AIDS LifeCycle 8: Day 5

Day 5: Thursday, June 4. RED DRESS DAY!

Day 5 is the legendary “Red Dress Day”. It started years ago as “Dress Red” day but became “Red Dress” day. I never saw so many men in red tutu’s, fishnets, and boas! It was a fantastic day filled with laughter and happiness as we took to the roads from Santa Maria to Lompoc: 68 miles.

The day started overcast (can you see a theme to the mornings?) and cool. I realized Super Husband’s red jersey (he wore it for the full marathon – he was able to use those pockets in the back for his PB&J sandwiches that pushed him through the 26.2) was not enough to keep me warm as we left Santa Maria. Brrr! I had to put on the sleeves as well as my cycling jacket – which was not very festive for the day since it’s turquoise, not red. Ah well… at least I was comfortable – and trust me, that counts!

Roadies in Red Dress attire

The first rest stop was 17 miles down the road – and for some reason it seemed to take FOREVER to get there that morning. We kept looking at the skies, feeling like we were outrunning a huge monster of a storm. We looked out toward the foothills and we saw dark ominous clouds – ugh…. rain in the future? Keep moving! We finally reached the first rest stop and it was great to see all the great outfits / costumes. It seemed to be a common theme – hearing riders say it was a long 17 miles that morning. Interesting – maybe we all needed a nice “short day” and were looking forward to the shorter mileage today.

The next 13 miles had a bit climbing involved – it made sense since we were outside Solvang, a lovely hilly area. We began our climb and Ellen and I actually stuck together for much of the early part of this ride. We took turns “pulling” each other since we were both a bit fatigued from the week.

We started up this steeper climb and there was Ginger – at the top in all her red glittery glory – boosting our confidence. Another cheerleader – who would sing to us each day on the hilliest of hills – came up next to me. He cheered us on and pushed me up the hill. What the heck? I wasn’t expecting the push! It was kind of freaky actually. I am not a fan – but it was the thought that counts and he was so helpful to everyone climbing that hill… he is known for singing 80’s sitcom theme songs and having Red Vine licorice in big buckets in the back of his truck. Such a nice guy!

I never did grab any licorice….and I could use some – NOW.

Up we went and at the very top of the hill was another cheerleader with one of those Staples “Easy Buttons”. As we went by he had us press it – and it was cool. Once we crested the top we heard “That was easy!” over and over.

Onward and we came across Rest Stop 2. Made a quick stop to refill bottles, get a snack and hit the road. Only 15 miles to lunch in Solvang – let’s get going!!

Ellen and I hit the road, hit a short steep hill and then rolled downhill into Solvang. We came across many lush, rolling hills. Vineyards at each turn (so many acres of grapes) and even livestock. We came across the cutest little mini horses and their babies. Ellen took this picture of these adorable creatures (and she took all the pics you see in my blog for ALC, by the way – so thank you Ellen for letting me use your pics).

Day 5: Mini horses and their babies on the way to Solvang.

We rolled into Solvang – and boy was it fun to watch the tourists amazed at the parade of flamboyant red outfits all the riders were wearing…. just priceless and incredible!

I joined Mary and Ellen at lunch, ate most of it today (guess I was hungry!). We discussed how Solvang was new to ALC’s route. We think the Tourist Board got involved and wanted us to roll through – because it’s out of the way… some liked it, many did not. It’s a lovely area – but I think so many riders wanted a shorter day (in the past – Red Dress Day was about 45 miles). Before we knew it we were on our way. The sun was out, my jacket came off and we were heading down the road. We were making good time: 44 miles in, only 24 to go and it was lunch. I predicted 2 hours max to get there, including stops.

I did not take into account the WIND – HEAD WINDS – we would come across going west from Solvang to Lompoc. *grrr* We hit head winds and rolling hills the entire way back. The wind alone would not have been bad. The hills alone would not have been bad… however, put them together, it was a tough last 24 miles!! My wrists and forearms were hurting from keeping the bike upright with the wind. I fell in line behind a young woman dressed as Lava Girl. She “pulled” me all the way back – I followed her cadence and it was nice knowing I wasn’t all alone.

I passed Mary and Ellen (one had a flat close to camp), asked if they were ok – they said yes – and moved on to camp. Hello Lompoc! (FYI: It’s pronounced “Lom-poke”).

Once into camp, we set up the tent, took showers – then decided to take it easy and go into town. The campsite was very pretty – surrounded by green trees, grass, a pond with ducks…. We were in another armed forces area (as well as prison area). The town had shuttles for us – so we took a shuttle in town to a little Mexican restaurant. I wasn’t sure how dinner would sit – I never had heavy Mexican food before a ride but I was so hungry I did not care! I also had a Diet Coke. That was the BEST Diet Coke – EVER!!! YUM! Those bubbles cleared up all the dust, grime, gunk in my system.

Knowing the following day was going to be a long one: 85 miles from Lompoc to Ventura, I thought I should get some Gu. We all decided to look for some after an ice-cream break – but unfortunately kept coming up short. The first shop was closed. The second shop didn’t carry them… the third shop didn’t carry them…. Ugh! At this point we were all getting tired – but luck has it, some locals saved our day!! Connie and Dave Hollister swooped in and asked us if we wanted a ride anywhere… we were so stunned at the locals’ hospitality (and the fact we had 20 minutes to make it to the local bike store before it closed) – we ended up taking Connie and Dave up on their offer. They drove us to the bike store, we got two boxes of Gu and split it among the four of us.

The hospitality does not stop there, my friends! After we were done with the bike shop, they asked if they could take us anywhere else…. and we said, “If it’s not too much, could you take us back to camp?” and they DID! What wonderful people!! They took us all the way back to camp. Here is a great pic of our friendly locals!

Connie and Dave - our heroes of the day

After we returned it was time to slow down, decompress and ready for the next day. The red dresses were a hit everywhere – it brought out so much creativity and morale. It definitely boosted the energy for the day (although everyone was talking about how tough this “short day” turned out to be). Day 5 had lovely scenery – from the rolling orchards, fields, farms – to the meadowy foothills in the distance. Now to rest and outrun that 40% chance of rain on Day 6!