On October 23, 2021, I completed the Ride Santa Barbara 100 (100-mile route). This was my first century since I got back into cycling nearly a year ago (but not my first century). I selected this event to mark the “anniversary” of the beginning of my weight-loss journey and my return to cycling. After being off the bike for several years, during which time I had gained weight and allowed myself to drift into a sedentary lifestyle, I realized I needed to make a change.
On October 23, 2020, I weighed 105kg, and I struggled to ride my bike even 10 minutes. One year later, on the morning of the event, I weighed 72kg, and I was ready to tackle this challenging century ride.
Here’s a short video showing the rollout at 7:00 a.m.
An Amazing Ride!
Overall this ride was amazing: supremely well-organized, a fair bit of climbing (over 9,000 feet), and stunning views of Santa Barbara and the Pacific Ocean. The best view, in my opinion was along the Camino Cielo section heading East from Gibraltar Road. From there, I could see the Pacific Ocean on my right and the mountains and valleys of the Los Padres National Forest to my left.
Check out the activity on Strava!
Results
I finished the 100-mile ride with an official time of 6:58:36, which was 94th out of 376 overall. On the Gibraltar Challenge (the climb up Gibraltar Road), I finished 50th of 379 (overall), 45th out of 337 (males), and 16th out of 112 (males aged 50-59).
Looking Ahead …
I am continuing to train and further develop my fitness. In 2022, I plan on completing a few double centuries, with an eye toward winning the California Triple Crown. In addition, I have already signed up to do the Santa Barbara 100 again next year. I am looking forward to it!