Austin B.  5/4/09

I'm not much of a biker, but my whole family wanted to do this race together, so I had to do it. And luckily, 25 miles flew right on by because it's casual and fun and the scenery is awesome. The best rest stop is at Gizdich Ranch, where they serve you ice cold lemonade and apple juice, and yummy snacks. This race was awesome!

    Robert S.  5/4/09

This is a great local ride that takes you thru parts of Watsonville, Moss Landing, Prunedale, Armoas, and Royal Oaks.

It is a ride not a race, so relax all you gear heads it's meant to be fun and leisurely. I think we stopped at about 3 of the rest stops, the first being the Calfee bike facility in Watsonville. It's a real treat to see the facility. We stocked up on PB&J, soup, OJ, and bagels for about a hour before hauling our bellies back on the bikes and making our way to the lunch stop. CALORIES - 2200

At lunch we all had double-decker sandwiches with about a pound worth of cookies and 2 Dr. Peppers. I think my wife ate about 7 hard boiled eggs. CALORIES - 4300

After taking in the views and back hills of Watsonville for another 10 miles we decided to stop for some pie at Gizdich Ranch. Maybe it was a good thing considering I still had about 7500 calories in my system, but they were out of pie so we settled for 2 bags of popcorn. Either way it's a nice stop. CALORIES - 1200

From there it's a quick ride back to Watsonville HS for a burrito, cobbler, trail mix, cookies, and more drinks. CALORIES 6200

In all this a great race, great support and organization, good views, and the ride takes you on some of the better roads in the area. All well paved and for the most part light on traffic. Be sure to dress in layers as it starts of cool and damp along the coast but warmed up a lot for the day. The one thing you don't need to worry about is nutrition as there's more than enough to hold you over.

    Colleen B.  5/4/09

The name of the race caught my attention because I am a big fan of the Beatles! Plus, it was not too far from my home. Now I know why it has the name it does!! I pedaled past fields and fields of strawberries on scenic back roads. The fragrance wafted in the air, making the whole experience unforgettable!! Several members of our family took part. I was happy that there were three different distances because I went with the younger and less experienced riders on the 25 mile course. The others were more warriors and tackled the longer distance, We all laughed and pedaled and enjoyed the scenery and the lazy feeling that being on the country roads provided. The pit stops for drinks and goodies were welcome and well stocked, not only with nutritious food, but with friendly volunteers.
My only regret was that the 25 miles was over too quickly and the fun of the day became only a memory, but a memory I will always cherish.
Join the next ride of the Strawberry Fields Forever and it will be a day well spent on the Central California Coast.

    Marie S.  5/4/09

I did the Strawberry Field 60 miler in 2008 for the first time as a training ride for a half Ironman. We started with a a bunch of family members for my dad's birthday ride, then my husband and our good friend broke off to ride together.

Be advised that the weather is going to change about 2-3 times during the ride. At times you will be freezing in the fog, then 30 minutes later you are ripping off your jacket because it is 80+ degrees and sunny. Definitely bring layers.

Don't bother bringing any snacks or drinks because there are great aid stations every few miles. You could literally gain weight on this ride. I definitely ate more food than my entry fee covered... especially at lunch. So tasty. I ate 2 deli sandwiches! The only disappointment (food wise) was that they touted it as the Strawberry Fields ride but there were no strawberries until the finish line. Also, there is a stop at Gizdich Ranch, which is known for its pie, but there was NO PIE! Rather distressing.

The course consists of mostly rollers, except for 2 really steep ones near the half way point for lunch, near Prunedale/Aroma. I saw more than one rider fall off their bike on the hill. Here's another tip... at lunch you lay your bike on the ground because there are no bike racks. There are hundreds of bikes everywhere. Someone must have moved my bike because the brakes got messed up and after lunch I rode about 2 miles with my rear breaks fully down... let's just say it made for a tough post-lunch ride, until I figured it out. I also saw one person get on the wrong bike and start to ride off.

I'd like to race it again this year - probably the 25 miler - feeling a little lazy. It really is a fun ride.