bike tour long beach

long beach bike tour

18 miles SUNDAY October 6, 2024

October 5 & 6, 2024

Join the  18 mile Bike Tour ! This UNTIMED, family-friendly event provides avid and leisure cyclists alike the opportunity to ride one of the most beautiful Bike Tours in Southern California. It is a safe, scenic and fully closed 18 mile course. Be a part of the marathon weekend experience with all the perks.  Enjoy the sights of Long Beach on the Bike Tour with your friends and family!

Let’s Ride the Long Beach!

• Long Beach-themed finisher medal
• Premium event shirt
• Long Beach Marathon tote bag
• (1) complimentary beer at the Finish Festival
• Finish-area refreshments

BIKE TOUR RULES

• The use of safety helmets is mandatory – NO EXCEPTIONS!
• It is still dark at the start of the Bike Tour and we encourage all riders to bring a working bike light.
• Only one person per bike, unless the bike is specifically designed as a tandem (both riders must be registered).
• The use of noise-cancelling headphones is prohibited for the Bike Tour.
• For safety purposes, parents with kids are asked to line up towards the rear of the pack at the start of the race.
• Please plan on arriving early and ride your bike to the start of the Bike Tour if possible.
• Challenged Athletes using low-sitting hand cycles and those in wheelchairs should compete in the half marathon or marathon events. Please contact us if you are a challenged athlete who wishes to complete the 18-mile Bike Tour.
• Electric bikes of all forms and/or motorized bikes are strictly prohibited
• Challenged athletes are encouraged to contact the Long Beach Marathon team for more information on accommodations and special considerations

Date: October 6, 2024 Start Time: 6:00am

Start Location: intersection of Shoreline Drive and Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA

Finish Location: intersection of Shoreline Drive and Linden Ave, Long Beach, CA

All participants in the Bike Tour are required to pick up their race packet at the Race Expo during the hours listed below.*

Friday, October 4th 12:00pm – 6:00pm Location: Marina Green 386 E Shoreline Drive Long Beach, CA 90803

Saturday, October 5th 10:00am – 4:00pm Location: Marina Green 386 E Shoreline Drive Long Beach, CA 90803

*except participants that purchase Race Day VIP or race day packet pick-up

Download the 2023 course map here.

Mountain bikes Collapsible bikes Road bikes 10 Speeds Beach Cruisers Tandem Bikes BMX Bikes

E-Bikes (any electronic or motorized bicycle, scooter, or form of bicycles are prohibited from the Bike Tour event. Wheeled Trikke-type scooters will not be allowed on the bike course.

Any use of e-bikes/Trikkes will result in immediate removal from the course.

There are multiple parking areas in Downtown Long Beach within walking distance of the start and finish lines of the Long Beach Half Marathon.  Review the  Parking  page of our website for updated information.

The Bike Tour course is not supported with aid stations.  Please bring your own refreshments to sustain the duration of your ride.

Up for an extra challenge?  Complete the Bike Tour before running your half marathon and earn an extra Long Beach Combo medal after the race.  The half marathon has a 7:30am start time and allows for participants to complete the Bike Tour and then make their way to the start line of the half marathon.

A separate, secure bike corral area for those participating in the Bike Tour will be available adjacent to the Start/Finish of the Bike Tour in the Long Beach Arena parking lot.  This bike corral can be used by those participating in the Bike Tour and Half Marathon or by those that wish to visit the Finish Line Festival (beer garden).  The bike corral area will allow participants to store running gear during the Bike Tour and their bike during the Half Marathon.  This area will be similar to a triathlon transition area (no changing rooms).  Bike locks are not required to store your bike safely in the bike corral although that is left up to each participant’s discretion.  Please note that you may not take your bike into the Finish Line Festival.

Gear Check will also be available for all bike tour participants.  Gear check will be located in Marina Green.  When in the start chute, the gear check area is to the the right.  The gear check tent will stay in the same location throughout the duration of the race

Clear, plastic bags, will be available at the Race Expo for use at the Gear Check tent.  All items must be placed in this clear bag.  Please attach the gear check tag on your bib to your clear plastic bag using the provided cable ties.

