Solvang Half-Century
I’m happy to report that all went fabulously for me at the Solvang Half Century!
Up until quite recently I was a bit concerned about the Solvang Half Century that I had ambitiously signed up for back in December. However, like I wrote in my last post, I was feeling pretty well prepared and strong by the weekend prior to the ride.
I was also concerned about weather: after reading past ride reports and talking to friends, it seemed highly likely we would encounter some rain. This was something I wasn’t sure I was ready to deal with.
Fortunately both of my concerns were put to rest….one through training and one through random good weather luck.
We rolled into our Buellton campground around 4pm on Friday, the night before the ride. Then, after meeting up with some more friends and setting up camp, we decided to go register and carb-up (eat) in Solvang.
The registration line was long but fast. We got our rider numbers, a souvenir bento box and our map guide. Then, after walking around the ride expo booths for a bit, we went in search of an all-you-can-eat spaghetti place that we had heard about. Unfortunately we found it. It was horrible!
Ride day…
Early the next morning after breakfast we all got started. With everyone in our group doing the full century except Lisa and I, they were eager to get on the road.
Since the ride went right by our campground, instead of going into town and trying to find parking, we opted to simply start there…and of course finish there after going through the finish line in Solvang so our mileage and road time would be not be affected by the change.
The morning started off extremely foggy and cold. So far I had four layers on top and long gloves, but was very worried about my knees being cold. Since it was going to be in the low 70’s that day, I would be hating full pants as soon as the sun broke though the fog. One of my friends came to the rescue offering his arm warmers to use as leg warmers. I thought he was joking at first - but he was serious and it was a fabulous idea. It was a knee saver!
Two of our friends riding the full century rode the first 20-something miles with Lisa and I until the two rides split up. By this time we reached our first and only SAG stop and the sun was out and warm. I had already abandoned one top layer and was now ready to get rid of the full gloves and the arm/leg warmers.
A few turns after the SAG, we waved goodbye to our friends and went our separate ways. The second half of the half century was slightly more difficult than the first - but nothing terribly challenging.
Going at my comfortable pace we completed the 50 miles in 3:35 hours - riding time only.
My least favorite parts of the ride…
Extreme cold in the morning. The non-favorable winds on a few of the sections
My favorite parts of the ride…
Very well organized with great traffic control and local support. The views and landscape, including the ostrich farm we rode by. The great company of friends I was with.
What went “wrong”…
I have to say, I was pretty lucky with this ride - only my second organized ride event. The weather was perfect and I didn’t have any serious mishaps.
That said, I did have a couple very minor mishaps. First my chain came off, and not knowing how to get it back on while riding, I had to stop and Lisa helped me fix it. Then I managed to ride off the road into the lumpy dirt shoulder while staring down at my gears…this could have been a fall, but I recovered well and was only embarrassed. Lastly we neglected to put on sunscreen until about mile 30 or 35 so I have a few sunburn spot on my wrist and thighs.
After the ride…
Later, once we had all regrouped, we were all very eager to have a good dinner. Our food experience in Solvang so far had been horrible. From a recommendation, we went to “Cabernet Bistro” downtown. It was a very nice meal - I highly recommend it.
Next time we will make this restaurant our night-before meal.
Next time? Yes I think I will do the full century next year.
Related posts
