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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@Oli
Agree to disagree, turn your statement around and to have three in the top 5 is a strategic win, Just beaten by a stronger rider at the last throw of the dice.
@Barracuda
Then how come that doesn’t apply for the 2015 Het Nieuwsblad? *winkyfaceemoji*
At the end of the day, if your strategy is to win a race and you don’t, then surely your strategy has by definition failed?
@Oli
Yup, pretty sure that Trek-Leopard did not count 2011 LBL as a “win” on the day even though they had 2 out of the top 3. In cycling, it seems that it is only the Top step that counts.
@Mikael Liddy
Indeed. He has two second places and two fourth places, right (not sure about the two fourth places but I seem to remember that)? Painful.
Very exciting race. Maybe Sagan can hire Fabian as his technical director next season?
Awesome race and awesome finish. Stybar’s no rookie, but what you got from Spartacus was a lesson in timing and tactics. He knew exactly what lines to take in those corners to keep Styber at bay.
I’m I the only one who’s getting pretty excited about Tiesj Benoot? The kid’s amazing! Also looking forward to Alaphillippe getting back in the action. Sparty and Tommeke might be retiring, but there’s some great riders coming up.
Sean Kelly must be wishing they’d had the Strade race back in the 80s. He would have loved it.
Hell if I know where to post this but this is a great read! As an aging (or already well-aged) cyclist of 44 who started racing at 16 and never even came close to the big show myself, this was a really cool read/interview.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/french-champion-tronet-enjoying-life-on-a-grander-stage/
First road race yesterday. My aim before the start was to not crash, not get dropped, and finish with the bunch. In the end I felt strong and finished at the top of the bunch, 15th out of 80, 8 seconds down on the winner.
@RobSandy
Not crash, not get dropped… everything else is bonus.
Nice one.
@RobSandy
Chapeau! I think that my goal for my first road race was first not to CAUSE a crash and then everything that you said!
Well done! Now that you have pinned the number on the jersey, you’ll never be the same on the bike again.
Everyone should do at least one race, as long as they are safe! Changes all perspective.
Anyone signing up for the Eroica in Limburg, July 3rd 2016?
Eroica Limburg 2016
@Buck Rogers
Cheers Buck and all.
2nd Road Race – got taken to school by the big boys. It was a handicap race but the gap between the Cat 3/4s and the Cat 1/2s got closed by halfway through the race so it became quite hard work after that.
Also, I found myself towards the front so I thought I’d move forwards into the paceline that had formed at the front of the bunch, thinking I’d do a short turn at the front then I could settle back into the bunch.
However, Once I’d got to the front, the paceline stopped, no-one came through, and I was left there on the front to die. I eased off, and as my speed dropped the whole bunch streamed by ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD, and I went from nice and comfortable, to desperately hanging off the back wheels of the peleton.
And that was more or less the end of my race. There was a split ahead of me shortly afterwards so I rolled in 1.5 minutes down on the main bunch with a small group.
@RobSandy
The peloton as an entity can be a complete asshole, even when it is composed entirely of nice people…
@RobSandy
its obvious they felt you were too strong a rider to take to the line with them. They were playing it safe. Chapeau!
@RobSandy
Unless you’re with teammates or other riders you know who will work with you, avoid riding on the front! No one will want to come around you. And no one will want to share the work. They’ll just do what they did to you, i.e., let you work until you die. If you do find yourself at the front, only ride “comfortably” hard such that you know you still have something in the tank for when you do come off the front. And don’t spend more than 30 seconds (which can be an eternity) on the front. Of course, if you’re amongst the strongest riders in the bunch, it’s a different story. But otherwise it’s really an exercise in futility.
@Quasar
Yes! Thank you.
@chuckp
@hudson
its obvious they felt you were too strong a rider to take to the line with them. They were playing it safe. Chapeau!
