Southern California - Solvang's Finest Century Ride Report and Pics

Dscott started (thanks Dscott and sorry we didn't see you out there!: http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.php?p=5612249&postcount=174

I'll provide one tomorrow with tons of pics, but as Dscott said this one was hard for some reason. It kicked my ass. :o

Hey ME
Is that a cat or something from the movie "Gremlins" in your avatar?

My ride report is easy: DNF!!! :cry:

Too many steep hills recently + unresolved cleat position + running + no rest = Bad Leg.

Had to cut it off at 48 miles when I felt the leg blow up. So I rode slowly back to Solvang and spent the rest of the afternoon pleasantly sipping coffee, eating Danishes, reading the L.A. Times, waiting for the BF group to return, text messaging non-riding BFers, watching the trees being blown around while thinking, "Damn, it got windy!" and oh, yeah, spending a long, relaxing session at a day spa. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, if not for the shooting pains in my leg. :o

Oh Joy, too bad, but you are wise to bail when things start to hurt like that. There will be plenty of good days ahead.

Sorry to hear that Joy. Sometimes, it is not in the cards. Best to bail when you physically don't feel the best. Hope your legs feels better. The ride will be there next year.

Here's my other post, moved from the other thread:

"My second century" by DScott

Miles: 102miles
ride time: 6hr. 23 min.
total time out: 7hrs 6min.
About 16mph avg.

I saw no one from BF.net I recognized.
I spent less time at rest stops.
This ride was hard, for some reason.
Fast pacelines are fun.
Descending Drum Cyn. shook at least one filling loose, I think.
But, the downhill run back to town with a tailwind is *very* fun.
I suck at climbing.
I'm very tired.
Beer is good.

Cheers to everyone who got a chance to do this ride!

:beer:

ETA:
Sorry to hear about the leg, Joy, though it sounds like you made the best of a bad situation.

I don't have much experience with these things, so I can't say just why this ride was so tough. Maybe it was just me, since every time the road turned up, it just hurt. Putting Drum Cyn. at the end of the ride was just a bit sadistic, IMO. I'd do it again, but need to be a better climber to have more fun.

My wife and kids came up with me, and they frolicked though the Santa Ynez valley, eating pastry, enduring the constant pressure to buy stuff, and played with the ostriches and miniature horses. It was cool having a little cheering section at the start!

Here's mine.

I also felt the century was hard for some reason. 100.53 miles, 14.5mph avg speed including traffic stops, and 4904 ft of climbing. When I first looked at the Solvang website, I thought it would have at least been easier that GT/Lite double metrics, but at the end it felt worse. :o

Highlights:
- nice scenery
- sections of strong headwinds countered by sections with tailwinds
- felt hungry near the later half of the ride
- almost bonked near the end of a 4 miles climb
- crawled up a 3 miles climb w/bad roads at 4-5 mph followed by jaw shattering bumpy descend
- flat tire caused by broken drill bits (!?!?) 5 miles before the finish line

Overall, great ride and company, and nice dinner! :D

From my bike computer (red dot=regroup stops):
58459

Dave,
What was the elevation gain?

It was raining here yesterday, so I'm glad I didn't do Mt. Tam, like I was going to do. It got cold and really wet at the top. I probably won't go out till later this afternoon.

Dave,
What was the elevation gain?4904 ft based on my computer.

Where's Mary? Still sleeping?

I’ve ridden the SKOR Solvang Century and Prelude two or three times (each one) and wanted to try Solvang’s Finest Century to see if it was an overall better ride. No offense to SKOR, but I had tired of their routes and wasn’t impressed with certain aspects of the ride. So, as you know, several BFers got together for yet another tour of those beautiful hills and roads at Solvang’s Finest Century.

