Solvang!

(Sorry that this post has been a little delayed, I'm still working overtime hours. I've been writing on and off in my downtime the past couple of weeks. Thanks for being patient! )

Solvang 2009

I am excited to announce that I am now officially a 100 mile bike rider!

I spent the week before Solvang anxiously awaiting the big day, so much so that I had most of my biking gear packed by Tuesday. When Friday afternoon finally arrived and I headed up the 101N, arriving at the Beullton Marriot around 5:45. I was just in time to check in and attend the Team in Training kick off pasta party. The party was held downstairs in the ballroom, and the stairway down to the food was lined with cheering coaches and mentors, many of whom also had purple TNT cowbells to clang in a welcoming racket. Quite a way to ring in the evening!

Dinner was tasty, though I noticed that it was weird to see everybody in their street clothes after months of helmets and sunglasses. Over spaghetti and chocolate mousse we had welcome speakers who congratulated everyone on a successful training season. There was also a lot of advice to keep hydrated, eat a lot, and to ride at a comfortable pace. I've been told that the Solvang route is the most difficult of the TNT rides in my area. Most of the climbing happens at the end of the ride, after mile 65, meaning that pacing yourself at the beginning is incredibly important. Mixed in with all of the advice for the coming day was a reminder to have fun! With newbie jitters it was easy to get caught up in anxiety. Awards were handed out to the top fundraisers, and to those who were completing a TNT triple crown (triathlon, marathon, and century rides.)

I got back to my hotel room around 8 to set up all of my gear and turn in early.

I put my numbers on my jersey.

And stuck a TNT temporary tattoo on my leg.

Along with some sports goo and power bars my Solvang welcome kit came with "Road Rash Balm." I guess it's better to be prepared.

We had a 6:15am call time, so I called my boyfriend for a pep talk, triple checked my alarm and then tried to get some sleep. In most cases I am not a fan of getting up early, but I felt so excited to start the race I would have gotten up at 4 if my coach had asked me to.

Before I knew it my alarm went off and it was time to squeeze into some spandex! (Kind of like the ice capades I imagine, but with less sequins.) I put on sunscreen, grabbed all my gear, downed an espresso and a sandwich and rolled my bike out of my hotel room. I felt incredibly ready and prepared to start the ride. My teammates and I gathered along the steps for a quick picture, but I think everyone was just as ready to go as I was.

I'm the one glowing in the middle.


Each team had helmet ornaments. Ours was a little 'white blood cell' dude. Texas had a little red cowboy hat. San Francisco had mini Chamois Butter packets.

It was still dark at 6:45 when we rolled out, and around 50 degrees. Starting so early felt like an advantage, as we had a head start by almost two hours on any of our practice rides. It was a little chilly, but I was very comfortable in all of my biking layers. Everything that I wore is designed to be easily removed and packed up into pockets, so I wasn't too worried about overheating as the temperature rose. It was such a relief to finally start the century after all of these months of preparation!

We started out at an easy pace. In the back of my mind I reminded myself that there was a long way to go, so I wasn't too keen fly through the first few miles. Our little group gradually spread out and I found myself riding with the amiable Sheldon, an assistant coach on the Eastside team. This was Sheldon's third year at Solvang, and I came to rely on his experience as the ride wore on.

The first hour I was just excited to be finally out there doing the ride. The day dawned cool and cloudy, but hey, I'm from Ohio, and I thrive on cloudy days. I enjoyed the vineyards, farms and mountains, and the first 25 miles really seemed to fly by.

We decided to skip the first SAG (support and gear) stop to save a little time and keep going while we were still fresh. We waved to Sheldon's family as we went by. Hearing his daughters and niece ringing their cowbells like crazy gave me a great burst of energy.

It was really fun to be out there with so many other cyclists! Solvang typically draws over 3500 bikers, which is a lot more than I've ever been around. We saw quite a few cycling clubs in super fast pace lines, several tandems teams, and a lot people like me who fall into the biking enthusiast category. Several people asked us about our helmet ornaments. A couple of people told us our "snowman had melted!" We just laughed and explained that "It's a white cancer fighting blood cell, we're part of Team in Training."

This photo is actually from my drive home, but its pretty close to our biking scenery! Lots of cows, horses and vineyards.

