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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@ChrisO
So sorry to hear about this. Heal fast.
Best wishes for the fastest recovery possible.
This is the only wine ChrisO should have in the near future:
@Teocalli
Well done on the wine gesture, it’s nice to be nice.
@ChrisO
Yikes, femoral neck fracture, that’s a”sair yin”, and in SE England all the decent orthopods will be skiing in the Alps, ask your surgeon how many he/she has done before signing anything from your ket-hole!
@ChrisO
Holy shit mate, that’s terrible news. All the best and hope you heal up well.
On the plus side though, morphine and ketamine!
@Teocalli
Nice job looking after him and great gesture to thank the lady too.
@ChrisO
Good speed and Godspeed with recovery.
Heal fast, @ChrisO!
@ChrisO
Sheeeit, ouch, and at least you didn’t break your fall with your head. Sorry to hear about the crash. Now it’s forced weight gain and rest for you my lad.
@ChrisO
Ouch. I hope you’ll make a swift recovery. Being race-fit will surely help with that, bones heal faster around a healthy body.
…and since nobody else asked: Is the bike ok?
@tessar
His bike is fine, just a slight scuff on the bar tape. As you might surmise @ChrisO did ring me from hospital to check! My VMW came out to fetch me and the 2 bikes. So it is cleaned and tucked up with mine at the moment or should I say, for those who know @ChrisO, dwarfing mine.
Had the surgery last night and now have a Dynamic Hip Screw fitted. Look it up for the details.
The surgeon and anaesthetist seemed very happy to have someone below the age of 70 – they were deeply impressed with my HR and celebrated by giving me a general not epidural.
just as well – my only impression is of intense blinding pain. I knew I was unconscious, if that makes sense. I couldn’t see or speak or move – I was in a dark void and the only other thing present was the pain. It felt a hundred times worse than the worst leg cramp and I alternated between thinking it would never end and knowing (wishing) that they could just black me out.
the surgeon said I had very hard bones to drill through so that added to the pain
Better this morning, at least until physio comes. Can’t concentrate more than a few mins at a time so will update that later.
@ChrisO
I looked it up. Now I wish I hadn’t. Best wishes. Gutted for you.
@ChrisO
Get well soonest, just catching up with the site after a few days away. I can’t seem to view previous pages but the gist of it seems to be ice + bike = crash + pain. Not a good way to end the year but at least you will be getting medical grade drugs instead of a hogmanay dram.
@ChrisO
I’m guessing that if you haven’t already, you will be very soon starting the physio… and with a solid understanding of the benefits of exploring the pain cave, could well be something you’ll tackle with flying colors. What an unexpected challenge to tackle for the New Year. Best of Luck and Wishes for speedy recovery.
@ChrisO
Get Well Soon. And may 2015 be better!
@ChrisO
Owwwwwwwwwwwwwch!
Can’t even begin to imagine what you’re going through. Forget the race you were training for…this is a much bigger challenge for you to take on and we all know that you can do it. Fuck it.
OK, so how about this for a ride? Steven Abraham is planning on beating the record set by Tommy Godwin in 1939 who cycled over 75,000 miles (sorry, not in Km, this was set in England and they didn’t particularity like johnny-foreigner measures back then with old Adolf stomping around Europe). At around 330 Km a day, every day for a year, that makes a grand-tour look like a gentle stroll in the park.
I note from his page (http://oneyeartimetrial.org.uk) he’s ignoring some of The Rules, but big V’s to the man.
@markb
>>> so how about this for a ride?<<< Looney Tunes.
Sorry to hear about the accident @ChrisO – heal up soon!
@ChrisO Shit, that really sucks! Hopefully everything will go well in the recovery and you can be back to dropping us all at will soon enough.
@ChrisO, best wishes for a quick recovery! I can emphasize a little, having broken the same clavicle twice this year, but that’s not even a mosquito bite compared to what you’ve gone, and will go, through.
Unbelievable! what a shit, so sorry to hear @ChrisO, heal fast.
@ChrisO – thoughts are with you; heal fast and enjoy the morphine. Very sorry to hear about your crash; hang in there.
@ChrisO
Having had a compound spiral fractured femur in 2006 make sure you take the PT seriously. Hopefully you are in a better spot (I destroyed a lot of muscle and had dropped off my parents insurance) but the loss of muscle mass while you wait for the bone to heal can be pretty drastic. And sorry but I’ll say a big +1 on the helmet comments, my expensive ass shoei helmet broke like an egg shell but was the only reason why I only had ‘minor’ brain trauma.