Gear Check will open to drop off bags at 5:30am at Marina Green and must be picked up no later than 1:30pm .  Please do not check valuables.  Gear is checked at your own risk.  The race is not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged bags.

The bike tour has a course time limit of 2 hours.  Due to the nature of the event, taking place on the marathon course, if a participant falls behind the established pace time, they may be asked to leave the course.

There is no age minimum to participate in the Bike Tour.  For safety purposes, parents with kids are asked to line up towards the rear of the pack at the start of the race.

DATE & TIME

Bikes permitted on course, bikes prohibited on course, aid stations, long beach combo – bike tour + half marathon, bike corral/storage, course time limit, age minimun, race day vip - $99.

Upgrade your race experience by adding Race Day VIP to your entry. Take advantage of the following perks to make your race day the best day!

• race day packet pick-up
• private restrooms
• private gear check
• morning refreshments
• post-race boxed lunch
• VIP access to beer garden
• additional complimentary beverage

Add the Race Day VIP experience while registering.  Already registered?  Visit your ACTIVE MyEvents account, find your race entry, and click Purchase merchandise to add the VIP experience to your entry!

2023 EVENT SHIRT

2023 bike tour medal, what our runners are saying.

ICONIC & AMAZING SPECTATORS

Running past the iconic Queen Mary is awesome as well as running past all the amazing spectators! Not the mention the perfect weather we had! I highly recommend running this race!

Even more fun than last year!

Second time running the Long Beach HM and it was even more fun than last year! The crowd, support, and race organizers are all great. Definitely recommend!

The race production is outstanding

Great views of the Pacific Ocean. The race production is outstanding–every race got off on time and no problems with overcrowding on the way in with all three races are finishing together

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THE 5 BEST Long Beach Bike Tours

Bike tours in long beach.

• Dolphin & Whale Watching
• Fishing Charters & Tours
• Gear Rentals
• 5.0 of 5 bubbles
• 4.0 of 5 bubbles & up
• Good for Big Groups
• Good for Kids
• Budget-friendly
• Adventurous
• Good for a Rainy Day
• Hidden Gems
• Good for Couples
• Honeymoon spot
• Good for Adrenaline Seekers
• Things to do ranked using Tripadvisor data including reviews, ratings, photos, and popularity.

1. Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath

2. Wheel Fun Rentals at Shoreline Village

3. Pedego Long Beach

4. LB Scooters

5. LB Scooters

6. Pedego Electric Bikes Long Beach

What travelers are saying.

• LB Scooters
• Wheel Fun Rentals at Shoreline Village
• Pedego Long Beach
• Shoreline Pedestrian Bikepath

• Route planner

Top 19 Bike Rides and Cycling Routes around Long Beach

Cycling around long beach.

Looking for the best cycling routes around Long Beach? On this page, we bring you the best bike rides around Long Beach so you can just get out and go. All you’ve got to do is choose your route!

Plan. Save. Navigate. Your best adventures await.

Start today with a free komoot account.

Rancho Palos Verdes loop from Long Beach City College — Los Angeles

Shoreline beach & harbour loop from the queen mary — los angeles.

Let us show you the way with the komoot mobile app

Beautiful beach bike path – long beach city beach loop from belmont shore, huntington beach pier – los altos plaza park loop from wilmington, long beach city beach – beautiful beach bike path loop from 1st street.

Our Tour recommendations are based on thousands of activities completed by other people on komoot.

Popular around Long Beach

Running Collection by komoot

Hiking Collection by komoot

Find the perfect Tour

Explore the most popular tours around long beach, discover the most popular attractions around long beach.

Explore more of Los Angeles County : Browse the best Cycling Routes in other regions.

