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Taco Bell Century

Oh boy. Yesterday the crew from Grizzly Cycles in Bakersfield, CA held a century ride (100 miles) with a very important caveat; all nutrition must come from Taco Bell. The route took us to 5 different Taco Bells around the Bakersfield area. It was basically a counterclockwise loop that has some great scenery. Each stop was about 20 miles apart. But first, let’s talk about the bike. Steel Surlys and aluminum Salsas were represented well. There were no carbon bikes on this ride which was odd since there were a couple of fast guys that could ride carbon if performance was their goal. Most of the bikes were gravel setups or bikepacking bikes. Two guys rode full on mountain bikes and eventually gave up or got lost due to alcohol consumption, a lack of a GPS unit, or no fitness.
Stopping at the Taco Bells was actually a good idea and much better than it seems on the surface. It let everyone get solid food to fuel the ride. I felt fine the entire ride subsisting on beans and rice burritos, potato tacos, and sweetened tea and just plain water. Sometimes on rides it makes more sense to only bring pre-packaged goop or bricks of seeds and things and then when we’re craving some “real” food we stop and get something substantial to refuel our bodies. The gels and potions are great to give you a boost when you need it but a real burrito hits the spot for sure.
Some of the stops were a bit too long but that’s how it goes when you have so many riders and different fitness levels showing up over 20 to 30 minutes. The bike trails system in Bakersfield is excellent! There are 50 miles of paved path that is nearly completely connected, bike lanes everywhere, and scenic vistas of wildlife and wetlands that you have to see to believe. We even saw pelicans floating and flying around the watery areas west of town. Incredible amounts of birds are living here, I had no idea. The rains of 2023 have filled the area with water and it’s not going away soon.
So how was the ride itself? Very good. We hit every bit of terrain you can imagine. Regular routes through neighborhoods, gravel, busted paved farm roads, new gravel, and some luscious farm double track with a tailwind! We had to crawl and carry our bikes under a bridge at around the 30 mile mark. It reminded me of something I would have done as a teenager and that really is the essence of this ride. It’s done for the adventure. Make a silly plan and then execute it with other like-minded adventurers. Heck, there was even a legit climb, in the dark, that made it even better. Due to the long wait times at the Bells we ended up riding for 3 hours in the dark. My dynamo powered light was solid and several other riders were rocking dynamos too. Riding around Lake Ming with our headlights blazing was super fun. 11 riders ended up finishing the route from 15 starters. Total time was 12 1/2 hours for me, riding time was 7 hours 13 minutes. Yes, there was a lot of sitting down and waiting for people…
So, would I do this again? I think I would. The route and people made it a great time and seeing how many people showed up and finished this makes it very clear that people love adventures. Go outside and do stuff. Do something new, heck, don’t make a plan and see what happens. I think you’ll learn a little bit about yourself and that’s the best part.

Thanks for reading. Have a great week and get a good burrito.

Peace,
Paul