Cheers guys. I think they actually probably all thought ‘look at this dickhead Cat 4 playing Johnny Big Balls, riding on the front, no need to do anything, he’ll crack in a second…there he goes…now lets drop him’.
I didn’t go to the front to set the pace or to work per se, it seemed to be my best way to hold my place in the front 3rd of the bunch. Fail!
Ah well, my next races will be some Cat 4 only crits where I should be strong enough to boss the race a bit. I’ll be racing to win, anyway.
@RobSandy
Congrats on finishing your second race and keeping the “rubber side” down! As for Crits, that’s a whole other critter, esp Cat 4 crits. Don’t bring the $1500 dollar wheel set, esp not for your first one.
Be VERY careful if it is your first crit ever. I’m not saying do not try, but once again, your goal, in my opinion, ought to be to finish upright and with your steed and skin in one piece.
Cat4/5 crits can be TOTAL crashfests!
That said, BEST of LUCK and I cannot wait to hear about it!!!
@Buck Rogers
When I raced, I hated crits (unless they were hilly crits, which were rare). I absolutely did NOT have what it takes to do well in crits (I was more of a road/stage racer). But I had a basic strategy that at least let me survive. Line up at the front. Go hard at the start. And then hang on long enough to not get hived off and finish somewhere in the middle of the pack. And yes, crits (especially 4/5) can be a total crashfest.
@RobSandy – Crits are basically intervals. Hard efforts on the straight parts. Brake hard into the corners. Jump hard out of the corners back onto the straights. Repeat endlessly. Hope you last long enough to hear the bell lap. :-)
@RobSandy
Depending on the size of the field, ride in the top 5-10 to stay with the front bunch. Or at least the front half of the field. Unless you know how to “read” a race and have the ability/skills to weave your way through a pack, don’t let yourself get caught in the back half.
Don’t try to boss the race (even a bit) unless you are head and shoulders, without a doubt the strongest rider (by a good margin). That’s just wasted energy. Racing is all about conserving energy. Energy spent early is energy you don’t have later. It’s as simple as that. When I raced, only times I ever went to the front was to put just enough hurt on to break up the field (and only if I knew I could). And I never killed myself in the process, i.e., never went to the limit so I could recover after the effort but still keep pace. The only time you might go into the red is if you’re in a break and you’re trying to make it stick. But even then, you have to have something left in the tank.
I loved coaching newbie racers. Talent is one thing. But racing takes being smart too. BE SMART!
@chuckp
This. Excellent advice.
I could sum it up even more succinctly: Never Do Anything You Don’t Have To.
That and “You are responsible for your own front wheel” are the two most basic things anyone needs to know about racing.
What do you think? Time to get rid of the podium girls kissing the winners? Seems a bit too off for me. Dan sure does not seem thrilled, although it could have something to do with the fact that he just sliced and diced the best climbers in the world on the finish and must be a wee bit tired.
@Buck Rogers
Hehe, well Dan is no oil painting on a good day, but next to those two lovely ladies…
But yeah, the whole lovely ladies thing is a bit antiquated and ever-increasingly awkward.
I’m a big fan of Dan, by the way. When he takes a stage, he does it in style. I haven’t watched it yet (have it recorded and was going to watch it tonight), but it made the 6 o’clock news here and spoiled the surprise for me!
@Buck Rogers
Yes, Im all in favour of history of the sport, that’s why we come here after all.
But, the podium girls is not needed anymore. A handshake and a tap on the shoulder from the sponsor of the day should be good enough. Time to move on.
Hear hear.
You know what? I really appreciate this being said. The idea of podium girls is flat out stupid and needs to go. No ands, ifs, buts or doubts about it… It’s plain ol’ stupid old school and time to be done with it.
Cheers!!
My idea of “podium girls” is this. The podium girls in skirts with too much lipstick? Meh… Good riddance I say. This is what counts below. The real podium girls. This was from our last weekend’s local NICA race and these are the freshman girls. These young ladies are strong, fast and confident on bikes. Very. Those of you in the United States should be on lookout for the NICA high school/interscholastic league in your state and if racing is local be sure to check it out. You’ll be blown away by the action and excitement involved with these student athletes racing. It’s a blast.
