You will have to wait for some locals to chime in, but I used to do a great 1/2 ironman there, and the roads were sparse and rolling. We went through fort ord, and I believe that base is shuttled now. So perhaps the roads are still there and accessible? If so, that would be awesome if it is still closed..Other than that, there were a lot of farm fields on rural roads not too far away, but that was awhile ago, not sure what has happened since...

Monterey bay triathlon, it was a staple on the old pro circuit.

I modified the sea otter classic gran fondo route when I was at Laguna seca a few years ago. It worked out well.

http://www.seaotterclassic.com/gran-fondos-tours/

Head a bit south towards Carmel and ride over Laureles Grade and then cruise around Carmel Valley Road, pop into Carmel and ride along the beach road (this will be as a tourist, not the place for intervals). It's a nice area for riding, but I found traffic a bit heavy at odd times of the day.

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Awesome riding around there.

Give these guys a shout for suggestions.

http://www.vcmonterey.org/newvcm/local-rides/ or

http://www.peninsulabikeworks.com/...S01ig3Hgu1dI#welcome

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clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com

There is some awesome roads in the hills north of Santa Cruz (an hour drive north). You'll love them! Totally different from where you normally ride. Bring a bike!

Yes, bring or rent a bike (go road bike, not tri). As a former Midwesterner who now lives in the Bay Area, you will kick yourself if you don’t.
Bummer, you will miss the Sea Otter bike festival by a week.

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ECMGN Therapy Silicon Valley:
Depression, Neurocognitive problems, Dementias (Testing and Evaluation), Trauma and PTSD, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

I've only ridden up there once several years ago, but just for the scenery I'd have to recommend doing 17 Mile Drive...

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"I'm thinking of a number between 1 and 10, and I don't know why!"

The coastal bike path from Carmel through Pebble Beach and Asilomar and Monterey and Seaside and Marina to Watsonville is worth doing, especially the Pebble Beach and Asilomar portions. Consistent bike path (shoulder, i.e. not separated by barrier), pavement is decent chipseal.

Pebble Beach has nice roads and houses at which to gawk, but I'd avoid it in the afternoon on weekdays when all the manual laborers get off their shifts and are eager to get home in their pickup trucks and don't much appreciate spandex-clad cyclists on the roads.

Carmel Valley Road is solid if you don't mind fairly speedy traffic next to you.

Robinson Canyon is an awesome climb.

Highway 68 same as Carmel Valley Road.

Laureles Grade connecting Carmel Valley with 68 is spectacular, albeit no consistent shoulder, curvy roads, and fast cars.

Route 1 south of Carmel ("Big Sur") is gorgeous, but no consistent shoulder and distracted tourists.

Ft Ord has 20+ miles of paved, hilly riding through stunning wilderness with no cars (and few bikes), chipseal is getting rough but a price worth paying.

Local here. Lots of great riding options! Niccolo above sums it up pretty nicely.

Hwy 1 Carmel to Big Sur and back is a great ride if done at the right time. Mid-week, morning start works best. Leave around 8 before the tourist traffic heads south. Turn around at Big Sur and head back north. All the traffic will then be going south and not much yet going north. Here's part of the scenery...

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Chris
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“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!”
― Hunter S. Thompson,