I didn't take very many pictures of the scenery during the ride, as I only had eyes for the finish line. Sheldon told me that this ride is more fun every year that he does it, as he can spend less time worrying about the route and more time enjoying the terrain. The beginning of the ride is reminiscent of southern France, with winding roads through vineyards and farm lands, and mountain scenery all around. If you had told me that I was in Provence I might have believed you, especially if you then offered me some spectacular local wine. As the ride wore on there were a few sections that took us into residential areas, but luckily the route was well marked and organized. There were even local police to wave us through tricky intersections, and colored arrows marked on the road to point the way.

We stopped SAG2 around mile 39. I wasn't really hungry but I devoured some of the offered food before refilling my water bottle. The ride is divided pretty evenly by five SAG stops, each with volunteers providing sandwiches, fruit, cookies, nuts, a kind word, and tune ups if needed. One of the key rules to endurance rides is to "Eat before you're hungry, and drink before you're thirsty." I've been told that so many times that I don't really want to know what happens if you wait.

Though the first half of the ride is pretty flat, there was one big hill up a highway that I do remember. I figured it was just a warm up for what was to come, and my muscles were well trained from all of those hills in Malibu. I didn't exactly zoom to the top, but I worked on keeping a steady pace. And its always great to reach the top and coast to the bottom.

50 Miles? That's nothing. I was ready to keep going!

SAG 3 was around mile 60. Sheldon and I had the good luck to reach it at the exact same time as my friends from L.A who came to cheer me on. It was great to see familiar faces.

I had some awesome friends who came up to Santa Barbara to cheer me on.

SAG three felt like the party stop. Bikers and spectators took over the parking lot of the Radisson hotel. There was music playing as everyone refueled, and the bikers seemed cheerful and ready to tackle the second, and more difficult part of this ride.

The sun came out a little bit!

After SAG 3 I figured I had another 10 miles of fairly flat terrain before I needed to worry about anything. We passed several strawberry fields that I was tempted to poach from, and had a relatively uneventful stretch of road.

At SAG4 we met up with Coach Ramone who gave us a pre-Foxen Canyon pep talk. Foxen Canyon is a notorious stretch of the ride that I had heard about from Solvang veterans. Ramone explained that the next 18 miles along Foxen Canyon was a false flat, meaning that there was a very slight upgrade. This kind of road can get tedious very quickly, with the upgrade making it difficult to build up momentum. Ramone and Sheldon told me that I needed to pace myself, because Foxen Canyon is not only long, it's followed by a relatively intense hill before reaching the final SAG stop at mile 91.

This is where things got tougher. The first six miles past SAG4 seemed fine as we continued through farmland and vineyards. I saw a lot of horses grazing, and was tempted momentarily every time I saw a "Stop here for wine tasting" sign. But the route got monotonous pretty quick. I think even Sheldon got a little tired of it after awhile. Eventually though we made it to the promised big uphill push. I was tired from biking all day, and more than a little shaky. There were honestly times on that last Foxen Canyon hill when I felt spent. If I hadn't had Sheldon there with me I probably would have considered walking up that hill. If I ever needed a pep talk in my life it was right then, and he was there telling me "You're almost there, you're doing great." We passed quite a few guys along the tree lined route who had had to stop and stretch or take a breather. But I just kept pedaling, and eventually, I pushed to the top. I don't think I've ever quite enjoyed a downhill as much as that one. I positively grinned the whole way. Getting to the last SAG felt amazing. At that point I was way beyond any distance I had done before and I felt a new appreciation for the padding in my bike shorts. We somehow managed to catch up with my teammates Brad, Greg, John and Julia, and had a reunion over our PB+Js. I can usually keep pace with all of them on flats, but they blow past me when it comes time to climb hills. I guess we were following pretty close behind them the entire time. We talked about the ride for a bit, and it was great to see that we had all made it so far together.

I was feeling a little wobbly, so I downed another caffeine fueled GU packet and ate half a sandwich before we continued. I had been dreading this part of the ride all day, mostly because someone thought it would be cute to name it "The Wall.' As we approached it I watched as teeny riders in the distance mounted to the top. I had one of those moments that I think most endurance athletes have, where mid-ride you berate yourself and ask yourself questions like "Are you crazy? What in the world do you think you're doing out here?" In the end though I had no choice really but to keep pedaling. By the time I was finished with my mental tirade I was already halfway up the hill, and I had Sheldon next to me saying "Just a little further! You can do it."

