Date posted for Solvang Century

[bluegoose]

Mark your calendars gentlemen (and ladies). March 11, 2006

http://www.solvangcentury.com/

I'm in. It would be a blast to get a big group down there for this ride. I did it last year. Fairly low key. too early in the year to be extremely competitive. Too crowded to go too crazy. Hopefully we could have BYU jerseys to boot (I'm still waiting to hear back from my cousin on this one).

[SteelBlue]

I'm going. I'm staying a couple of extra days this time though.

[Archaea]

go slow.

It's the Ralph's Half Ironman.

However, it sounds fun and not too taxing.

[The_Tick]

And have a Mountain Bike, but I am fairly sure I could do the Half Century....

[bluegoose]

Did you guys hear that? He's big!!!

Finally someone to draft behind other than these puny skinny cyclist types.

Solvang 1/2 century is not too bad. It's basically out 25 miles to the first rest stop and back along the same route. very managable even on a mountain bike.

Steel, do you remember seeing any mountain bikes at solvang? The only thing I noticed was that my bike was the cheapest one there by at least $1000.

[SteelBlue]

Steel, do you remember seeing any mountain bikes at solvang? The only thing I noticed was that my bike was the cheapest one there by at least $1000.

Ummm, my bike is one componentry step below yours so there was at least one bike that was crappier. Solvang is definitely a yuppie ride, lots of bike snobs there. I did see a few Mountain bikes, mostly with slicks on.

[fusnik11]

hey....

where is this century?

i might actually be interested....

get my fat butt motivated to do something.

[Archaea]

is it the type of a century that if I don't let loose, I will be okay for an important race the following week?

I want to do it, but I'm also doing Ralph's half Ironman in Oceanside. IF it's just the 100, and I don't race, the distance won't matter to me. However, if I did something like Redlands to Lake Arrowhead and back, that might sap a little bit of strength.

I have a habit of overdoing it, so I'm trying to race smart this coming year.

[bluegoose]

Solvang is this little dutch town about 20 miles north of santa barbara.

really cool place. beautiful area. follows pacific coast highway for a little ways.

Good century for someone trying to get into the sport.

[fusnik11]

could i be in good form in time if i start next week?

i still havent found a good ten speed at a garage sale....

[fusnik11]

could i be in good form in time if i start next week?

i still havent found a good ten speed at a garage sale....

[creekster]

to go Archaea or Steel blue fast, you may like me, especially given that there is a reasonably good chance that my wife and I may do the ride on our tandem. Tandems pull very. very well.

One of the criticisms I have of biking as a sport is the focus on expensive gear. I like expensive gear, but I ride becasue I like riding, not becasue my stuff costs more than somebody else's stuff. So if you might like to ride, and you want to use a mountain bike, go ahead! Riding is fun regardless of the price of your steed. Somewhwere in my garage I have a couple of 26" slicks that I have never used; I'll bring them along just in case somebody needs them.

[Archaea]

Most of the stuff you can pick up now, if it's fairly recent is better than down tube shifting and clip-ons.

One Ebay, you can buy stuff dirt cheap that is lightyears better than what you could have purchased ten years ago.

Ride because it's fun. However, a good fit is more important than cost of gear. Sometimes the costly stuff feels better, but only after you know what to look for. If I had had costly stuff, not borrowed stuff, at first, I would not have known what to look for.

A funny story. Now I've been riding only fifteen months. However, when I do things, I tend to go crazy.

Well, my "friends" loose term there, thought it would be humorous to see me suffer on a three day stage race. Mind you, I had had three "rides" total. No miles whatsoever on my legs.

I borrowed an aluminum bike, with a woman's seat (big mistake) and suckered into it. It had four thousand feet of climbing the first day. After a couple of miles and the first surge I was dropped. So what was supposed to be a road race became a lonely, long time trial. I went 3h45min for a 58 mile race. Slow doesn't begin to describe my race. I suffered, and suffered. It ended with a one mile ten percent grade. I hated my friends.

Next day was worse. Third day, forget it.

Rule one. Don't trust friends when you're starting.

Rule two, buy a man's seat, not a woman's seat.

Rule three, get in shape a bit by yourself before riding, let alone racing.

[SteelBlue]

is it the type of a century that if I don't let loose, I will be okay for an important race the following week?

Arch, it's not a brutal century. It had between 4000 and 4500 feet of climb. Of all of the centuries I've ridden I'd say Solvang is the easiest.