Pedaling a bicycle through the morning cold and fog is easy for the first mile. But there are 102 more miles to go on the Solvang Century.

Riding more than 100 miles in a day -- a century ride -- is a rite of passage and a personal goal for cyclists, like completing a first marathon is for runners. Rachelle Connell, a 43-year-old software engineer from Newbury Park, had decided this would be her first. She'd ridden centuries on the back of a tandem bike with her husband, Scott. Now, she wanted to pedal 100 miles on her own.

"I want to see if I can do it," she said before the March ride.

 

The Scotts are serious about their cycling. On their wedding day, they did a 32-mile ride near Solvang on their tandem, so this was also a bit of a sentimental journey for them.

The Solvang century attracts thousands of riders each spring -- 4,850 this year. Perhaps because of the "Lance effect" (seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong raised public awareness of road cycling), participation in century rides has been on the rise. The Solvang ride is considered one of the premier centuries in Southern California because of the scenic and cyclist-friendly terrain -- and its support and organization. This year, the ride's 25th, organizers spent more than $25,000 to hire police to control traffic at major intersections.

The ride starts and ends in the faux Danish town, looping through the rolling hills of the wine country made famous in the movie "Sideways." Solo riders pay $60 and get a number, a route slip, a wristband, a goodie bag and all the cookies, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bananas and other snacks they can eat at five rest stops. There's a 50-mile option, but the main event is the 100-mile (technically 103.5-mile) Ride, which can be an enormous physical challenge for new riders.

Rachelle hadn't done any special training for the ride and that worried Scott. She'd been on several long rides up to 70 miles with the Conejo Valley Cyclists, a bike club in Thousand Oaks, and was counting on her fitness base from four years of cycling to get her through the 100 miles.

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After 24 miles of pedaling in the chilly morning, the fog lifts and the Connells pass the spot where they abandoned the ride last year -- when it was raining and hailing. Rachelle Connell's pump slips out of its holder and into the spokes in her rear wheel. She manages to stop and retrieve the pump without crashing. Later, she says that it felt good to get past this point: "It seemed to be jinxed."

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It's easy to find advice on training for a century ride on the Internet. Typical 10-week training plans start the first week with a 6-mile ride on Monday, 10 miles on Tuesday and build to 30 miles on the first Saturday. Each week, mileage goes up 10% and riders get Thursdays off.

Riding six days a week for 10 weeks is fine in theory, but not very realistic for those with jobs and family obligations.

"Life intrudes," said Marla Streb, author of the book "Bicycling Magazine's Century Training Program."

Streb, a former national champion mountain biker, advocates riding every other day when training for a century.

"That's more reasonable for most of America," she said. "And if you can't do the day you're supposed to ride, just try to go the next day, which was supposed to be your day off. Don't stress about it." Those who can't do a longer ride should try a spinning class or do hill repeats for a more intense workout that helps climbing, she suggested. Increasing ride times about 10% a week works for beginning riders, but those with more miles in their legs might not increase ride times as much each week, said Streb. Longer rides build cardiovascular strength and get your butt accustomed to hours in the saddle.

"But if you can ride 50 miles, you can ride 100," said Streb. She says runners who can complete a half-marathon distance in training can usually push their bodies to do the full distance during the event -- and that also applies to cycling, which has less impact on the body than running.

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At 41 miles into the Solvang ride, Connell says she's doing well, although the wind is a factor. "I've got a good wheel to stay on." She's been drafting behind another rider from her club while the two chase her husband. Allowing another rider to cut the wind takes about 30% less effort than riding alone. "And it's a lot more fun," says Streb, because of the social aspect. "You're suffering together."