Solvang Winter Break 2009

Pictures: Top Left: Lucy and Svien Tuft; flower at winery; fans surrounding Team Astana bus; finish line set up; Marcus Ljungquist (Saxobank) after race in back alley; two shots along the race route; group shot of club before group ride; Lucy and Barb ready to ride.

Cycling in Solvang, CA in February is a nice way to spend a winter week. It's green and warm (unless it's raining), so way last fall I registered for a week-long, cycling trip with Bicycle Adventure Club with plans to stay at the same motel every night and just ride day tours from there. I invited my friend Barb Hanson to join me and share a room and gas.

The drive from Hurricane was 1115 miles round trip~long~and took more than eight hours each way. It passed quickly as we listened to a book-on-tape. Solvang was settled by a Danish colony who wanted to recreate Denmark in America. So all the buildings in the small, rural town look like they were lifted straight out of Europe. It's a nice destination for a quiet cycling or tour get away.

In Solvang the King Frederick Best Western (with hot tub) was our base of operation right in the middle of town. Twenty-one BAC members participated in this adventure filled week with Clarice Sackett as the "trusty leader." The first two days of cycling through the verdant pastoral hills were rainy~yes~wet, but not flooding like Death Valley. So the next two days, we re-rode many of the same routes to really see things. I had to wear long pants and a jacket all four days. The valley sports lots of wineries and quaint places to eat and hang out in the valley. The people were friendly and helpful.

The big bonus of the week was on Friday when the Tour of California came to Solvang for it's time trial. All of the famous pro cyclists and teams from around the world were in town to race including Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer (the eventual winner of the tour). Since I love watching every moment of the Tour de France, I opted not to ride at all with the group, but get up early and just wander around town, watching all the road crews set up barriers, gates, finish line, TV equipment, big screens, expo booths, etc.

As luck would have it, our motel was wedged right in between the time trial start gate and the finish line a block away. We were land locked and unable to drive from the motel for 24-hours. But we were in the center of all the excitement.

I watched as all the team buses drove into town from the previous overnight town of Paso Robles. The Team Astana (Lance and Levi) bus had a 20 motorcycle police escort into town. It was a big fancy bus with darkened windows. Of course, it was mobbed by fans as soon as it parked. The Team Rock had the best sound system and the most riders with "tats." I got a kick out of walking along the street just looking at all the team buses and the cyclists warming up next to their buses. Most of the workers and cyclists spoke little English being from Europe. But they all love their jobs.

The time trial started at noon and ended by 3:30 pm. As the cyclists left the start gate in front our motel I watched them zoom by with my binoculars while standing on a park bench just back of the sideline barrier. They flew by so fast, it was impossible to snap a picture. Can you say "streak of light!" By the time 120 cyclists including Lance, David Zabriskie, Levi and all the big guys had taken off last, the first riders were coming into the finish line on the back side of the motel. It only took the pros about 30 min to ride the 15 mile route. Levi averaged 30 mph. I averaged about 10 mph when I rode the route the day before the tour. The route was very hilly and the surface rather rough out in the country. They were fixing potholes the day I rode it.

The fans in the crowd are what really make the bicycle race exciting. Everyone is happy. People were there from all over the world to experience cycling fever. The healthy lifestyle expo flaunted some of the most expensive bicycles I've ever seen~all made of plastic~errrr carbon fiber they say.

As fast as the entire event was put up in the morning hours, it disappeared by 7:00 pm in the evening after the race and Solvang returned to a sleepy little Danish town in America. Would I do this trip again~YES!