I will begin my whining here, because I just didn’t do enough of it yesterday. But I had ZERO mojo. Zero…and from the start of the ride. Never does one want to start a ride feeling like a pile a poop. But I did and I chalked I it up to many variables, but yesterday was not a good riding day for me. I’m sure it effected how I viewed the difficulty rating on this ride, but I say it was a HARD ride. Here is my little synopsis to keep this somewhat brief:

Thoughts on the Ride:
1. Great company, as usual. I carpooled up with Scootcore and Happytime, both of whom I’ve now ridden many rides with. They were great commiserating comrades, well until Happy had to bail due to her leg hurting. I should have bailed with her and gotten a massage and Danish pastry. Methinks I erred in that crucial moment but hindsight is 20/20.
2. Route for this ride is superior to any other Solvang ride I’ve been on. Planet Ultra (whom I will get to shortly) did a wonderful job with the Spring Solvang Double, and on this ride, it seems they condensed the route to the prettiest roads only. Other than a few crazy, irate Solvang drivers, the traffic we did encounter seemed tame and the scenery remained beautiful throughout.
3. Wind. ****ing miserable wind. I’m used to headwinds. Hell, I ride in it all the time. But for some reason, with my not feeling on top of my game, mistakes on my fueling and feeling nauseated, the winds were not only brutal at times, but just downright annoying. I need to talk to PU about doing something about that on future rides :p.
4. Our mishaps: Joy’s leg, SCVroadies slashed-through tire and Dave’s flat. Oh, and my sniveling :D.
5. Indolent58 rode so strong all day. He gets best draft award on this ride.
6. Karen gets the best tired-bagging award for saying she’s tired and then suddenly at mile 75, perking up and flying up Drum Canyon.
7. Drum Canyon…I’d love it, except both times that I’ve climbed it, I had nuthin’. So, I crawled it and then cursed all the way down the backside when my teeth damn near broke from chattering on that crappy, pot-hole filled road.
8. Maddmike and Lilly were there, and it was Lilly’s first century!!! You go, girl! :beer:
9. UMD and his lovely wife Kimmy – they get cutest couple ever award and thank you, Steve, for your great SAG efforts (I saw him pass us at least 10 times).
10. I got my first leg cramp ever. I did not fuel right and that last tiny hill into Solvang caught me by surprise. Ugh.

Thoughts on Ride Organization:
Okay, so as most of you may know Planet Ultra (Deb, to be exact), posts on here. But even with her presence and my desire to be nice always, I’m going to be honest just as I would for any ride I attend. Therefore, here is my two cents (i.e. my OPINION) on this ride:

1. I’ve ridden three of PU’s rides: Butterfield Double, Spring Solvang Double and now, this one. All three have had great routes and this one takes the prize as the prettiest, easiest to follow one for sure. Great job!
2. The SAG presence was plentiful (I not only saw Steve, but two white vans throughout the day)
3. Volunteers were friendly and plentiful (yeah White Carbon Dude!!!). I met Lynn Katano at the registration desk, by the way. Many of you may know her. I’ve always heard such nice things about her (not to mention, her amazing endurance riding abilities), and she was simply lovely in person. That was a treat.
4. The rest stops were placed a little too far apart in the beginning and a little too close together at the end. Many riders that I passed lamented that they were hungry and couldn’t wait to get to the next stop after the first one at mile 28. I’m used to riding doubles and unsupported rides, so spread out stops do not normally bother me. But I was only prepared for a century yesterday and with nowhere in the hills to stop, having the rest stops 30 miles from each other was just a little too long.
5. The food on the rest stops was not good for me. Other riders may have been fine and this is subjective, but I was hoping for more salty options along side the sweet. The majority of what was offered was sugary carbs and after awhile, I can’t stomach another Rice Krispie or Oreo. I would suggest having pretzels or cut up bagels with peanut butter (no jelly – the only sandwich offered was a PB&J and it had jelly. After so many miles, I don’t want the jelly, just the peanut butter, so there again, too much sugar). Gatorade went fast as well, which left me just drinking water (again, nowhere to stop to buy Gatorade). The cokes and V8s at the last stop were awesome, however, and helped me get up Drum. I desperately needed the salt in that V8.
6. Which leads me to my final suggestion. On a ride like this, with almost nowhere to buy anything, it is imperative that some type of lunch be served on the ride. I don’t care for a post ride BBQ, which it wasn’t anyway – more a Mexican food buffet with mostly carbs – and would prefer a lunch at one of the stops. Normally, PU offers Sub sandwiches and I assumed they would have them yesterday on this ride, but there were none, nor any other type of food. The same snacks were offered at every stop except the last one where there were some Cheetos alongside the cokes and V8s, and I (as well as other riders) were very disappointed by this.
7. Raffle following ride. Granted, I won three items, so I’m biased, but the raffle was amazing with lots of great prizes.
8. I'm adding this. I just looked through my goodie bag. Thanks, Deb! T-shirt, socks, watterbottle and other goodies. Very nice. :)

