
180 riders, a terrific staff of Planet Ultra ambassadors, and perfect weather combined to make the inaugural "Solvang's Finest Century - A Ride to Benefit Challenged Athletes Foundation" a smashing success. The skies were clear, sunny and warm all day, allowing everyone to enjoy the beautiful fall colors of the fields and vineyards, and enjoy the spectacular views as they ascended into the trees of the local mountains.
Besides enjoying a fantastic tour through some of the best cycling grounds in the world, the purpose of this ride was to raise funds for and awareness of Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). This event, along with the personal fundraising efforts of Team Planet Ultra (Deb & Brian Bowling and Lynn Katano) has allowed Planet Ultra to contribute nearly $10,000 to CAF this year! Congratulations and heartfelt thanks to the eight riders who rode "Solvang's Finest Century" as their event for the CAF Race For A Reason program: Evan Anderman, Tony Berquam, Gregory Mudge, David Ridsdale, Richard Sadja, Dorothy Twitchell, Susan Huynh and Robin Kramer. Robin was the highest fundraiser with $613 raised. Many riders sent in donations with their entry fees, and most riders also contributed to CAF by purchasing raffle tickets at the event. The raffle alone raised $800 for CAF! We had so many prizes to give away, nearly every ticket won! Special thanks to our sponsors for their generous products donations to support the raffle and the ride: Serfas, CytoSports, Hammer Nutrition, PureFit Nutrition Bars, Rising Dough Bakery, Road ID, Sharkies and Clif Bar.
Additional thank yous to Taco Roco for catering our delicious mexican fiesta lunch (chicken fajitas, rice, beans, chips & salsa); to Tonia Arey, Minister of Massage, for working out riders' kinks after the ride; and to the Royal Copenhagen Inn for hosting yet another wonderful Planet Ultra event.
Kudos to first time century riders Isaac Goren, Deborah Johnson, Kelly Nance, Chitvan Rebich, Craig Rhinehart, Bob Souza, and Dorothy Twitchell. We're sure there were more of you, but these folks let us know! Congratulations to 10-year-old Nakul Palaniswamy, our youngest rider, who conquered the metric century as the super stoker for his dad, tandem captain, Sampath Palaniswamy.
A huge round of applause to the Planet Ultra volunteers who truly made this
event Solvang's Finest Century:
Zaca Station CP: Doug, Melanie, Steven and Brett Patterson
Santa Rosa Road Water Stop: Mike Warren
Hwy 1 CP: Andrew and Judith Gustafson, Dan and Ana Wilson
Harris Grade Summit CP: Guntram Jordan and Sam Bailey
Los Alamos Park CP: Mike Joyce, Clark Dicus, Doug, Melanie, Steven and
Brett Patterson.
Roving Sag: Brian Bowling, Deborah Bowling, Clark Dicus, Mike Joyce, Tom Parkes
and Mike Warren
Finish Line, Lunch and Raffle: Tonia Arey, Deborah Bowling, Clark Dicus, Mike
Joyce, Jeff Landauer and Tom Parkes
Awesome post-ride massage therapy: Tonia Arey
Completely unsolicited, but very much appreciated, rider feedback:
"It was a great ride! Of all the centuries I have done, this is my favorite. Great work by all." - Rick Loy, Ventura, California.
"We had a great time at Solvang. We enjoyed riding with other Planet Ultra cyclists. Our many thanks to all the volunteers and Planet Ultra for making us feel so welcome. This was our visit to Planet Ultra and we hope to participate in other Planet Ultra rides in the future." - Nakul and Sampath Palaniswamy, Thousand Oaks, California
"It was a fantastic event. I would have never guessed that it was the inaugural event. Cheers to all the volunteers and organizers!" - Dominic Spaethling, Larkspur, California
