Solvang Time Trial Trip

Well, it took sometime but now I got pictures and the data loaded up to make a proper post for our Solvang Time Trial trip.

This year had no shortage of Lance fans... from the moment we showed up on the scene it was Livestrong fever and Lance mania... but all in due time.

We rolled up to Santa Barbara Thursday night and met up with my boys dad for steak dinner and some wine. Despite the fact that we had about 80 miles to put down the next day, we barreled through a decent amount of drinks. It started with wine and dessert was an Irish Pub for another 3 Guinness'... another set of cocktails at a local watering hole by the hotel... and a final bottle of wine from the 7/11 on the walk back to the room. Of course Steve and I were innocent victims that ended up three sheets to the wind, along with Mr. Ford. The good deal for Stevo's pop is that he wasn't planning on riding over the San Marco's Pass to Solvang the next day.

We woke up that morning bright and early, with some hefty headaches as well. Although, the excitement of the ride was upon us, thus, shaking off the hungover feeling was somewhat easy going. After a hearty breakfast and some route planning with google maps we set off. We left SB from downtown and headed for the old San Marcos road that would take us up to the pass via a less congested route. The views from the road were amazing, which was expected on a climb that takes you from 125ft to a max elevation of 2,225ft. This was quite a burly climb given our disposition... we had about 9 miles warm-up (neutral zone) and then from mile 9 to 15 we climbed 2,100 ft to the top of the pass. We luckily were hit with this climb early on and we were rewarded with a solid 4 mile 7% descent on the other side.

The remainder of the ride is very beautiful along the 154 hwy, with mostly rollers and a gradual downhill all the way to Solvang.

Ride Profile: Santa Barbara to Solvang

We were very excited when we arrived in Solvang, the place was off the hook packed. There were about 25,000 fans packed into the small danish city and easy access to catch a view of your favorite cyclists before they hit the course. We arrived before the stage started so we hit up the Belgian Cafe, where we rewarded ourselves with a Belgian waffles and bacon cheeseburgers for the recovery meal. After our calorie rich post ride meal, we hit the course and took several shots cheering on our favorite riders... Photos to follow.

STEVO, LOW PRO

WHO'S THAT IN THE BACK?

LEVI, SETTING COURSE RECORD

GOOOO LANCE!!!! GO LANCE, LANCE LANCE... OH MY GOD LANCE!!!

I ALMOST TAGGED HIM... SERIOUSLY

OH MY GOD, FLOYD GO FLOYD... WHAT CAN I SAY I'M A FAN

After the Stage wrapped up we got ready for our departure, but not before my boy Steve got a quick pic with the coolest rider in the pro peloton. None other than Jens Voigt. He was outside the Saxo-Bank bus signing autographs and setting up for post ride interviews. Other notable sightings were Christian Vandevelde, Bobby Julich, and a quick crossing of paths with David Zabriski.

STEVE AND JENS... TIGHT...

We soon decided it was time to get going... and we were not excited or looking forward to a difficult ride home, in the face of a fading sun as well. We charged out hard and took down the first 20 miles back pretty quickly. Apparently Stevo was riding with a lot of enthusiasm about having just gotten a photo with Jens. I was no good... especially once we hit the big climb back over the pass. The awesome 4 mile 7% grade descent was all of a sudden not so awesome. I got off to a decent start but soon felt the "BONK" coming on. Just shy of the KOM, I slowed to about a 4 cadence and almost jumped off the bike. When I did reach the summit, I stopped to wait for Steve only to find that him and another rider were hot on my tail.
The pain was over... it was time for the descent. A really awesome descent down Old San Marcos road... categorized by Italian Alps style switchbacks, and steep fast swooping turns. It is a very technical downhill and you have to be aware of the occasional car... so you have to be on point for this one. We bombed down this super quick taking only one quick photo of the view.

Ride Profile: Solvang back Santa Barbara

By the time we had gotten back to the car, it was already dark. As we cruised the last few miles into town, I was so bad that I was having trouble maintaining even a moderate pace. But at the end of the ride we got the greatest reward of all. We snuck into the Hotel hot tub and chilled out for about a half hour, which definitely helped for next day recovery. It was also a great way to clean up after a long day. Finally to top it off we hit State St. for a huge Italian meal. We went to Pascucci, which is an amazingly good Italian spot. We had a full pizza for and appetizer and each grubbed a lasagna.

It was an amazing getaway and a great way for the two of us to unwind from the pressures of unemployment and focus on the finer things in life... like wine and cycling.