and your power number creeps up without you noticing. If you ride with a power meter, this is the perfect race to use it.

What to do in training:

• Long intervals (15-20 minutes) at race effort on gentle climbs or on the trainer with simulated gradient.
• Practice holding your aero position on false flats too: at 2-4% gradients it's often worth staying on the extensions.
• Gearing: with shallow gradients you don't need a mountain setup, but make sure you can hold a comfortable cadence (85-95 rpm) on the longer stretches without grinding big gears.

Pacing: the bike is a loan, the run is the bill

The key point at Los Cabos is this: after the bike, a flat half marathon awaits you, fully exposed to heavy heat and humidity. Reports from past editions describe widespread blow-ups on the run, even among well-prepared athletes. Push too hard over the 90 km and you pay for all of it in the sun.

Practical rules:

• Set a power cap (or RPE cap) for the climbs and never break it, not even when people pass you.
• Keep a 5% margin versus what you'd do in a 70.3 with a fresh run: at Los Cabos you get that margin back by walking less.
• Use the descents to recover and drink, not to gain seconds by taking risks.

Descents and pavement

Reports describe fun descents on very good pavement. That's good news: you can descend safely and give your legs a break. But "fun" doesn't mean "free": hydrate and eat on the fast stretches, because climbing in the heat makes eating harder.

A note on wind: the available facts don't document it reliably. There's no solid information on typical direction and strength. Prepare a stable position anyway and, if you ride very deep wheels, consider a backup plan to decide on-site based on the forecast.

What to do in the days before

If you arrive a few days early, ride a section of the course, especially one of the long climbs: learning the right rhythm on those gradients is worth more than any training plan. If you can't, study the official elevation profile and mentally split the course into blocks: climb, descent, false flat. Assign each block a power or effort target.

One last thing: hydrate aggressively starting on the bike. The next leg is an oven, and the fluid debt you rack up on two wheels gets paid back with interest on the half marathon. The decision to make today: set your watt cap for the climbs and tape it to your handlebars.