100 bicyclists to visit Fallbrook on Dec. 30

A swarm of bicyclists are due to arrive in Fallbrook on Wednesday, Dec. 30 and stay overnight before traveling to San Diego the next day.

"This holiday season, 100 cyclists will pedal their way across the beaches, mountains, and deserts of Southern California on Hostelling International USA's (HI USA) 59th annual Christmas Bicycle Trip," said organizers.

The Christmas Bicycle Trip, covering 400 miles of challenging terrain, begins and ends in San Diego and is said to be the only one of its kind in Southern California.

The event includes five overnight stops, scheduled for the following towns: Pine Valley (Dec. 26), Borrego Springs (Dec. 27), Palm Desert (Dec. 28), Hemet (Dec. 29), and Fallbrook (Dec. 30.)

"One of the longest-run organized bicycle rides in the country, the annual Christmas Bicycle Trip attracts riders from across the country and North America for six days of community-building and adventure," said organizers.

Stephen and Jennifer Mann, who will serve as the 2015 trip leaders, said, "We are adventurers, roving rouges, a merry band, a spectacle, a parade. We will ride over hill and dale, through whatever weather, wind, or no. Mountains will fall in our wake. We will brave the valley floor and return. No matter our struggles, we know we will achieve success and, come the end of the adventure and the start of the New Year, we will be ready for anything!"

For the first time this year, HI USA is inviting local residents in Fallbrook to stop by and meet the merry adventurers as they ride

through town. The Christmas Bicycle Trip Riders will be at the Hilltop Center, 331 E. Elder Street from 6 p.m. on Wednesday,

Dec. 30. Organizers said local residents are welcome to bring a dessert to share, their friends and family, and meet the bicyclists.

Hostelling International USA is a non-profit organization and proceeds from the ride benefit its education and outreach programs in San Diego, including community activities that promote cultural exchange through travel, travel education programming for Girl Scouts, and the annual HI San Diego Peacebuilding Conference.