Re: ice and several similar experiences means I stick to the trainer or VTT until it melts or gets cold enough that its no longer a worry. Winter is for base training, breaking bones doesn’t make for very good base. Omloop Het nieuwsblad is 58 days and counting!!!!
@ChrisO Toasting to your recovery sir, your account of memories during general is harrowing!
@ChrisO, when are they going to let you out of hospital? If you’re having to eat the food the weight will drop off you like a bride’s nightie.
Looking like I’ll get out today – just going through all the sign-offs necessary, and there are many.
@markb for sure, they don’t feed you much. I was initially thinking how good it will be for my power to weight ratio but I suspect after three months any benefit will be lost.
And some x Rays for the medically inclined. If it doesn’t upload from my phone I’ll put them up from home later.
@ChrisO
…and once you start healing you’ll probably get super hungry. Certainly what I found after the op I had last year (nothing like as serious as yours, however).
@ChrisO
Get fit and well soon my friend. Luck was not on your side, I’ve come off on sudden encounters with ice with nothing more than a wet ass and a few bruises.
I was with a club mate who came off an mtb and broke his femur in the hills a few years back. The screams when it happened and again when the trauma team tried to get off the hill still haunt me. He came back fitter and stronger a few months later.
I’m pretty sure a helmet wouldn’t have protected your femur.
Yikes, here I was thinking Chris was invincible. Sorry to read about your bad fall. Heal up and hope the worst of it is over. I broke my lower leg playing sports in college. Not fun, big bones take a long time to get back to full strength.
Wishing you a speedy recovery process. And just a reminder to all of us to enjoy every ride and be Defensively Aggressive. Not that you can see black ice.
@ChrisO
Glad to hear your getting out. No one needs to spend too much time in those places.
The op sounded truly fucking hideous. I’d say I’ve got a strong stomach but reading about that left me feeling shaken.
I hope it doesn’t put you off to much as you mentioned in the Fear article. I know it’s easier said than done, but separate/compartmentalise it if you can. A bit of terrible luck on ice in the UK is a world away from racing in the sun in the middle east.
Looking forwards to the guest article on the rehab/recovery.
@JohnB
I thought we were getting a Like or +1 button for gems like this. Nipple Lube.
@ChrisO
Hope you get well soon mate.
Ice is just the worst, I’ve come off on ice (only bruised, nothing like your horrorshow) and it happens so fast you cant do a thing. This time of year I use spiked tires on the commuter now.
@JohnB
Very very best wishes @ChrisO for as good a recovery as @JohnB‘s friend made and may you find many a silver lining amid the personal and family upheaval. Looking forward to a guest article or two on your progress – reading and writing about how the body and mind cope when it happens is one tactic for confronting the Fear @Brett writes about. We face it together on the bike and we’ll be with you as you recover too.
@yogacyclist
Congrats on getting through that fucking operation for starters…
Heal well and feel better soon.
Home now and a new set of challenges. But first some X-Ray porn…
[caption id="attachment_32047" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Do you think it’s broken?[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_32048" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The plate and pins go down the femur. They told me it was a small cut but it looks about six inches long under the dressing.[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_32049" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The upper part is threaded and the lower part below the break is unthreaded so the bone can move a little. Press-fit bones mend stronger apparently.[/caption]
The last 24 hours in hospital were the not-so-good side of the NHS, which up to then had been excellent, and brightened by a couple of visits from @Teocalli bearing cake and much-needed coffee.
Because there was pressure on beds in the orthopaedic trauma ward they moved me across to the elective ward because I would be the next to go home. I was basically shoved into a side room and forgotten – I had to have a tantrum to get a meal – and the nurse in charge had a “You can’t get there from here” attitude.
Ready to leave by 10am it took until nearly 5pm to get a sign off from the doctor, having told Sophie to come pick me up for 2 – the hospital is about an hour and half from our place. I hadn’t even been seen by a consultant since the day after the operation. It’s a bit like I’ve found with state schools with our kids – once you get past the critical bit where they can tick the box and you’re not an emergency or priority they don’t have the capacity to deal with you. Which unfortunately means you have to get all middle-class and stroppy to make them do anything.
Anyway home now and getting some insight to what it must be like to be disabled. Thank god I have full use of the rest of my body – but it still took nearly an hour to get dressed, downstairs and make breakfast.
@ChrisO
Thank goodness for your health, strong bones and musculature going in to the affair. You have to be a perfect candidate for strong recovery. I’ve heard Dr’s suggest re: folks riding bikes, that bones heal but you can’t beat the cardio providing a long healthy life. Bestest for the upcoming physio.