Solvang's Finest Roster
216 Registered Riders
180 Participants, 36 No-Shows who missed a GREAT event!
| Albizu | Ryan | Santa Monica | CA |
| Alvidrez | Stan | Los Angeles | CA |
| Anderman | Evan | Denver | CO |
| Arellano | Fred | Pasadena | CA |
| Auerbach | Stephen | Newport Beach | CA |
| Ausley | Greg | San Diego | CA |
| Avidon | Jacob | Oakland | CA |
| Baldino | Robert | Pleasanton | CA |
| Barnache | Randy | Woodland Hills | CA |
| Barr | Lynn | Lafayette | CA |
| Berka | Becky | Los Angeles | CA |
| Berquam | Tony | S. Pasadena | CA |
| Bockelman | Alix | Oakland | CA |
| Boethling | Fred | Boulder | CO |
| Bogle | Scott | Exeter | NH |
| Bonner | Michael | Santa Clarita | CA |
| Borrell | Mark | Camarillo | CA |
| Brodsky | Keith | Chatsworth | CA |
| Brodsky | Sarah | Chatsworth | CA |
| Brzozowski | Jeremy | Los Angeles | CA |
| Calavitta | Samuel | Yorba Linda | CA |
| Carothers | John | Aptos | CA |
| Carothers | Jennifer | Aptos | CA |
| Casanova | Paul | Corona Del Mar | CA |
| Castellini | Kristie | El Segundo | CA |
| Chapman | Holly | Bishop | CA |
| Clark | Tess | Venice | CA |
| Clay | Gabrielle | Los Angeles | CA |
| Cohen | Seth | Los Angeles | CA |
| Comer | Bruce | Playa Vista | CA |
| Conmy | Phil | Tustin | CA |
| Courtney | Kevin | Long Beach | CA |
| Covill | Matt | Long Beach | CA |
| Craver | Ted | College Station | TX |
| Cropper | Stephanie | Pomona | CA |
| Cruz | Christopher | Kensington | CA |
| Cruz-Rios | Jorge | Los Altos | CA |
| Day | Bob | San Diego | CA |
| Demain | Seth | San Francisco | CA |
| Dillon | Stan | Exeter | CA |
| Distin | Arthur | Walnut | CA |
| Doubleday | Mark | Rancho Palos Verdes | CA |
| Dugan-Jackson | Ed | Turlock | CA |
| Eckel | Gary | San Dimas | CA |
| Eppley | Mark | San Francisco | CA |
| Farhy | Bryan | Los Angeles | CA |
| Feese | Rick | San Pedro | CA |
| Field | Tony | Ventura | CA |
| Fifer | Tracy | Lakewood | CO |
| Fischer | Paul W. | Campbell | CA |
| Fischer | Chad | Los Angeles | CA |
| Fortino | Mary | Santa Clara | CA |
| Fortino | Dallas | Santa Clara | CA |
| Gerrity | John | Palo Alto | CA |
| Gibbons | Albert | Menlo Park | CA |
| Goren | Isaac | Calabasas | CA |
| Gottfredson | Dorothy | Palo Alto | CA |
| Gutmann | Chelsea | Corona del Mar | CA |
| Habib | Paul | Austin | TX |
| Harris | Julie | San Diego | CA |
| Hartley | Cynthia | Ventura | CA |
| Hartnett | Tom | Bakersfield | CA |
| Hawthorne | Topher | Irvine | CA |
| Hegenbart | Peggy | Castaic | CA |
| Hibschman | Nanci | San Francisco | CA |
| Hicks | Sara | Santa Monica | CA |
| Hoover | Chuck | Los Angeles | CA |
| Hsieh | Chia-Han | Tucson | AZ |
| Hu | Tom | Long Beach | CA |
| Hu | Timothy | New York | NY |
| Jabuka | Anthony | San Pedro | CA |
| Johnson | Deborah | Palo Alto | CA |
| Jorge | Rosalie | Santa Maria | CA |
| Kelly | Kevin | Riverside | CA |
| Kennedy | Charles | Santa Clara | CA |
| Kinsch | Vincent | Ventura | CA |
| Kitchen | Chris | Santa Monica | CA |
| Kondo | Keith | Los Angeles | CA |
| Kraemer | Alan | Irvine | CA |
| Kramer | Robin | Lompoc | CA |
| Kudturkar | Jayesh | Ventura | CA |
| Kunitake | Rean | La Crescenta | CA |
| Kusserow | Todd | El Segundo | CA |
| Kusserow | Tebb | Santa Monica | CA |
| La Bonte | Alison | San Diego | CA |
| Lager | Darrel | Livermore | CA |
| Langley | Randy | Cupertino | CA |
| Langstaff | William | Santa Ana | CA |
| Lautenbach | Deborah | Santa Clarita | CA |
| Lee | Ana | Fremont | CA |
| Lopez | Richard | Pasadena | CA |
| Low | Gak Wee | Sunnyvale | CA |
| Loy | Richard | Ventura | CA |
| Lyter | Brian | Cupertino | CA |
| Lyter | Josilyn | Mt. View | CA |
| Macaulay | Ted | Exeter | CA |
| Manias | Peter | Sammamish | WA |
| Manns | Dezalya | San Diego | CA |
| Marx | Andy | Los Angeles | CA |
| Masui | John | Fremont | CA |
| Matsumoto | Victor | Torrance | CA |
| Mattson | G | Lake Elsinore | CA |
| McEnroe | Colin | San Matteo | CA |
| Meadows | William | Van Nuys | CA |
| Mercer | Jim | Exeter | CA |
| Midboe | David | Carson City | NV |
| Miller | Chris | Concord | CA |
