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

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”]

lbl

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”]

paris-roubaix

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.

[/rideitem]

[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.

[/rideitem]

[rideitem status=public title=”Seattle Master Urban Ride” category=”Rouleur” distance=”130km” url=http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/57732282 location=”Seattle, Washington, USA”]

seattleronde

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.

[/rideitem]

3,329 Replies to “The Rides”

  2. @ten B a sad, sad story and a stark reminder to live our lives and ride our rides with gratitude.

  3. I’m in the middle of two weeks of epic MTB riding only 3 1/2 hours from Seattle. It’s great high-altitude preparation for cyclocross season!

    Don’t cross train; train for ‘cross.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/topfunky/2012.08.17.22.48.48/”/]

  6. @sgt

    Dang! How did I miss this post?

    I have no complaints about the weather during our ride, given that it is usually 30-35C with 90% humidity in early August in Houston. Plus it is a lot more scenic in Santa Barbara, unless you like looking at refineries.

    Thanks for showing me around the roads of your fine city.

  7. UCI Masters World Championships

    Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

    August 26, 2012

    It’s twenty degrees cooler (celsius) and reportedly the winds have died down as I watch the under 40yo racers flow through the starting gate this morning in Pietermaritzburg.

     
    I can’t think of the proper words to describe the UCI masters world championship race yesterday. It was one of the most torturous things I have ever done and I have done a few stupid  things in my life. 
     
    There were several factors at play in the race and a bit of misfortune on my part. The reported temperature at the turnaround point of the race was 43 degrees celsius or  109 degrees Fahrenheit with 90% humidity.  The wind gusts on the course were 60-80kph. The course is 96kms long with 1650 meters (5400 feet) of climbing. This was exacerbated by only 2 hydration stops on the course with none in the last 35k.   This set the scene for a difficult day for sure. 
    The race started where it would end in Alexander Park in pietermaritzburg. At 1pm the 100+ riders were let go under sunny skies. 
    I stayed in the front third of the pack through town and up the first climb. The second climb is long at about 6kms but not overly steep at 5% grade.  A breakaway group of 5 took off for which I did not chase. I stayed with the main pack. At the third climb the  steepest of the day, I stayed with a pod of five riders about mid-way in the now fractured main pack. After this climb you are in Wartburg.  This was the first hydration station.  There was a bit of a lineup and knowing i would be back in 25k, i opted not to stop.
    It flattens to a slight incline here but is very exposed. Gusts are very strong and pushing the lead riders sideways  violently. About 4k of working with this group taking turns at the front, a crosswind pushed a riders back wheel into my front wheel causing me to crash. I wasn’t going particularly fast at the time but i was clipped  in to my pedals and fell very hard onto my hip. I looked at my front wheel. The tubular tire had come off the rim which it was glued to. I pulled the tire back onto the rim. Seemed to go on however both front and back rims were rubbing on the brakes. I managed to adjust the brakes enough so that they no longer rubbed. 
    Back on my bike and off I go again. As I start to pedal I realize that my hip is really hurting and causing me to sit slightly to the right side of my saddle. In addition to this, I was worried about the up coming downhill. My tire is libel to come off again if I corner hard at speed. Sure to be a disaster. I started to flag down race vehicles. None had any wheels at all. Before the race I put an extra set of wheels into the neutral support supply so in case of a flat I could pull a wheel from them.  I was loosing a lot of time flagging down cars so I gave up after about 20 minutes of trying. 
    Soon I was back in Wartburg and the hydration station. I stopped and they gave me an open bottle. I asked for another without opening it. They gave me another open one. I asked for a cap. This took a while to be understood. Finally I was underway with one bottle in my hand and a full one in my jersey with 35k to go. 
    Soon I was at the 500m climb. I don’t really know how to describe how difficult this climb became. During the climb, I drank the rest of my water with 22k to go. I felt totally shattered. I thought that I must be the last person in the race. I’m out of water and totally dehydrated. There’s a very strong sideways gust that is blowing me about 5 feet one way or the other. My speed is about 14kph which is dismally slow. My feet feet like they are on fire and every ounce of pressure makes them scream in pain. I’m not kidding. The pain from my hip and my feet is so intense that I’m really worried about my ability to finish.  I have never dropped out of a race and I’m not dropping out of the championships!  
    A car comes from behind and offers me water. I decline as its against the rules and I don’t want to be disqualified (I later find out that they removed this rule about midway through the race). I’m really dying and there is about 2k left to climb. I pass two riders who are not racing. I compliment one of them on their bike (same one as mine). He thanks me and offers me a coke. Oh yes!!  Not from a car, this has to be legal. I down the coke like a frat boy downs his first beer on Friday night.  Boy, that was good. 
    15k from the finish and mostly down or flat. I can only manage to turn my legs against the hell winds that are trying to push me back. I’m spent, dead, shattered, done. I gave everything I have just to get to the finish line where a crowd of spectators gave me the sympathy applause. 
    100m after the finish I collapse to the grass where i can’t move without passing out for about 20 minutes. My outfit is crusted white with salt. My hip and elbow are bleeding and stinging from sweat.  My time 3:20 minutes. My place 27th. 30 minutes behind the leader. Most riders arrived alone and not in packs. One was sent straight to hospital from the course and three from the finish. 13 riders attended to for heat exhaustion by the paramedics. I went straight to my hotel, took a shower and drank about 2 liters of water. 
    I really don’t know what I think of my result. I’m glad I finished. I wish that I had not crashed.  I can only think that of all the training that I could do, I still would not have been on the podium that day. 
    My hats off to those that did and those that just finished. I have never been though such adversity on the road before. And I really hope I don’t again. 
    Love south Africa. Love ‘Maritzberg. Great place and people. I’m so happy to have been part of it. No regrets. 
    Jimisurf (James Ingham)
    Vancouver, BC