• Los Angeles
• Santa Monica Mountains
• Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
• Monterey Park
• East Los Angeles
• Rio De Los Angeles State Park State Recreational Area
• Santa Monica
• San Gabriel Mountains
• Rancho Palos Verdes
• Florence-Graham
• Topanga State Park
• Huntington Park
• West Rancho Dominguez
• Malibu Creek State Park
• Walnut Park
• Rolling Hills
• West Carson
• Hermosa Beach
• Palos Verdes Estates
• Santa Clarita
• East Rancho Dominguez
• Bell Gardens
• Université Pepperdine
• South Monrovia Island
• Willowbrook
• Baldwin Park
• Rolling Hills Estates
• Charmlee Wilderness Park
• Ernest E. Debs Regional Park
• West Covina
• Ladera Heights
• Stevenson Ranch
• Briar Summit Open Space Preserve
• Hidden Hills
• South Hills Wilderness Area
• Antonovich Open Space Preserve
• Stetson Ranch Park
• Charter Oak
• Marina Del Rey
• West Puente Valley
• Beverly Hills
• Wilderness Conservation Foundation
• Angeles National Forest
• Culver City
• Signal Hill
• Alondra Park
• Leo Carrillo State Park
• Westlake Village
• West Hollywood
• Agoura Hills
• Ladyface Mountain Open Space
• East Whittier
• West Athens
• South Whittier
• San Gabriel Mountains National Monument
• La Cañada Flintridge
• Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park
• Avocado Heights
• View Park-Windsor Hills
• Manhattan Beach
• North El Monte
• Mayflower Village
• Redondo Beach
• South El Monte
• West Whittier-Los Nietos
• Hawaiian Gardens
• Michael D. Antonovich Regional Park At Joughin Ranch
• South San Gabriel
• Pico Rivera
• Verdugo Mountains Open Space Preserve
• La Crescenta-Montrose
• East San Gabriel
• Temple City
• South Pasadena
• Sierra Madre
• East Pasadena
• Claremont Hills Wilderness Park
• Hacienda Heights
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• Rowland Heights
• Santa Fe Springs
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• Diamond Bar
• Fond Wilderness Preserve
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Long Beach Bike Paths

Many of us resolve to get outside more and there are few ways more enriching to do that than jumping on a bike and checking out what Long Beach has to offer. From spectacular bridge and beach views to park and art rides, here are a few ways to get rolling.

THE MARK BIXBY MEMORIAL BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN PATH

This bike and pedestrian path runs along the south edge of the Gerald Desmond Bridge Replacement Project. Its 1.5 miles rises 205 feet above the Port of Long Beach, offering spectacular views of the port, San Pedro Bay and much of the city’s coastline. The eastern end of the path is at Pico Avenue and Pier E Street, and the westernmost end is at the intersection of the 710 Freeway and State Route 47.

SHORELINE PEDESTRIAN/BIKE PATH

The most popular trail in the city, this paved, three-mile stretch from Shoreline Village to Alamitos Bay is a 17-foot wide path ribboning through the beach. If you find yourself in need of a bike, you can rent one at Wheel Fun Rentals (429 Shoreline Village Dr.) in Shoreline Village. The path winds through great breakfast/brunch options, most notably local icon Chuck’s Coffee Shop (4120 E. Ocean Blvd.) and Saltwater Deck (2630 E. Ocean Blvd.) located on the beach.

EL DORADO PARK BIKE PATH

The four-mile bike trail runs through the 450-acre regional park, taking you past trees, foliage, ducks and ponds. Though El Dorado Park (7550 E. Spring St.) is located within the city and borders the 605 Freeway, you’ll feel a million miles away from all that as you pedal along, with lots of great niches to escape into and enjoy a picnic. And, if you’re in need of a bike, Wheel Fun Rentals has a location in the park renting both bikes and two- and four-rider surreys.

DOWNTOWN MURAL TOUR

Since 2015, Long Beach has added more than 100 public murals to buildings throughout the city, created by artists participating in the Long Beach Walls festival. Take a look at this map and you’ll see many are located in Downtown Long Beach, meaning you can customize your own art-driven cycling tour. It makes for a lovely ride and, if you’re in need of a bike, there’s plenty available to rent through the Long Beach Bike Share program.

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Neighborhoods

Home to a perfect blend of wonderful and welcome communities.

Plan Your Trip

Whether you’re visiting Long Beach, California for business, fun or both, you’ll always find something unconventional to do.

Events in Long Beach

Special events in Long Beach invite visitors to experience a variety of festivals, sporting events, concerts, and celebrations throughout the year.

There are dozens of ways to have fun and find adventure on a budget in Long Beach, CA.

Long Beach loves moms, and many local restaurants and attractions are celebrating Mother’s Day with special events, brunches, and deals. See our roundup of Mother’s Day events below, and make

Looking for plans for Cinco de Mayo? Look no further! We've compiled a list of countless Cinco de Mayo celebrations throughout Long Beach.

