March 30-April 2

Four Incredible Days of Cycling
Join us for club-style (self-supported) cycling on the best routes in Southern California’s world-class cycling region. Our routes will inspire you with beauty and challenge you with plenty of miles and lots of climbing. Riders can choose between one or two routes most days – long (60-100 miles) or medium (40-60). All totally fun and non-competitive (though some folks do come to train, and ride hard and fast).

All routes are easily self-supported; but do bring a camelbak or extra water bottle for the Figueroa Mountain climb.

We mean for tour to have a “club” feel… Just hanging out with friends, enjoying the scenery.  We definitely take our time and smell the… poppies!

Is this Tour for You?
This Tour a club-style vacation for serious cycling enthusiasts ready to kick start the cycling season with some excellent base miles. What we mean by “serious” is that you should be a fairly experienced rider:  Self-sufficient, able to maintain 15-18mph average in the flats, feel comfortable on sustained climbs in the 4-6% range and able to navigate an unfamiliar route using a route sheet or GPS files.

Routes are challenging, but (other than Figueroa Mountain) not crazy hard. On average, the long routes have 3,000-5,000 feet of vertical gain, and the medium routes have 1,500-3,500. Most riders will find that a low gear of 34 x 27 is sufficient on most routes; but a minimum 32 will be much appreciated on Figueroa Mountain. Please note: What you’d use for a single day event is probably not enough for a multi-day tour. You’ll fatigue from the accumulated miles. Also, please bring a good, sturdy set of wheels, as some of the roads are less than perfect (translation: occasionally very rough and bumpy), and we do cross several cattle guards. Light-weight, fancy wheels are really not appropriate for this type of Tour.

There’s tons to do in the Solvang area – so bring along your non-cycling spouse or significant other. Enjoy shopping, fine restaurants, wine tasting, golf, horseback riding, glider rides, and so much more. You can tempt lady luck with Las Vegas style gaming at the Chumash Indian Casino (and we hear they have a great buffet too). Remember that silly movie “Sideways”? See all the sights made famous in that film! Enjoy an afternoon in Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. The entertainment is endless!

2025 entry fees:  $100
Includes downloadable GPS files for 4 incredible days of cycling, Monday night Pizza Party so we can get to know each other, and lots of fun in the Southern California sun!

You’ll receive RideWithGPS links to way more routes than you’ll use, providing lots of variety to choose from if you wish to do something shorter or longer than the daily group ride. We’re Solvang experts, and great at creating RWGPS route. We’re also happy to create something on request.

Please read our tour cancellation policy before signing up.

Host Hotel: Please book in our block to get the best rates!
Our host hotel for the 2025 Tour is Hampton Inn, 600 McMurray Road, Buellton, CA 93427, (805) 686-0988. The hotel has hot breakfast daily; swimming pool, jacuzzi and full weight room. Great beds too! Click here to make a reservation or call and ask for Solvang Spring Tour rate.

Rider Check-In
Sunday night from 8:30-9pm.

Ride Start Times: 9:00am from the Hampton Inn.
It’s pretty cold in the morning, and sometimes foggy. Our experience is that it warms up by around 9:00am – so why start earlier? All rides are self-supported. There are lots of places to stop for water and/or snacks along the routes. (But we do suggest carrying a camelback for the Figueroa Mountain and Jalama Beach rides.) Route sheets have a designated café for all to stop and enjoy in the latter part of each ride. Remember, we don’t have ‘that far’ to ride every day, so stop and smell the roses, kick back in cafés, get to know one another! Enjoy your mini-vacation!

Use the SignUp bottom to download the entry form, which you must email back to us.Payment by Venmo, Zelle or check only. Please read our tour cancellation policy before signing up.

Here are the primary routes we pick and choose from:

Cat and Alisos Canyons
Foxen Canyon to Cat Canyon to Los Alamos, then back via Alisos Canyon to Los Olivos.
69 miles with 4,000′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.

Figueroa Mountain (photos)
Figueroa Mountain via Happy Canyon and back via Los Olivos. This is a super tough ride with prolonged, steep climbs. Be prepared to ride on some unpaved roads which are hard-packed gravel.
48.3 miles with 5,100′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.

Casmalia
246 to Purisima Mission to Vandenburg Village to San Antonio Rd to Casmalia to 135 to Los Alamos, then back over Drum Canyon.
76.8 miles with 4,500′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.
Slightly shorter option map here.

Jalama Beach (photos)
Santa Rosa Rd to 1 to Jalama Beach to 1 to 101 and past Nojoqui Falls Park. GREAT hamburgers at the beach! This is a super tough ride, especially when you factor in the wind.
77.2 miles with 5,800′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.

Santa Rosa Road and Harris Grade (photos)
246 to Santa Rosa Road through Lompoc and Highway 1 up the Harris Grade. Drop down to 135 and back via Los Alamos and Drum Canyon.
62.9 miles with 3,500′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.
Shorter option map here.

Tepusquet Century (photos)
246 to Drum Canyon to Los Alamos to Cat Canyon to Sisquoc, then an out and back on Tepusquet Road with return on Foxen Canyon to Los Olivos.
92 miles with 6,700′ climbing. RideWithGPS map here.
Shorter option map here.

Cruise around the Valley – bonus ride on Sunday if you plan to stay! (photos)
A great tour of Solvang, Ballard, Santa Ynez, Los Olivos and Foxen Canyon.
39 miles, total elevation gain = about 2,000’

Traveling to Solvang
If you’re flying to California, you can fly into either Los Angeles or Santa Barbara. Rental cars are available at both locations. There are shuttle companies offering service from both locations as well (best to search online for best deals). If you plan to ship your bike, please make arrangements with our host hotel. Planet Ultra cannot be responsible for your bike.

Weather
Bring your sunscreen – but also leg warmers, arm warmers and a jacket/vest and rain gear. Come prepared for every kind of weather.

Additional Information:
Most nights we’ll have a suggested dinner restaurant location. Join us if you wish!