|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A spectacular 200 mile route in Southern California's most scenic and most popular cycling region!
 |
 |
4 Rides / 800 miles:  Step up to the plate! |
This is a double century only. No century
option is available!
We do have an awesome century in November!
Click here to learn about it!
Registration for the 2010 event will open in April 2010.
General Information and Ride Rules - Please Read!
Click here to see the 2009 Results
Click here to view the results from prior years.
Click here for the Carpool and Room Share blog
 |
This is the 2009 design. We'll have
something new for 2010! Jerseys and t-shirts will be available in limited quantities at the event. We're not doing pre-orders; as we're simply going to sell what was left over from the Spring Double. |
Solvang Spring Tour: Don't just spend the day in Solvang, spend a week!
Click here for all the info.
Start/Finish Host Hotel
• NEW FOR 2009 and beyond. We're moving back
to the
Royal Copenhagen Inn, 1579 Mission Dr.;
805-688-5561. Tell them you're with Planet Ultra to get the
discounted rate of
$110 per night.
Check-In
All riders
must check in Friday evening from 6pm to 9pm or Saturday morning between
5:30am and 6:30am in the Atterdag Room at the Royal Copenhagen Inn. Please do your
best to check in Friday evening, not Saturday morning, especially if you want an
early start time.
Come
Prepared
Please be in shape for this event. If you cannot complete a
moderately hilly century within 7-8 hours, you'll struggle finishing this
ride within the time limit. An "I can do it" attitude is a wonderful
plus, but only if you're already conditioned for this type of challenge.
Start Time
"Mass" start at
6:45am. Riders who expect to take more than 14 hours may
opt for the early start at 6:00am*. If you plan to start early, please
remember that the checkpoint opening and closing times are generally
based on the "mass start" time and are calculated using an average speed
range of 11 to 20 mph.
*If you start at 6am and finish the ride in under 14 hours - you will be
listed as DQ in the results. We're serious folks - the early start time is
for riders who really need it.
Time Limit
Regardless of start time, the course closes at
midnight. The 18 hour time limit will be strictly enforced.
No exceptions. Riders who fail to
make the time cut-off will be listed as Unofficial Finishers.
Twilight
Twilight
begins at 6:46; Twilight ends at 18:44. Sunrise is at 7:11; Sunset is at 18:19
Breakfast
Paula's Pancake House, just
down the street from the Royal Copenhagen Inn,
opens at 6am. If you like a meal before you ride, their food is
delicious!
Coffee
The very best
coffee, chai and hot chocolate in town is at the Bulldog Cafe, 1680
Mission Drive - just a few blocks from the Royal Copenhagen. Their pastries and brownies are amazing
too! They open at 6:00am. Wireless internet also available.
Lights and Clothing Drop
If you leave your lights at the start, your bag will be waiting for you
at the second-to-last checkpoint, in Guadalupe. We do, however,
encourage you to carry your lights yourself. That way if you need
them, you're guaranteed to have them. Rest assured that it is a MYTH that an
extra pound on your bike will slow you down in any significant way for this type
of riding.
If there is any chance that you’ll be out past sunset, you MUST have both a headlight and a taillight attached to your bicycle, and you MUST wear a reflective ankle band on both legs. Please do not under estimate the time you will need to complete this event. Come prepared with a very good light and backup bulbs and batteries, plus at least one non-blinking taillight and lots of reflective gear. We repeat: BRING LIGHTS. We're serious. Read the rules!
Come
Prepared
Please be in shape for this event. It's late in the season; and folks
don't train as much at the end of the summer as they have been in the
Spring. If you cannot complete a moderately hilly century within 9 hours,
you'll struggle finishing this ride within the time limit. An "I can do it"
attitude is a wonderful plus, but only if you're already conditioned for
this type of challenge.
Support Provided
We will have at least five checkpoints along the course: Sisquoc (mile
41.2), Hwy
166 (about mile 70), San Luis Obispo (mile 105), Guadalupe (mile 145) and Lompoc
(mile 175). At these checkpoints, riders can expect to find bananas, PB&J sandwiches, granola/fruit/energy bars, Hammer Gel, Sustained Energy, Endurolytes, and
an electrolyte drink, plus other wholesome edibles. Subway sandwiches will be served at the
"lunch" checkpoint in San Luis Obispo.
Route Description -
NOTE: Route sheets will be available to registered riders if so
requested via email between two weeks and four days before the event.
However, we cannot guarantee that the route sheet will be 100% accurate.
