jppe

Resyeger

Top 5 from me:
1. June 2017 - last day of a three day bike tour from Laramie WY to Crawford NE. Took some back roads, stayed in hotels overnight (that's the way to go!). Rode over a century this last day; very tiring but very rewarding.
2. Sometime in 2010 or 2011; first time I biked from Laramie WY to Fort Collins CO (~70 miles, mostly downhill). Seminal moment, retrospectively.
3. July 2018 - Black Hills bikepacking day 2; rode ~60 miles over rough country late into the evening; camped remotely; very worn out and out of water.
4. April 2018, rode a near century from my house into the mountains of SW wyoming, mostly gravel roads, lots of climbing, kicked my ass
5. November 2017; Mountain biking in Moab with my son on the tag a long; we spent about 3 hours moving time- and my 4 yr old son didn't complain hardly at all!

Hondo Gravel

daoswald

In 1982 my family moved from the SF Bay Area in California to Sandy (South Salt Lake County), Utah. I was 14.

I had a lousy Sears ten speed, but it was mine and I rode it a lot. One day shortly after moving to UT, I rode it from our home on the east bench of Sandy to about 21st South. I didn't have bottle cages (I don't think the bike even had bosses for cages), so at one point I had to stop in at a local church to use a drinking fountain before heading back home. To that point in my life it was the longest ride I had ever taken, and I did it in a city I was mostly unfamiliar with at the time. It would be several years before I would ride that far again. It still stands out as one of my most memorable rides.

When I lived in Portugal we once rented bikes and rode from Coimbra to Figueira da Foz and back. Pretty long ride, and there was even some cobblestone here and there. Memorable for many reasons.

When I was living in Portland, my most memorable ride was from Vancouver, WA, down the 205 bridge into Portland, and eventually home in SW Hillsdale. Great fun on my new (in 2001) Cannondale H400. I think I hit the fastest speed I had ever achieved at the time, of about 44mph descending the bridge over the Columbia river.

Also while living in Portland I used to take that same H400 on the ferry from Anacortes Washington to Friday Harbor where I would spend weekends on my sailboat, and also biking around San Juan Island. There isn't a single ride that stands out, but riding from Friday Harbor to American Camp, or to English Camp, or to Roche Harbor are nice memories.

While living in Los Angeles, the most memorable ride must be riding from my home in the San Fernando Valley, over the Sepulveda Pass, past the Getti Center, along the beach, to Palos Verdes and back. Close to 100 miles, many of which followed the coast line. I made that trip a number of times, so there's probably not a single instance that stands out, but they all kind of merge together.

Back in SLC again, I try to make every ride stand out.

Retro Grouch 

The first day of my first town-to-town tour. We were riding in Door County, Wisconsin. The weather was perfect and we had stopped to see some pretty spectacular sights. I remember thinking "This is only the first day." We've done several other tours since that time, but none has ever stuck in my mind like that first time.

ctpres

"Ride The Hurricane" Port Angles, WA. The ride up on a road bike was totally forgetable stop -rest- ride over and over. Down - road closed for event - I reached speeds I will never see again. Truely amazing memory.

GadgetGirlIL

April, 2018 - the 6 mile climb up Reddish Knob in Virginia. It was part of an 80-mile permanent that also went over into West Virginia. I'm from Illinois so having to climb continuously (~8-10%) for 6 miles was the hardest thing I've ever done on a bike. The views at the top were spectacular!

mpath

Haleakala. Not particularly steep. Just long and relentless.

mr_bill

berner

Out bike club has a New Year's Day ride. Several years ago, for that ride, the day dawned warm and sunny and a few members even wore shorts. Part of the route skirted beach areas and a few stopped to admire the view out into Buzzars'd Bay and the Elizabeth Islands 5 miles or so out. Being a born water rat, that view together with such a fine warm New Year's day made the ride special.

But its me 

Lemond1985

Mt. Tamapais in Marin County, circa 2000. The road is called Panoramic Highway. That was the last time I was up there. Perfect day. I'm right at the base of the climb, on my '88 Cannondale. That's Stinson Beach in the background. I can't believe it's been almost 20 years since I've been up that epic climb, gotta make it back.

aclass

Reddish is very close and we do it several times a year. ANY time you conquer reddish knob then it is time to celebrate. Nicely done.

GadgetGirlIL

Thanks!

This year I'm opting to do a different permanent that starts in Staunton. It goes up Goshen Pass. Sure is a beautiful part of the country. I have dear friends who live in Harrisonburg.

tcs

Summer 1971 and I was 14, riding my Varsity to the next town over to visit a friend.

Jim from Boston

What Is One Of Your Most Memorable Days On Your Bike?

Quote:

Originally Posted by jppe

While we still have our clear memories maybe we should document these very memorable rides????

i got to thinking about some of my more memorable days on the bike while doing a long ride today. I thought it might be interesting for us to share some of our experiences. I’d really enjoy hearing about others experiences.

I need to to sort through mine that I can remember before I post anything. There have been a good number, which I think is good.

How about it?

@jppe , that question is a bit like, "Who’s your favorite child?" Nearly all my most memorable days on a bike had been in the context of tours:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

… In Ann Arbor MI in the 70’s I really realized the utility of bicycles for commuting, and began touring on a five-speed Schwinn Suburban, but soon bought a Mercier as did my girlfriend, later my wife. We toured in Michigan and Ontario.