Thinking about your story too, this was as good a reason as any to be riding with someone. I’m guessing many of us spend a lot of time on quiet countryside roads by our lonesome.
On the experience at the hospital… a perspective from the US of A: Here you’d have had your three squares, plenty of nursing attn, all the drugs you’d’ve cared for , more than one attending physician checking in on ya BUT we’d be complaining about the cost of our health care. And of course, you’d have hoped to have been insured.
@ChrisO
Have to agree. My partner was admitted to hospital in Dec with a ‘chest infection’, turned out to be a lot more serious, but she got all the attention you could wish for initially as an in-patient: xrays, CT and PET scans, biopsy etc. Then came the waiting around, especially to be discharged (mind you, she left with a carrier bag full of drugs – none interesting unfortunately). I think they take the view that once you are stabilised and not in a life-threatening state you don’t really matter.
If you can afford it, I advise you to go private for physiotherapy, else you’ll be in a queue with all the people slipping over on ice etc. as it’s winter. I’ve been surprised at what you can get by joining a Gym, some of the trainers are fully qualified to sort you out & private sessions are not too expensive.
On the plus side, the mechanical damage has been fixed, you are back home with those who care for you and most important of all, your bike is not damaged.
Jesus, that repair looks like something I’ve done in my boat building days. It all comes down to screws and drills and some stainless steel.
Regarding that last x-ray, to draw two things together like your femur and the ball end, you only want the threads in the ball end. When it’s snugged down it pulls both parts together. I don’t think you want any movement where the bones meet.
Well done, you escaped the hospital alive. Let the healing begin.
Get well soon! My rule here in WI is to ride when the roads are clean and dry – no ice. Did a couple of rides last year that came across some dodgy patches. Worst (only) spill was into a snow bank. I’m looking at getting some cross country ski action in this year to get me outside when it’s not safe to ride. Busted up bones at my age (50+) ain’t good and even with health insurance, I know it would cost me a packet as those bastards look very hard to find things they don’t want to cover.
Get well soon, ChrisO! When I broke my leg I was astounded at how long they let me sit in the emergency room with a crappy non-cold artificial “ice” bag. It was crazy and the pain got pretty bad after a few hours.
Last ride yesterday with my good riding pal ahead of his hip replacement surgery on Friday. He’s in great shape but he’s in bad pain. Doctor is excited, he hasn’t worked on a person this young (mid 50s) or in such great shape in a long time. Kind of sad how many people just completely give up on exercise as they age. Or worse, those who never start.
@Chris
Funny, just this week they cancelled the Intl Tour of Arad, about a 90 minutes flight (if they had them directly) from ChrisO’s usual riding grounds, because of snow and floods being forecast. I was scheduled to race, looks like I get a weekend of Sufferfesting instead. Already had some ice in the mornings in the mountains this week, not too eager to join Chris in the emergency room.
My recollections of the ride with @ChrisO – apart from the ending and my guilt at having arranged the ride on that day – are twofold.
1. @ChrisO effortlessly starting to pull away as we hit each climb but then politely matching back to my pace (apart from the ones where I said it was a decent climb so see you at the top and watching him disappear round the next corner).
2. Part way round @ChrisO says “hey my HRM has finally registered a heart beat”.
@Teocalli
No need for any guilt on your part mate – I’m a big boy and if I can’t stay on my bike it’s my problem.
Up to then it was a lovely ride, and to be fair I think that was the only patch of hard ice.
Yes the HRM just doesn’t seem to connect until I get going and sweat a bit, and it would have dried out on the journey down. I don’t have it on super-tight because in Dubai it isn’t normally too hard to start sweating fairly quickly.
Anyway, all healing up nicely. Had my first physio and hydrotherapy session today. It’s remarkable how quickly muscle loses tone but it was good to start working it a little.
And the surgical dressing came off so I saw the scar-to-be for the first time. It’s a lot bigger than they told me, not that I would have changed my mind.
@ChrisO
Good to know you are getting mobile.
@Teocalli
likewise, dressing is off, so things are moving in the right direction. Have you got physio lined up yet, Chris?
@markb
a good article on this effort: http://www.chapeau.cc/blog/tommy-godwins-wheel-tracks
He’s up to 2,372.9 Km, as of the 8th.
@markb
Yes have just started physio. Thank heavens for having private insurance.
Did my first session yesterday including some hydrotherapy. That made a huge difference – being able to use the muscles but without full body weight on them.
Just one session had me moving completely differently. At this rate I might be able to at least do short distances without crutches by the end of next week. That’s my aim at any rate.