iab

Inspired by the gugie thread, but a description and multiple pictures are most welcome.

This is honestly hard to choose. I have done many "epic" rides. I have done challenge rides like Cino and the DD. I have gone to and put on vintage events like Cirque, CR Weekends, BAMFs, Bartali and Coppi. Large group rides and silly small Spring Classic rides. I think first and foremost, I eliminated the large events. I have never been to Eroica, probably may go someday, but riding with hundreds, if not thousands of other riders takes away intimacy for me, which I value. And while I like putting on the occasional shindig, my events are also eliminated. Planning and organizing are there own fun, but take away from the enjoyment of just the ride. I think what really drove my choice was novelty and total experience. Cino was a close second. I was there for longer than the event so I got to ride Glacier and it was small enough to be intimate.

But the winner was riding to Madonna del Ghisallo from the Bellagio side was the best. I'm in Italy with friends (who ironically did not accompany me on the ride) going to a vintage bike (and motorcycle) swap in Milano. I sneak off for a day to ride around Lake Como. My country of choice to be the bicycle motherland, going to an iconic spot that all great professional cyclists have been. Sights, sounds, smells - all still awesome today.

Anyhow, pics or it didn't happen.

Me, non-Italian speaking American dude on the left, the non-English speaking Italian boys on the right. The fellow taking the pick spoke both pretty well, rented the bike and was the guide.

Ghisallo 008 by iabisdb, on Flickr



I was told it was a "cold" day in Italy in February. They were amazed by my "bare" legs. I was told rider volume was low because of the cold. But quite frankly, there was 10x the cyclist traffic that day than I typically see on the finest summer day where I live. At one point, a junior team passed us, maybe a dozen or so 15-16 year olds. About 20-30 seconds behind them was a younger/smaller 12-14 year old going all out to catch that rear wheel. Couldn't help to root for him. About 5 seconds behind him is what I assumed was the DS. Making sure he didn't get dropped and eventually he did put his hand on the youngster's back for a push to that rear wheel. Didn't get a picture of it, but happened around here.

Ghisallo 012 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Typical Italian village with front doors right on the road.

Ghisallo 015 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Posted this in gugie's thread, descent into Onno.






Me leading out the boys. Sappy canned shot. But as a tourist, entirely appropriate. At one point I was going too "fast", stretching the group for the picture. One of the boys yelled "piano" and I understood. Again, geek moment, but I liked it.

Ghisallo 033 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Official start of the climb in Bellagio. I believe the structure is a part of a Roman aqueduct.

Ghisallo 043 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Going up.

Ghisallo 056 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Summit sprint. I lost.

Ghisallo 062 by iabisdb, on Flickr



And of course, the chapel.

Ghisallo 063 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Followed by a descent into Assos. Learned the Italians, at least in that region, don't use bells. They whistle when passing. Ending it all with an espresso.

Ghisallo 095 by iabisdb, on Flickr

alexihnen 

Hard to top that. I did some riding around central Italy almost 20 years ago and enjoyed many great rides. A close second is a ride over the top of Mt. Subasio in Umbria, proving that any bike is a gravel bike. But if forced to choose one I’ll go with a jaunt across east central Sardinia (Parco Nazionale del Golfo di Orosei e del Gennargentu).

iab

Awesome! Not intended to be a topper thread. Just want to see future riding options.

Pompiere

My wife and I had been wanting to take a trip to Kentucky after hearing about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The Trail is a group of distilleries that got together in cooperation with the state to promote tourism. While researching routes and destinations, I stumbled upon the "Bourbon Country Burn", an organized tour happening during the time frame we were planning to go. The tour was well organized and fun, but it has become so popular, they sell out fast.
You can also get routes from the Bourbon Trail website to set up your own trip. https://kybourbontrail.com/experiences/bike-the-trail/


2018 Bourbon Country Burn. This picture is deceiving. The ride is not as flat a it looks here.

bikingshearer 

Not a close call. Summer, 1980, Livermore CA (where my parents lived and I grew up) to Washingtom DC (where my aunt lived). I was with a friend as far as Yellowstone, on my own the rest of the way (he had family obligations - we are still good friends). We stayed for a few days with my friend's brother in Pocatello ID and I stayed for about five days with my grandparents in Pittsburgh PA, otherwise we/I camped every night. This was more than a bike ride. It was a major life event.