| Moore | James | Corona del Mar | CA |
| Motzkin | Stan | Van Nuys | CA |
| Mudge | Marlene | Taft | CA |
| Mudge | Greg | Taft | CA |
| Murdoch | Phyllis | Walnut Creek | CA |
| Mychniow | Tina | Cupertino | CA |
| Nance | Kelly | Moorpark | CA |
| Nilson | David | Alpine | CA |
| Nowicki | Michael | Templeton | CA |
| Ohm | David | Riverside | CA |
| Olsen | John | Pismo Beach | CA |
| Orlossy | Christina | Agoura Hills | CA |
| Osborn | Ron | La Canada | CA |
| Otera | Steve | Rancho Palos Verdes | CA |
| Palaniswamy | Sampath | Thousand Oaks | CA |
| Palaniswamy | Nakul | Thousand Oaks | CA |
| Pay | Marty | Tehachapi | CA |
| Peake | Meredith | Irvine | CA |
| Plinski | Daniel | Tulare | CA |
| Pollack | Sean | Pasadena | CA |
| Prince | Robert | Santa Barbara | CA |
| Pugh | H | Fullerton | CA |
| Rebich | Chitvan | San Francisco | CA |
| Reinhart | Craig | Moorpark | CA |
| Ridsdale | David | Chatsworth | CA |
| Ried | Claudia | Irvine | CA |
| Rochester | Tom | W. Covina | CA |
| Rodriguez | Tony | Victorville | CA |
| Roskilly | Gerald | Chatsworth | CA |
| Rubinstein | Scott | Palo Alto | CA |
| Sadja | Richard | La Crescenta | CA |
| Sands | Renee | Los Angeles | CA |
| Santaniello | Todd | San Francisco | CA |
| Scheel | Dave | Atascadero | CA |
| Schnarr | James | San Ramon | CA |
| Schneider | David | Las Vegas | NV |
| Schoop | Ernie | Long Beach | CA |
| Seibert | Duncan | Lafayette | CA |
| Seibert | Gail | Lafayette | CA |
| Shalygin | Oleg | Reseda | CA |
| Shelley | Lisa | Carson | CA |
| Shintani | Brian | Livermore | CA |
| Slaton | Jeff | Davis | CA |
| Slaton | Nicole | Davis | CA |
| Smith | Joseph | Chula Vista | CA |
| Solomon | Kim | Redondo Beach | CA |
| Solomon | Thomas | Redondo Beach | CA |
| Soucek | Mike | Mission Viejo | CA |
| Sousa | Kevin | Atascadero | CA |
| Souza | Bob | Newark | CA |
| Spaethling | Dominic | Larkspur | CA |
| Stanley | Barbara | Nipomo | CA |
| Su | Cecillia | Berkeley | CA |
| Summers | Spike | Burbank | CA |
| Swenerton | Ryan | San Francisco | CA |
| Takashima | Nobuteru | Campbell | CA |
| Teal | Tracy | Pasadena | CA |
| Turner | David | Glendale | CA |
| Twitchell | Dorothy | Thousand Oaks | CA |
| Ure | Ernesto | Manhattan Beach | CA |
| Vallinoto | Lucia | Hermosa Beach | CA |
| Vallinoto | Rita | Glendale | CA |
| van Overbeek | Sarah | San Francisco | CA |
| van Overbeek | Johannes | San Francisco | CA |
| Ward | Mike | Ventura | CA |
| Warren | Hugh | Thousand Oaks | CA |
| Watanabe | Randy | Elk Grove | CA |
| Watkins | Craig | Sebastopol | CA |
| Watson | Sean | Santa Barbara | CA |
| Waxman | David | Berkeley | CA |
| Wrigley | Jeff | Sylmar | CA |
| Yank | Wilson | San Jose | CA |
| Yonaka | Lisa | Los Gatos | CA |
NO-SHOWS:
| Abess | Lynn | Los Angeles | CA |
| Alexander | James F. | Salt Lake City | UT |
| Bagley | David | Los Angeles | CA |
| Barlow | Tony | Orange | CA |
| Berg | Bo | Los Angeles | CA |
| Berge | Catharina | Visalia | CA |
| Blair | David | Carbondale | CO |
| Cane | Halle | San Francisco | CA |
| Farley | James | Santa Monica | CA |
| Flores | Stephen | San Diego | CA |
| Fossen | Ron | Standard | CA |
| Galuppo | Dan | Newport Beach | CA |
| Gooding | Chandra | Santa Monica | CA |
| Hickey | Colleen | San Francisco | CA |
| Holmes | Tom | Palo Alto | CA |
| Holmes | Catrina | Palo Alto | CA |
| Lickteig | Walter | Chino Hills | CA |
| McCoy | Sandra | Fremont | CA |
| McGraw | Jon | Laguna Niguel | CA |
| McNeal | Jerry | Lancaster | CA |
| Miles | Carrie | Salinas | CA |
| Mulligan | Mo | Irvine | CA |
| Murillo | Javier | Riverside | CA |
| Niles | Matthew | Los Angeles | CA |
| Pates | Gary | San Diego | CA |
| Pleis | Mark | San Francisco | CA |
| Pluta | Linda | Irvine | CA |
| Safran | Marc | Burlingame | CA |
| Schalek | David | Redondo Beach | CA |
| Sidhu | Ranjit | Sunnyvale | CA |
| Stevens | Stuart | Santa Monica | CA |
| Stevens | Suzy | Santa Monica | CA |
| Tallent | Stephannie | Redondo Beach | CA |
| Tarr | John | Arleta | CA |
| Waite | Mark | Las Vegas | NV |
| Wilson | Yank | San Jose | CA |