On a recent Sunday night in Long Beach’s Bixby Knolls neighborhood, chef Eduardo Chang and his wife and business partner, Daiwa Wong, greeted guests at Sushi Nikkei as they filed

If you’re coming to Long Beach for a convention you’ll soon discover that not only does the city offer a lot to do, but a lot to do near the

Consider the side. Though an afterthought to some, the mindful diner knows a great side dish can not only enhance an entree but sometimes overshadow it. The best of them

It’s a scientific fact that Moms are the best (trust us, we’ve crunched the numbers). So it only follows–logically–that you want to get her the best for Mother’s Day. Fortunately

Long Beach has a long, proud history as a major naval, aviation and aerospace center for the US armed forces, making Memorial Day in the city that much more meaningful

We may not live by bread alone, but it certainly lends more flavor to life. Long Beach is recognized as a haven for those practicing that most ancient and fundamental

Nothing builds bonds inside an office like getting together outside of it. Long Beach offers so many fun ways to strengthen your team, from swinging clubs to throwing axes to

If the term “antiques” conjures up images of grandma’s attic and dusty, somewhat creepy objects and ephemera, imagine this: boutiques, stores and swap meets chock full of fun furnishings, funky

If you find yourself at the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach–the weekend of April 19-21–consider yourself not only in a wonderful situation but wonderfully situated to enjoy food and

As it has for nearly half a century, the 49th Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach returns to rock the International City as the world’s fastest cars power down Shoreline

Long Beach’s cannabis dispensaries are alive and growing, providing products for those with physical and emotional needs as well as those looking to refocus or relax. Distinguished by clean environs

Long Beach Bike Rides

Weekly schedule.

• Time: 6:30 PM
• Location: Junipero and Ocean SE (the cannon)
• Route: Varies
• Host: Kenan
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/magic_don_kenan562
• Time: 7 PM (roll at 7:30)
• Location: Junipero & Ocean  SE (meet at the cannon)
• Route: a different taco joint each week. Announced day-of on instagram
• Speed: 🌶️(no drop with regroups)
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/lbcannonballrun/
• Time: 4 PM-7 PM
• Location: El Dorado Park East
• Route: a crit race around El Dorado Park
• Host: Methods to Winning LLC
• Speed: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ This is literally a race
• Website: http://www.methodstowinning.com/eldo-race-series.htm and http://instagram.com/eldoracing
• Time: 7:30 PM (roll at 8)
• Location: 4th & Cherry
• Route: Different each week, usually within Long Beach and neighboring towns. Posted on instragram day-of.
• Host: Ramon
• Speed: 🌶️🌶️ — 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (regroups, chill ride last Wednesday of the month)
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/vfixll_lbc/
• Location: Windsurf Centre, E. Ocean by Belmont Pier
• Route: To Queen Mary or Seal Beach and back.
• Website: https://www.meetup.com/Long-Beach-Bicycling-Meetup/
• Location: Traffic Circle In & Out Burger
• Route: varies (announced on Instagram story)
• Host: Steck
• Speed: 🌶️🌶️🌶️ (chill ride once per month)
• Website:  https://www.instagram.com/frenchmodel93/
• Time: 5:45 PM SHARP!
• Location: Liberty Park, Cerritos
• Route: Circling Long Beach
• Host: Gus and Jerry
• Speed: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/long_beach_riding_club/
•   Long Beach Riding Club does a big climbing ride on Saturday.   Check their Instagram!
• Location: Varies (not always Long Beach)
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/totaltrashcyclingclub/
• Time: 9:45 AM
• Location: Varies
• Route: To Huntington Beach
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/bonkcityturboturtles/
• Host: Laura?
• Speed: Varies
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/sun.dazies/
• Time: 5:30 PM
• Location: Aquarium of the Pacific
• Route: Along the beach path to the peninsula and back
• Speed: 0.5x 🌶️
• Website: https://www.meetup.com/LB-Adventures/
• Time: Every full moon, 8 PM
• Location: Pedal Movement, Long Beach Blvd & First
• Route: Down to the beach, over to Belmont Shore, back along 4th St.
• Host: Ryan et al.
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/moonlightmashlongbeach/
• Time: First Saturday of the month, 9 AM
• Host: Bike Long Beach
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/bikelongbeach
• Time: Sunday 11:30 AM
• Location: Hot Java Coffee
• Route: Long Beach Beach
• Speed: Chill
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/lbianss/
• Time: Sunday 9 AM
• Location: Portfolio Coffee or 4th and Cherry
• Host: John Michael
• Speed: 🌶️ — 🌶️🌶️ 
• Website: https://www.instagram.com/sundaze_lbc/
• Time: First Sunday of the Month, meet at 9:30 roll at 10:30
• Location: Portfolio Coffee, 4th and Junipero
• Route: Along the Beach
• Host: Frank and Bernard
• Website: http://cyclonecoaster.com/

