Goat Maps Web map
The beach at Del Mar at sunset, with surf rolling in below a bluff and mountains on the horizon
Craig Marolf / Unsplash

BWR California course guide

The original Belgian Waffle Ride: a spring day of pavement, sand, rock and singletrack inland from Del Mar, at 107, 64 or 30 miles in 2026.

May 1 to 2, 2027 San Diego County, California

BWR California is where the Belgian Waffle Ride started, in 2012. The organizer calls it the Hell of the North (County), after Paris-Roubaix: the courses switch between pavement, dirt, sand and rocky sectors in the hills behind Del Mar, out past Lake Hodges and the San Pasqual Valley toward Ramona. The sixteenth edition is the weekend of May 1 and 2, 2027.

There are three courses, the Waffle, Wafer and Wanna, and everyone finishes in the same place for waffles and Lost Abbey beer. The Gran Roadie-Oh, a paved ride on the Saturday, is a separate event. The 2027 routes, feed zones, start times and venue haven't been announced, so this guide describes the 2026 courses. The map shows the organizer's 2026 course lines, which start and finish at the Del Mar Polo Fields.

Course arrows, flags and marshals mark the way, but the rules make you responsible for your own navigation, and the course on the day can differ from the published files if safety calls for it. The organizer lists a bike computer for navigation among the must-haves. Load the course file on it before you go, so you can check where you are when an arrow goes missing.

This is an unofficial guide: Goat Maps isn't affiliated with Belgian Waffle Ride California. Check the official site before you enter or race.

BWR California course map

Every course's aid stations on the Goat Maps topo map. Each course has a map of its own further down.

Download the BWR California map to your phone

Save it in Goat Maps for a recce or race day. GPS shows where you are even without a signal.

Open in web map

BWR California courses

CourseDistanceClimbingStartTime limit
Waffle107 mi (172 km)7,367 ft (2,246 m)10 h
Wafer64 mi (103 km)3,832 ft (1,168 m)
Wanna30 mi (48 km)2,046 ft (624 m)

BWR California Waffle

The full day: 107 miles, about half of it off pavement, out to Ramona and back.

Distance
107 mi (172 km)
Climbing
7,367 ft (2,246 m)
Time limit
10 h

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

In 2026 the Waffle was 107 miles with 7,367 feet of climbing, 53% of it unroad. Its 30 unroad sectors are numbered down from 29 to 0, the way Paris-Roubaix counts its cobbles. The organizer picked out one stretch as the heart of the course: Black Canyon, the technical Wildeman Wildernis descent, Kust-Naar and the Boden Canyon Ecological Reserve, which was new in 2026. You climb Bandyweg, a steep kilometer, twice. Late in the day come De Zick-Zack and Saint Lusardi, the last sector before the final one.

There were two cutoffs in 2026. Riders who hadn't reached mile 31.8 by 11:30 am (men) or 11:40 am (women) were sent back on the Wafer route, for 64 miles in all. The second was 12:45 pm at mile 48.1 in Ramona, where a feed zone sits at the bottom of the hill at the turn toward Boden Canyon. The course closed at 6:30 pm. The organizer expected the winner to take a little over five hours and most riders eight to ten.

Green hills and dirt tracks near Cedar Creek Falls, outside Ramona, with higher ridges behind
Christopher-Lorenzo C / Unsplash

BWR California Wafer

64 miles on the Waffle's opening and closing sectors, without the trip out to Ramona.

Distance
64 mi (103 km)
Climbing
3,832 ft (1,168 m)

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The 2026 Wafer was 64 miles with 3,832 feet of climbing, 55% unroad, and four feed zones. It rides the Waffle's first sectors, past Lake Hodges and up Bandyweg, then comes back along Highland Valley and finishes on the same closing sectors, Zick-Zack and Saint Lusardi included.

In 2026 the Wafer women started at 8:40 am in a women's wave with the Waffle women, and the Wafer men at 9:00 am with the Wanna. The Waffle and Wafer both have age group podiums.

A sandy path between trees and green brush in Los Penasquitos Canyon, San Diego
Meanwhile In San Diego / Unsplash

BWR California Wanna

A 30 mile taste of the unroad, with one feed zone.

Distance
30 mi (48 km)
Climbing
2,046 ft (624 m)

Take this course offline

Download its map in Goat Maps and you can find the next aid station without a signal.

Open in web map

The 2026 Wanna was 30 miles with 2,046 feet of climbing and 45% unroad. It takes the bigger courses' first few sectors and their last six, from Hodgendam to Het Laaste, so you still get Zick-Zack and Saint Lusardi. There's one feed zone.

In 2026 the Wanna started at 9:00 am with the Wafer men.

A blue reservoir among dry hills near Escondido, seen past a pine on the shore
Veronica Ascencio / Unsplash

Registration and refunds

Registration for 2027 opened on BikeReg on October 13, 2026, at 8 am Pacific.