I planned the route. Here's where I/we went.

non-fixie 

Well, there was this particular day in September 2017 on which the stars aligned and made it memorable: nice riding weather, a lovely woman, a newly-built bike that had turned out rather well, a challenging route, beautiful scenery and excellent food.

Mrs non-fixie (the lovely woman) and I were in the Crete Senesi, preparing mentally and physically for the next week's L'Eroica. That day we'd planned a trip to Buonconvento.

It started off the way rides in Tuscany should: decent roads and beautiful views ...



... a nice photo opportunity for the aforementioned well-turned out bike ...



... and more beautiful scenery:



Somewhere along the way we apparently got off our planned route, and - being modern citizens - asked Google Maps for assistance. We clicked on the bike symbol, it promptly showed us what looked like a solution and off we went. A nice strada bianca followed ...



... which became somewhat challenging ...



... and more challenging. It looks dry, but below that crust was thick, sticky mud:



The reason I got to take this artsy picture was that I had to walk back down and assist The Lovely Lady with getting her bike up there:



The ride down wasn't much easier:



And oh yes, the food. We'd missed lunch on account of our getting lost, so dinner was important. It started with one of the best dishes I ever had (I would order the exact same dish the next day), a deconstructed version of the crostini neri toscani:



A little over 30 miles and about 3,000 feet of climbing. It was a most satisfying day.

iab

Ever ride speedevil 's Bourbon & Tobacco ride? I'm fairly certain it's in the same neck of the woods. I was planning on the 2020 edition before it hit the fan.

northbend 

Man, this is a hard question to answer. I’ve tried several times to put this into words. I like what @iab said about intimacy, quality of experience and uniqueness. I surely can identify with all of those things and add the element of personal challenge where you have some element of uncertainty in the outcome, mind and body totally immersed in the effort. Because I’ve done Cino so often it’s familiar event - a homecoming of sorts and one I hope to continue as long as it is held. It is in my opinion the best annual event I’ve ever been fortunate to be a part of.
But I can’t quantify and ‘rank’ where climbing the Haleakala volcano on Maui, completing RAMROD on a fixed gear, doing the Iron Horse Classic with my son, finishing the Death Ride, or my first unsupported tour to Colorado from Washington State to rise above all others.

They were all firsts. Riding across the USA is not mentioned in that list, huh..
So thinking more about this another quality in “best rides” is the element of discovery that comes with firsts. Finding something meaningful about yourself or the world around you.
You may roll your eyes at this but it is something I believe in.

Since pictures are requested, I’ll share with you a “best rides” not already mentioned.
The High Cascade 100 Mountain Bike Race in Oregon. Limited to 240 riders, it’s a 100 mile IMBA sanctioned race, 80% single track, 10,000 ft elevation gain run counter clockwise in a loop around Mount Batchelor.
First and foremost, I am NOT a mountain bike rider and not into competition either.
I have a nice old rigid Yo Eddy MTB I used to ride with my son when he was a boy around the neighborhood. It pretty much sat in the garage gathering dust when my son left home.
Until the winter of 2012 when a couple of my spin class buddies got me back onto the bike for some trail riding. In March, they talked me into signing up for the HC100 in July on the weekend of my 55th birthday. I was looking for something different, a challenge and enjoyed camaraderie of training with these guys. They did their best to teach me some technical skills and urged me to swap out the rigid fork for some suspension. I really had no idea what I was getting into.