Overall, it was good day excepting my malaise. I’m lucky such a great group shows up time and time again. It makes all the difference in the world, and the post ride eats were very satisfying and fun. Of course, I’m a bit tired today after being up 3am to 11pm yesterday, but I’m so glad I went and got my November century knocked out. I earned that one the hard way.

Lots of pics coming...

What's funny is, the more I think about Drum Cyn, the more I like it. It was an interesting twist, and an unusual experience.

For instance, the road actually creaked! The asphalt was so cracked and broken into smaller chunks that they would move and make little noises under your tires as you rode over the pieces. At first, I thought it was my bike, but when I realized it was the road clicking and clacking it made me smile. Took me a minute to figure that one out.

As I was ascending, I kept thinking that the ride planners were so smart to route us up this crappy road, since it would certainly be a lot more dangerous to descend on such a surface. Then I reached the summit and realized the road down was in exactly the same shape. Duh!

My mind isn't at it's peak after 85 miles of hard riding.

Of course, the descent was bone-jarring, but it reminded me a little bit of what the riders go through in Paris-Roubaix. Well, except for the large crowds, the foreign country, and the good bike handling skills.

Overall, I'd say i like PU's approach to their rides. They're friendly folks, didn't overload the food at rest stops, made an excellent route through an interesting area, and have nice swag!

I did learn a lesson yesterday. Find the older guy on the Calfee and follow him. He led the first leg out and moved like the wind, hardly breaking a sweat. I, on the other hand, was definitely sweating just to keep up.

BTW, I didn't notice any CAF riders on the course. Did anyone see any CAF riders out there?

Happytime, already working the crowd
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/10.jpg

Kim, UMD's lovely better half
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/9.jpg

And we're off through scenic downtown Solvang
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/8.jpg

Kim again on a bike very similiar to mine in color
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/7.jpg

Scootcore in his wool BF jersey
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/5.jpg

The many views of the day
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/6.jpg


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/4.jpg

DAVSANYYZ, with his all-day long smile
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/3.jpg

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http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/1.jpg

My favorite lighting shots of the day, which is why there are so many! The roads/hills up there are too pretty:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/20.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/19.jpg

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http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/24.jpg

Scvroadie in the front with Karen just to his left:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/23.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/22.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/21.jpg

The group waiting for me, of course:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/40.jpg

Indolent58 on the front, left
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/39.jpg



http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/37.jpg


White Carbon Dude at the first stop:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/35.jpg

Me in another goofy shot
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/34.jpg

BF So Cal Wimmin
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/33.jpg

One of my favorite shots of the day of Indolent and Scoot
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/32.jpg

Dave didn't massage my shoulders like Jason would have, but he sweetly held my bike:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/31.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/19.jpg

That is too cool! Scootcore.... where did you get that done? (I'm sure ya'll have seen it before but I haven't :p)

Pink Lady (or as I nicknamed her, "Pinkie")
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/50.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/49.jpg


http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/47.jpg

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http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/42.jpg

Maddmike and Lilly all smiles
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/41.jpg

Maddmike and Lilly all smiles
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/41.jpg

OMG!!!! What a great picture! Congratulations on your first century Lilly!!! :beer:

