The Santa Barbara Century

A few months ago, I got wind of a new century event coming to Santa Barbara in the fall. What I know now is that the Santa Barbara Century is an epic event and it will be a popular one for those of us endurance cyclists looking for one last hurrah before the cycling season winds down.

Being a first year event, I waited until pretty late in the game to get signed up (it was also a struggle getting time off work). I was worried their might not be many riders, or that the route would be somehow deficient -- wrong on both counts. In fact, the healthy 800+ rider turnout is a testament to just what a great place Santa Barbara is for cycling, something I've come to cherish since moving here. But on to the event!

My roommate Casey and I started just after 6:30am, planning to ride with a group of riders we had been training with. They left a few minutes ahead of us, so we were hurriedly moving along the bike path along the wharf when Casey flatted. Ten minutes later, we were a quarter-mile farther when he flatted again. In the darkness of a foggy, misty morning we hadn't noticed the large piece of glass protruding from his tire. Just before 7am, close to defeat, we left the bike path and hooked onto a group of 50 or so local riders in the hopes of making up time -- and did we ever! By the first rest-stop, which saw the large group all the way down to Carpinteria and over Gobernador Canyon, we had caught up with our group and were feeling better despite a little rain.

The second section of the event featured several short but testing climbs (Toro Canyon @ 7.5% for 0.6mi, Ladera Lane 10.5 @ 0.9mi ), both of which we had scouted ahead of time. Ladera was a nasty addition that saw riders zig-zagging, triple spinning, and stopping along the way to the top. I felt bad for them know that Gibraltar Road lay ahead.

Gibraltar Road was a climb of 7mi @ 6.5%, which puts it firmly in the list of toughest climbs in the country, according to John Summerson's "The Complete Guide to Cimbing (By Bike)." Lance Armstrong puts his stamp of approval on it every year, when he uses Gibraltar as one of his winter training rides. For me, everything went well until I cramped about 100 yards from the top. For almost ten minutes I watched riders pass me as I tried to stretch my right quad enough to get back on the bike.

The next section of the ride featured beautiful views on either side of the mountain as we road down to the end of East Camino Cielo Rd and then back to where Camino Cielo meets Painted Cave. By then the cumulative effect was making the little climbs along the route seem daunting, but as I reached Painted Cave I knew I was home free.

The final third of the ride features a bumpy descent of Painted Cave Rd and the locally-popular Old San Marcos Rd, followed by a long and flat ride out to Goleta and back to the boardwalk. Casey and I used drafting as much as possible, picking up lone riders at a decent clip. As we reached the finish, the familiar feeling of a body delightful spent greeted me and I took a rest out on the grass by the beach.

I cannot stress enough what a cool idea it was to have a Santa Barbara Century, and even more so because at 100mi with 9,800ft of elevation gain, it is a real climbers delight. I look forward to making use of the optional Gibraltar timing chips next year, and making this event a mainstay on my cycling calendar.