Solvang Century

Robert rode in the Solvang Century bicycle ride last Saturday with 5,000 of his closest friends. It is one hundred miles through the coastal hills about five hours south of San Francisco. Mira did not ride in this one because her bicycle was stolen a few weeks ago and we have not yet replaced it. We're working on it, though. It is a good excuse to get her a fancier bike, which she deserves after all the riding she did last year.We met Robert's cousin-in-law, Steve Goby, the night before the ride and shared a motel room with him. He had tried the ride the year before, but the weather was very bad and he ended it with 40 miles to go. This year looked to be different, first, because the weather looked good, and, second, because he had brought his boss and other co-worker along. Quitting was not an option.The group started the ride together at about 7:00 am. The wind blew quite hard during the first half of the ride, and the course went into the wind most of the time. Then it started to get hot. The ride was well organized, many rest stops along the way with food and bathrooms. They could have set up more shade, though, for the northern Californians to whose bodies were overheating. Anyway, Robert had to stop for a nap about 65 miles into the ride, which is par for the course for him. Good thing he did, because at mile 80 came some hills that left a lot of people struggling. He got over these pretty well, if slowly.Mira did not want to stay down south, so after the finish we rode all the way back to San Francisco. Of course, Mira did most of the driving. Check one more organized ride off the list. We hope to do the Wine Country century this summer, if Mira has her bike by then.