  Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)September - Registration Open October 1 - Early Registration opened January 1st - Registration & donation due February 1 - Balance Due (with add ons) April 29 - Shuttle North from OC/LA April 30 - Tour starts at 5pm orientation May 1 - Ride to Cambria... May 6 - Last tour day in Solvang and transport home
"Where do we meet?" Irvine - Load & shuttle; locations to be coordinated or we'll pick you up! Paso Robles: Start of the tour. Meet at Motel 6 "What time do we start riding each morning? Trying to decide what riding clothing I need..." Group starts are only planned for the first morning out of Paso Robles and last morning in Solvang. Most riders are usually checked out and on the road by 8am. Along the coast it can get cool and moist, so plan on at least a light shell and perhaps a light long sleeved layer to start with and strip down when you warm up. "How do we wash clothes on the tour?" On motel tours you can usually get away with hand washing shorts each night and hanging them up to drip dry. As soon as you get to your room at the end of the day, jump in the shower in your kit & hand wash everything. Wring it out andandhang it up before going to dinner. They may be a bit moist in the morning but a quick toast over a heater or 10 seconds in a microwave knocks off the chill and in a few minutes of warm-up riding they will either be dryer, or more moist from morning dew or your perspiration. You might bring along some Woolite or detergent if you don't want to use the motel soap. Some lodging will have laundry facilities available or nearby. "Where do we eat at night?" Budget your own dinners from markets, deli, fast food to fancy dining... Most riders will scout out a meal when they get to the end of the day, then jump in a shower & walk over,- or might grab a bite before returning to the room. Not many places can handle 50 of us, so we will naturally disperse in time and cuisine as desired. There will be many choices near the lodging! At breakfast everyone should brag about what they found for dinner the night before... Yes - Some riders grab an extra banana, hard cooked egg and bagel at breakfast. Some riders pack their favorite energy bars and take a few each day, Some stop at every good bakery or ice cream shop on the route. There will be plenty of options most days - and we'll have lots of snacks in the support vans as well. Last year we found a great Mexican Mercado in time for lunch between Pismo and Solvang. "Are we limited in our duffel size?" Please pack light and limit your luggage to an airline size carry on or small duffel. Remember, every day we move we will have to dig it out of the van & leave it in the lobby to wait until you arrive, along with everyone else's. Label it so you can find it ! You're among friends so no one will notice if you wear the same jersey every day, as long as you wash it out! If you are shuttling with us you WILL need to pack light and keep it to an airline size carry-on duffel or we will not all fit! Bulky stuff like helmets and shoes can be left loose, but small soft duffels are best among the bikes "Do you have the route with elevation gain?" The best resource for route info on the Pacific Coast is "Bicycling the Pacific Coast" by Vicki Spring and Tom Kirkendell (The Mountaineer Books, Seattle, WA). It has the detail you seek and covers almost every road we will use. There will be hills, scenery, and flat stretches. Most important is that you put in plenty of saddle time as training for riding consecutive days You will get stronger as the tour goes along! Check out www.ridewithgps.com - join and search for "Central Coast Ramble" to see Bill's & Doug's postings; they will have several routes including the draft tour days plotted out...
By January1st: Make donation checks payable to MAYAN FAMILES Mail with Reg Form(s) to: GCFR c/o Bill Sellin, 405 E Wilson Ave, Orange CA 92867 A confirming email with a balance due invoice will be sent upon registration. Balance due February 1st, payable to Escalle and Co. LLC mailed to the same address. Yes, we will have a few handy each day and in the sag vans so you don't need to bring yours. "Should we plan to bring extra tires and tubes over and above what we can carry in our saddle packs?" A fresh pair of tires should do. If we have an issue or need to buy more tubes there are bike shops along much of the route. Experienced riders carry at least 2 tubes and a patch kit on their bike. "Will there be WiFi at the hotels,... Probably but most hotels now do and there should be coffee houses near by if you need to stay connected. and should I bring my laptop? Will a laptop be safe in the van when we take off until the hotel that afternoon?" No, but if you need it along, it's at your own risk. Others in the group who get in before you will have to dig around your bags to find theirs when they arrive... so hide it if you have it!  These are highly recommended; It really helps the SAG drivers find and identify you on the road, and can really help you stand out on the narrow stretches of highway. So please get one if you can! We also plan to adorn your bike with a bit of bright plastic ribbon. It will make it much easier to pick you out from local riders from the vans and to each other... "What lubricants do you recommend I bring for the chain and gears?" Bill added some Pedro's Road Rage to his tool cart after using it in Utah on the 2008 tour . It is a great lube but filthy high maintenance clean-it-after-every-ride kind of care an d black fingers when you fix a flat. It looks like Pedro's has replaced it with an environmentally friendly product called d ChainJ. Bill uses White Lightning. It works fine until you get into rain and then a few squeaks start up. Bill also carries a small sample bottle of Purple Extreme in his saddle tool bag and refilled another one with White Lightning. "Do you favor a particular sunscreen?" Doug covers his face and scalp with a high SPF cream a few times per day Bill wears lip balm, a helmet visor and Solumbra shirt; other than that some sweat proof 30+ SPF over the counter for his calves and thighs helps until his tan base is darker. Marilyn has a great and inexpensive product her dermatologist recommended to her. SOLBAR it has zinc and is SPF 38 or 40. It costs less than $10 for a tube that will last for months. "How do I add MY Question here?" Email Us! We will reply and add good answers to common questions here for others to see December 21st 
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