OCTOBER 15, 2022Far and away the best route in Southern California’s most scenic and most popular cycling region!
NO crowds! Great support!
LIMITED TO 500 riders
And most importantly, a portion of every entry fee will be donated to Life Sports Foundation!
2022 Entry Fees*:
$125 includes: Chip timing, finisher souvenir, 3 fully stocked checkpoints along the route, roving SAG support; post-ride meal at Habit Burger in Buellton. A portion of every basic entry fee goes directly to the Life Sports Foundation. Event tech tees are available for sale with online registration. Sale proceeds will be donated to LSF.
* If you’re able to recruit an event volunteer, please email us before signing up and we’ll give you a coupon code to use during registration for an instant 50% off. If you recruit the volunteer AFTER you signed up, we’ll give that volunteer a coupon for 50% discount off a future ride (which you can use if they don’t).
Please read our Planet Ultra policies/rules and our event cancellation policy before registering. We’re 100% up front about what you can expect; and don’t want you to feel surprised.
Use the SignUp bottom to register online and pay by credit card (which includes a small service fee).
Solvang’s Sequel Finest is dedicated to fundraising for Life Sports Foundation.
The challenge of riding a metric century, or participating in any endurance sport, is a lot of fun; but people with disabilities often don’t have access to the special equipment and training it takes for them to pursue this lifestyle.
Life Sports Foundation is dedicated to helping people of all abilities who are facing physical, situational, or medical challenges to enrich their lives through sports. They provide opportunities for enhanced athletic lifestyles through endurance events, specialized equipment, training, competition expenses, and education.
There are three easy things that you can do to help: First, register for this event! A portion of your entry fee goes directly to Life Sports Foundation. Second, make a tax-deductible donation with your entry.
Host Hotel (and possible Start/Finish location)
Our host hotel is the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott located at 555 McMurray Road in Buellton, 800-638-8882. The Marriott has a Planet Ultra rate of $TBA per night, which expires September 15th. Call 888-236-2427 and ask for the Planet Ultra Group Block Room Rate.
Our overflow hotels are:
Hampton Inn, 600 McMurray Rd in Buellton, (805) 686-1555. $219 plus taxes. Reservation link coming soon.
Pea Soup Anderson’s Inn in Buellton, (805) 688-3216 with a Planet Ultra group rate of $TBD.
We realize hotels in this area are very expensive; so try AirBnB as well.
Route Description
PLEASE NOTE: The road surfaces in and around the Santa Ynez Valley can be, and often are, pretty lousy. Expect cracks and bumps and potholes on Foxen Canyon, Cat Canyon and Ballard for sure. Please bring appropriate, wider, more cushy tires. Also, the map shows the ride starting/ending at the Marriott. We’re looking into moving to a better location.
The event starts and finishes just down the road from its namesake, Solvang, a quaint, Danish village with excellent restaurants, window shopping, real shopping, horse-drawn carriages, parks, people in costume, wine-tasting, vineyards, and lots of fun things for the whole family to see and do. Bring your family and make a weekend of it. We promise they’ll all have a great time while you ride your bike!
You’ll start with a spin through Solvang before heading towards the vineyards, and Foxen Canyon, that make this area famous. At mile 22 you’ll take a break and refuel at Tres Hermanas Winery before you continue towards Sisquoc and your biggest challenge of the day: Cat Canyon.
Cat meanders a bit before pitching UP, where you’ll tackle a one mile climb with an average 10% grade (and do watch your line as the road is terrible here). A super fun, fast descent on nice pavement takes you to a section of private road through ranch and farmland, which leads to Los Alamos, where you’ll enjoy your next fuel stop in a lovely county park.
The last leg has a couple miles of barely paved frontage road which leads to the lovely, meandering climb on Alisos Canyon. Then back on Foxen, a short steep pitch, and all downhill to your final fuel stop at Fess Parker Winery.
UP and over “the Wall” on Foxen, then through Los Olivos and the rolling hills of Ballard Canyon back to Buellton and the end of your amazing day on the bike.
72 miles with 4,500 feet of climbing. Three SAG stops along the course. You may view a map of the route, the elevation profile and download GPS files here.
Towns/regions visited: Solvang, Ballard, Los Olivos, Foxen Canyon, Sisquoc, Los Alamos, and back to Buellton.
Routing and Navigation
Planet Ultra route sheets include lots of useful information to help riders navigate the course. For example, we’ll let you know if a turn is at a stop sign (SS), traffic light (TL) or T-intersection (T-int). We know that riders like to have the course marked. However, many of the towns/cities/counties specifically request that no markings are placed in the road. Some of our permits are contingent on NOT doing this.
Also note: The Solvang area is host to many events, and there may be road markings all over the place – most of which will NOT be for our ride. If you don’t pay attention to your route sheet, or better yet your GPS, you’re likely to follow some random arrow which puts you off course. So please, ALWAYS HAVE YOUR ROUTE SHEET WITH YOU and be aware of where you are on the route.
This is the type of route where a GPS with turn-by-turn capabilities will come in handy. Please understand and take responsibility for navigation.
Rider Check-In:
TBD
Parking:
If you’re staying somewhere other than the Marriott, please leave your car and ride to the start. If you’re driving to Buellton Saturday morning, please be respectful about where you park. Allow enough time to find proper parking; and please don’t park in the Marriott lot.
How To Get There:
Use Hwy 101 to get to Buellton from either north or south. Click here for a map.
Chip Timed Event!
Solvang Sequel will be timed, either start to finish, or a KOM section on route (TBD). At packet pickup you’ll receive a number plate with a timing chip on the back. Please hang the number from your handlebars, facing forward. You must pass through the timing chute both when you start and when you finish in order to get a time.
Start Times
Wave starts from 7:30am-8:30am
Please no earlier starts, or you’ll get to the checkpoints before they’re open. We’ll have a staging area where riders will gather to be sent off. Come with your friends that you want to ride with, and hit the road together. We greatly appreciate your cooperation in making this run smoothly.
Time Limit
Regardless of start time, the course closes at 3pm.
On Course Support Provided
We will have checkpoints along the way to provide you with a wide variety of food choices including bananas, PB&J sandwiches, energy bars, granola/fruit/energy bars, Electrolyte drink or capsule, plus other snacks and goodies.
Personal SAG Vehicles
Not allowed! If you bring one, you’ll be disqualified from the event without a warning. The definition of a personal SAG is any vehicle (motor or otherwise), anywhere on the route, operated by someone other than Planet Ultra staff, that is providing any type of aid, assistance, or motivation, or taking photographs, or simply out cheering. Please understand that our permits simply don’t allow dozens of extra vehicles on the roads or at the checkpoint locations. Imagine the traffic from all those cars! If you’re bringing someone with you who wants to be out on the course, please have them contact us and join our volunteer staff.
Volunteers
We always need volunteers! Click here for info about available positions.