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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@Steve Trice
No, although this article does set out some guidelines for that sort of thing.
Occasionally, one of the keepers will kick off a veritable shit storm by posting about their love for the EPMS or some such.
Hmmm. That last sentence should have linked to this.
@chris
Or even this which is a worrying trend for 2 of ’em……..
Had a mind-blowing week in the Alps and watching the Tour last week.
It was a fully-supported and catered trip to mark my half-century, combining some fantastic riding – the first time I’ve been in the Alps – and watching the Tour as it wound around the area we were in, near Chamonix.
We did pretty much all the climbs that the Tour did in those four days and as many of us know from doing routes like Roubaix and Flanders it really adds to your appreciation when you then watch the pros doing it. Ramaz, Colombiere, Joux Plane, Aravis, Forclaz, Domancy (the nasty TT climb), Romme and Emosson was the tally plus just some unavoidable rolling up and down. Awesome downhills too even for an average descender like me. (Strava links below !)
We had a good group of guys with some decent riders and very nice bikes – see the photos but I think we included 3 Dogmas, one with Lightweight wheels, a couple of S-Works, one the latest full-spec disc version with Di2, a Parlee, a disc Wilier and an R5, with me on the trusty TCR and I think the only person with alloy wheels.
A few weeks before the trip I’d passed up the offer of some cake and my daughter said: “Don’t you want it, Dad?”
“Of course I want it. But I’ll regret it up those hills.” I replied.
She looked at me and said innocently “But it isn’t a race is it?”
“Darling… there will be 10 guys on bikes going up mountains. There might not be a prize but it most certainly is a race.”
Sure enough the first night and morning the excuses and banter was flowing. I do climbs at my own pace and I’d had a good run of training to prepare. I didn’t worry too much about doing hills – the longest I can do here is about 7 minutes, and the Alps are 40-50 minutes. I just concentrated on fitness and power knowing I’d be able to sit between sweet spot and threshold without too much stress. If necessary I could crank out a little more but not day after day.
The first climb was the Col de Ramaz, the one they took out of the Etape. It’s nasty – not as long as some of the others but steep all the way. We rode together for the first few kms then people dropped off until me and one other guy were left and eventually he just let the elastic slip and that was that.
Being the first up the first climb is a double-edged sword – you have to keep it up for every climb after that, but on the other hand if you make a little dig in the first few kms everyone assumes they can’t go with you and then you can ease back if you need to. Happily I was able to preserve my reputation all week. In fact nobody went passed me on any of the climbs and there were quite a few riders around.
The climb to Emosson Dam in particular was brutal. Maybe because we did it on our last day but I found it to be the most unrelenting, along with the Col de Romme, which has been in the tour many times but not this year. Funnily enough I didn’t find Joux Plane and Colombiere so hard, which are both HC IIRC – they are longer but have places to recover.
I was really pleased with my riding and posted some good times. My main worry was backing up day after day for six days of hard riding. Even the two ‘easy’ days were 50-60km with about 1200m of ascent. The hard days were about double that for both distance and climbing. In total I did about 540km in the week and nearly 12,000m (and 1300 TSS for those who use it). By the end I felt and looked shattered and couldn’t have done another day.
Good fun watching the Tour too although I got the feeling they had made it a little less accessible. Not having seen it in France before I can’t compare but they were closing the roads very early and making it hard to get through even for fans with bikes. At the TT start they put the barriers right on the other side of the road so you couldn’t chat to the teams or riders which was a shame.
Most of all just the scenery in the Alps is breathtaking. Intellectually you know that but nothing prepares you for reality. We had some lovely days and the sky is so blue and deep with the snow-capped mountains framed against it.
It’s also fucking awful when you’re riding on a valley floor and your guide looks up to some impossibly distant peak and says “See that cross up the top – that’s where we’re going.”
