The Rides
The Ride. It is the cathedral of our sport, where we worship at the altar of the Man with the Hammer. It is the end to our means. Indeed, The Bike may be the central tool to our sport, but to turn the pedals is to experience the sensation of freedom, of flight. It is all for The Ride.
The world is overflowing with small, twisty roads that capture our collective imagination as cyclists. We spend our lifetimes searching out the best routes and rides; we pore over maps, we share with our fellow disciples, we talk to non-cycling locals all in pursuit of the Perfect Ride.
The Rides is devoted entirely to the best routes and rides around the world. Some are races or cyclosportives, others feature in the Classics and stages of The Great Races, while others still are little-known gems, discovered through careful meditation on The V. Be warned: these rides are not your average Sunday Afternoon spin; these rides are the best and most difficult rides in the word – they represent the rites of passage into La Vie Velominatus. It is to be taken for granted that these rides require loads of Rule #5, many of them Rule #10, and all of them are best enjoyed in Rule #9 conditions. They have been shared by you, the community. The Rides also features articles devoted to the greatest rides and providess a forum for sharing other rides for discussion.
If you’d like to submit a ride or an article about your own favorite ride, please feel free to send it to us and we’ll do our best to work with you to include it.
[rideitem status=”public” title=”Haleakala” distance=”56km” category=”Grimpeur” url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/50412514″ location=”Paia, Maui, Hawaii, USA”]
Haleakala is simultaneously the longest paved continuous climb in the world as well as the shortest ascent from sea level to 10,000 feet in the world. Though not terribly steep, this is a long, grinding climb that will reduce a strong rider to a whimpering lump.
To put the effort in perspective, this climb is 60km long a an average of 6% with two pitches as steep as 17%. That translates to somewhere between 3 or more hours of nonstop climbing, usually in Maui’s direct heat and often into a whipping headwind that spins around into a headwind no matter which direction the switchbacks take you.
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[rideitem statuc=public title=”Liege-Bastogne-Liege” distance=”265″ category=”Rouleur” url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/58053308/” location=”Liege, Belgium”]
Liege-Bastogne-Liege is not only La Doyenne, the oldest of the Classics, but also represents perhaps the most demanding course in cycling. The 280 km, 3000m vertical route starts with an easy ride out from Liege to Bastogne which lulls riders into a false sense of security; the hills are frequent, but none of them terribly demanding. Into Bastogne, and the story changes on the way back to Liege with 9 categorized climbs in the second half, including the fearsome Côte de la Redoute and the Côte de Saint-Nicolas.
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[rideitem status=public title=”Paris-Roubaix” category=”Hardman” distance=”265″ url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/58052610/” location=”Compiégne, France” guideurl=”http://www.cyclingpave.cc/” guide=”Pavé Cycling Classics”]
L’enfur du Nord. The Hell of The North. The Queen of the Classics. This isn’t a ride over the stones from your local brick-paved roads. You think climbs are what make a ride tough? We’ve got news for you: this is the hardest ride on the planet and it boasts a maximum elevation of 55 meters. These are vicious, brutal stones; the kind that will stretch each kilometer to their full length, the kind of stones that you will feel long after the rattling of the bars has stopped. These stones will change you. Forever.
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[rideitem status=public title=”Mortirolo/Gavia Loop” category=”Grimpeur” distance=”115km” url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/59027020/” location=”Bormio, Italy” contributor=”Joe”]
The Mortirolo is perhaps the most feared pass in Western Europe, and the Gavia the most storied. Given their proximity to each other, its a wonder why this isn’t the most talked-about ride in Italy. Maybe it is; its impossible to say without being Italian. The loop nature of this ride makes it feasible as a solo escapade, but any ride with the kind of stats this one bears – 3200 meters ascended in 115 kilometers including the viscously steep Mortirolo – is best enjoyed with a riding partner or support car.
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[rideitem status=public title=”200 on 100″ category=”Grimpeur” distance=”330km” url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/58052808/” location=”Vernon, VT” contributor=”cdelinks” contributorurl=”http://cyclowhat.com”]
“Dumptruck of Awesome” has become the catch-phrase associated with this brutally hard, yet strikingly beautiful 330 kilometer (200 mile) ride down Vermont Route 100. This ride was made popular during the summer of 2011 when Ted King, Tim Johnson, and a local amateur cyclist, Ryan Kelly, documented this ride on film. The ride starts on the Canadian border and finishes on the Massachusetts border. With over 2500 meters of climbing on this 330 kilometer ride, you will need to pack a few lunches to get through this one. Do this ride in the Fall, and the foliage might be beautiful enough to distract you from the horrible pain you will most certainly suffer.
