Culver City to Arroyo Grande, 300 km bike ride
Biggest ride of my life so far.
It was a truly epic day starting at 5:30 am when we departed Culver City. We went through a sleepy and quiet Santa Monica in the first hour or so before making it to PCH. This was a section that I was happy to finish early in the morning because highway 1 through Malibu, especially on a Sunday morning can be quite terrible. It flew past and we made fantastic time out to Point Mugu.
The only issue during the Malibu, PCH stretch was a lost water bottle cage bolt. At one point I had reached down for my bottle and the whole cage came with it! Mike thought I had just strongman snapped it off my frame when in reality the bolts had shaken loose. I kept the bottle in my pocket and was fortuitous to find a bike shop along the way where I was able to get a new bolt.
Getting into Santa Barbara didn’t quite have the feeling of joy that I had hoped for because of the remaining ride looming over me. Still 1 century to go but progress had been steady so far. It felt like we got here extremely quick so that helped the mindset. My body felt very good considering I already rode 100 miles but next up was the biggest climb of the day.
The main trial of the day (or so I thought) came just after lunch. We had to climb over the mountains out of Santa Barbara on San Marcos pass. This was 10 km long with about 800 m of elevation gain. The road was hot and steep. However, lunch left me feeling renewed and I was able to climb almost as if I was freshly starting a ride. We saw only a handful of cars on this road and were very wise to avoid the awful, car riddled highway 154.
After climbing to the top of San Marcos we had a fantastic descent through beautiful oak shaded curves and smooth tarmac. It was a worthy payoff for the brutal ascent. However, all good things come to an end and this came for us when we had to join highway 154. We rode an oft disappearing shoulder next to 50+ mph traffic for what felt like an eternity. Despite it being Sunday afternoon, it seemed that traffic might as well have been rush hour. And despite it being only a 1 lane in each direction, semi-rural highway, people were passing by nearly non-stop. There was no room for error while dodging the rock debris or broken glass on the road in front of us. We eventually took a short break before finishing the last stretch into the oasis of the Los Olivos Grocery.
This last stop was about 3/4 done with the route. From here we made sure we were stocked up because only rural roads and small towns came next. We rode through Foxen Canyon which provided quintessential California beauty. Rolling green hills, open pastures, oak trees lightly dusting the landscape, this was a stunning section. We also encountered about 5 cars over the next 30 km. It was completely the opposite of what we had endured on the 154. The level of majesty was only enhanced by the lighting in the late afternoon.
As we dropped out of the hills and into the evening there was another trial to contend with. Along a stretch of road, Mike’s tire blew out. We stopped to change the flat and realized the cause was a thread bare tire. This tire was beyond its life and I couldn’t believe we made it so far given the state of the rubber (or lack thereof). A classic trick to help boot a tire and get you back on the road is using a dollar bill. I only had a 20 so this was a rather lux tire patch. It was holding air and we were rolling once again. $20 only bought us about 10 km in the end. Mike’s tire blew out again along a rural stretch of road between farms. It was getting quite cold and the wind was just constant. Mike was shivering and cramping which made changing the tire pretty much impossible. We were so lucky because at this moment a sheriff drove up to us and asked if we needed help. This was the end of Mike’s ride when the bike was loaded into the police car. He later got a pickup from his mom. I decided to keep riding on my own because as Mike’s cramps worsened my strength seemed to grow. I pushed on into the night.
I had about 40 km remaining to make it to the end: Mike’s parents house in Arroyo Grande. My motivation was high and I only had 1.5 hours or so remaining on this ride. I was able to hold a strong pace, likely my strongest pace of the day since there was no longer any reason to conserve energy. I was chasing the sunset through the outskirts of Santa Maria and ended up on a “bike path” for about 2 miles to continue on the route. This was a rocky gravel track and not really paved at all. Given the recent tire mishap I just hoped that mine wouldn’t succumb to the harsh surface. I did make it through without incident and flew through the last stretch on some of the smoothest roads we had ridden all day. It was subdued joy as I made it up the steep driveway to the finish line!
We got to eat some delightful Korean food for dinner courtesy of Mike’s mom. The spread was huge and despite our huge exertion, we couldn’t finish all that was served. The following day was spent recovering with plenty of food and a trip to the hot springs. Rather than riding back, we took the train to let our legs rest. The whole experience has been spectacular and I hope to keep the memory of this with me. I don’t know when I will next undertake such a challenge but I do know that it will be epic!