July comes and I sign up for a 1 day racing license…
The early morning start, just outside of Bend with my buddies Allan and Dale.
HC 100 start with Allan and Dale by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The first 10 miles on roads stretches out the riders then we dive into the woods. Since it is a gradual uphill climb on daily easy single track I am about mid pack at this point 20 miles in…
High Cacade 100 Early by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

Here I am at the aid station at Mile 57 doing ok, beating the cut off time by 1 hour. I had crashed twice in the section leading up to this. That second crash thowing me off the bike into a tree. I had to stop and settle down realizing that I can’t complete this race by trying to keep up with the riders around me. I had to force myself to ‘ride my own pace”.
Mt Bachelor aide station HC 100 by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The area around Lava Lake at Mile 70 was the most beautiful section. Rolling into the aid section there the mechanics lubed my chain and remarked that my bike was the oldest bike on the course which they thought was pretty cool. The most difficult section was just ahead - steep climbs and technical descents.
High Cascade 100 Lava lake by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

At the aid station at Mile 81 I find out that my buddy Dale had abandoned at mile 57. He was there to cheer me on. Allan was an hour ahead of me…
With Dale at Mile 81 by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

There was another big climb out of the aid station and legs were beginning to cramp. Had to keep moving even though my legs were like egg shells. Just enough effort to stay below locking up, it was getting really hot and late in the day. The technical descent on the other side of the ridge was even tougher. Arms and hands so tired, it was getting late and I was rarely seeing other riders. Every now and then I’d hear some chirping from a rider approaching and I’d move off the trail so they could fly by making it look so easy. I had neither the skill or the energy to match that..The terrain finally leveled off and I was weaving through the woods. So tired I hallucinated a few time being startled by what I thought were bears that turned into burned out tree stumps as I closed in. Gotta keep going.

Then FINALLY! Pavement! 10 miles to the Finish Line! I was so surprised how fast I finished that last 10 miles. Finished in 14 hrs and that was honestly the best I could do. I realized and appreciated how mentally taxing mountain biking is. Allan and Dale were there with a coke just as happy to see me as I was to see them. Allan had finished 2 hours ahead of me. The race organizers hosted a dinner and awards ceremony after all the riders had come in (I wasn’t the last!). Every one stayed and cheered each finisher - what a great vibe.
TreeAmigos by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The reward. Besides this nifty Growler, I have two friends for life in Allan and Dale. I also know that I can dig pretty deep when I need to and it has served me well.
The bike post HC100 finish by Matthew Pendergast, on Flickr

The road and MTB trails around Bend Oregon are exceptional and it is a popular place for cyclists of all sorts and when you’re not riding there many fine breweries and restaurants.
The bike is still sitting in the garage, collecting dust. Rode it just once this year - fell and separated my shoulder in the process. Maybe I'll try selling it again.
or maybe not

gugie 

@iab,

Great thread! I really should do the Madonna del Ghisallo ride someday, my Italian relatives are north of Como (find Campodolcino on the map). I've visited the area couple of times, but not on a bike.

Lots of great rides, my favorites are ones done with friends, and of those, my favorite is last year's Magical Mystery Tour of the PNW was 6 days of riding through Washington and Oregon with 5 good friends.

It took planes (@nlerner, @crampy and @Spaghetti Legs flying in from the east coast), trains (Bob and Jim G. from Bay Area to Portland, then all of us except Hugh taking the morning Portland to Seattle Caltrain), and automobiles (@Andy_K running sag duty on the last day) to make this happen. Oh, and several bikes.


Just a few of Bob Freeman's collection of 100+ vintage bikes. It's not quite like Madonna del Ghisallo, no historical artifacts from Coppi or Bartali, but it was the best we could do on short notice...it was nice for Bob to invite us over to start Day 2



Out on the Ironhorse Trail ouside of North Bend, Washington


Entering the 2 mile long Hyak tunnel, a rails to trail conversion. Bring your own lights!