M.E., thank you for such a great report! I'm sorry you weren't feeling your best but it seems you had a good time in spite of yourself :p Joy, I'm sorry to hear about your leg but best to stop and not injure yourself more just so you can finish a ride, there's lots more :D

I guess I'm gonna have to do this one next year now that I've gotten ME's review and comparison to the other Solvang rides :p

UMD's SAGmobile
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/60.jpg

Looks warm in that there car
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/59.jpg

Cutest Couple Ever (I just adore these two)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/58.jpg

Dave, fixing his flat telling me to go on...dear Lord...please, go away and leave me in peace...
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/57.jpg

Me, with leg cramp, waiting for Dave in Solvang looking and feeling like ass:
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/56.jpg

Lilly, almost there!!!!
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/55.jpg

Not kidding, and this just cracked me up, UMD having to get in a few miles...no, really
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/54.jpg

This crazy youngin...
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/53.jpg

And we are done!!!!
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/52.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/51.jpg

Great reports and pics. I feel like I was there. :)

Great report, ME, and great pics. I was actually thinking of making it down there, but I figured since I was going to be in town during Thanksgiving weekend, I should save my trip. In retrospect, I should have come down, because it was raining here.

My goal of beating everyone up Drum Canyon was achieved. After the poison blowgun dart in Happytime's leg and slashing of Svcroadie's tire, the remaining riders got the message and I had the hill to myself. Bwwuaaahahahaha!

I love it when a plan comes together.

Good reports. Good pictures.

M.E., thank you for such a great report! I'm sorry you weren't feeling your best but it seems you had a good time in spite of yourself :p Joy, I'm sorry to hear about your leg but best to stop and not injure yourself more just so you can finish a ride, there's lots more :D

I guess I'm gonna have to do this one next year now that I've gotten ME's review and comparison to the other Solvang rides :p

Thanks, Trac. :) I wish you had been there. The others were tired of my whining by the end of the day, I'm sure, but overall, it was a really good ride. :D

I feel like I was there. :)

Well, in a way you were there, Toolie Tool Tool. After all, we couldn't well ride without you texting us your weather assessments.

After the poison blowgun dart in Happytime's leg and slashing of Svcroadie's tire...

Pure evil, I tell you.



:p

Well, in a way you were there, Toolie Tool Tool. After all, we couldn't well ride without you texting us your weather assessments.



:roflmao:

All I have to add is: Scootcore and Vancemac - BFF! :p

Pure evil, I tell you.
:p

Whatever.

http://store.theonion.com/images/get/139

Whatever.

http://store.theonion.com/images/get/139

:rolleyes: You're just cocky cause you felt good yesterday. Way I see it, it's us who suffer through unbearable odds to finish who deserve the prize. Cheater. :p

Cutest Couple Ever

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/58.jpg


+1 :D

Great job everyone! You know what they say, if centuries were easy, everyone would be doing them.

Great report ME! Wish I coulda been there, but it didn't work out. :(

great reports and pics!!!

Great report ME! Wish I coulda been there, but it didn't work out. :(

Yeah - I was wondering where your were. :mad:

Yeah - I was wondering where your were. :mad:

+1 Only with a :( face.

My ride report is easy: DNF!!! :cry:

Too many steep hills recently + unresolved cleat position + running + no rest = Bad Leg.

Had to cut it off at 48 miles when I felt the leg blow up. So I rode slowly back to Solvang and spent the rest of the afternoon pleasantly sipping coffee, eating Danishes, reading the L.A. Times, waiting for the BF group to return, text messaging non-riding BFers, watching the trees being blown around while thinking, "Damn, it got windy!" and oh, yeah, spending a long, relaxing session at a day spa. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, if not for the shooting pains in my leg. :o


hmmmm.....

didn't get those texts....:rolleyes:

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p27/merider/Solvang%2011%202007/10.jpg


tell dave he can put the dollar in the front, too.

tell dave he can put the dollar in the front, too.

Preferably Canadian dollars. They're worth more.