Day 1: Ramaz and Joux Plane
Day 2: Domancy, Aravis and Colombiere
Day 3: ‘Easy day’ Montets and Forclaz
Day 4: The Romme and watching the TT
Day 5: Bettex and watching the Tour stage to St Gervais
Day 6: Montets and Emosson
So now I’ve had a taste I can see why people go back to the Alps and Pyrenees so often. I doubt I would do a fully supported tour again – it’s an extravagance for sure and not really necessary. Happily I’ve discovered an old friend I haven’t seen in 25 years now living in St Gervais, with a guest bedroom and she’s recently taking up cycling. I think some sensei-ing is on the cards.
Great shots, @ChrisO
@ChrisO
Friggen awesome way to mark the half century! I love the pics of the advert parade vehicles. Never see those on NBC. And to experience those climbs !? And the cool bikes (the F8 with the Lightweights !) ?! Mucho cheers.
@ChrisO Stop it !
@chris
Thanks for sharing! 100% jealous! For a mid century guy, you’re looking good!
@ChrisO great post, those bottles on the F8 tho’…
Great adventure, Chris. Best fiftieth birthday present ever?
@piwakawaka
indeed, wondered how the fuck he (assuming) get’s the rear one out.
@Mikael Liddy
they look at least 1.5lt bidons so that eyewateringly expensive Pina with Lightweights no less just gained 3 kilos, and that’s before the aesthetics or practicalities.
@ChrisO
Envious. I’m trying to fit in a week in the Dolomites but I don’t think it’s going to come off work wise. Need to make better plans for next year.
Yes there are a few anomalies. I should explain that the common thread was Dubai – some still there and others were ex-expats, including the people running the lodge. So the guy with the mega-bottles had come from Dubai summer to be fair.
With all those nice bikes it was quite interesting as we all unpacked and settled in. One of the guys within the first 10 minutes had managed to talk about his four houses, one of which was in Monaco where he was on first name terms with most of the pros he regularly rode with. Another one was a New York banker always head-to-toe in Rapha and with four pairs of Rapha Climber shoes, although I have to say he Looked Fantastic at all times because he didn’t try to match it all into outfits. And of course my non-helmet wearing was a topic of much tut-tutting at breakfast before the first ride. Don’t get me wrong, they were all nice guys and it was a good group, just that when you’re the odd one out in a bunch you have that process of weighing up.
Happily most of that shit tends to wash off when you’re all on bikes.
@ChrisO
Leaving them for dead on the climbs would help too!
@ChrisO
Chapeau! Nice way to celebrate!
Has @Frank been back on the track for his next Hour attempt yet?
Today I rode a 10 mile TT on perceived effort, not power numbers as I usually do.
It was an enforced change – I forgot my Garmin in France and it’s still on the way back. I have an old computer but I decided to use it just to record, so all I had was time and distance.
While I cracked the 22 minute barrier for the first time with a 21.58, funnily enough on the power it made no difference when I checked it later.
The course (G10/57) was one where I could get in the TT position for a long time and keep a steady effort. But the power was exactly the same as what I would normally do for a 10. I guess that’s a good thing.
@ChrisO
Good work! I remember the last time I broke 22min on a 10mi course using my Basso SLX frame — unreal feeling. Final mile being a steady unrelenting climb. The feeling during the climb is what made me go faster though.
new road opened up while riding recon in our usual area — Muddy Ford
@universo
Not sure about the colour of that water…
@ChrisO
definitely not city water but a natural running creek — you realize that the color of the trees is reflected in the water { same reason the ocean look blue in some places } — and there’s the limestone rock bed in the creek
@ChrisO
It does seem to have that certain cow pat hue………
@ChrisO
Nice one Chris, it’s a great feeling when you beat one of those barriers.
I achieved my aim of a sub-23 minute 10m TT this season with a 22:42. Think I’ll aim for a sub 22:20 next year – sub 22 is probably a bit beyond me yet (especially with no TT bike!).
