SB 100

Written by Daniel Shepherd

Beautiful day, good turnout. Pace started high and we made quick work of the first 40 miles or so. I barely missed an early crash coming off the ortega ridge bike path as riders unfamiliar with the course went too fast through the blind corner. There was a second incident when we hit the lacrosse traffic at the polo fields (with the rising sun directly in our faces). Familiarity with the road came in clutch and I think all 805 riders got through unscathed.

My plan for the day was to focus on Gib and I ended up with a PR. I’m pretty stoked with that given the initial pace of the ride. My timing chip didn’t work, but the organizer was cool about it and gave me a blended time based on my Strava and Carl’s time (since he was right behind me). The Baker brothers and Brendan Bolin were in cruise mode and so my time ended up being the fastest of the event. After Gib I fought cramps for a few miles and then my legs came back. Carl caught me on the descent after the final climb. I almost slid out on Painted Cave on one of those shadowy corners right after the Chumash Park. Carl and I “traded” turns from Cat Oaks to Hope ranch trying to catch the lone leader. I was on the verge of imploding, puking, or both, and so Carl definitely did most of the work. We ran into Crocker on Las Palmas and then Carl rode away from us on the Cliff drive. Ultimately, Carl was the second finisher behind a guy from LA who put 18 minutes into us solo!