Day 6: Lompoc to Ventura, 88 miles

I tell you what. Get past those first dozen painful pedal strokes, and the world turns into a progressively more wonderful place.

Here’s what didn’t happen today: No rain during the overnight and morning hours. No horrific car crash closing the route to vehicle and bicycle traffic. No emergency survival blankets at Rest Stop 1 (seriously, go look at last years’ blog. Over there. On the right side. See where it says “2009?” Click that down arrow. Keep doing that until you get a link to click about Day 6). No riding back to Lompoc to wait for every available bus in central Santa Barbara County to come pick us up.

Instead, Day 6 was in fine form. We got light clouds, mild temperatures, and fairly calm winds. And people everywhere enjoying a gorgeous Friday cheering us on.

Rest Stop 1, the way we always wanted it to be.

After tracing Highway 1 out of Lompoc and down to 101, we rode on the freeway through Gaviota Pass and along the Santa Barbara coastline. Wonderful views. Oil platforms and the outlines of a Channel Island or two.

Here’s Roadie Jan Wexnar showing us where to park bikes at lunchtime.

This isn’t an easy job. Look at all those bikes!

Riding through the nicest parts of Santa Barbara isn’t easy, but since they need 1900 people to do it, I guess we’ll take on the challenge.

Paradise Pit is an unofficial rest stop hosted by several community organizations. Free ice cream (which has Jessica VERY excited. She went for chocolate chip in a bowl). Free strawberries. Free brownies. Free cookies. Free massages.

Oh, and it’s on this soft grass with a beneath some beautiful palms.

Rest Stop 4 was themed as MTV Beach House. I was getting a little bonky at this point, so not a lot of pictures of the festivities. You train for 6 months, and then a quick bout of gastroenteritis hits and all of a sudden riding 90 miles is hard again. You raise your money (thank you donors!) and you take your chances.

The battery low light is on. GO GO GO!