@chuckp
@chuckp
Would have been fun to have you as a coach, Chuck! Chatting with you, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot of experience stowed underneath that helmet.
I just re-upped my USAC license and joined a team after a couple decades and found that I still own the Cat 4 I earned as a junior. Going to do a few races this season: a couple circuit races in the spring, a three day stage race in June, then hill climbs in July and August. (I hate crits.) On the one hand, it feels good to avoid going back into the Cat 5 races, but I definitely feel like I’m being carried along the deck to the deep end of the pool. One saving grace is that where I am, there’s almost always a 40+ Cat 4 race. Evens things out a little more. And, as a wise man told me, “You may win some races, but there’s no glory in the Fives.”
I gotta say — pulling on team kit is FUN. Gives you at least a few extra watts.
P.S. — Yeah, the podium girls thing is played out. (Sexist, and what if the rider is gay? Unless the rider is a woman, at which point where’s her podium guy? Unless she’s gay, too… wait… how about everybody just gets a stuffed lion, a comically-large beer, and a shove off the top step from Le Blaireau?)
@wilburrox
Nice one, thanks for posting — I have two daughters (ages 4 and 2) and the eldest has been trying out a series of sports / classes / hobbies. Ballet, ice skating, now rock climbing. She loves her bike, is learning how races work, and often asks about watching women’s races on TV, but I find it really hard to consistently find decent race videos on YouTube, let alone in English. I’m definitely worried that she’ll pick up an unconscious lesson that men race (or even just ride) and women don’t.
Special Programming Note: I love that the winner in the shot above is styling some polka dot socks on the outside of the tights. A+ Good Job
@ChrisO
@Buck Rogers
Cheers all. I’ve raced a couple of crits before, didn’t cover myself in glory but I did learn and I’m a lot fitter now. I’m a naturally punchy rider, so I think I could do quite well once I’ve learned the ropes. Also, I can sprint.
When I said boss the race, I didn’t mean ride on the front, I meant I can keep an eye on what’s happening and choose if I want to attack, or if a break needs chasing, etc. Rather than just sitting in the pack and hanging on.
Also, where we race is a plain old boring oval which means that positioning is less critical and there is a reduced incidence of crashing (not ‘none’ obviously). I need 20 points to make Cat 3 – my ambition is to do that with 2 wins. Ambitious, but why else do we compete if not to win?
Also, agree totally about pulling on Team Kit. It’s the balls.
@LawnCzar
Totally. I love the advice dished out here.
@LawnCzar
This for the Win!!! Best out loud laughing comment of the day for me! Thanks for that!
@RobSandy
Sorry! I did not want to sound patronizing or actually like I knew what I was talking about!
I thought that you had not raced crits before. Just ignore my comments. Most people with any sense do, anyways!
@Buck Rogers
All part of the service!
Im really starting to hurt for Sagan, he just can’t manage a win….hope one comes soon for him. What a beast he is.
British Summer Time arrived so I donned the sacred V-Jersey and went for my first daylight after-work ride of the year. Turns out it’s not summer yet. I nearly froze to death but the V-Cog on my chest protected me and I got to enjoy some of the best roads in S Wales in the pouring, freezing rain.
@RobSandy
Man for a second there, my chamois was in a twist. Decals = OK, Stickers = not OK, Rule #57
Home. You lot should swing by for a ride some time.
http://cyclingtips.com/2016/04/roadtripping-wellington/#1
The rise of the Velominippers, Angus went out on the club run without me and got his first Strava leaderboard placing. An 11.75 km segment riding home after a 88 Km club run. 104 km in total.
Fortunately, I retain my pride and place at the top of the table.