Clubs and Teams with Regular Rides

Hughes Park Daily Practice Crit (Big Orange Cycling)

Lightning Velo

Velo Allegro

Long Beach Freddies

Approximate Speed Guide

• 🐢: Conversational rolling pace, typically less than 10 mph.
• 🌶️: Approximately 15 mph
• 🌶️🌶️: Sustained 16-17  mph with occasional spurts of 20+ mph when the road allows.
• 🌶️🌶️🌶️: Sustained 20+mph with spurts of 23+. Drafting and mini-races expected.

If you want your ride added, email [email protected] or message @aklotz2 on instagram.

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• The Grand Loop
• Santa Barbara
• Santa Ynez Valley
• The Pacific Coast Bike Route

Pacific Coast Bike Route

Downtown San Luis Obispo

This route begins at the San Luis Obispo AMTRAK Station and takes you downtown before heading south. San Luis Obispo offers many amenities including fine dining for every budget, many downtown restaurants abut San Luis Obispo Creek – you'll welcome the cool breezes on hot summer nights.

Find yourself in SLO on a Thursday night? Check out the Farmers Market on Higuera Street in the heart of downtown. Friday night? Learn more about the Summer Concerts in the Plaza . Whatever your schedule, linger downtown before beginning your journey.

Avila Beach • Pismo Beach

San luis obispo to santa maria, slo to santa maria.

The Central Coast

Avila beach.

Pismo Beach

Where to next, santa maria to santa barbara.

Lunch in Lompoc

Santa barbara to ventura.

Passing Through?

Ride essentials, where to go from here, ventura to malibu.

Insider Tips

Continuing south.

Pacific Coast Highway continues to Santa Monica where you'll connect to the Marvin Braude Bike Trail , which extends to Redondo Beach. Eventually you'll make your way to Long Beach, a city with excellent bicycle infrastructure, including the Shoreline Bike Path . Continue following the coast from Long Beach to Newport Beach .

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WELCOME! WE'RE GLAD YOU ARE HERE - WE HAVE PLENTY OF BIKES AVAILABLE SO COME ON DOWN!

Shoreline Village

Long beach, ca.

Start Your Adventure

All long beach tours.

Enjoy a leisurely bike tour through Long Beach, one of California’s most captivating beachfront cities,. Included FREE with half-day and full-day rentals, you'll discover Long Beach's incredible points of interest, including the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific, Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier, Island Grissom, and many more.

Self-Guided Bike Tours

Self-Guided Bike Tour

Electric Bike Tour

Skill Level

Approx. Time

Long Beach Bike Tour

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Resources of Interest

• Downtown Long Beach
• Rainbow Harbor
• The Queen Mary
• Long Beach Convention Center
• Aquarium of the Pacific
• Long Beach Things to Do

NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour 2024: What cyclists need to know about riding the Staten Island Ferry

M ay 1—STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — On Sunday, May 5, the Staten Island Ferry will once again be called upon to bring cyclists back to Manhattan after the TD NYC Five Boro Bike Tour.

Last year, over 30,000 cyclists participated in the event, with many of them opting to take the ferry back home.

The 40-mile bike tour spans the city's five boroughs, beginning in Lower Manhattan and traveling briefly into the Bronx, before heading to Queens, Brooklyn and finally crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge to conclude near the St. George Ferry Terminal.

