Difficulty of the ride

[Yuou Wang]

I just came across the ride today and am very tempted to join! However, I have not done a multi-day, long-distance ride before and am feeling a little intimidated. 

Does anyone know if we need to follow the route/schedule? Would love to meet people who might want to take the ride more chill and spend a few extra days riding from SF to Santa Barbara/LA. I would really appreciate it if anyone could share your advice/past experiences. 

Feel free to leave a message here or text me at 332-250-9340. Thanks! 

Happy new year :) 

Yuou 

[Ryan Francesconi]

The roads are open (well maybe not - pending the storm) - but assuming they are, I think the only consideration is if you want to use the daily SAG support or not.

I don't see why you'd want to register for the ride unless you are planning to complete as part of the group in the same timeframe.

[Katie Goad]

I've known a couple people to be caught off guard by the level of support (one ended up in a pick-up, the other didn't know the route and had no idea where she was going/where her hotel was)- this is not a Fondo with food + support every hour or so. The course is *not* marked. There is usually one water stop, one lunch stop, and pizza at the host hotel. 

It's best to approach it as if it's self-supported with emergency sag and lunch (sometimes- don't rely on it). The weather is looking rough and daylight is limited- it's a point to point so there are no "bail" options. I did have good luck with (and greatly appreciate!!) help from SAG vans when I flatted 3x times on the third leg in 2022 (and there is a high chance you will flat- there is a TON of debris on the third day). 

I would not recommend it if you're not used to long (7+ hours) unsupported days back to back. 

Before I was up for the real event, I drove a car for my friends and did rides from the hotel we were staying in that night. It was really fun and I actually ended up taking my husband back to SLO and Santa Barbara to show him what he missed while he was riding down the coast. If you go that route, I can share some rides. They are all really great places to ride!

On Friday, December 30, 2022 at 12:41:16 PM UTC-8 yw3...@columbia.edu wrote:

[Katie Goad]

Oh, now I see your question... haha... in that case, you're on your own. Be aware of any possible road closures given the recent and upcoming storms.