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[rideitem status=”public” title=”De Ronde Van West Portlandia” distance=”76km” category=”Grimpeur” url=”http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/15276210″ location=”Portland, Oregon, USA”]
A ride that officially “never happens” each spring, this 76 km route charts a course through Portland’s West Hills, paying homage to the European Spring Classics. Approximately 1,800 meters of paved and unpaved climbs are spread throughout the course, with several sections reaching grades of over 20%. More information can be found at Ronde PDX.
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[rideitem status=public title=”Seattle Master Urban Ride” category=”Rouleur” distance=”130km” url=http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/57732282 location=”Seattle, Washington, USA”]
This is perhaps the most challenging urban route in Seattle, hitting three of the big hills that define Seattle’s topography. The route starts and ends on Phinney Ridge, but hits the climbs of Interlaken and Alder Street/Lake Dell Drive on its way to Mercer Island, before coming back to hit Queen Anne and Magnolia, weaving its way up each of these hills as many times as possible via the steepest route available before the finale to the north via Golden Gardens, Blue Ridge Drive, and Carkeek Park. Panoramic views of the Cascades, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, The Olympic Penninsula and Puget Sound makes this a standout Urban ride.
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The cross race this weekend had a false flat that was mostly long grass that felt like a sandpit for 250m.
Every lap I dreaded it.
not so much a singular ride, but a great day overall. started with a cross ride full of pump tracks, boardwalks, and gas lines turned impromptu drops. amazing group of people and finished it off with delicious lemon cake and espresso.
part 2 was a road ride that has potential to be a great 85km route. 4 great friends and myself, small new england towns, and rainfall to guide us home. how grand
[dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/roger/2013.11.17.19.32.41/1//”/]
@Barracuda without having to google, what is bitumen? something similar to gravel?
@ChrisO do be sure to submit another article. i enjoyed your last one and the mindset an actual racer takes on during these stage races
@ChrisO the “Mountains looming over” shot was the best! And it is always great to see race images especially in so dramatic a land scape – Well done and thanks for posting!
@roger
Ummm, pronounced ” Bitch-u-man”. Its what we call the crap they seal roads here with, refer also black tar encrusted with gravel.
Picture smooth hot mix and then think of its very poor cousin, cheap and nasty!
@roger Hey Roger, you made me a bit wistful for the Boston area and the Allis Loop on a cool fall/winter day! But not that much because the ride home today was 80 degrees, nice tail wind and dead flat!
Bitumen (a viscous, black, sticky tar-like substance) like Macadam (pavement made of layers of compacted broken stone, now usually bound with tar or asphalt) are British/Scottish words for roads in the non US parts of the world. So a Bitumen road is like our chipseal roads that get oiled and to answerer @Barracudas question “Has anyone else experienced a road that just sucks the life out of you?” YES I feel the same riding on a hot day on a chip seal road in upstate New York and in the Bahamas and Puerto Rico on, hot and soft, old style asphalt roads too.
Quite climb, snow at the top, fast descent, heaven on wheels.
@Barracuda I feel your pain. Try also the road from Balhannah to Littlehampton, slightly up hill with very coarse chip. Feels like riding in sand dunes. I raced a loop that included Old Willunga Hill on Sunday and felt exactly like your photo. It was a handicap and I just could not get going at all, no rythmn, no power, just horrible.
@Barracuda
Yeah – they’ve been doing that to a lot of UK roads for the last few years, cheaper than putting down a new road surface. Absolutely awful to ride on. Even worse when they are just in the week or so after laying and there are great clumps of loose chippings all over the place and particularly on bends and road junctions. Add insult to injury (or actually injury to insult) compounded by the road traffic firing the loose chippings at you from their tyres.
@ChrisO
Damn! For a second there I thought you were Robert Gesink. No kidding – tall, lean and riding a Giant. Your team kit is pretty sweet too.
@Wiscot
Hmm, plus side = being compared to pro rider ; minus side = said pro rider mostly sucks.
