Tandem Cycling - SLO Gran Fondo

http://www.slogranfondo.com/route.htm

Stoker Malkin and I are considering a trip to Cal for this event. Anybody else thinking of going? And just how challenging is the ride from SLO up the coast? I did a quick check on toporoute.com, but that info can be somewhat misleading.

Cheers!

The route looks very similar to the flat version of the lighthouse century. We have done the hilly version a couple of times, one of then in the triplet, and consider it to be a mid level ride. The registration price seems a little high at $125... maybe because it is a timed event?

It has about 3000ft of climbing. Not totally flat but a pretty easy century. There is also typically a prevailing wind from the NW which can provide a nice tailwind for the second half of the ride. It can also make the last 15+/- miles from San Simeon to Peidros Blancos kind of tough if you are slower.

October is one of the nicer months along the coast.

Weather info for October 23 in SLO: (http://www.weather.com/weather/climatology/daily/USCA1000?climoMonth=10&site=www.yahoo.com&cm_ite=CityPage&par=yahoo&cm_pla=climopage&cm_cat=www.yahoo.com&cm_ven=Yahoo&promo=climo)

Sunrise:..............7:16 AM
Sunset:..............6:17 PM
Average high:......78°F
Average low:.......49°F

I was wondering after doing Solvang yesterday, if the wind was any less in the Summer/Fall than it is in March.

I thought you were doing the double century on March 27th? You were talking about the Century. How did the maiden voyage go?????? No problems I trust with the brakes/wheels?

...I was wondering after doing Solvang yesterday, if the wind was any less in the Summer/Fall than it is in March.

There is typically a "breaze" off the ocean. Some days are much worse than others of course. I'm not too sure of the seasonality of it. I do know that when there is a storm the wind switches from out of the NW to out of the SW. It's usually best to do any north bound cycling early in the morning or late in the evening to avoid the wind. The prevailing winds are the very reason 90% of all the people riding along the coast (like from SF to LA) go North to South.

Yes that is pretty much the the Lighthouse course for the flat century except Fondo is starting in SLO instead of at Cuesta College. I agree with Cornucopia, that is a bit pricey for sure becuase you simply ride up Highway 1 to the turn-a-round above San Simeon and come back.
However if you have never ridden the Calif central coast, I say go for it for sure. That is a very picturesque and fun area to ride...it can be even more appreciated if you get off Highway 1 now and then and ride though a few of the small towns like Cayucas, Cambria and Morrow Bay....I can not tell if Fondo routes you through them or not, but it would be a shame if they don't.
The other good news is that this part of Highway 1 has very wide shoulders to ride on and they are usually pretty clean.
Also if your time permits, stay over in the area and ride more as there are a lot of neat ride options north of SLO. If you want some more challenging stuff you can head inland from several point along Highway 1 and get some nice hills to challenge you. I'm sure you can find all kinds of route options on the usual ride sites or probably even with some searches here on BF.
As Homeyba and Ritterview have mentioned weather can play a part,,,we've ridden the area numerous times over the years and you never know what you are going to get for wind or morning fog...at least I've never figured it out..but almost always they are mild weather issues and they usually add fun to the experience and never ruin it.
We generally ride north as early as possible with purpose, get to the turn-a-round, then slow down and enjoy the return ride. How you choose to do it is not so important...just as long as you do it if you get the chance.
Bill J.

Thanks to all for the info. Seems like we might want to do the ride independently of the event.

We rode the Avenue of the Giants last year and were quite taken by how much oxygen and humidity you Cal riders enjoy along with the scenery. Arnold might consider including that fact in his promo vids...

Cheers!

If you do it on your own I would start in Morro Bay and ride up to Ragged Point. Should still be close to 100 miles but the views make it well worth the slightly additional effort. There is a pretty good climb up to ragged point, about a mile of 6%. The views are just awesome from up there. There is a restaurant and small convenience store there as well.