Ferry crews are in for a busy day as the big orange boat offers the quickest way for Staten Islanders to reach the starting line and for everyone else to return to other parts of the city after completing the course.

The Staten Island Ferry will provide 30-minute service from 6 to 11 a.m. on Sunday. After that, the boat will run on a 15-minute schedule from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The ferry will then return to its regularly scheduled 30-minute service from 6 p.m. onward.

Bike New York, organizers of the Five Boro Bike Tour, noted that lines to take the ferry back to Manhattan could be long starting from the the early afternoon.

All cyclists must board the boat on the lower level at both the Whitehall Terminal in Manhattan and the St. George Terminal, located at 1 Bay St. on Staten Island.

Riders must dismount and walk their bicycle while in the waiting area and when boarding and departing the boat. Riding on and off the boat is prohibited.

All bicycles must be stored in the designated area on the lower level of each vessel.

The Staten Island Ferry is free of charge for all passengers and bicycles.

The Department of Transportation, the agency that operates the Staten Island Ferry, is not responsible for any stolen or damaged bicycles.

Riders may be subject to security screenings at the terminal.

NYC Five Boro Bike Tour 2024

—NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour 2024: Will the Verrazzano Bridge be closed on Sunday?

—NYC Five Boro Bike Tour 2024: Are e-bikes allowed on the route?

—NYC 5 Boro Bike Tour 2024: Everything you need to know about parking on Staten Island

(c)2024 Staten Island Advance, N.Y. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

The Long Beach Street Circuit Is Best Experienced at 15 MPH

Riding around the Grand Prix of Long Beach in a race car is a thrill, but a Honda Motocompacto has it beaten.

It would be no exaggeration to say that Long Beach is the most successful street circuit ever run outside of the principality of Monaco. It has been hosting its grand prix nearly continuously since 1975. 2024 was its 49th grand prix, its 40th as an IndyCar race (the first was a Formula 5000 race and the next eight were Formula 1), and its 18th straight accompanied by a top-level American sports car racing championship. The continuity is a big factor in the crowds, which soared to an estimated three-day attendance record of 194,000 this year . All those fans crowd in grandstands, parking structures, plazas, and an outlet mall inside and outside of a two-mile track, where on-track entertainment varies from the feature IndyCar race to drifting demos. Off track, fans get concerts, a convention center packed with an enormous variety of exhibitors, and access to the fully operational movie theater along the turn six apex.

All of that draws a huge captive audience, and Honda has gone all out in trying to take advantage of that opportunity. It has a title sponsorship of the event through Acura, and it has public at-track demonstration loops of the Acura ZDX, the Honda Prologue, and our hero, the Motocompacto. Then Honda took the idea one step further: an exhibition "race," a lap of the full grand prix circuit on race day run at top speed by a field of Motocompactos. I was fortunate enough to secure an invite, one of a dozen foldable scooters experiencing the all-out thrills of a briefcase with a 15 MPH speed limiter.

A week before the Motocompacto invitational, I got a very different look at the track. Acura brought the Type S DC5 touring car to the track for demonstrations, and IMSA driver Ricky Taylor took a small handful of media members around the circuit at full speed in the TCX-class racer. It can be hard to perceive the specifics of a race car from the right seat, but Taylor's full-commitment laps in the Integra made one thing clear: This is not a track to be taken lightly.

The curbs are tall and sharp. They bounce you back out onto racing lines that come close to scraping walls, even at the fastest points of the circuit. Six of the track's 11 corners are around 90 degrees at the end of a straight, and turn six actually extends past 90 degrees on its way around the outlet mall. The track's signature corner is a full-commitment sweeper around a fountain where cars have actually gotten stuck in the past . The final turn is a tight hairpin with an odd square shape, one that requires drivers to come within inches of three separate walls under heavy braking and acceleration while also navigating traffic.

The stiffer chassis, slick tires, and committed professional driver made this a very different experience than my time in the exceptional Integra Type S road car , our sub-$100,000 winner at Road & Track's Performance Car of the Year testing last year. Taylor, who races and wins in a rear-wheel drive hybrid prototype in IMSA, tells me that he has to adjust mentally to the many differences in a front-wheel drive touring car. My run was his third of the day, and his inputs are unwavering. Taylor is already up to speed, already comfortable getting the TCX Integra where it needs to be at full tilt.