  9. @jimisurf

    That’s a turn yourself inside out effort! Congrats on crossing the finishing line – that’s what’s it’s all about!

  15. @jimisurf

    Holy crap! Well done! Sounds like that was a race for the hardmen, which is what you definitely are after finishing that ride.

  17. Just thought I’d pop this one up here in case I don’t make it back after tomorrows exertions…

    Adelaide Dirty Dozen: 13 climbs, 100k’s & about 3000m of up.

  18. Well that hurt…whoever decided to put a 3k climb with an average of 10.1% and a final 200m section at 20+ as the 13th climb is a sadistic bastard.

    Should be some fantastic shots of the Witte jersey in action given there were two blokes documenting the suffering.

    The record of my pain

  19. Hmmm something went wrong with that Strava file.

    Try this http://app.strava.com/rides/20427242#

  21. @Nate cheers, that’s easily the hardest ride I’ve done. About to reward myself with a Showerbeer for my efforts.

    For some reason that second file with the corrected elevation lost all the HR & cadence so I’ll have to go with the raw Garmin file.

    3rd time lucky

  22. Just back from my a few weeks off in France, didn’t manage to ride anywhere near as much as I would have liked but I did manage the hardest, longest ride I’ve ever done.

    228km, 3,275m into the Pyrenees, climbing the Hautacam and Tourmalet. It wasn’t exactly the quickest ascent of either, especially the Tourmalet where I think I may have been rather cooked (the garmin says 44 degrees max, and all I could find for lunch that didn’t involve duck confit and frites was a rather greasy cheese and courgette panini). Stopped to take in the sheer awesomeness of it all a fair few times as well.

    I had been planning to ride Luz Ardiden instead of the Hautacam, but the road up from Lourdes passes the start of the Hautacam so I thought I’d give it a go as well. By the time I got to the bottom of Luz Ardiden, I was painfully aware of how far I was pushing my boundaries.

    Despite climbing in accordance with my body weight and shape, I was delighted with my progress to and from the steep bits. My previous longest ride was 156km with 1,867m of climbing at an average of 22kph so 23.9kph for this was a surprise.

    Absolutely loved the ride out of the mountains (once the truly steep descents were out of the way), briefly followed some very fast Belgian girls. Felt rather pro soloing through Tarbes (apart from the trafic lights) but not so much when my feet (of all things said enough) with 15km to go and I had to stop and take my shoes off for a couple of minutes.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/fleeting moment/2012.09.01.12.37.16/”/]

    oh and to prove @marko’s theory that being light does not necessarily make a climber, the picture on the beach was taken 2 nights before the ride the other one after, I did not get faster as the ride went on even though I obviously got lighter…

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/fleeting moment/2012.09.01.12.37.16/”/]

  24. Time for a few shots from yesterday’s exertions…

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/Mikael/2012.09.01.23.36.38/”/]

  25. @Mikael Liddy

    The pictures tell the story.  Guy on your wheel, then you out-of-the-saddle, dudes paper-boying all over the road in your wake, then out of sight.

    Fin.

  27. @xyxax to be honest I’m kinda glad a couple of our guys had time constraints & that we were ahead of the bunch (and photogs) for the last two climbs…I’m not sure I want to see the visual representation of the pain I was going through.

  28. @itburns

    @Chris

    That is some proper helmet hair.  Well done!

    Ha, my girlfriend always calls it “dinosaur hair” when I get back from a hot ride and have a sort of triple-faux hawk.

    @Chris

    @Mikael Liddy

    Nice pictures, thanks for sharing! That’s some good riding.

  29. Here are some of mine from the (American) holiday weekend: 112km with only 1,000m of elevation up and around Mt. Bachelor in central Oregon, in a really nice “high desert” environment.

    Lots of open scrubby rangeland mixed with evergreen forests, all amongst volcanoes and old lava flows. It smelled freakin’ fantastic out there, compared to all the car fumes I suck in riding around the city. Maybe working for one of the breweries out there will be a future ambition…

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/mcsqueak/2012.09.04.19.15.05/”/]

  30. @mcsqueak Great looking ride and a nice looking pint at the end.

    Some stunning photos, what’s the camera? I need a decent camera to take with me, my blackberry is disappointing.

  31. @Chris

    Thanks! Yeah I took a ton of “forest zipping by” shots from the saddle as I was moving – no real viewpoints for vista shots or anything, but just being out in the country and away from the city was good enough for me.