I’d also like to be consistent – more rides around 23 minutes rather than all over the place.
I found a new way to get absolutely knackered yesterday. Helped man a service point with my LBS on Ride London. Great fun but absolutely knackering. 5 of us doing various levels of fixing, lost count of the number of tubes I replaced (fingers in shreds), wonky gear shifting and general tuning. It was full on from when riders started coming through till they shut the hub.
Observations.
The messy ones. Folk who think that bike servicing/prep equates to the volume of oil applied. What a mess for the poor bike mechanic! Unbelievable how much oil you can get to stick all over a bike.
The ones that make you wonder. Gear indexing (and limit adjusters) that is so far out on bikes where the rider says “I just had it serviced”.
The funny ones. “Can you check my BB or Pedal it’s making a click.” ‘Is it a click or a creak and is it worse or only when you are going up hill?’ “It’s constant and driving me nuts.” ‘OK let’s take a look – click, click, click – Yeah I can see the problem.’ “Great can you fix it?” ‘Yeah, if I move your pump up in the bracket your pedal will stop hitting it.’ (His mates thought that was hilarious and I guess cost him a round or two when they finished).
And not forgetting the guy trying to get a 29er mtb tube into a 23cm tyre……..
The sad ones. The look of disappointment when you have to say “Sorry that’s a gonner and we can’t fix that here, your day is done”.
The happy ones. Most of them when you get folk back on the road and with no charge (except for parts).
New respect for the LBSs that man those service points.
@Teocalli
23 cm ! – you know what I mean – I hope…….
@Teocalli
Good effort on the race support, I imagine you had a tougher day than a lot of the riders. it takes a lot of unsung heroes to look after 30,000 cyclists on a 160km course.
@Teocalli
good one…
@Teocalli
… and you stink
@ChrisO
Serious congrats! 21:58 was my PB for a 10. The GD1 at Langbank next to the River Clyde – done on a bike very similar to Ritter’s in Stars and Watercarriers. (Steel Colnago Super, regular bars, might have used my 24 spoke wheels with tubs). Must have been 30 years ago! No computer at all. Man, I wish I could have had a crack on that lovely TT bike of yours!
I think the lesson you’re learning is race by feel, not technology. Still time left in the season to get it down a bit further!
@wiscot @RobSandy @universo
Cheers… it is a nice rig, for a TT bike. I’d like to do some proper work on my position but I need someone to look at me and give some advice – some guys from our club are going to rent Herne Hill velodrome for a few hours next month to do some testing and work out drag coefficients to I’ll give that a go, just to establish a baseline.
Anyway I have a bigger hurdle coming up, a 50 mile TT in two weeks. And apparently the course is ‘sporting’ which I have learned is Tester jargon for lumpy. I wanted to get one in while I’ve got reasonable fitness and then I have a target to beat next year.
@Teocalli
Just to expand on what you saw on Strava – I rode a Cat 3/4 crit last night (still annoyingly short of the 3 points I need to go up to Cat 3, but anyway…). Split seconds after the last lap bell was rung there was a huge pile up which involved probably about 10 riders; I managed to swerve around a body as it hit the deck and escaped onto the grass into the centre of the track, but one of my good friends and clubmates went down. He is fine, but bent his wheel badly and made his bike unrideable.
I quickly nipped home (I live 6 minutes from the track) to get the car to pick him up, and as I was turning through the last T junction by my house a lady in a large 4×4 didn’t see me waiting, and cut the corner off to the extent that if I’d been at the road centre line she’d have hit me side-on.
As it was I managed to fling myself sideways (I think I handed the car off in rugby-style; my wrist hurts today) and avoided getting hit hard. Got 1 bruise on my thigh but the bike is completely undamaged. Scary stuff all round though.
@RobSandy
Cripes. No offence but you are the size of a small horse.