Sometimes we chose the gravel, even when there was a perfectly acceptable paved alternative.


Hot day in Yakima Canyon. There were a couple of spots where the road dipped down near the river so we could cool off.


This is what a 20mph headwind looks like to six experienced riders. We developed a lot of trust very quickly on this ride.


Sometimes the best lunch stops are out in the wild


At least two of these bikes had the right tires on them.


Team photo, Trout Lake, Mount Adams in the background.

Half the time we were on the green side of the Cascades, the other half on the brown side. The ride started in a major city (Seattle) and ended in another one (Portland). 25% of our riding was on gravel. I was the only person who knew everyone going in, but by the end of the week we were all BFFs with a common memory of something done that was both hard and wonderful. We had several people join us for parts of the ride, especially the first and last days.

As @iab stated, this isn't a topper thread, and I'm looking at other's postings and thinking, man, I really want to do that one someday. Here's hoping that somebody sees this one and decides to follow the bread crumbs we left behind. I'll certainly look for the ones others post and do the same.

Pompiere

I have looked into it, but haven't been able to work it out yet. His ride is at the western end of Kentucky. The Bourbon Trail is mainly between Louisville and Lexington, in the north-central part of the state. The ride I was on was based out of the Kentucky Horse Park, just north of Lexington. Each day was a different route through the countryside with stops at distilleries and small towns. At the end of the day, they had entertainment, food, and bourbon samples at the campground.

Spaghetti Legs 

This thread delivers! The Gugie PNW tour described by the man himself earlier might be best ever but I think it’s edged out by my ride up Alpe D’Huez in 2011. Not only was it a great ride, it is my favorite sports day ever. This was part of a family trip which included a couple of days of watching the TdF. It was planned as a trip to meet American friends living in Zurich, but they had a family emergency so we ended up staying at their place for part of the trip and then completed the trip to France as a solo family. I borrowed my buddy’s Orbea bike which was a close enough fit. We stayed in a small village Villard Reculas, which is on the other side of the mountain - 3 km walk/ride to the village of Huez which is halfway up the the climb. I rode the Alpe on the morning before the race came through. I woke up early, hopped on the bike, rode to Huez, turned right and went down the mountain to Bourg D’Oisans, turned around and began the climb. There were other folks on bikes doing the climb, some people already partying, especially at the Dutch Corner and would frequently get cheers and an “Allez, Allez!” I remember one guy, probably about 60, dressed in regular clothes, riding a mtb with his grandson and a chair strapped to the bike. I got to the top, gave myself a pat on the back, bought a souvenir jersey, and bombed back down the mountain to our apartment. On the way up I scouted out our race viewing point,at turn 5

We packed a bottle of wine, a couple of Kronenbourg 1664s, bread, cheese, fruit, the kids and hoofed it over to Huez and settled in for a fantastic day of hanging out with new found friends at Le Tour.

Im not sure why, but I didn’t take many pics on my actual ride. I rode around Lake Annecy a couple days later and didn’t take any there either. My wife took a pic from our apartment balcony of me test riding the bike after putting it together the day before the ride. I didn’t have a hex wrench the right size for my pedals. I walked around the village , “Avez-vous un tordre, SVP? Without luck, but fortunately was able to get the pedals cinced tight enough with a butter knife.


Test ride in Villard Reculas

Climb begins

Outskirts of Alpe D’Huez

Thomas Voeckler’s last few minutes in Yellow in 2011


My older son had a blast!

RobbieTunes

I have friends that have done the Burn. They liked it.

iab

Any more stories from the trip? Must have been some interesting days/nights. How long did it take?

iab

Looks like absolutely zero cross wind.

gugie 

The grass was bent over parallel with the road. In the wrong direction.

