Road report - Solvang Prelude - 11/6/10 - Santa Ynez Valley, CA

Ride: Solvang Prelude (Metric Century)

Riders: Hector, Ron, Sara, and Carlos
Length: 63 miles
Elevation gain: 3000+ ft
Duration: 3hrs 45 Min
Temp: 60s, overcast, summy at the end
Humidity: low
Rating: A+

For the last many years, the last regional road cycling event for the season is being the Solvang Prelude (for the organizers of this event it's the first ride of the next season - "Prelude", go figure!). Usually 2-3 thousand riders do the pilgrimage to Solvang, a small quiet Danish town 120 miles north of LA.

It's a beautiful hilly ride thru the Wine Country of Santa Ynez Valley (hard to enjoy in years past when riding at 20+ mph in a paceline or trying to concentrate on the climbs). This year for the first time, the event started in the nearby town of Buellton. This resulted in the removal of the longest climb of the event usually right at the end of the ride. Well, I paced myself during the event to leave something for the last climb that never came - may be next year.

The day started overcast, dark, and damp in some sections but it never rain; fortunately, the sun came out for the last 10+ miles. The downside this year was the lack of sag support (lucky for us we didn't need it) and the first sag stop was 33 miles into the ride, the lines to the porta-potty were longer than the ride - almost.

Like last year, Ron and I wore the Channel Island Bicycle Club colors. Three major improvements from years before, we started slow vice going hard and finishing wipe out, so we actually got to enjoy the view, and the last and most important, we had the company of two new Club members, Sara and Carlos "the poet" (additing beauty to the group...I'm talking about Sara, sorry Carlos...). Missing in action was Dave "the diesel" Simpson.

After the ride, we followed tradition and crashed into the Firestone brewery for brewskies and sliders. Also, we enjoyed the company of two civilians, Sara's parents that came for moral support and for some wine and brewskies as well.

Looking forward to do it again next year!!!

Note: Beware of weirdos everwhere. While in the first rest stop, a big fat bikerider approached Sara and told her that she had a smutch (Hector meant "smudge") in her back. She looked for it then she look at me, I looked but we couldn't find it. Then "the Creep" finally after insisting that it was a smutch (again..."smudge") somewhere in her, point down between her butt. Sara didn't know what to said (thanks for noticing or thanks for looking at my butt) so she and I got into our bikes and left. We stopped few yards to recover from the "creepy" memoment, then we resume with the ride. The smutch (three times a charm... "smudge") was eventually found.

Hector