Join us--the Rotary Clubs of the Santa Ynez Valley and the Multiple Sclerosis Society--on Saturday May 17th on the grounds of the beautiful Santa Ines Mission in Solvang California for the start of “THE ROTARY WINE COUNTRY RIDE”. We will provide four different rides, a CENTURY 100-MILE, starting at 8:00 AM, a METRIC CENTURY 62-MILE ride starting at 10:00 A.M. a 26.2-MILE MARATHON RIDE starting at 11:00 AM and a short 11-Mile Ride starting at 11:30 for the easy riders. All rides will follow some of the training routes used by Lance Armstrong and his Discovery Team to train for the Tour of California and the Tour De France. You will also ride some of the Time Trials Routes used in the February Tour of California race. For the wine lovers joining our ride you will pass several wineries that were used for scenes in the movie “Sideways”. All riders over 21 years of age will also receive a ROTARY RIDERS WINE PASS, which will provide free wine tasting at many of the top wineries in the valley on Sunday May 18th, the day after our ride.

All rides will START AND FINISH at Mission Santa Ines where we will provide coffee and bagels in the morning and in the afternoon we will provide a great lunch and live entertainment from 2 PM till 6 PM. Prizes will be given to riders that bring in the most donations. Prizes include weekend get a ways, with dinners for two at some of our outstanding local restaurants and two nights lodging here in the Valley, cases of wine, gift certificates from local merchants, limousine tours of the wine country, free golf outings at some of our local courses etc. 
ALL RIDERS PLEASE USE LOT 72 FOR PARKING IN SOLVANG.  DO NOT PARK ON MISSION SANTA INEZ GROUNDS.

11-MILE RIDE – This is an easy flat ride that follows scenic Alamo Pintado Road from Solvang to Los Olivos and back, with a Rest Stop at City Park in Los Olivos.

MARATHON RIDE (26.2-MILES) – Will provide you with and excellent knowledge of the Santa Ynez Valley and the towns of Santa Ynez and Los Olivos. This ride is fairly flat and should not be a problem even for the less well-trained rider. During your ride you will also pass the Buttonwood, Lincourt, Blackjack, and Bridlewood wineries. Water Wagons will be located between many of the Rest Stops.

METRIC CENTURY (62-MILES)- The first 18.8 miles of this ride are the same as the 26.2-Mile Marathon Ride and fairly easy. At approximately 21-miles you will get the first of the hill climbs, where we will have a Water Wagon at the top, then down the hill towards the Fess Parker Winery. After Fess Parker's you will hit more hills, before the ride flattens out near the Zaca Mesa Winery and continues on Foxen Canyon Road all the way to Winery & Vineyard, a great Rest Stop. The ride then returns to Solvang on Foxen Canyon Road past the Fess Parker Winery and on to the Los Olivos City Park Rest Stop before returning to the Mission for the Fest portion of this event.

CENTURY RIDE (100-MILES)- This ride follows the same course as the Metric Century for the first 40-miles, then turns west through Los Alamos , then north to Cabrillo Hwy for the hard climb over the top of Harris Grade , then down hill to the La Purisima Mission Rest Stop . After La Purisima, the ride follows Hwy 1 south towards Santa Barbara then turns north again up the hill on Hwy 101 and then down to Nojoqui Falls Park Rest Stop . It then follows the beautiful Alisal Road back into Solvang and the end of the ride. NOTE: THE LAST 50-MILES OF THIS RIDE INCLUDES SEVERAL TOUGH CLIMBS, PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS RIDE UNLESS YOU ARE A WELL TRAINED RIDER!