Thanks for the pictures and writeup Mary. You capture it so well we can all share in our own way.

Part 1

I hung out at the start for a while, watched people go, took some pictures. Left around 8:15 and saw a few riders along Alamo Pintado, and found Kim shortly after the turn onto Roblar. She asked me to tell the BF gang not to wait for her, so I found them a little up the road and relayed the message. ME didn't want to leave Kim to ride alone but I insisted that's what she wanted. I continued along the course and found the bulk of the riders on the other side of the 154. Found more big groups along Happy Canyon and Baseline. These were still pretty good sized and well organized groups. I went ahead up the road and didn't see any more riders for a while, so I stopped at the turn onto Mora and took pictures of everyone coming past. After the riders thinned out I continued on Roblar, but when I reached the 154 I crossed back over to head back to the start to sweep and find the last rider.

Back from the start, driving up Alamo Pintado again, I got a call from Kim. She was at mile 17, hungry and didn't have any food--not expecting the stop to be so far away! I told her I was coming around the course again and would bring her food when I reached her. I saw a group of people I knew at the intersection of Edison and the 246; 2 of the group was "on the ride" and the other two were along for it. It was about 9:30 and I told them they were really far behind. They thought they could catch up but I never saw them again. I didn't see anyone until I was back on Roblar, some guy working really hard and moving quite fast. Kim I found on Foxen right before the climb, and got her some food and mixed up and electrolyte drink. I hung around for a bit near the top of the climb to be sure she was ok, and right as she was coming up that guy from before passed her (he was wearing a Speedplay kit, or they were a prominent sponsor, so I'll call him Speedplay). I move on ahead to the first stop to let them know that the last riders were coming (this was one of my jobs). A few minutes later Speedplay comes by, grabs a few things and is off really quick, and Kim comes in a few minutes later.

Apparently they must have been very far behind because by the time I see Speedplay again on Ballard Canyon he has already passed several riders and is still moving pretty good. Later on Ballard, after the hard-right turn I come across a group fixing a flat on the side by a ranch/winery entrace. They had just finished but she used the opportunity to pump up her other tire and I replenished her CO2. I started to find a lot more people when I reached Buelton. People looked confused and were attempting to go straight through the intersection instead of turning left onto Avenue of the Flags. They saw some other people and appeared to have figured it out so I proceeded to Santa Rosa Road, where the bulk of the riders were.

I must admit it was a frustrating at this point getting around people. I've never been on this side of the windshield before and it was a little eye-opening seeing how reckless and dangerous many riders are. And I don't mean just riding two-abrest and not moving over for cars, I mean swerving around, riding across the centerline, etc. I think this kind of behavior leaves a bad taste in motorist's mouths and its no wonder they get upset at us!

I encountered a group on the side of the road and they indicated that they were fine, so I started to roll on. But I saw one of them run after me so I stopped. He told me that he was not part of our ride, but two of his group were up the road and were supposed to have stopped, and asked if I could tell them to turn back--I came across them a mile up the road and relayed the message. There were a lot of riders at the second checkpoint and getting out of the car I had my first taste of just how windy it was... crazy windy! I spoke with the checkpoint workers, took some pictures, grabbed some food to bring back to Kim, and headed back to find her. I didn't think she would make the 12:30 cutoff and wanted to make sure she had something to eat if the checkpoint was closed. Heading back on Santa Rosa road the riders were thinning out but I saw the BF crew a few miles out from the checkpoint. I also saw the women I helped earlier, and a little further out a guy walking up one of the hills. About 10 miles out I found Kim and gave her the sandwich. Faced with 10 more miles of rolling hills and headwinds, she decided to get in the car and call it a day. We drove to the checkpoint and told the guy that had been walking (he was back on his bike) about the alternate route back to Solvang. The two women were within sight of the 1 and were working very hard to make the cutoff. We saw the BF crew again when we arrived and hung around until the last guy came, in case he needed to SAG. Those two women made the cutoff, arriving exactly at the cutoff time!

More later...

Yeah - I was wondering where your were. :mad:

Yes, I missed you too, my hero! It just seemed too expensive to stay over, yet too far to drive up the morning of. Plus, my husband is still recovering from his rib thing (yes I remember you rode 100 like a week after you broke your ribs--you are a manly man! :p) Anyway, I'm a sandbagger. :o Although, I did ride my November century solo (well almost, partly with the hubby) today in the desert. :)

but I say it was a HARD ride.

I did the ride today with Jon (WhiteCarbonDude) and it was a hard ride. The headwinds were brutal in many places (i.e. Santa Rosa Road) and it took us almost 6 hours.

3. Wind. ****ing miserable wind. I’m used to headwinds. Hell, I ride in it all the time. But for some reason, with my not feeling on top of my game, mistakes on my fueling and feeling nauseated, the winds were not only brutal at times, but just downright annoying. I need to talk to PU about doing something about that on future rides :p.

Yeah, lovely wind. Still not as bad as my ride last weekend. nearly 40 miles uphill with 30 mph headwinds on the 166 from Tempesquet to Cuyama. Fun!

7. Drum Canyon…I’d love it, except both times that I’ve climbed it, I had nuthin’. So, I crawled it and then cursed all the way down the backside when my teeth damn near broke from chattering on that crappy, pot-hole filled road.

I'm not sure what to say about Drum... its an experience to be sure. At the 4th checkpoint someone asked me if the road was "like this" the rest of the way... I replied "no, it gets worse!".

8. Maddmike and Lilly were there, and it was Lilly’s first century!!! You go, girl! :beer:

They came into Paula's Pancake House this morning for breakfast while Jon and I were there. They were very nice and very good job on her first century. Her longest ride before was a metric.

9. UMD and his lovely wife Kimmy – they get cutest couple ever award and thank you, Steve, for your great SAG efforts (I saw him pass us at least 10 times).


:D

4. The rest stops were placed a little too far apart in the beginning and a little too close together at the end. Many riders that I passed lamented that they were hungry and couldn’t wait to get to the next stop after the first one at mile 28. I’m used to riding doubles and unsupported rides, so spread out stops do not normally bother me. But I was only prepared for a century yesterday and with nowhere in the hills to stop, having the rest stops 30 miles from each other was just a little too long.

I have to agree with this. I know Kim had trouble with the nearly 30 miles to the first checkpoint and another 30 to the next. I would have put 3 checkpoints, 20 miles apart in that distance. Maybe move the first one to be before Foxen and added a new second along Ballard. I heard many riders comment that the third checkpoint was too close to the second (10 miles). I was of course very greatful for the water they left for us at the top of Harris (where the 3rd checkpoint was) for our ride today.

5. The food on the rest stops was not good for me. Other riders may have been fine and this is subjective, but I was hoping for more salty options along side the sweet. The majority of what was offered was sugary carbs and after awhile, I can’t stomach another Rice Krispie or Oreo. I would suggest having pretzels or cut up bagels with peanut butter (no jelly – the only sandwich offered was a PB&J and it had jelly. After so many miles, I don’t want the jelly, just the peanut butter, so there again, too much sugar). Gatorade went fast as well, which left me just drinking water (again, nowhere to stop to buy Gatorade). The cokes and V8s at the last stop were awesome, however, and helped me get up Drum. I desperately needed the salt in that V8.

Since I wasn't riding, its hard for me to comment on the food, but I was very disappointed to find the Famous Amos cookies had 4g of trans fat per serving! I would expect the food provided on an event like this to not have such evil ingredients. Bananas are of course expected but I also like to see fruit at stops--oranges are fairly common. The PB&J sandwiches were pretty good though and I had a few at the stops while driving around, but after the cookies I was worried about the peanut butter...