Though not anticipated, last-minute routing changes may be required.
Riders
will do a quick, easy warm-up on the back roads of Solvang, Ballard and Santa Ynez
before joining the traditional route on Happy Canyon and over to Foxen
Canyon. After the first checkpoint in Sisquoc (mile 41.2), the scenery changes!
The first big climb of the day is Tepusquet Road. This is a meandering 9
miles of climbing - with a few steep pitches in the 8-10% range. The five mile descent is
a blast! Enjoy the ride! At the bottom riders hang a left on Highway
166, where they'll roll along to the second checkpoint and fine
refreshments. The route continues down 166, then hangs a right on Thompson
Road, heading towards San Luis Obispo via Nipomo and Arroyo
Grande. This part of the route will be familiar to veterans. After the third
checkpoint ("lunch") at our usual park in San Luis, riders
will continue straight onto Tank Farm Road, and then work their way south
via the quiet and
beautiful Prefumo Canyon Road. This is the second big climb of the day - and
it's a quad buster! Bring some gears - as you'll need them for the
occasional 12-16% grades. Less than a mile down from the summit, there's an
unpaved section of road that's totally ride-able, with an abundance of
caution (meaning "slowly"). About a mile later after the pavement resumes,
comes a very
rewarding descent. Then the route once again meets up with the original route at
San Luis Bay Road, winds back down Avila Beach Road, ultimately continuing
south through Pismo Beach,
Shell Beach and on to the fourth checkpoint at Guadalupe.
The route then diverts off Hwy 1 on Black Road which becomes the awesome Lompoc-Casmalia Road.
Then comes the third big climb of the day, up Hwy 1 and the challenging Vandenberg Grade. After a
nice descent to the edge of Lompoc, riders come to the last checkpoint at
River Park Campground. From there they'll make their way back via the beautiful,
rolling Santa
Rosa Road (usually with a super strong tail wind), and Hwy 246 back to Solvang.
201 miles with 10,300' of climbing. This route is significantly more
challenging than the Spring route - with substantially more climbing and
many steep pitches. Riders should expect to require a bit more time on the
bike between checkpoints. As such, if a rider is concerned about riding 40+
challenging miles between water/food stops, then a camelbak or other
hydration system is recommended.
Click here to see the route Delorme Topo. Courtesy of Eric Smith, who entered over 1,200 data points so the distances matched the route sheet within a 1/10th of a mile for the entire ride.
Local Weather
Click here for the weather in and around Solvang.
Parking
If you are staying at a hotel in Solvang, please park there and leave your car there during the event. If you are driving into Solvang on Saturday morning for the event, please be very careful how and where you park. Also, allow more than enough time to find proper parking. Do not park at the Royal
Copenhagen unless you are staying there. Solvang is a tourist and shopping town. The merchants get justifiably upset if cyclists, who are gone on their bikes all day, use commercial district parking. Here are numerous parking options that should be appropriate:
1. The street to the north behind the
main drag, Mission, is Elm Street. One side is the school and it should be ok to part on the street on the school side (about 20 cars); the side of the street behind the motel is mostly commercial (insurance, dental, etc), but there are a few tiny houses there also. Please park, unload, and prep quietly.
2. 4th Place is the street just to the west of the motel; it is one block long going between Mission (#246) and Elm Street. It is all commericial (offices on the side of the motel). It would take about 10 cars on each side of that block.
3. A Public Parking lot is almost exactly across the street from the motel and it holds 60 cars
4. There is another Public Parking lot right behind the small park, next to King Fredericks Motel (entered from Copenhagen); it holds about 50 cars.
5. The main Public Parking lot is on Alisal (next to an empty lot); the other two sides of lot are the Solvang Bakery and the Mission; entrance on Alisal. This one holds about 120 cars.
6. There are two other public lots, both on Oak Street. One at Oak and First Street and the other, also on Oak, just west of Second Street. The first of these is small, maybe 20 cars, but the other probably holds 75 to 100.
Directions
Use Hwy 101 to get to Solvang from either north or south. If coming from the south, you can save a few miles and get some great views by taking Hwy 154 over the San Marcos Pass and past Lake Cachuma. From the turn-off onto 246 towards Solvang, you'll be on the ride route's first miles in reverse. If coming from the north, exit the 101 in Buellton and go south on Hwy 246 four miles to Solvang. (This is the way the ride will finish.) The Royal
Copenhagen Inn is on the the main drag.
Click here for the Carpool and Room Share
blog
