We had planned on leaving from the starting line in Solvang at 7:00, so we headed out a little before 6:00. Stopped at a McDonald's for Joe to get a cup of coffee and breakfast sandwich. Drove over to Solvang and parked, no problem, which was somewhat surprising to me. Prepped the bikes and headed over to the corner near the starting line where we met up with Roger and Connor. We got started around 6:45 and set a fairly good pace from the start. There were some climbing sections on the way over to the first sag stop in Lompoc, but nothing really major. I rode fairly well and warmed up quickly. We took a break at the first stop, and I used the restroom. We all gathered up and headed out toward Santa Maria. There was a small climb coming out of this area, and Connor and I got some separation on the others. We waited for them near the top of the climb but lost sight of Joe passing us by. So we connected up with Roger and waited for Joe to come up, even though we found out later that he was ahead of us. After waiting for a bit and Connor riding back to see if he could find Joe, we kept on going. Connor and I rode ahead, and at one point I slowed and waited for Roger to catch up. Then I rode hard to try and catch up with Connor, and we then waited together after one of the turns for Roger. This section was up and down, and I tried to keep up with Connor, but he got ahead of me on one of the climbs when I got stuck behind a long pace line. We all met up at the next sag stop, and Joe was there as well. So it was all good with the four of us together. On the next section, I was basically riding on my own until I caught on with a pace line that I could keep up with. I rode with them basically all the way into the third sag stop, around the same time as Connor. The others came in, and we took a break before heading for about 14 mi to the fourth sag stop. On this section, I had a good ride and finished ahead of the others. There was a little bit of climbing but nothing major. Now we were at the 70 mile mark, which was where Joe and Roger had gotten a lift the last time they rode. We were in much better shape, although Joe's feet were giving him some trouble. I spent some time while waiting for them to massage my thighs and try to keep them limber. This next section was some of the best riding I've done. I was able to keep up with Connor as we both rode really fast, passing everybody. I took the lead for awhile, keeping it after we turned onto Foxen Canyon Rd and the road started to slope upward. I was working hard to set a fast pace and kept in the lead until the road got steep. Connor led out then, and I couldn't respond. He got out ahead of me by 100 yds or so, and at one point I had to stop and pull my jacket out of the rear wheel when it came loose from under my jersey. It was hot here and I was working hard, sweating a lot and having it sting my eyes. After the top of the rise, I was able to ride fast and catch Connor on the downhill before we got to the final sag stop. My legs were starting to feel the effects of the exertion. I also didn't benefit from the extended stop here while we waited for the others to show up. I ate a lot and refreshed my water bottles. We continued on, getting to the last extended climb, which wasn't anywhere near as hard as it looked at the bottom. I got worried at the start of this climb when my hamstrings started complaining, so I dialed it back and resigned myself to not being able to ride with Connor on this last section. I stayed within sight of him until we got to an intersection at a highway, where he and his group made it across before the police let the traffic pass through and held up the cyclists. After this brief rest, we had to make a short, steep climb that I didn't remember from the last time. After that, it was basically downhill all the way into Solvang, and I rode pretty fast all the way in, keeping up a steady cadence to help prevent my legs from tightening up. Finished in 5:20 riding time, first to complete it of the four riders, since Connor had ridden back for a bit to see where Joe and Roger were. He came in a couple of minutes after me, and then we waited for about 5-10 min before the others finished. I was really proud of Joe's endurance and ability to persevere in completing this challenging century. We had a good lunch (about 45 min wait in line), and the beers were most satisfying, before we rode back to the car and headed back to Lompoc.
Top ten day on the bike for me.
Avg speed = 18.7 mph. Total mileage = 100.2 mi
Avg heartrate = 147 bpm
Total elevation gain = 5890'