Part 1



I must admit it was a frustrating at this point getting around people. I've never been on this side of the windshield before and it was a little eye-opening seeing how reckless and dangerous many riders are. And I don't mean just riding two-abrest and not moving over for cars, I mean swerving around, riding across the centerline, etc. I think this kind of behavior leaves a bad taste in motorist's mouths and its no wonder they get upset at us!

More later...

Great report (from your side of the windshield!), Steve. Kim did great, and it was hard to leave her lovely smile. As for the reckless cyclists. I've been one of them (maybe even yesterday) and I've been the motorist who has encountered a cyclist in a most unfortunate way (not to drag up this morning's thread, but nonetheless, it's the truth). We, cyclists and motorists, are one in the same. We ride bikes and drive cars. Something I will try to remember is that whether behind handle bars or a steering wheel, we are not always visible and our lives are in our own hands.

Thank you again for you wonderful support on this ride. :)

Lilly and I started out about 7:20, she was concerned about finishing on time. The ride was pretty good exept for the wind along Santa Rosa road. That was pretty brutal at times. Not quite as bad as it gets on the Eastern Sierra but, it was tough non the less. It took a lot out of Lilly and we left the rest stop after Santa Rosa Road a few minutes before the 12:30 cutoff time. Once we changed directions a bit and the wind wasn't in our face it was a bit easier. Lilly almost made it up Drum canyon with out stopping but had to make one stop about 1/4 mile from the top. She was pretty good at pacing herself all day. I was really happy for her. She finished her first century and they still had some Jersey's left so she could get her souviner too!

The only complaint I have is the rest stop right before Drum canyon. I don't like rest stop right before a big climb. Don't know how else you could arange it, maybe put it at the top like the one on Harris Grade was for some reason they always have that one at the base of Drum Canyon.


We say WhiteCarbonDude and UMD at breakfast on Sunday Morning and they were nice enough to ask us to join them (Paula's Pancake house is the best!). Thanks to you too guys for saging! We couldn't have done it without you. I hope your ride on Sunday went good too.



Here's some pics I took of the Ride Saturday:

Lilly going up Foxen Canyon
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1625.jpg

Down Foxen Canyon
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1627.jpg

Up Ballard Canyon
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1629.jpg

It's what's for dinner after the ride
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1632.jpg

ScootCore and Davy going down Harris Grade
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1635.jpg

Wild Lavender
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1646.jpg

Lilly Finishing Harris Grade
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1642.jpg

Down Drum Canyon (Almost Done!)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1643.jpg


Rainbow we saw on Sunday driving home
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p33/maddmike1959/Solvang%20Century%20Fall%202007/IMG_1653.jpg

nice pics:beer:

Great report, ME, and great pics. I was actually thinking of making it down there, but I figured since I was going to be in town during Thanksgiving weekend, I should save my trip. In retrospect, I should have come down, because it was raining here.


Awww, you said that you'd be wherever the wimmin are!!!! :p




Great ride report, ME and others - looked like it was fun!

My ride report is easy: DNF!!! :cry:

Too many steep hills recently + unresolved cleat position + running + no rest = Bad Leg.

Had to cut it off at 48 miles when I felt the leg blow up. So I rode slowly back to Solvang and spent the rest of the afternoon pleasantly sipping coffee, eating Danishes, reading the L.A. Times, waiting for the BF group to return, text messaging non-riding BFers, watching the trees being blown around while thinking, "Damn, it got windy!" and oh, yeah, spending a long, relaxing session at a day spa. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon, if not for the shooting pains in my leg. :o

Too bad about the leg and the DNF Joy, but if you go to the 50+ forum and post that you did 48 for the day they'll think you're a hammer goddess and will offer to buy you a pie.

Just one way to salvage the thing...

Too bad about the leg and the DNF Joy, but if you go to the 50+ forum and post that you did 48 for the day they'll think you're a hammer goddess and will offer to buy you a pie.

Just one way to salvage the thing...

50+ forum? :eek:

Aren't you the charmer.

50+ forum? :eek:

Aren't you the charmer.

Oh, they let kids post there too. Most of are too feeble to actually chase the
young'uns away.