@chris
This is awesome! Mine is just now moving from the strider to a pedal bike with training wheels, he’s 18 months, and i’m super proud. I can’t imagine how stoked i’m gonna be in 15 or so years and he’s setting the pace. Wonder if strava will still be around?
@hudson
We can only hope not, eh??? (not to get into the dregs of a strava argument again!!!)
And Chris: That is super cool to have your son coming up and getting faster. My son, who is 14, is already doing 17 min XC running times for 5 k’s. He’ll pass my personal record this year for sure.
As for your son, does he road race the bike?
@Buck Rogers
I think I’ve got a year or so to go before he’s going to ride me off his wheel. It’s powerful motivation for me to see how long I can hold him off.
He’s getting pretty quick on the flat and his endurance is growing but he hasn’t developed much power yet and loses out badly when it gets windy or points up at all.
He’s done a couple of road races this season and a bit of low level cross. He won the cross series but is treating the road racing very much as a learning curve.
The prospect of him riding away from me isn’t as scary as having to fund his habit as well as mine.
@chris
Can I query the unit of speed being shown on this page in light of Rule #24?
Na, that’s awesome. Can’t wait til I can ride with my Velomini – we managed a 23km MTB ride on the weekend, with him on a tagalong. He has told me in no uncertain terms he wants to go on the singletrack next time. He’s 4.
@RobSandy
I not ashamed to admit that the two rules I break most consistently are at the behest of women.
When my wife drops her objection to Rule #33, I’ll shave my legs and when the Queen gives Royal Assent to a bill stating Kilometers to be the legal unit of measurement of distance, I’ll update my settings and head down to the club’s Wednesday evening “Sixteen point Zero Nine Three Four Four”
@RobSandy, @hudson Watching the Velominippers from stabilisers through first crashes, skinned knees, new bike moments, first big rides and races has been an absolute blast. I can’t think of too many greater things.
@Buck Rogers The other two (10 and 15) are both runners more than cyclists. We went for a run at Christmas and they ran away from me laughing. It was hideous. My knees still work on a bike though.
17 minute 5Ks is pretty swift at that age. Does he also run middle distance on the track?
@chris
Yup, does the 800, 1 mile and 2 mile depending on what the Coach needs at that meet. He’s fast but does much better the longer the race is. He says that he loves to see the competitors fall away as the race gets longer.
I would REALLY love to get him road riding and racing but I am so nervous of all the cars in regards to him. I have been doing it long enough and I still get nervous with the arsehole drivers around here. maybe the answer is CX and MTN biking.
And yes, MOST definitely costs a bit more to be into road racing the bike than running XC!!!
And finally, your kiddo looks like a pro already. Damn, he might have a future, eh?
@Buck Rogers
I know what you mean about being reluctant to let them out on the road but given the right training, it’s not so bad. We’re lucky, as well as running coached sessions in a local park for MTB and cross we also run road sessions on a defunct US airbase. We’ve got a big chunk of the runway and some taxiways that we can use. We’ve even marked out a decent size oval on the runway to get them practicing their pursuiting on. I was happy enough with the skills that he’s picked up there to let him loose on the Wednesday evening Ten after a few chaperoned runs to make sure he wasn’t going to let his race head get the better of his road sense head. The bunch racing he’s done is all closed circuit.
He also has his first sessions at the regional youth track school coming up over the next few weekends.
He does look good on a bike (biased opinion) apart from the socks. He says he’d love to be a pro but knows that for every kid that make into the pro ranks many, many more won’t.
People still race the mile and two mile on the track? What sort of time warp is that? What are his track times like.
I’ll just drop this here, Tro Bro Leon is on this weekend, the greatest little race you’ve never heard of or seen as no-one outside France gets to see it. HC1.1 rated too.
Gravel, fields, scenery, it keeps my dustbone going after PR
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6aQfM01Uhw
@Beers
Totally agree. If I could be a pro for two days those are the races I’d do. As it is, the sportive looks good for an sneaky weekend away with the bike.