I never did the ride but it was pretty fun this first time. The views are stunning and Solvang is beautiful. I even got to see an ostrich farm with alot of ostrichs out walking around, as I rode by. This course was pretty hilly and I didn't train on hills and it showed. Walked up one of the hills (the one before the 95 mile stop), and suffered at a measly 2-3mph on most of them.

I can't really complain since I only paid $65 for the ride (as opposed to $485 for an IM) but I thought the aid stations were not that great. Maybe that's how all centuries are but I was thinking they would pass gatorade bottles and gels and power bars out as I passed the aid stations. I had to actually get off and fill my own bottles. HA!

At times, the roads sucked too. Toward the end, maybe the last 40 miles or so, the roads are in terrible shape. My hands and arms are still sore from all the vibration.

Oh, and I learned alot out there. Those roadies and bike clubs have all these hand signals and they can draft well. My cousins kept jumping on the end of the pace lines and told me to get on. So, I try my best to get on (and no, I was not in my aero bars), look down at the bike computer or to my left or ride to look at the view, look forward, and dang it, I'm 2 meters from my cousin. Just those 2 meters, I could not close the gap. Happened like 10 times so I gave up. Of course, my 2 cousins came in before me.

Even though it's a century, I should have prepared more. I should have trained hills, but also, check my equipment. My bike shorts had 2 holes in it, I had to carry regular shorts just in case it would have ripped more. I had to use duct tape to try to prevent it.

Also, not sure if it was caused before, or all the vibrations from the course, but half way through the ride, I noticed my headset was starting to vibrate badly. I have to bring it into the shop now.

Oh, and prepare for a century like a century instead of a tri or im. Next time, I'll probably wear a camel bak, also wear bike gloves to help with the vibration (I don't wear it for tri), and maybe wear bike shorts instead of tri shorts. Also, my seat was so jacked forward that I had a hard time climbing. Should have pushed it back and rode slack.

None. Nothing against Solvang but the food sucks there.


No hill training. and need to prepare for what the ride is, a century, not a triathlon.


I had fun.