Solvang 2012

[Carl Sanders]

CORRECTION: With an open start time, the official results now show me 9th overall. A hand full of riders appeared to have started after I did and roll across the finish later then myself with shorter times. Still quite respectable.

 At the third aid station at mile 113, my friend Karl insisted that I eat quickly and so that we could ride out with the 'fast group of guys' getting ready to roll back on the course.  

The first hundred or so mile was a blast, carried along by strong tailwinds, we pedaled north from Solvang to Pismo Beach along mostly quite rolling backcountry roads weaving thru vineyards, horse ranches, and croplands. Beautiful country. Fast, easy start to the day. Probably spent too much time out front, pulling the train at a surprisingly fast pace. It just felt too good to hang back.

With the fifteen or so 'fast guys', many wearing Furnace Creek 508, HooDoo 500 or Race Across the West type jerseys, I struggled to keep up. I'd accidently stepped it up notch or two. This group gradually disintegrated as we ground our way back south into the howling coastal winds.  Down to five riders at the mile 141 aid station, I realized we were the lead group out of 550 riders. Across the totally exposed agricultural flats along the coast, we rotated through short-pull eschelon pace lines. The wind was maddening with no chance for respite. So much for a relatively flat course being easy.

Two guys took off the front, apparently frustrated with the pace. I tried to give chase, but couldn't bridge the gap. Down to three in my group, I began to crack trying to stay out of the wind with each short pull. I feared falling off the back into no-man's land if I couldn't hold the line. By that time, we had managed to create a huge gap between us and the rest of the field. Giving up and dropping off would seem like being left for dead in the wind. I kept at it.

Just before the mile 141 aid stop we caught Richard, one of the lead riders. The lead guy was long gone.  Back to four, heads down, we pushed on into the gale.

By the mile 168 aid stop, my mind and body were blown. The legs ached and I longed for some steep hills so that I could get out of the saddle to stretch my numb bum. At mile 177, feeling totally spent, I fell off the back for good. I let Peter and Richard get away just before the last climb up Foxen Canyon.  Still in sight, Richard and Peter quickly dropped Gary, who I was able to keep in sight before the final descent back into Solvang. To my surprise, two miles from the finish, Gary was off his bike, fussing with his chain. I rolled past him, but he quickly had my wheel as we became the forth and fifth riders across the finish that day. With riders starting at various times, my finish time of 11:10 put in 9th position overall.

Completing 197.5 miles with ~7,500' of climbing, battling 25 mph headwinds in 11 hours 10 minutes ought to be good practice for the Terrible Two!

 

[Ryan Gibson]

Nice job Carl! Sounds like an epic trip-well done. Sounds like fueling differently could have kept you at the very front?

[Carl Sanders]

Thanks -- I don'nt know that I 'bonked' for lack of fuel. After reviewing my fuel input, it appears that I averaged about ~310 cals/hr, which is just about what I can metabolize during that level of intensity. Better pacing and coordinated team work during the first half would have helped. I'd guess that I just got in with a stronger, faster, more experienced group of riders during the second half -- best way to learn something!

[Paul Montgomery]

give me a climb over the wind any day, superhuman...(2 words... drink beets)