Additional Information
Route Description
The event starts and finishes just down the road from its namesake, Solvang, a quaint, Danish village with great restaurants, window shopping, real shopping, horse-drawn carriages, parks, people in costume, wine-tasting, vineyards, and lots of fun things for the whole family to see and do. Bring your family and make a weekend of it. We promise they'll all have a great time while you ride your bike!
Starting with a wave start from the Marriott, you'll do a nice warm-up through Solvang and into the eastern Santa Ynez Valley, then heads up world famous Foxen Canyon. You'll then essentially bypass Santa Maria by jogging around that town on dead quiet Bull Canyon to Hwy 166. Next you'll more or less parallel the 101 as you head north. After some really neat back roads, the route skirts the edge of San Luis Obispo, then goes all the way into super scenic Morro Bay, right to the waterfront and a dramatic view of "the rock." Next you'll roll through some of the prettiest state park miles anywhere, then head south on PCH along the coast through Pismo Beach, and such. After Guadalupe, you'll stay southbound on this desolate and beautiful stretch of Hwy 1, bypassing the whole Lompoc area, and then continuing onto Hwy 135 to the neat little western antique haven of Los Alamos, site of the final checkpoint. From Los Alamos, riders encounter what is essentially the only real climb of the entire day, up and over Drum Canyon, a quiet, twisty, 800 foot, 3.4 mile ascent. It's got a steep, technical downhill, so stay focused even though you can smell the barn! On the other side, we hop onto Hwy 246 back to Buellton, with a big shoulder all the way to town!
The route is 193 miles. And truly, these are the best miles available in an already spectacular riding region. This route is among the fastest, most scenic, and most popular in the entire California Triple Crown series! Total elevation gain: about 7,500'. Fun, fast, and easy!
Towns/regions visited: Solvang, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos, Foxen Canyon, Sisquoc, Santa Maria, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Guadalupe, Los Alamos, Buellton.