It was a week later, on the Thursday before the grand prix, that I got my own shot at the track. A one-lap practice run, against a full field of other Motocompactos, all of which arrived on the back of the same golf kart. It was an important dress rehearsal, a proof of concept that the portable bikes could handle the track's bumps at speed.

Unlike so many normal people, I cannot ride a bicycle. This is normally more of a fun fact rather than a day-to-day concern in my job as a car journalist, but I did worry that it would complicate my ability to get up to speed on the Motocompacto. It did. I lifted off the throttle, fell behind early, and briefly got stuck behind traffic waved through the track under construction. I waited for a crossing guard's signal between turns six and seven, a long enough delay to ensure that I not only came in last but did so by a wide margin.

The lesson is that that Motocompacto racing is a bit like Mario Kart: Half about momentum, half about avoiding bumps in the road. Nobody was dropping any bananas or shells, but even a big crack in the road is enough to make you question your flat-out confidence on a bike with no air in the tires, let alone anything resembling a suspension. These things go exactly 15 MPH. This is momentum racing, and momentum racing requires a full commitment.

On race day, I forgot my training and fumbled right out of the gate. I started sixth, on the outside through the opening in the wall that would get us to the track. It was a tight fit for two bikes at once, so I lifted as my competitors accelerated. Instantly, my shot at a win was over. I came out onto the track last again, with the long run to turn one in front of me and no hopes of making a daring pass into what would in anything faster be a braking zone. I hit a huge bump, reminded myself that IndyCars handle it at 190 MPH with no problem, and kept my thumb firmly planted on the throttle. I was not losing any more time, not this go-around, not in front of a crowd.

The small portion of the sold-out crowd already in their seats roared as each bike went past. Riders could hear the roar pretty clearly, since the bikes go about the same speed as a solid mid-distance runner. A track worker in the fountain turn chimed in that their grandmother could run faster; I had enough time to respond, so I shouted back that it was a pretty impressive pace for a grandmother. I kept the throttle hammered, and because this is a last-mile electric bike that folds into a suitcase shape, that means I kept my thumb down on the sort of throttle you find on a rental scooter.

At this point, I was committed. I would rather crash than finish last, although I would imagine everyone else would rather that I just finish last. No more lifting, not anywhere. I navigate turn four, then turn five. I'm closing in on second-to-last, a rider taking a video during their run. Through turn six, I can clearly hear a friend shout my name. Unfortunately for me, they were also filming. While I was running in last.

I run seven and eight flat out, and I am coming down the backstretch I know so well. The bridge under here has a balcony, and from that balcony I have seen Mazda four-rotors and Jaguar V-12s scream by at full throttle. Today's show is sonically less impressive. Nevertheless, this was my moment: I have a run off eight, a chance to make a pass. I swing to the outside of not one but two Motocompactos, ready for a daring move into turn nine where I have seen so many races go wrong for so many pros over the years. I clear both, then retake the racing line before entering the stadium section in turn 10.

I remember what Ricky Taylor did in the touring car and I do my best to emulate it. Hug the outside wall in the hairpin, hard turn in toward the inside wall, then back out toward the outside. I have my momentum and a real shot to pass another bike or two as they re-accelerate over the long straight, but unfortunately there is not enough time for another eight-minute lap of the race track. We exit through the alternate pit entrance, and I come home 11th of 13 bikes.

Do I have a future as a professional Motocompacto racer? Perhaps not. But in all the absurdity of a lap of an actual race track in front of an actual crowd, I saw the charm of the bike. I don't know if I need a last-mile solution that's shaped like a suitcase, and I'm worried the complete lack of a suspension gets in the way of the bike's practical appeal.

The point of a Motocompacto is not that it is a perfect solution for anyone problem, though. The point is that it is lovable. It is undeniably fun, and at $995 and 41.3 lbs, it is both just cheap enough and just useful enough that you can imagine it in a wide variety of little situations where you have to choose between driving a short distance and walking a long one.

Now, if you want to race, you should probably get a prepared race car like the TCX-ready Integra. If you want to have the most fun imaginable for the least money possible, it might be time to get an electric scooter that fits in your trunk.

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