bblair

I have done Bike Virginia 3 times and had a blast, but they seem to be sliding into the abyss. So I am looking for something different for the summer of 2024.

Driving distance from central Ohio is a big plus. GOBA is nearby, but doesn't appeal to me for several reasons.

Where ya goin' next season?

robow

It seems almost every state has a ride set up like GOBA anymore and so you have a lot of options. I'm guessing it depends on if you have a certain time frame in mind ? Over the years I have participated in a bunch of these type of rides and some are definitely much better organized and more enjoyable than others. I'm hesitant to suggest specific rides because the upcoming year's route might be less than ideal, (such as the 2023 Michigander), or someone new may have taken over that ride and the new person or group is unfortunately far less experienced and will do a poorer job with the event such as my experiences years ago at Ride Illinois or BAM.

indyfabz

The Bon Ton Roulet in the Finger Lakes region of NY. The organizers have been offering more indoor accommodation options (at colleges) lately and more “no-move” days. That seems to have limited route options somewhat, but still a nice event. Takes place in July. Usually sells out.

indyfabz

Unfortunately, PA is one exception. We had Pedal
PA back in the 90s, but the guy who started it retired from that sort of thing. The person who took it over couldn’t make it work.

I did it in ‘96 and ‘98. Pittsburgh to Philadelphia. All rooms at colleges/universities. Breakfasts and dinners in the cafeterias and catered lunches on the road. Good times.

bblair

I had forgotten about that one. I've never done it but have heard great things and have driven through that area of NY. Beautiful. I do like the no-move days too.

indyfabz

I last did it in 2014. Started in Cortland and spent the next two nights at Keuka College near Penn Yan. We later spent two nights at Hobart-Smith College in Geneva. Did loops from camp on the days off.

One thing I like is that you don’t pay for a full lunch that you might not want. I don’t like to eat a big meal in the middle of a ride. Buy along the route if you want something more than the snacks/drinks at the stops can save money, especially if you don’t need to buy anything. CANDISC in North Dakota was like that.

robow

Yes, you have to decide how much you want to be pampered on these types of rides that carry your gear each day. Some will provide meals, generally breakfast and dinner but lunch will be on your own or other rides of this nature are lower in cost because they don't Supply your meals but do make food trucks available at various stops.....hopefully. Some of these can be a real crap shoot. The New York Parks Department puts on the Erie Canal ride each year and that is generally well organized but it is a larger ride with meals provided.

bblair

Back in 2004 I did a Trek Travel trip in Montana and Glacier National Park. Fantastic, but not cheap. We stayed in park lodges which were very nice and good restaurants. And they schlepped my stuff from place to place.

Maybe I will look into one of those.

mzirger726

Since you’re in Ohio have you looked at XOBA. It’s put on by Columbus Outdoor Pursuits who do GOBA but it is a much different ride. XOBA stands for Across Ohio Bicycle Adventure so you will cross the state. That usually means a few days of flat riding and a few days of hillier riding. It’s mostly on country roads with some bike path sprinkled in. The ride is about 65 miles/day. It has much smaller numbers than GOBA. The ride is always the last week in July

indyfabz

One thing lunch on your own does is give you an incentive to try the local fare. That’s nice if you’re in areas where there are options. I had some terrific pizza the last time I did Bon Ton. A few of us also had some terrific Italian tuna sandwiches another day. Where that doesn’t work is in remote places. The first day of Cycle Oregon in 2012, the boxed lunch stop was on Forest Service land in the middle of nowhere. IIRC, we did over 80 miles that day and didn’t pass one place to eat between the start and the finishing town.

jeneralist 

Any particular reason why GOBA doesn't appeal? I have a week of vacation in June that lines up nicely with that ride.

cranky old road 

The North Carolina Mountains to Coast Ride just released a promo for 2024. Rode it in 2023 and enjoyed it. I tried to post the facebook link but it doesn't load.

M2C Announcement 2024_Final.mp4
Cycle North Carolina is thrilled to announce our host cites for the 2024 Mountains to Coast Ride.

bblair

Not sure if it is still that way, but packing up and setting up every day does not appeal to me at all. Some of the areas are great, but some of the super flat spots don't do it for me.

FWIW, the 2024 Bike Virginia site is now live and the routes are up on RWGPS. I haven't given up on that (yet), depending on what my local group is doing.

I would do a small, commercial group alone (Trek Travel for example) but probably not a large group event.

jeneralist 

I've done the daily pack on two tours I very much liked -- the Bon Ton Roulet (Finger Lakes region of New York) and the Ride Around Washington (a year they rode down the Pacific coast). Those rides were both about 10 years ago now; since then, a lot of the tours have changed things so that there are more hub-and-spoke rides and fewer need-to-pack days.

But the unrelenting flatness of this year's GOBA route might be a problem for me.

Thanks for the insights!