Sea Otter Classic 2022 Monterey: What To See & Do

Excitement is building as the Sea Otter Classic is returning to Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, California. After all, what could be better than attending the largest cycling festival in the world? What’s more, there are nearly double the number of vendors coming this year than ever. If you need more further convincing, you get to check out cool bikes and gear and maybe even win a few things! And by all means, you won’t have to wear a mask this year. Check out what’s happening this year at the 2022 Sea Otter Classic!

Sea Otter Classic

WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
1021 Monterey Salinas Hwy.
Monterey, CA 93940
www.seaotterclassic.com

Dates: April 7-10, 2022

Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday

Tickets: $25 for a 1-day Festival Pass and $70 for a 4-day Festival Pass. You can purchase a single day Festival Pass online or on site. You can also purchase the 4-day Festival Pass online. However, the 4-day passes will not be available on site. There is free admission for children 12 years old and under.

Sea Otter Club Passes

If you want the VIP Experience, there are 1 and 4-day VIP passes available online and onsite. Among the amenities you can enjoy with a Sea Otter Club pass are complimentary breakfast and lunch. If that’s not enough, you can also enjoy complimentary beer and wine with your meal. Of course, you can also enjoy upscale seating at the Sea Otter Club.

How To Get To WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

If you’re driving from Monterey, take Highway 1 to Highway 68 towards Salinas. Follow Highway 68 (Monterey-Salinas Highway) until you see the signs for the Sea Otter Classic. You will turn left onto A Road then follow road markers to lead you to the entrance. The distance from the intersection of Highways 1 and 68 to Laguna Seca is 8.5 miles. If you’re coming from Santa Cruz, take Highway 1 to Highway 68. On the other hand, if you’re coming from Salinas, take Highway 68 to the festival.

Parking

There is no fee for general parking to the Sea Otter Classic. As you enter the festival grounds, you will be directed to the dirt parking lot on Wolf Hill. However, it’s a good idea to review the festival map before you arrive. Not only will you have a better idea where to park, you can choose between free and paid parking. By the same token, there will be free shuttle buses to transport you from Wolf Hill parking to the entrance.

Reserved Parking

If you prefer to park closer to the festival, reserved parking passes may still be available. Reserved parking is $50 per day and you can make a reservation online. In order to obtain your reserved parking pass, you go to the Will Call window. You will see the Will Call location, off South Boundary Road. Please note that reserved parking passes are limited and may sell out. You should check with the official Sea Otter Classic website for updated information on reserved parking.

Things To Do At The 2022 Sea Otter Classic

Check Out The Gear

One of the first spots to check out is the Sea Otter Classic bike expo. After all, with more than 900 brands, it’s the world’s largest. Besides, you can see the latest bikes and accessories, along with innovative new technology. In fact, practically every major bike brand will be on hand. What’s more, you can get free stuff, get autographs from elite riders and enter raffles.

Ride A Demo Bike

At the Expo, you can demo bikes from a large number of retailers. At this time, there are 26 vendors who are offering demos. Moreover, this includes all types of bikes, whether it’s Ebikes, hybrids, MTBs, mountain and road. Notably are familiar brands like Diamondback, Giant and Specialized. That’s not to mention other brands like Electric Bike Company, Liv Cycling, Pinarello and Ridley. Whatever your preference of bike, it’s likely you’ll be able to demo it.

Enter A Raffle

In addition to free samples from vendors, you can enter to win some very cool stuff! Again, you should check out the festival map and schedule to see what’s happening. For instance, on Thursday, you can enter to win a 2022 Mac 6 Race XT from Pivot Bikes! To enter, you must visit the Mountain Bike Action booth at M1 in the green zone. Entries are accepted until 12 p.m. on Saturday, April 9. Another great raffle is hosted by American Classic. Each day, this established retailer will raffle one pair of high performance tires. Seriously though, there are many other opportunities. Visit the schedule to see what’s on the day(s) you visit

Attend A Bike Clinic

You can attend one or more bike clinics each day of the Sea Otter Classic. For instance, there is a Pro Mechanic Bearing R&R Clinic on Thursday. Hosted by Enduro Bearings, this one hour clinic will feature a demonstration from pro mechanics. If you can’t make it on Thursday, Enduro Bearings has additional clinics on Friday and Saturday. Also available are daily 30-minute clinics offered by master mechanics from Park Tool.

Watch A Bike Race

What’s attending the world’s largest bike festival without seeing at least one bike race? Or perhaps you are already entered into one or more events? Whatever the case may be, you will have several opportunities to see a racing event. Just check out the race schedule to see what’s happening. And by all means, these events are not restricted to elite cyclist. Indeed, it’s open to all ages and levels of ability.

Try The Food!

After all that cycling and walking, you will get hungry at the Sea Otter Classic. If that’s the case, you will have not one, not two but three food courts on site. For one thing, you can enjoy gourmet carnival-like foods like chicken kebabs from Sonoma Teriyaki. Also on hand is Whiting’s Foods from the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk and Lugano Swiss Bistro. By all means, get some Sierra Nevada beer from any food court but especially at the Beer Garden!

Visit The Sea Otter Carnival

At the Sea Otter Classic, there is something for all ages. This is especially true for kids, with fun plenty of fun things to do. For instance, there is the Sea Otter Carnival, where kids can enjoy carnival games, stunt shows and more. There are also kid-friendly spots like the woom Kids’ Zone and Little Bellas. Younger kids will enjoy the Sea Otter Egg Hunt, held daily at 10 a.m. at the Kids’ Zone.

About The Author

Randy Yagi is an award-winning freelance writer who served as the National Travel Writer for CBS Local from 2012-2019. More than 900 of his stories still appear in syndication across 23 CBS websites, including CBS New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco. During his peak years with CBS, Randy had a reported digital audience reach of 489 million and 5.5 million monthly visitors. Additionally, his stories have appeared in the Daily Meal, CBS News, CBS Radio, Engadget and Radio.com. He earned a media fellowship from Stanford University in 2012.

Randy’s Background In Cycling

Prior to a career in travel writing, Randy was a USA Cycling coach, USA Triathlon Level II Coach, NASM personal trainer and ASCA swim coach. He is a U.S. Army veteran and had his basic training at the former Fort Ord Army base, just a few miles from Laguna Seca.

Sea Otter Classic 2022: Things To See & Do