Cheddarpecker

I had my first DNF, but it was a personal choice I made on the side of the road before turning around and returning to my vehicle.

I learned to pay closer attention to elevation profiles and to know what to expect thoroughly before hand. What looked like a lot of climbing turned out to be a long false flat. When I realized the excitement was over, and I was looking at thirty miles out and back on flat, boring terrain, I just waited for a break and turned around. All of the local hype had failed me.

I signed up for a mountain ride, and drove across a lot of flat land to get there, only to see four miles of up and down before the flats again. Of the 55 mile out and back, at least 40 miles were mostly flat. I turned around less than ten miles in and left as soon as the bike was loaded.

45 mile loop this weekend on roads that actually traverse the mountains rather than avoid them. Get a real jersey instead of a cheesy t shirt, (I don't wear t shirts) and a number to pin to it in case you end up in a ditch somewhere. Also, results are posted at the end, so I can send my grandmother a link to see how I did. Considering I skip the beer and food at the end in favor of silence, I find this to be a far greater value for about the same price.

My mistake entirely. Lots of people are looking forward to doing it again next year. I may return when I'm ready for the 75 mile loop, which despite the long flat, actually gets challenging towards the end, but I won't pay $50 again for a cheesy t shirt, results which aren't posted, and food I don't eat.

Any similar experiences?

10 Wheels

IT is a bike ride.

Why complain to BF.

Cheddarpecker

It is, but it's advertised as a mountain ride. I can ride flats all day at home for nothing.

Phil_gretz

I can understand what you've written. Additionally, it's cool that your grandmother can use the internet. My mom could never, although she tried classes through the local library. My grandmothers were both passed away before the internet was anything more than a university ftp tool.


I had a DNF once (a paid event) when my daughter had stomach poisoning or a virus, and got sick mid-ride. We found the sag wagon and got her hydrated and home as quickly as we could.

Cheddarpecker

Nobody to blame for my bad time but myself, I should have paid closer attention to the route.

I was pretty irritated to pay that much for a t shirt, though. Those rides are usually more like $20 and benefit some kind of charity.

DrIsotope

I can ride mountains all day for nothing. Onyx Summit is less than 20 miles out of my front door. I can ride flats (sort of) by avoiding (most of) the hills.

I don't understand needing some organized ride in order to ride somewhere specific. Want to ride hills? Go ride hills. As I understand it, people sign up for these sorts of things specifically for the tee shirt and SAG stops. If you're not interested in either, go ride where you want when you want. That's what I do, every single day.

10 Wheels

Post a pic of you wearing the T Shirt Thanks.

TimothyH

What event was it that let you down?

Cheddarpecker

I could have caught a ride back, SAG stopped to check on me while I was standing there, weighing my options. I waved that guy on, watched about fifty or more cyclists pass, then turned around and returned to the start.

I didn't see anyone when I returned, never checked in, just left. Nobody called my emergency contact to see if I was still alive, so there's that.

thin_concrete

It happens - live and learn.

Cheddarpecker

My first event issued me a jersey which I still wear on occasion. Beyond that, I enjoy the accomplishment of finishing a challenging, organized ride with a lot of other riders. I like looking at the results and finding my name near the bottom. Nice to know I wasn't last.

I found I like a t shirt ride with low rolling hills near the heartland, and someday Goodwill will get all of those shirts in perfect condition from sitting in a drawer.

One which is a really big deal for cyclists in my area. My disappointment is not their fault.

jefnvk

Next time, at least give your beer and food tickets to someone who will put them to use.

I'm with you on the T-Shirts, though. Got a pile of them that are hardly ever touched, except for the occasional one that turns out to be an athletic fabric. Only seen one event where I got a jersey (my avatar pic), I do wear that regularly.

Cheddarpecker

Yeah, when I say t shirt, I mean a garment not suitable for cycling beyond a couple of miles.

Looking back, it was somewhat of a bait and switch. Website shows a Canari custom jersey with a zipper. My disappointment began when they handed me a t shirt instead. Different colors and design, even.

I got up early so as to start on time, and must not have been thinking clearly. Took a wrong turn on the way up and went out a few miles on some flat, uneventful highway. I realized the route was taking me that way on the bicycle later, and that's when I turned around.

fietsbob

No, Different ones .

faulker479

So you paid for an organized ride with hills, realized it didn't have the amount of hills you wanted, and turned around before you even got to the hills?

Tell me it at least it was windy? Because I cannot understand why you wouldn't just take your lumps and finish the ride. You were still riding after all.

Was the entry fee going to a good cause?

Why would they post results to a charity ride if it's not a race?

Spoonrobot 

Hard to commiserate without knowing the event or seeing the elevation profile.

jefnvk

Better yet: why do they post times to a charity ride they go out of their way to emphasize is not a race, and have people standing in front of the finishing chute yelling at people to stop when they are racing to the very visible line with a big old clock over it?

caloso

I have DNF'ed because of mechanicals, crashes, bee stings, and because I got shelled like a roasted peanut. But I can't say I ever quit an event I'd paid for just because the course wasn't what I expected.

faulker479

I guess I have never been in an organized/ charity ride where they did that.

Or maybe they do, but by the time I get there, everyone has left and they have taken down the clock.

himespau 

Any time there's a clock and a finish line (and more than one person), you're going to have some people racing.

jefnvk

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2016 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2016 Gran Fondo

It was that ride a few years ago. Me and another guy got in a head-to-head sprint down the stretch (didn't know him, we just both got competitive at the same time and started pounding it out). We got yelled at as we went past a few workers as you were entering the finishing chute to slow it down, but neither of us did.

I "won", so it was totally worth it.

Jean3n16

I think you need new people to ride with or my group is just that awesome because if one person is stopped, we all stop.

BlazingPedals

I DNFed recently. It was a perfect storm. Was sick driving to the 7-day ride. By the first day of the ride, my fever was gone but you know how you often feel drained after being sick? That was me. Couldn't breathe well, up for hours every night coughing my lungs clear, and the ride was 3x as hilly as the flatland I'm used to, with lots of double-digit grades. After 3 days of struggling, I finally had to call it quits. I'm bummed that I had to do it, but it was the right call.

caloso

From the OP's description it sounded like a big charity ride, but he wasn't riding with any particular group.

Cheddarpecker

It started in the foothills and went down to the flats. Four miles or so before it flattened out. Sure, it was going up, but you couldn't tell from looking at the road ahead, much less riding on it. Twenty miles to climb a thousand feet, then turn around. There appeared to be no reward to the ascent, so I skipped the whole thing.

It benefits EMT, fire, and local Lions, which is fine by me. These events are typically $20 and a t shirt is the run of the mill. I paid quite a bit more than that and considered it justified by the Jersey pictured. The shirt I got wasn't pictured. My disappointment first thing in the morning was offset by the promise of a good ride. That lasted four miles.

Lots of guys were racing. They moved right up to the front to start. I'm sure they kept track of their own time.