20 Dec How 2 strong ladies cycled 250 Miles along HWY 1 – Part 2

Hello again, if you’re reading this blog, you must be willing to know how Sterre and I made that crazy cycling trip to LA. If so, I am glad to welcome you!

In the first part I told you about how we got the idea to cycle from SF to Santa Barbara (or LA for Stere) and about the organizational stuff. And now I want to tell you about the fun part – about the up and downs during cycling, about the highlights, accidents… And here we are:

It was on Wednesday after ma classes, when I took the train from SF to Monterey where the adventure with Strerre had begun. I met Sterre in Monterey in the evening, after she did her first 80 miles – cycling day from Montera. I remember how excited we were about the next four days and the new adventure together. At the same time we were intimidated by the coming day, which would be the hardest one. It was the 100 miles day through Big Sur. That who has been there knows that the area is neither populated nor has a well developed infrastructure. The few service stations are spread out along the coats and you have to know where they are. So for us it meant: eat enough for breakfast, take enough water and separate food. But the main enemy at this day was the time – we knew that we have to cycle fast, because the days in October are getting shorter and we did not want to cycle in the darkness. Hence the next day started very early for us. After we had a quick real American pancake-breakfast, we said goodby to the amazing people we met at the hostel and started cycling. And here the first accident: after the first mile I recognized that I lost my bike light – damn, it means cycling as fast as we can, to reach Cambria before the sun goes down. “Ok will, never mind” we though and felt how the pressure level rose slowly. But thats not all: after the next half mile I recognized that my click pedal broke – I could not remove the shoe from the pedal anymore. As we entered Big Sur already, there was no possibility to find a bike shop and have a quick repair, so the only one way was to continue cycling with the broken pedal and leave the shoe open, so I could take off the shoe quickly. But as soon as we entered Big Sur we immediately forgot about all these “small issues”. Big Sur is a paradise and a place we wanted to be – overwhelming  scenery of bluff, sea, sun and sky, a coast stretch of redwood- and fog-trimmed waterfront. The region’s beauty also makes it a magnet for tourists and is a popular drive along Highway 1, so it was a busy road. We cycled through the twisting, hilly roads of Big Sur under the burning sun and tried not to count the miles we still have to cycle. The pressure level grew more and more, because we wanted to arrive on time. But it was a good motivation and gave us the portion of adrenaline we needed to stay motivated and do not give up. Finally, after 100 miles, 7 hours cycling, we arrived to Cambria exactly on time before the sunset. We could not feel our legs anymore, we were so tired, that we did not even feel how empty our stomachs were. After a warm shower we hit the road to a restaurant- half-alive for a well-deserved dinner and a beer. We made it! The hardest day were behind us! We still did not realize that we did it! After a restful sleep and a big portion if muesli we hit the road from Cambria (beautiful, calm town) further to our next destination Santa Maria, it means next 80 miles. It was a relaxing day, relatively flat and beautiful coastal views – exactly what we needed after the exhausting previous day in Big Sur. As soon as we arrived in our airbnb apartment in Santa Maria, we felt how tired our legs are and a kind of panic overcame us sometimes, when we though about the next day of cycling to Santa Barbara. But the good thing was that we were together, it helped a lot to talk and motivate each other. After the night in Santa Maria we headed to Santa Barbara. We were super exited to see the city, because we heard a lot positive impressions, so maybe that was the main motivation at that day to cycle further 80 miles. This last day (for me) was extremely challenging for me, as I could feel the tiredness not only in my legs but also in my whole body. All in all I was happy that it was my last day of cycling, it was enough for me. Finally, after a long, hot day and 80 miles we did it! And here we ware – half-dead, sitting at the first rest station which we could find in Santa Barbara for maybe an hour without talking to each other. Of course we were exhausted, but at the same time we were so happy and proud as never before! In order to celebrate it and reward ourselves, we went for a very yummy dinner at the place called “Shellfish Company”. It was a magnificent conclusion of our adventure and that day in Santa Barbara will forever stay in my mind.

All in all these 250 miles of cycling was an unique experience. Whenever I think back to it, I feel a mix of melancholy and ego-boost. But much more that trip was about togetherness and how important it is to have the right people on your side. Thank you Sterre for been such a dependable motivator and supporting friend!

Your Anja

Well deserved Tacos:

Cambria: