Big bike events for all level cyclist?
04-19-18, 03:54 PM
#26
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Yes, yes, I know. Sorry. I dont see the revelance of your question to my question but if you insist... I'm riding total of 40 miles 4 times a week
to go to school (20 miles each way) and then 100 miles total on the weekend (50 miles each way) I do very little elevation, less than 300 ft on those roads. I haven't try yet to see how far I can atually go yet without bonking or feeling like I'm dying tired out there. These rides are very pleasant. I don't hurry myself either, I just ride on a steady pace. I really don't know yet what I can ride at the moment but I would consider myself still a beginner level. I ride an old hybrid bike from Target I got 10 years ago. I will invest in a nicer bike when I reach my desire weight of 110 lbs more or less. So now tell me what d you have in mind? Any awesome rides you know of? I don't mind if it's 3000 miles long and 12000 ft in elevation. When I find the ride that makes my heart excited I'll train for that one and even ifit takes me 5 years training I'll make it, so my level right now is not very important for me.
to go to school (20 miles each way) and then 100 miles total on the weekend (50 miles each way) I do very little elevation, less than 300 ft on those roads. I haven't try yet to see how far I can atually go yet without bonking or feeling like I'm dying tired out there. These rides are very pleasant. I don't hurry myself either, I just ride on a steady pace. I really don't know yet what I can ride at the moment but I would consider myself still a beginner level. I ride an old hybrid bike from Target I got 10 years ago. I will invest in a nicer bike when I reach my desire weight of 110 lbs more or less. So now tell me what d you have in mind? Any awesome rides you know of? I don't mind if it's 3000 miles long and 12000 ft in elevation. When I find the ride that makes my heart excited I'll train for that one and even ifit takes me 5 years training I'll make it, so my level right now is not very important for me.
04-19-18, 04:25 PM
#28
Banned.
If you plan to do any type of major tour stages, you really should be doing plenty of elevation on your rides. Makes a huge difference when it comes to completing a stage like that.
I've seen guys do double centuries flat rides (200 miles) in 12 hours but had a super hard time completing a 20 mile 5000 ft climb up local mountain roads used in the Tour of California.
I've seen guys do double centuries flat rides (200 miles) in 12 hours but had a super hard time completing a 20 mile 5000 ft climb up local mountain roads used in the Tour of California.
04-19-18, 06:41 PM
#29
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If you plan to do any type of major tour stages, you really should be doing plenty of elevation on your rides. Makes a huge difference when it comes to completing a stage like that.
I've seen guys do double centuries flat rides (200 miles) in 12 hours but had a super hard time completing a 20 mile 5000 ft climb up local mountain roads used in the Tour of California.
I've seen guys do double centuries flat rides (200 miles) in 12 hours but had a super hard time completing a 20 mile 5000 ft climb up local mountain roads used in the Tour of California.
04-21-18, 04:29 AM
#30
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Start here: Machka - Links
As for randonneuring-specific, this is probably one of the best places to start: Randonneur Links
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Last edited by Machka; 04-21-18 at 04:34 AM.
04-21-18, 05:10 AM
#31
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There's the Great Weston Ride - https://www.greatwestonride.com/home - I've ridden it the last two years. It's a well-organized ride that, unlike a lot of sportives, is entered by cyclists with a ride range of abilities, on all sorts of bikes (the highlight for me in 2016 was being overtaken by a bloke wearing sandals with a dog in a bike trailer).
UKCE do a few rides in the South West - https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/ev...gion=SouthWest. I've ridden quite a few of their events; they're well organized but do tend to mainly attract "serious" road cyclists. My daughter did a couple of their rides with me last year on the shorter courses and was fine doing this.
Also there's the Dragon Ride in South Wales - I rode this last year and really enjoyed it. It's run by the same organization who run the TdF, so the organization's spot on, and it's a really good course. Dragon Ride L?Etape Wales by Le Tour de France - L'Etape. Highlight was being applauded in at the finish by Didi the Devil
UKCE do a few rides in the South West - https://www.ukcyclingevents.co.uk/ev...gion=SouthWest. I've ridden quite a few of their events; they're well organized but do tend to mainly attract "serious" road cyclists. My daughter did a couple of their rides with me last year on the shorter courses and was fine doing this.
Also there's the Dragon Ride in South Wales - I rode this last year and really enjoyed it. It's run by the same organization who run the TdF, so the organization's spot on, and it's a really good course. Dragon Ride L?Etape Wales by Le Tour de France - L'Etape. Highlight was being applauded in at the finish by Didi the Devil
04-21-18, 06:28 AM
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04-21-18, 08:34 AM
#33
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Personally, I'm not a fan of these kinds of rides. Too much "de France" and not enough "Tour". They pick the route and the destinations and you have to ride them. If a place like Ringing Rocks or the Chemical Heritage Museum or the Roebling Delaware and Hudson Suspension Bridge plus thousands of other sights aren't on the route, you can deviate off route to go see them.
And even if the routes include going past interesting places, you can't really stop because you have a long way to go before your day is ended.
"Bicycle touring" should be about the journey. Point A and point B shouldn't matter. What you find between A and B is the important bit.
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04-21-18, 10:37 AM
#34
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Many years ago (mid 90s) when I was stationed in southern Spain, one year a friend and I drove up to southern France to watch a stage of the TdF. I don't know if they still do this...but the day before any given stage, the roads for the following day's stage/course were set up for public cyclists. I didn't look into it too much, so I don't know if it's something you have to register and pay for, or what. In our case, we were there to watch a mountaintop finish. We got there the day before and camped on the mountain near the finish area with thousands of other cycling fans. On the drive through the countryside, and up the mountain...all day long there were people arriving on their bikes. That might be something to look into. Someone above mentioned RAGBRAI. My brother did that a couple times and LOVED it. I've ridden the much shorter Hilly Hundrend in southern Indiana. That's fun.
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04-21-18, 11:05 AM
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Since you are in multiple places, here's a web site you can start with, CAMM Events. Select "Find Events by State" on the top links bar and then select the state you want to ride in. This site has tons of rides listed with links to the actual ride website (if there is one). Lots of good rides listed for Florida.
Another good link for cycling events around the U.S. is Active.Com. Just select the category from the right and it will display all rides for that category throughout the U.S. You can also refine your search by state.
Another good link for cycling events around the U.S. is Active.Com. Just select the category from the right and it will display all rides for that category throughout the U.S. You can also refine your search by state.
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04-22-18, 10:52 AM
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This one is in beautiful west MI, and has a range of distances. This got me in to bicycling and I am, just like you, using this as a carrot to train for the 80 mile distance this year.
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
04-22-18, 10:56 AM
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This one is in beautiful west MI, and has a range of distances. This got me in to bicycling and I am, just like you, using this as a carrot to train for the 80 mile distance this year.
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
Cape Town... beautiful beautiful course.
04-22-18, 11:29 AM
#39
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There are plenty of rides around the world I am sure. Breathless Agony is a cool ride. A timed event. Mountain ride that I'm sure would rival a major tour stage. I did this ride and got a pretty cool finisher's jersey. Actually cool having the jersey as there are not that many out there and many of the ones you see are the same people who have completed the ride several times. 114 miles/ 12,000 ft of gain.
Absolutely fascinates me.
04-22-18, 05:44 PM
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This one is in beautiful west MI, and has a range of distances. This got me in to bicycling and I am, just like you, using this as a carrot to train for the 80 mile distance this year.
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2018 Gran Fondo - Michigan State University College of Human Medicine 2017 Gran Fondo
04-23-18, 07:49 AM
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If someone wants a large ride in the west part of Michigan, Holland 100 is less expensive and there's no 'suggested donation' on top of the registration fee.
04-23-18, 08:17 AM
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I've done it a few times and enjoyed it. I don't like being on the road early enough to register and be on the road by 7:00, so I usually end up on a club ride locally instead. There is a pancake breakfast along the route, and there are sufficient goodies to keep you fueled during the ride, it's relatively flat - if I remember it's only something like 1200 feet of climbing in the 100 miles. Showers at the end. No party though; and it seems like a lot of folks expect a party.
04-23-18, 09:08 AM
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For me, the allure of such rides is the social atmosphere, if I want to go on a bike ride and not interact with anyone I'll just go somewhere on my own. I'm paying, in large part, to hang out and chat with like-minded folks and drink beer after the ride.
04-24-18, 10:14 AM
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LBS here puts on an annual century ride, but you can ride different lengths. They have routes for 30 miles, 63 miles, and the full 102 miles with a few shortcuts like 75 or 80 miles or so if you're not feeling up to the full century. With different lengths they get a lot of participants in it all doing their own rides, so it's good for experienced, trained riders or those who aren't quite up to riding a full century.
04-24-18, 12:49 PM
#45
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