In 1977 we moved to Boston on our bikes, as a bicycling honeymoon from Los Angeles to Washington, DC and then took the train up to Boston. We have toured in New England and the Maritime Provinces, and one trip to the DelMarVa peninsula…

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim from Boston

…Every year beginning on our anniversary on April 30 for the next eight weeks I frequently try to recall where we were at that particular time on that date back in 1977…

or special weekend events: In any case if I had to choose the first of my most memorable one day rides, from home and out, to back home, even recognized at that time, it would be: As you may recall the Fifty-Plus Foum followed the trip virtually day-by-day.

Steve B.

Joe Bikerider

bobwysiwyg

I'm going to cop out on this one. At my age, they are all memorable.

Barrettscv 

Three days rank equally, why have favorites?

My longest day 144 miles ranks highly. I hadn't ridden further than 126 miles previously and that was a 200km event with a well marked route, very good food & refreshments stops and SAG support. The 144 day was just a cycling buddy and myself. The route was intentionally vague, the stops were random and we did it rather leisurely.

I'm from Illinois, so any bump with a 5% grade that takes more than five minutes to climb is a hill to me. In 2013 I managed to climb a cumulative 9000 ft of hills over 95 miles on a 30 yr old Serotta in one morning in nearby Wisconsin: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/356683768

Or one 4000ft (5000 ft of climbing) mountain in Italy. My wife's family has a villa a block from the beach in Italy. The mountains aren't far, and I can go from sea level to 4000 ft in less than 15 miles.

Crystal clear air and 50 mile panoramas helped made that day the best while in Italy;



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​Fiumefreddo Bruzio

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This is the view from about 3700 ft above sea level looking north to Golfo di Policastro;​​​​​​








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bobwysiwyg

I'm going to cop out on this one. At my age, they are all memorable.

iowa mark

Several one day rides taken out of Sasebo Japan while in my uncle's boat club back in the early 70s. Up into the hills overlooking the bay and out into the stepped fields complete with oxen and barefoot farmers. For a very wet behind the ears native of small town Iowa, every curve in the road brought with it sights of a world so much different than anything I could have dreamed of with my limited background. My brand new 10, count them,10 speed Fuji climbed so effortlessly compared to the old 3 speed Herculies I had left at home. The feeling of utter freedom those days gave me way back then left its mark on my bicycle riding even to this day.

Altair 4

First memorable day was in 2010 after my daughter got a 24 inch "mountain" bike from REI. We took the bike to the North Shore trail in Pittsburgh and I rented a bike from Golden Triangle Bike to ride with her. We only rode for maybe an hour, but doing so re-ignited my interest in riding. I can still remember thinking, "wow, this is fun! Bikes sure had come a long way since my teen-age days on a ten speed." That ride stimulated me to buy a bike of my own. My wife bought one shortly thereafter.

Second memorable day was a family ride along the Niagara River Trail from Niagara Falls to Niagara-on-the-Lake in 2015. We got an early start on a July day that promised to be warm, sunny, and full of promise. Watching my daughter start out, I realized that soon she'll be moving up to a larger bike, and that it would be a milestone for her. Seeing her rip down the Niagara escarpment again gave me proof that she's a thrill seeker! We stopped to buy and eat fresh fruit at a roadside stand and I concluded that the ride was about as perfect as one could be for our family.

Third most memorable day was on September 19, 2018. My daughter's school had a vacation day and she and I took our bikes to Erie, PA, to ride the trail at Presque Isle State Park. My daughter, now a senior in high school and riding a road bike, led the way on one circuit of the trail. We stopped to eat at a roadside burger place (Sara's, and I highly recommend it!) near our start point. While working our way through burgers and shakes, she asked, "wanna go again?" So we did. About halfway around the park, a rider went past my at a speed that I couldn't match for long on my hybrid. But I knew, the second my kid sensed he was going to pass her, she would hit the afterburner and take off. Soon they were out of sight, despite my best efforts. I figured, "well, she'll either be at the park entrance, at Sara's, or at the car. No use killing myself over the next 7 miles." Nearing the park entrance, I saw the other cyclist, crouching down, looking at his bike. At the entrance itself, there was my kid, leaning on her bike, not even breathing hard. I asked, "did he try to pass you?" "Yep," was the reply. "Did he?" "Nope," came the deadpan answer, but backed with a sense of satisfaction.

On the drive home, she said we have to do this again next September and make the 30 mile ride a "father-daughter" annual event. I hated to point out to her that she'd be in college somewhere and it might not be possible. Her reply was, "we'll make it happen." Turns out, she's probably going to go to school in Erie so the chance is pretty high that it will happen. My sense is that she's grown up pretty well and I think biking helped her do it.

indyfabz

130+ miles fully loaded after getting delayed by Hurricane Floyd when riding home after crossing the country in 1999.

DaveSSS 

In 2006, at age 53, I rode the Bob Cook Memorial Mt. Evans Hill Climb route for the 6th time, to the 14,130 ft top of Mt. Evans for the 6th time. I'd always managed to do it in less than 3 hours, but I rode it at race pace with a time of 2:35, which would often put a rider of my age in the top 10 on race day. Back then, I used a 53/39/28 triple with a 12-25 cassette (Campy of course).

I notice that the route is a little shorter than it used to be. It used to start at the high school, on the north side of I-70 and now it starts on the south side.

https://bicyclerace.com/maps/