But later on we made a sharp left and shifted to an echelon formation


Yeah, we need to work on tightening this one up next tour.

bikingshearer 

Any stories? How much time have you got? There was the weird kid at Riley, Oregon (I would have sworn I heard "Dueling Banjos" playing), and the dinner of freshly caught trout providence by a family in the neighboring campsite in Idaho, and the night in Nebraska when my campsite at the local "fairgrounds" turned into a bunch of people holding roping practice in the arena, and looking up on the morning I was leaving my grandparents' house to see my grandma with my helmet on saying she was coming along, and . . . You get the idea.

None of the riding itself was epic, but most of it was pretty, serene and/or interesting. I learned a lot about our country (there is a lot of it) and its people (there are some incredibly fine folks I never would have met any other way). Some of it was really hard, mentally, especially the Sand Hills of Nebraska (hint: don't) with five straight days of headwinds, rain on the fifth day, all topped off by a tractor-trailer that passed me going at least 60 mph so close I could have elbowed it. Not. Fun. Closest I have ever come to a psychotic break. But I was able to get through the rough patches (there are always rough patches on a long self-contained tour), appreciate the good times (they vastly outnumbered the rough patches), make it to my intended destination, and really enjoy the trip, I kept a journal. Most years, I re-read it, day by day, to see where I was and what I did and saw X number of years ago. That has kept the memories far fresher than the elapsed 40 years would otherwise allow.

How long did it take? I reached DC two months after starting off, although there were maybe 10 or 12 days off the bike for one reason or another along the way. 3,600 miles. Far too many flat tires. A rear wheel that really was not up to the task but somehow allowed me to coax and cajole it to the Potomac. Two times I had to hitch a ride due to mechanical issues (did I mention that there are some great people out there?). Mountains. Prairies. Moose. Buffalo. Prairie dogs. Fireflies (a big deal to a Californian). Humidity (also a big deal to a Californian). My first and so far only bee sting (the stupid thing flew under the back of my glove). Mosquitoes - sometimes lots of mosquitoes. Highest temperature: 106* (Boise ID); Lowest: 26* (overnight in Yellowstone).

Yeah, it was pretty good ride.

mstateglfr 

Best bike ride would actually be earlier this year when I did a solo gravel century loop.
Ridewithgps estimated the climb at like 40% of what it actually was, and wind was brutal.

It was the best because it was a massive mental challenge.

There was a lot of fun too- went thru a few small towns i haven't been to for food and water, rolled over a lot of roads ive never been on, and kept up a pace I liked.

Here is a wildly unimpressive pic from the ride- level B road, corn, and a windfarm. About as Iowa as it gets.

r0ckh0und 

The most memorable was a work trip. Work in the Chicagoland area was very slow back in 2006. So I found myself travelling to Las Vegas as the construction was booming at that time. I working a 40 hour week on the Marriot Hotel for about 5 months and therefore had quite a lot of free time. I brought my Gunnar Rockhound MTB, a Surly CC set up as a SS with a 42x18 and an open mind as far as riding opportunities. I also did quite a bit of hiking at Red Rock Canyon and a few other places. This was a memorable trip because of the variety of riding that I encountered. I did some MTB riding at Bootleg Canyon and Blue Diamond. During one of the Blue Diamond rides I had stopped for a water break as a woman on horseback approached. As we were chatting it up a bit, her horse was sniffing my pockets and she asked if I had candy in my pocket. Indeed I did but was not allowed to give it to her steed. One Sunday morning I met up with several elderly folks for a 30 mile road ride. The ride leader was in his early 80's The group was fascinated with my SS and several riders approached me during the ride with a variety of questions. I also did a Friday night Critical Mass ride mostly down the strip, going through all of the valet parking loops and being tailgated by a tour bus whose driver had a little fun with us. On a couple of occasions I rode the 11 mile scenic loop through Red Rock. The SS was probably a poor choice for my legs. The first half is mostly incline and the back half was a lot of coasting. I commuted to work on my MTB and thoroughly enjoyed riding down the strip at 5 am with no traffic, aside from nearly being creamed by a garbage truck one morning.

