The Endless Summer
Summer's a state of mind.
Born from the surf films we grew up on, this is our gravel version of chasing summer: Hawaiian shirts, coastal dirt, Southern California fall and one more big day on the bike with people you may not know yet. No entry fee, no timing chips, no podiums — just two routes, intentional support and the search for the perfect gravel.
Los Angeles · Calabasas, California · November 15, 2026
The story
The search for the perfect gravel
Part surf-film homage, part locals-summer ritual, The Endless Summer turns one more Southern California fall day into a supported gravel adventure built around going farther, meeting people and coming back together at the end.
In 1966 a couple of young California surfers chased summer around the world looking for the perfect wave, and a film made that search feel like the whole point. A sequel carried the idea forward in 1994. We grew up on both.
The Endless Summer started as a small rebellion. Colorado turns into a winter wonderland, friends head back to Southern California around the holidays, and somebody always says the same thing: one more gravel adventure before winter really lands. September, October and November can still be blisteringly warm here. When the Santa Anas come through, the air goes dry, the surf turns offshore and the riding is as good as it gets all year.
We used to call it locals summer. Tourists go home, school starts, the beaches quiet down and the place belongs to the people who live here again. That's the feeling: Hawaiian shirts, coastal dirt, a supported day that's bigger than a normal weekend ride, and a search that never quite finishes.
The Search for the Perfect Gravel
Summer's a state of mind.
Why we ride
Why we ride
A hard day on a bike makes people honest. Somewhere out there the small talk runs out, the effort strips away the performance, and you end up saying the true thing to whoever is next to you.
That's the whole equation: challenge creates vulnerability, vulnerability creates connection, connection creates community. Bikes give us space to move, breathe, process whatever we brought with us, meet people, help somebody and let somebody help us.
Every TGIF ride has no entry fee — this one included. Free isn't the emotional centre of it; it just removes one more barrier between a person and a meaningful day on a bike. We ride to bring more light to mental health and suicide prevention, break the stigma around the conversations that matter, and remind each other that no one has to carry it alone.
Adventure creates stories. Community gives them meaning.
Choose your adventure
01 · Pick your edition
Pick your coast day
Venue
Pedaler's Fork
02 · Pick your route — Los Angeles
Compare the routes, then open the one you want. Its profile and map load only when you open it.
Select a route to open its guide, profile and map. One at a time, on purpose.
03 · Explore the route
Route 01
Luau
The all-day party. Coastal dirt, good company, no hurry. Distances still to be confirmed — the full map lives on Ride with GPS.
Ride with GPS
How we roll
How the day runs
- Format
- Adventure
- To the first climb
- We ride together
- After the first climb
- Self-paced. Riders settle into natural groups at similar speeds — find people you like riding with and pause with them at the tops of climbs and after technical sections.
- Regroups
- None formal. This is not a no-drop ride.
- Support
- Plan to be fully self-sufficient — this can get remote. Aid stations provide water, hydration and snacks, and are supplemental, not a substitute.
- Navigation
- The Ride with GPS maps mark aid stations, dangerous intersections and technical trail sections. Study and download your route beforehand.
- Before the day
- A rider guide is emailed a few days out so you know exactly what to expect.
- The finish
- Afterparty
Schedule · Los Angeles
The on-ride format is Adventure; this remains a TGIF Signature experience.
Before you roll
Before you roll
Southern California in the fall can be hot, dry and exposed. Detailed event-specific information comes in the rider guide email a few days before the ride.
Your bike
A gravel bike in good working order with climbing-friendly gearing — spin to win. We recommend 45 mm tires or larger for any TGIF ride; more tire and more gearing are your friends. Check your brakes before you show up.
What to carry
Bring the cycling accoutrement you need to keep yourself rolling — food, water, layers, navigation and whatever you need to fix your bike trailside. There’s no team car hiding around the next corner with a fresh wheel.
What to bring
After the ride
After the ride
The ride finishes at a brewery or restaurant and nobody is in a hurry to leave. Riders come back hungry, bikes stack up against anything that will hold them, the Hawaiian shirts get steadily less respectable, and food and beers land on the tables.
People who started the morning as strangers end up telling the same story from two different points on the course.
The ride doesn't end when the route does.
With support from
Good rides take good allies.
RSVP
Get on the list
Choose your date — one registration per upcoming edition of The Endless Summer.
Trail Marker
Summer's a state of mind.
Questions
Before you come
Is it really free?
Yes. There's no entry fee for The Endless Summer, the same as every TGIF ride. Donations for mental health awareness and suicide prevention are welcome, never required.
Is it a race?
No. There's no timing, no results and no podium. Ride it hard if that's your day, or take all of it — both are the right answer.
Luau or Big Kahuna?
Luau is the all-day party: coastal dirt, good company, no hurry. Big Kahuna is for charging the big waves — the more committing day out there. Neither is the lesser route and there is no route you are supposed to ride. Distance and climbing are listed with each route above.
How do I get the route?
Study the route before the ride. Download it to your device before you arrive. If you don't have a GPS bike computer, download the Ride with GPS app, create a free account, and use turn-by-turn directions on your phone. The map marks aid stations, dangerous intersections and technical sections.
What if the weather turns?
Fall in Southern California is usually warm and dry, but coastal mornings can be cool. Bring a light layer and check the rider guide email a few days before the event.
Why mental health?
Because bikes gave a lot of us somewhere to put the hard stuff, and because a ride is one of the easier places to say the true thing out loud. The Endless Summer raises money to create more awareness around mental health and suicide prevention and break the stigma around asking for help. No one has to carry the heavy stuff alone.