    I just use my iPhone 4S – the camera is really quite good, for being so small.

  32. Did a little ride over the holiday as well.  342kms, 2000m up, and some of the most wonderful views Mass and Rhode Island have to offer on Saturday.  Rode through white sand, blasted chipseal, grave, baby smooth tarmac, dirt, just about every imaginable surface, but no cobbles.  4 of us total, unsupported, with 2 stops to eat some real food.  Moving average had us finishing around 12 hours.  I was in the pain cave with an over-active bladder that wouldnt let me stop urinating, and a man period that I will be going to the doc to have checked up.  Ride wrapped up with a 6 pack, finished in a dark parking lot, just like a bunch of highschoolers.  Was a fantastic day with guys from the local club.  Perhaps 1 more 330km ride before the leaves fall would be appropriate.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/roger/2012.09.04.22.51.40/”/]

  34. @roger yikes, I’ll be honest if I were in a similar manstruation situation I doubt ~350km’s would be the last thing I’d try to tackle!

  37. @roger Impressive ride. Chapeau. Let me get this straight though, you were pissing blood before you set off and you still did it? Double fucking chapeau with a capital V but you’re a dumb bastard for sure. And if I’ve got it wrong and you’re just considering doing it again in the near future whilst pissing blood as a result of the first time then your just a dumb bastard.

    On a related note, after 225km and no pain at all (at least not in my nether regions) I’m pretty sure the fizik Antares is the way to go. Going to spend a couple of weeks on an Arione just to be certain but I’m confident it’s just a formality.

  38. @roger yeah that’s a stroke of luck. The only danger we had on Saturday were the magpies that have decided it’s time to start swooping anyone who decide to ride too near to where they’re nesting.

    Example here

  39. Sheeeeeet, y’all are a bunch of over-achievers! 200km this, 300km that…

  40. A few more shots from the other photographer that was out on the road on Saturday, particularly like the first one where it seems everyone’s very interested in the V-kit.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/Mikael/2012.09.06.08.31.07/”/]

    A second set of me in full death march mode about half way up Cherryville, which despite the lovely sounding name averages a nasty 10.8% over its 2.1k length.

    [dmalbum: path=”/velominati.com/wp-content/uploads/readers/Mikael/2012.09.06.08.31.07/”/]

  41. Huh, seems the two galleries were combined, anywho the second gallery is the last 5 photos.

  44. @jimisurf Well done! And way to rep us Canadians!

    @Mikael Liddy It seems your come back is working for you! Looking good on those climbs. I passed a few walking up the climbs on the Icefield Parkway in Banff on the weekend. shattered they were!

  45. During training yesterday evening at mother-fucker pace: While chatting about my modified ride plan, another rider states, “Easier said than done.” To which I reply, “Easier done when said.” The ride plan is “registered” with my day-to-day eating and riding goals. And the mother-fucker pace is a good thing to “register” as well.

  48. So, funny story from yesterday. Guess I’ll put it here.

    Was coming home from an easy ride with @Scaler911 and his race team. I was mere blocks from my house at this point.

    I was riding up a slight incline, almost to a stop sign when an old VW car passes me, comes back into the lane, and has to slam on his brakes because there was a stop sign 5 ft in front of him.

    So I give the guy a “what the fuck!” and hold up my arms in a sort of “WTF” gesture. No fingers were given.

    He leans over and furiously rolls down his crank window, since his car was rather old, and starts berating me thusly:

    “Lance Armstrong is a fucking cheater, and you’re a fucking cheater! You’re all a bunch of fucking cheaters!”

    And then sort of repeats the same basic thing while frothing at the mouth, he was really mad! But what he was saying was so crazy, I started to laugh and shake my head.

    I asked him if he was done yet while still sort of giggling and smiling, to which he replied “and MEN shouldn’t wear TIGHTS!” before driving off.

    I wasn’t even shaken up because of how preposterous it all was. WTF indeed.

  49. @mcsqueak

    So, funny story from yesterday. Guess I’ll put it here.

    Was coming home from an easy ride with @Scaler911 and his race team. I was mere blocks from my house at this point.

    I was riding up a slight incline, almost to a stop sign when an old VW car passes me, comes back into the lane, and has to slam on his brakes because there was a stop sign 5 ft in front of him.

    So I give the guy a “what the fuck!” and hold up my arms in a sort of “WTF” gesture. No fingers were given.

    He leans over and furiously rolls down his crank window, since his car was rather old, and starts berating me thusly:

    “Lance Armstrong is a fucking cheater, and you’re a fucking cheater! You’re all a bunch of fucking cheaters!”

    And then sort of repeats the same basic thing while frothing at the mouth, he was really mad! But what he was saying was so crazy, I started to laugh and shake my head.

    I asked him if he was done yet while still sort of giggling and smiling, to which he replied “and MEN shouldn’t wear TIGHTS!” before driving off.

    I wasn’t even shaken up because of how preposterous it all was. WTF indeed.

    Well, you know he was right of course: we’re all cheaters and we shouldn’t wear tights. Hee!

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