Thanks… I think
@Barracuda
As much as I like climbing, there’s a 4km stretch called Dimple Dell Road (dubbed Simple Hell) because no matter which direction I’m riding, it always seems to be uphill. Freaks me out.
@Optimiste
We have one of those straight roads that gradually steepens. It’s not massive but long enough to be painful as the cumulative effect is harder than it looks as you come round the bend at the bottom. It’s the steepening as you naturally tire that gets you like a double whammy. Having said that compared to an Alp it is a mere speed bump.
Feeling a little tense…
Weather forecast is apocalyptic. We don’t get a lot of weather here but when we do it can be pretty dramatic – last weekend there were hailstorms and people died in flash flooding.
It doesn’t help that my wife keeps reminding me I said I wouldn’t do this again.
@ChrisO
Bet you never thought the London Cogal would be good preparation for the Tour of Sharjah.
@Chris
Ha Ha!
@Chris – did you pull together any more input for the write up?
@Teocalli Just waiting for @norm, chased him up yesterday so hopefully I’ll be able to submit it to Gianni soon.
@Rob
Ugh, chipseal. Otherwise, I’ll take New England most days. Missing all those backroads in eastern CT.
@ChrisO Good luck buddy smash ’em up!
The Rasputitsa / Dirty40 registration is now open. I hope to see some Velominatus at either one!
60$ for 2 races, with a meal ticket!
https://www.bikereg.com/Net/dirty-40-series
On the way to start Stage 3. Going well so far.
Caught behind a crash on Stage 1 crit so came in with second group behind big bunch.
Sevond stage was tough – 45km avg for 95k. stayed with the lead bunch all the way – even did some work. Puncture a few Kms out though. If not for lost time would be in top half.
Weather has been chaotic – rain, wind, hail, flooded roads.
Hard day ahead today. 174kms and some climbs. In the race convoy at the moment heading to start.
Finished. Stayed upright.
Today’s final stage, my team leader flatted just 16km into 133km so I give him my wheel and have a long, long ride to the end with a handful of other stragglers.
I could have abandoned but I was determined to say that I’ve finished a pro stage race.
Tough, tough race. Much harder than last year. Did OK – not as well as I might have optimistically hoped but only four of our twelve starters made it, and overall a quarter of the field dropped out.
So, so tired. And I’m sick of eating.
Will do a proper article or report but right now I just want to sleep.
@ChrisO Chapeau Chris. Looking forward to the report.
@ChrisO Strong, strong work, mate. Can’t wait for the write up.
Go have a cold one.
@ChrisO
Fuckin’ spot on, Chris.
@Weldertron
you’re not with Croix de Fer by chance? I just got this email today…trying to get a team together from work. a few went last year and said they had a blast
I am! It was a blast. pretty tough finale few km, but overall a well rounded gravel ride.
@ChrisO “So, so tired. And I’m sick of eating.
Will do a proper article or report but right now I just want to sleep.”
So remember those 2 feelings after stage racing… Especially the sick of eating!
I’ve enjoyed going along for the ride in such an amazing part of the world and there is no dishonor in protecting your captain with a wheel change, been in the exact same situation that led to a 80 k chase where hot shot kid got back on and I got droped with 30 to go and that was the first stage!
Thanks for sharing.
Re: Adelaide Rapha Gentlemans Race
V-kit @ ~2:00 – nice one Mikael!
http://vimeo.com/80090804
A few too many sheep references me thinks – I think they have us confused with NZ
@ Giles, rom, BenJ (?)
Perth – NY day ride…. say start 6:00 @ Crank, Leederville. If interested I’ll map something out…….
@asyax
Was that Chocolate Mouse for breakfast @Mikael Liddy ??
Breakfast of champions.
Im gonna accept next years invite, looked like a good day out !
@DerHoggz
Send me those originals – the ones that don’t have your finger in them are totally worthy of the Tumblr thread at least, and some look like candidates for a VVallpaper (must resurrect that effort).
@Barracuda
yup, last minute sugar top up before hitting up the espresso van.
Here’s the embedded video…was reluctant to post it in case we set Ron off on another rant! *semi colon, hyphen, close brackets*
Rapha Gentlemen’s Race: Adelaide from RAPHA on Vimeo.
@Mikael Liddy I truly love seeing the V kit in pictures and videos of events. thanks for reping it.
