Originally Posted by
donger
I also learned something important about the Solvang Double for those who plan on riding it for the first time. The host hotel was the Marriott and I stayed at Motel 6 (1st tkme i ever stayed at one) which was next door. Rooms at Motel 6 DO NOT have refrigerators or microwaves. My buddy and I didn't know this til we checked in. We ended buying a hot plate and an electric hot water heater to make coffee and oatmeal for breakfast on ride day. Since the ride started at 5am, nothing was open to get breakfast before 7am. The venue (Marriott) did not have breakfast food available either. I started bonking at the 55 mile mark and I almost gave up at the 80 mile mark. At this to say is stay at the Marriott so you can make your normal ride breakfast meal.
We stayed at the Motel 6, and yes, no microwave. I ate Kellog cereal bars, which was not good enough. That said, I got a piece of advice that I tested last weekend. Take 2 hard boiled eggs, a bagel, and a banana with you. You can keep them in a cooler and dont need to be worried about a microwave. It was ok for breakfast before the club ride last weekend (75 miles @ 17.9 ave, with some climbing). I will test it again next weekend, and if it works again, I will do that for the Hemet double.