Why do riders love road riding in Solvang?
Solvang and the Santa Ynez valley are well know to the wine connoisseur as a highly desirable region off the beaten wine vineyard trail in a beautiful part of the central coast of California. The same appeal rings true for cyclists, and the quiet country roads offer a paradise for those looking for an escape. Professional cycling teams have used this area as a base for training camps, especially because in both 2007 & 2009 The Amgen Tour of California had time trials in the Santa Ynez valley. Most recently Montana native Tejay Van Garderen (Team leader of BMC cycling team), has used Solvang as a training base in his preparation for upcoming races. In 2015 The Cycling House launched our first spring training camps for cyclists and triathletes in Solvang and really discovered why you should add this to your bucket list of cycling destinations in the United States.
A Great Location for a Cycling Camp
Our home base in Ballard is about 45 minutes from Santa Barbara airport and 2 hours from Los Angeles airport. We teamed up with The Inn at Ballard; a luxury Inn that offers amazing food and great accommodations. The concept was something new for The Cycling House but the experience at The Ballard Inn was superb. In Solvang we do not have an in-house chef like we do at our signature training camps in Tucson. The food is still a big part of the experience, and we created a fun food experience in Solvang. The Ballard Inn provides a healthy breakfast every morning with plenty of options, and post rides The Cycling House presents a picnic style lunch either on the porch of the Inn or at a nearby winery. In the evening we have dinners at some award-winning restaurants which are only a short drive away. The valley has over 120 wineries; most are small boutique family run vineyards with laid back tasting rooms. The food, wine, and overall experience will be right on par with what you might experience at one of our home based trips.
The Cycling Routes in Solvang
The cycling in Solvang has some of the best qualities that we all look for in perfect rides. The majority of roads in the valley are low-traffic and often times only lead to farms, vineyards or up into the surrounding national forest. Most refer to Mount Figueroa as the crown jewel of cycling in the valley. The ride can be done a variety of ways but at the shortest it is a 40 mile loop with 5,000 feet of climbing and with steepest grades of 8-10% . The climb is epic and offers spectaculars views of the surrounding mountains, Santa Ynez valley and the Pacific ocean. The descent down from Mount Figueroa resembles a European descent. It empties out into the valley that passes Michael Jackson’s old Neverland Ranch before hitting Los Olivos, which offers wine tasting rooms for many of the surrounding wineries. Mount Figueroa might be the crown jewel but Santa Rosa road, Jalama Beach road, Foxen Canyon, Ballard Canyon and host of other roads offer equally amazing rides. In our week of training we will hit the best of the best and cap it all off with an 85 mile ride to the Pacific Ocean. The riding in the area speaks for itself and you will quickly see why teams like the former Discovery Channel trained here.
I’ve been fortunate enough to ride my bike all over Europe, South America and of course North America. I’m often asked, “Where or what is the best Cycling House trip?” I really like the response a friend of mine answered for this question, “The best cycling trip is the one that you are currently on, love the one you are with.” Sometimes we all forget about living in the moment and enjoying the ride. Whether that be our local hour of power route or a destination ride or trip. The point is; enjoy the ride but always look forward to the future. We look forward to exploring everything that the Santa Ynez valley and Solvang has to offer.
Cheers,
Brendan Halpin, Director of Trips at the Cycling House