I’ve had some close shaves at the exit from the side road I live off. Folk tend to dive off the main road when turning right across the traffic. They tend to be focussed on the gap they are diving through. It’s bad enough when they don’t see me in the car, it’s frightening when I’m on the bike and some sodding great 4×4 cuts across.
@Teocalli
I’m a couple of kilos lighter than when you met me! But I did have a bright light on the front and was wearing my best, shiniest white race jersey. And was standing under a street lamp.
She tried to apologise but I was just too cross and scared – my adrenaline was already high after nearly getting involved in a pile up in the race – so I finished the conversation by angrily saying “Sorry, I’m just really angry, I’m going to go. Thank you for apologising I appreciate it!”.
@RobSandy
I did modify my post to “small” horse! Though not down to my Shetland Pony small size……….
@Teocalli
This is why I like watching Ian Stannard ride. I think quite similar in bulk and riding style (i.e. no grace or elegance but lots of trying to pulverise the bike into small pieces).
@RobSandy
That’s what I love about cycling. Despite being a sport for people one step from an eating disorder, the likes of Stannard give us heftier riders something to aspire to.
@chris
Bear in mind that Stannard is 6ft 2 and 82 kilos, so not ‘hefty’ in normal terms.
@RobSandy
Not to mention that the telly “adds a few kilos”. I recall seeing Tom Boonen in the flesh a few years back (in Wolverhampton!) and thinking how much skinnier he was in real life than he appeared on tv. Stannard too looks like a skinny cyclist when you see him in person. Wonder how we’d look on the box with the “additional weight”?
@Steve Trice
Fat as fuck.
@Steve Trice
I’m fully aware that he in real life terms he’s not hefty, but stand him next to the Kenyan light bulb abuser and he’d look as fat as a skinny chav’s wife.
@RobSandy
I cycling terms I’m fatter than fuck but compared to the general population, I’m just about getting away with it.
@chris
@robSandy
I found myself with an hour or two to kill in Glasgow a few years back, and decided to go and visit Billy Bilsland Cycles. In there they have, framed and on display, a polka dot skin-suit worn by Robert Millar in the Tour. I’ve genuinely seen bigger baby grows, it was unimaginable that an adult human could fit into it.
The recent ‘Open Letter’ article drew out some very polarised opinions on Strava but love or hate it (I love it), you’ve got to say that this is pretty awesome:
Sean is no pro, he rides for my club, turning out on a Sunday to ride with the A group, Wednesday’s for club Tens and quite a few road races in between. He is, however, only 16.
The segment is Col De Cabre in the Alps, about 9km at 4.7%. It figured in Stage 16 of last years tour.
@chris
Wow, that’s brilliant. Is he a racer?
@Steve Trice
Yes, he races most week ends in the Youth A (under 16) category. The club has a good group of kids racing across all of the youth categories.
@chris
Tip me off if he ever comes to South Wales to race and I’ll make sure I’m washing my hair that weekend…
Well nothing as exciting or epic as some of the above but today’s commute was one of those rides that was just brilliant in it’s own way.No big climbs,no fast sprints just a really good ride in the morning sunshine;one of those days were you are glad to be alive and all on a £250 bitsa steel single speed;no flashy carbon,titanium etc just good old honest retro steel.
And a nice coffee and toast at the end too;
Shame I was going to work after though,,,,
A 3/4 crit finally went my way last night and I finished in 2nd, earning enough points to finally take me to Cat 3 after a summer of banging my head against the wall.
There was a huge crash on the penultimate bend last week, so this week I didn’t take any chances and opened up my sprint on the bell, so with 400-450m to go. My plan was to catch the field by surprise and make sure I was out on the front on my own to reduce crash risk.
Nearly worked, but a super-strong rider in the pack managed to jump on my wheel and nipped past me to win as I tired on the back straight. However, objective achieved. Pretty pleased with myself, all told.
@RobSandy
Nice one!
@RobSandy
good! sounds like a great effort executed as planned. good work!