If you can't make it, you get full credit until three months before the event, 50% until a month before and 25% until a week before, and credits expire at the end of the 2027 BWR season. Event insurance through Allianz, offered at checkout, may refund your entry if your claim is valid.

In 2026 you could move down from the Waffle to the Wafer if you told the organizers by the day before. Volunteers who worked the whole day earned a free entry to another BWR, and those who gave four hours got 50% off one.

Getting there and race morning

In 2026 the start, finish and Unroad Expo were at the Del Mar Polo Fields on Via de la Valle. From Interstate 5, take the Via de la Valle exit and head east for 2.8 miles; the entrance is on the right. The Polo Fields charge for parking, and there's no overnight parking or camping.

Bring a government photo ID to pick up your packet; a friend can only collect yours if you've signed the waivers online and given them a copy of your ID. In 2026 BWR riders could collect packets from 10 am on the Saturday or from 7:15 am on race morning. The rules say every rider must attend the briefing the day before the race.

Feed zones and support

A rocky peak above green hills and scattered houses near Ramona, under a clear sky
Christopher-Lorenzo C / Unsplash

Volunteers run the feed zones: six on the 2026 Waffle, four on the Wafer and one on the Wanna. In 2026 they had Neversecond drink mix, gels and bars, KENETIK ketone shots, pickle juice, bananas, Coke, pretzels and chips. Mechanics wait at the feed zones, and a roving crew from Wrench House covers the course.

Outside help is only allowed from a stationary spot. A spectator can hand you a bottle, but not from a car, and you can buy what you need at stores along the route. Sag wagons are few, and the organizer says Uber is your best way back if you abandon, so carry a phone. The number on your bib, 619-408-1650, is for medical help and riders who are stranded.

Weather and kit

A cholla cactus in the grassy inland hills of San Diego, with a ridge behind it
Meanwhile In San Diego / Unsplash

In May, San Diego's airport averages highs of 69.5°F (20.8°C) and lows of 60°F (15.6°C), and the marine layer the locals call May Gray can keep the coast cloudy into the afternoon. Inland, days are warmer and nights cooler: Ramona averages 75.5°F (24°C) highs and 48.9°F (9°C) lows in May. The race goes ahead in rain, with or without changes to the course.

The organizer says to ride tires of 40 mm or more. You must have a helmet, a phone, a bike computer for navigation and Strava, and ID. Its "should have" list adds tubes (even with tubeless tires), plugs, a pump or CO2, a multi-tool with a chain tool, spare quick links, front and rear lights, and cash or a card.

BWR California aid stations and GPS coordinates

For crews and spectators: each place on the map in decimal degrees, latitude first. Paste them into any map app or add them as waypoints in Goat Maps.

  • Del Mar Polo Fields (2026 start and finish)

    32.98084, -117.22594

BWR California FAQ

When is BWR California 2027?

The weekend of May 1 and 2, 2027, in San Diego County. The Gran Roadie-Oh is on Saturday, May 1. In 2026 the Waffle, Wafer and Wanna rode on the Sunday, after the Saturday Roadie-Oh, and the 2027 start times aren't out yet. The site's Future Dates page still lists April 25, but the event page and BikeReg both say May 1 and 2.

How long is the BWR California Waffle?

107 miles (about 172 km) with 7,367 feet of climbing in 2026, more than half of it unroad. The organizer says about 30% of riders don't finish it, and riders who miss the first cutoff at mile 31.8 are sent back on the 64 mile Wafer route.

What bike and tires do I need for BWR California?

The rules ask for a bike you pedal yourself, with two hand brakes and no aero bars; motor assistance is only allowed in the e-bike category. The organizer says to run tires of at least 40 mm: the unroad includes deep sand, rock gardens and singletrack.

Is BWR California part of the Quad-Tripel Crown of Gravel?

It was the second of the four 2026 Crown races, after Arizona, and carried extra points. The organizer says the 2027 Crown calendar and format are still being finalized. BWR Utah won't be part of it in 2027.

Is there a GPX file for BWR California?

The organizer posts its courses as Ride with GPS routes, linked from its rider guide, the Race Bijbel. The map on this page draws the 2026 routes; the 2027 ones aren't out yet. Whatever the file says, the course on the day is the one the arrows mark.

Can friends support me on the BWR California course?

Only from a fixed spot. Rolling support, motor pacing and hand-ups from cars aren't allowed, and the organizer disqualifies riders it catches. Other riders can help you with repairs or directions, and you can stop at shops and stores along the way.

Try Goat Maps free.

Topo and satellite maps, slope angle shading, public land, track recording, waypoints and GPX import are free. Membership adds offline maps and the route planner for $29.99 a year.

Or open the web map

Updated . An unofficial guide, from the organizer's published information. Coordinates from the organizer's course and OpenStreetMap contributors. Photos from Unsplash. Organize a race? We help with course files.