iab

I disagree. Looks entirely serene. Can't imagine a better day and place for a ride.

nlerner

A few years later than that (maybe 2012?), I was at a conference in Las Vegas and one afternoon spied a friend wearing bike clothes and carrying a helmet. Ends up she was catching a cab to a bike shop where she had arranged to rent a bike and planned to ride out to Red Rocks. She was happy to have me join her in my casual wear, and the bike shop set me up on some sort of alu Trek or Cannondale (my first experience with STI shifters), flat pedals (I didn't have cleats) and a single water bottle. My friend and I rode the 20 or so miles uphill to the Park, picked up a couple of bottles of gatorade at the front entrance and climbed the loop. I was glad to have the extra beverage as it was dry out there! I remember being somewhat terrified by the descent on those skinny, high-pressure tires and an unfamiliar bike, but once we were out on the main road, I remember averaging something like 25 mph over 20 miles on a gradual descent with a tailwind. That was awesome! And I was awesomely hungry by the time we got back to the shop as we didn't even bring a snack.

nlerner

Yikes, this is like having to choose which of your children is your favorite (or which of your bikes?)! Last year's PNW Tour as described by @gugie and others was indeed awesome, but if I had to choose, I'm going to go with the 2017 French Fender Day as it involved multiple modes of transportation (a bus, bikes, multiple ferries, multiple trains), crazy good timing (my buddy Bob W. and I took the bus from Boston to Manhattan, rode to @rhm's office, took two trains out to Long Island, on one of which we managed to find Mark, who had flown in from Portland to JFK), awesome riding (except for the stretch from New London to Old Saybrook, CT), awesome bike porn at FFD. Mark might not feel this way as he suffered through a bent fender, a sore arse, and a lost wallet, but he did get to go to Fenway Park for a Red Sox playoff game (they lost). Plus, I learned how to lean two bicycles against each other so that you can take an artistic pic:

Untitled

gugie 

That's right up there in my list of great rides. First time riding a bike on the east coast, first time at FFD, first time meeting and riding with @rhm and @crampy, all those ferries, riding through the Hamptons, laughing at @crampy at the motel in Montauk when his leg cramped up, and immediately cramping up myself, and riding to a Red Sox playoff game on your Ted Williams 2 speed, getting a TdBoston the next day by bicycle...plus the nearly impossible coordination to get us all together at just the right time, yet it happened!

But really, that was the first time you learned how two bicycles can act as a kickstand for each other? Next time we ride I'll have to teach you to do the death defying, two person grab each other's handlebars track stand. Me & @Johnny Ace got it down:


2017 Monster Cookie Metric Century

merziac

Well my riding is piddly pathetic by most standards here. I can ride all day if there are no real hills.

That said, Eroica in 17 and Crater Lake x2 are probably it, no Eroica pics (don't know where they are) and don't know why I didn't have my kid who rode shotgun on the trip ride the course with me.

No really good Crater Lake pics either.

abshipp 

September 2019, Psychedelic Eagle 200k with my randonneuring club.

Some rides are memorable because of how much you suffered, but some like this one are so memorable because of how well they went.

We had fantastic weather, sunny and comfortable temperatures, and whatever wind there was we only had to deal with in our faces for an hour or two. I was in great shape for this ride, feeling strong all the way to the end. Just a beautiful, 100% fun day on the bike with gorgeous rural WI scenery and some good riding company sprinkled through the day as well.




(I never take many pictures on my rides)

RobbieTunes

+1 (I ride to leave the phone behind). Like the olden days.

But.... 172.2 miles, at least 100 solo. nomadmax dropped me at 38 when the train came by. Significant 30 from about 100 to 130 with a person I met... Otherwise, 96 degrees and heat index of 106 from 10 am to 5 pm.

I mentally calculated how much I’d clear by selling them all, several times.



RAIN 2019