Period film goes wrong…………
@Teocalli
Wrong indeed. What’s with the V patch in the foreground? Should be anti-V. I’m guessing the end of the clip was necessary to set the record straight.
That’s me entered for L’Eroica Britannia 160 Km with Malted Beverage and Pork Pies at the refreshment stops, though maybe as a vintage event we can say 100 Imperial? Just need to get my frame back to finish the refurb. Oh and @Dan_R to do a rerun of the vintage CR jerseys in red.
Don’t know the best section to post this in, but wonder if anyone has seen this interesting concept for London
http://www.fosterandpartners.com/news/skycycle-proposals-to-create-safe-new-cycle-routes-throughout-london/
At last, CX explained
https://vimeo.com/83347849
Fabulous day on and off the bike today…
Since I was home for a few weeks over Christmas I thought I would try to erase the stain on my character of being a UK Cat4, by virtue of not having done any racing there.
For those who don’t know the UK system, everyone starts at Cat 4 and once you get 12 points (used to be 10) you move up to Cat 3 and then Cat 2, 1 and Elite. In the upper categories you have to maintain points to stay there BUT once you are Cat 3 you can never go back down to Cat 4.
So Cat 4 races are notorious for being quite difficult as they are usually big fields of fairly inexperienced racers who are mostly able to chase for 30 seconds but don’t have the fitness or power to get breakaways working, which then means a mad and dangerous bunch gallop at the end.
I only had three races with 10 points for a win then 8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1,1 in the places down to 10th.
First race was New Year’s Day in the Imperial Winter Series at Hillingdon. “You want Rule #9, you can’t handle Rule #9” might have been the motto. In their write up the organisers said it was possibly the most atrocious day in the history of the series. Happily though it worked in my favour, jumping away on the first lap then going with a pair who caught us and later joined by another guy to stay away the entire race, against all the rules. Could only manage third in the sprint, so seven points in the bag.
Did the next race the following Saturday. Much more typical. My coach is always saying “Get in the break, get in the break” but nobody was willing or able to work. Everyone has a little dig to chase it down and then you’re all back together. Tried again and again to get away, even suicidally on the second-last lap (the course is about 1600m). I thought we might do it but we got swept up in the final corners and I stayed out of the sprint. Nul points.
The Hillingdon races were full but there’s another winter series in Brighton, with smaller fields, so I entered for today. I also took delivery of a new pair of Radarlock Oakleys, mainly because I forgot mine in Dubai and it’s been shitty riding in the wet without anything to shield my eyes. Clearly the rule violating, albeit accidental, had sapped my strength.
Brighton (Preston Park) is basically a double-size (600m) outdoor velodrome with shallow banking. About 25 in the field and I tried to make some breaks or join people getting away. I had no trouble bridging to them or getting a gap but, if I say so myself, it was pretty clear I was a lot stronger. We would get a break of three or four guys, I would do the hardest pulls into the wind, and then even with the tailwind they were struggling and blowing to come around and keep the pace high. It’s a pity, because a decent group could take a lap fairly quickly if they all worked hard. When the handful of guys who wanted to race weren’t on the front the bunch was rolling around at 30km/h which seemed a bit pointless.
It was clear it was going to come to a bunch finish and with five laps to go I had a position near the front but on the inside. I needed to get out. Fortunately with three to go a few guys started to wind up and that strung out the leading riders so I could jump into the gaps. The final corner is about 100m from the line with a little bank and a tailwind so position was critical and coming into the last lap I was perfectly placed at second wheel. I launched with about 200m to go and I think whoever was behind must have lost my wheel because there was nobody near me – I thought I might have made a mistake and there was another lap to go.
So a win to finish, and to top things off it was a truly glorious sunny winter’s day, so I headed down the hill to Brighton beach for a celebratory fish and chips in the sunshine before catching the train back to London.
A perfect day, with the satisfaction of being totally rule compliant while doing it.
@ChrisO
Well played Sir! I also like to treat myself to a fish supper after a good day out on the bike, the perfect combination of protein and carbs.
Tommy Godwin is the father of Rule #5 and #330km in a day is the challenge, do it every day for a year and you are truly badass.
http://www.raleigh.co.uk/tommygodwin205
@ChrisO
I seem to be living vicariously through your race reports, since mine are never nearly as exceptional. Chapeau.
My ride Saturday – McLaren Vale SA – Tdu prelude