And you know what? He was right. I made it to the top and was rewarded a glorious downhill jaunt. All of the bikers around me were emitting an infectious energy as we entered into the home stretch. There were some final uphill switchbacks, but they seemed like nothing at that point in the ride. We had joined up with a jubilant group of bikers who cheered each other around each uphill turn.

After that it was literally all downhill until we reached Solvang. What a way to end a day of riding. The minute we turned from farmland into a residential area I asked Sheldon, "Is this it? Are we there?" And he said "Yup, this is Solvang, just a little further to go!" Pedaling into the little Dutch village I was absolutely beaming.





Batman and Robin barely beat me across the finish line.

Here's Sheldon and I, rolling into downtown Solvang.

Alright!!!

It was a little after 4pm, and I clocked in at 8 hours, 10 minutes, just a little behind Brad and Greg. There were hugs all around and Marylin handed out our medals. Brad jokingly said that his goal was to beat 9 hours, but I think he set it little high on purpose. I've been told I made great time for a first century. I figured it was not bad for someone who's longest ride was 12 miles back in October!

Here I am admiring my medal.

I feel honored to have been able to train with such a wonderful group of people. After the finish line we actually had 3 more miles to go. Remember how we started off at the Marriot? Well we had to get back there somehow. And my biking computer was clocking in at 98.5 miles, so I needed at least another 1.5 to feel truly satisfied.

After making it back to the Marriot I took a glorious shower. I'm happy to report that I felt exhausted, but not as sore as I had anticipated. My friends took me out to a delicious Italian dinner at Cafe Angelica. I knew it was going to be tasty when we could smell wafting garlic before we even walked in the door. I greatly enjoyed the garlic bread and local wines, and relished being able to eat whatever I pleased.

And then we went back to the bar at the Marriot to play some pool and celebrate.

And here we are later relaxing at the bar.

Alicia, Sarah and Chris ready to enjoy some Dutch pastries.

Joining up with TNT has been incredibly rewarding, and I am so happy that it ended well. Sure there were Saturdays when the last thing I wanted to do was get up at 6:30am to go bike, but every time I was out there with my team I felt incredibly accomplished and happy. It has been an opportunity to challenge myself, push to new limits, meet new people, discover new places, and learn a lot about biking, all while raising money for a wonderful cause, and in memory of a wonderful friend. I have also been amazed at all of the support and encouragement that I have received from friends and family.

Together we surpassed my fundraising minimum by $430, coming in at a total of $2,630. I don't think that there is enough I can say to express my gratitude to everyone for pitching in to support this admirable cause. Every day I feel blessed for my good health, and it feels wonderful to be able to give back to help those who are fighting blood cancers. The Greater L.A. chapter raised over $56,000. Combined with the San Francisco and Texas teams, the Solvang TNT riders managed to pull in a grand total of $268,000.

It's been a long road, but I have had a lot of support along the way. I want to say thank you to all of the coaches and mentors who took time out of their days to help me bike shop, train and deal with bike maintenance, to my grandma who sent me encouraging emails and beautiful cards, for my bike enthusiast uncle who so generously set me up with most of my gear, for my boyfriend and parents who kept telling me that I could do it, for the friends who helped me bake scones and cinnamon rolls to sell at work (and thank you to everyone at work for being hungry), my boyfriend's parents who went to all of their neighbors and helped me raise over $500, for my 5th grade teacher who responded to my letter out of the blue, for all my friends for putting up with me being anti-social on Friday nights so I could get ready for Saturday rides, and thank you to every single person who donated.

Honestly, it's going to be a little bit hard to let go of this whole experience. I'm already looking into other rides to do in the spring and summer!

For some more pictures check out a teammate's album at-
http://picasaweb.google.com/chris.mang/2009SolvangCenturyRide314#


Also there are professional pictures if you like that kind of thing, but they seem to be kind of expensive. If you would like me to print some of my pictures I would be happy to!