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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@G’rilla
Nipple lube!!
G’rilla, remind me – did you go for disc brakes or not on your Trombones? I fear most of my riding pals will be making the switch this year & I’ll have serious damn upgradeitis. Nice photo, by the way!
And, this thread is bonkers. Awesome photos from Oregon, Rhode Island…France, Australia…just crazy to see some many folks in V-kit riding in awesome places and riding well. Nice!
And, jeez. Thought I could see the disc near the fork…and now looking at the HT and seeing no brakes I have answered my own question, G’rilla. So you’re going to rub it in and make me want the disc brakes all the way from the other coast. That’s it, I’m avoiding cross this year!
Yes ‘cross has started in PDX as well: My neighbor (he’s fine, it’s sand, not pavè):
@Ron Yes, I went with disc brakes. I’m undecided on whether or not that was the best choice. It’s still hard to find hubs and manufacturers haven’t settled on 130mm or 135mm rear spacing yet. When they get dirty, they squeal. Any slight bend in the rotor means you’ll hear it grinding by on every revolution.
@scaler911 I hope that beautiful limited edition Raleigh Raineer Beer frame wasn’t damaged! Otherwise, great timing on that photo.
G’rilla – okay, that makes me feel better. At this point my handling & cornering skills are going to hold me back much more than brakes. Thanks for curing my ‘itis!
scaler – WOAH! That photo is crazy. As are that dudes arms.
mcsqueak – That story is bonkers. I can’t believe how nutty drivers act over and over and over. The “wtf” gesture is a nice one – let’s them know they need to chill the fuck out while also not being too aggressive. You can always claim you have a shoulder twitch!
I was talking with a friend today and wondered why drivers still won’t share the road or be courteous to cyclists when there are so few of us in comparison to other cars. Shouldn’t their road rage be burned out on other drivers? Or is the whole “you don’t pay road taxes” thing really pissing them off…
@Ron
Ya. He’s a firefighter, who also plays hockey (with a vengeance), and is just getting into ‘cross (SS).
@G’rilla
Bike and rider survived just fine. I had a lot of fun building it for him.
@mcsqueak
@scaler911 I’m waiting with baited breath for the next cross crash caught on tape to go viral, like the Joey video from the last northern winter.
@G’rilla
Nice work. Got the ouchy face on.
Where’s the mud?
@G’rilla
damn bro, you are photogenic on a bike. way to rep the kit!
Lookin’ pro, @g’rilla. NB: the proper ankle flex on the eggbeaters. Impressed.
@mcsqueak
Yep, Gunderson has done a lot for cycling…
@brett Wait, Gunderson is Armstrong??
@Oli
Ha! Thanks Oli! I needed a good laugh this morning!
Is this cool, or what?
@Cyclops
No. That is a large slice of awesome!
@Cyclops AWESOME!
My daughter Leah on her first CX race last Fall.
@Dan_R Most impressed that she seemed to match her accessories to the one theme of Dora. Well done. Too cute.
@Cyclops
THE coolest. Love the sunnies! A very well matched kit, bike and accessories.
Full report to follow, but I am headed shortly to this gran fondo with mrs/dr eightzero:
http://rtcws.rtcsnv.com/vivabikevegas/course.cfm
V-Kitte packed? Check. 122 miles? Check. 4500′ of climbing? (Note the KOM at 100+ miles into the route) Check. Ride with Big Mig? *Check*!
Expected temp during ride: 100 degF. Uh oh…
Support from the V-Community appreciated. VVish me luck.
@eightzero
Own it!
The big question:
Will you be wearing a base layer to speed up evaporation?
@mcsqueak
Thanks!
@PeakInTwoYears
No. It’s a dry heat. :-(
That’s right, a nice dry heat! Turn that frown upside down!
The problems of the Israeli cycling community start and end with the early rides. It’s New Year’s morning, nobody has work or anything on his mind – and yet the rides start at 6am. Why do people do that? Do they enjoy getting up early for no good reason?
@G’rilla
Them socks! Oh boy, what a picture!
Dry heat is the place for a base-layer! Also, the route looks super-fun. Good luck and report afterwards, so we can be jealous!
Cyclocross season is going to get expensive if event photographers keep taking photos of me that look like this:
By http://www.onceglimpsed.com/ at Steilacoom, Washington during http://seattlecx.com/
@G’rilla
Wow – the V Kit lets you levitate too?
@G’rilla Looking very pro, especially the whole mouth closed, I’m not out of breath look.
Great photo!
@G’rilla
Looking VERY pro there by the way!
@mcsqueak
He was driving a VW? Originated as a Nazi project in 1937 and promoted, designed and built by Hitler’s regime if I remember rightly. By the driver’s skewed logic that would make him a fucking Nazi sympathizer, yes? Of course, I doubt he would have sen the absurdity of his commentary.
@wiscot
Ah that would be the Beetle (or KdF Wagen to give it its proper name – never used it in post war advertising – wonder why?). The actual type of motor isn’t mentioned only the brand. I mean we could be looking at an early Polo here. You see you can tell I used to be a cop – I can take a road traffic incident statement apart all day – I’ll be measuring the road next.
It was some sort of shit 1980s/early 1990s rabbit or golf similar, I think.
My point still stands: if we are all dopers because of Pharmy, then he’s a Nazi.
I also love the “don’t pay road tax” argument. I have a car, a house, I buy gas. I pay taxes that support roads. By riding my bike I’m causing less damage than some asswipe in his car. I’m keeping his roads in better condition for HIM by riding my bike.
Got to share this freaky thing that happened last Thursday. Left the house at 5pm heading north. 3 miles in I was going to take the left fork in the road. It had just been chip sealed so I took the right fork. I’m 9 miles from home on Hwy 45 heading south and the road is blocked by a Sheriff with his car and flares. I had to detour to avoid “the big mess they’re clearing up.” The next day I find out a drunk driver crossed the center line and killed two folks and badly injured their daughter. The accident happened at 5:30pm – in other words, 8 1/2 miles into my ride and just where I’d have been riding had the road not been chip sealed and I had gone the route I had planned. I’m still a bit unsettled by it all.
@wiscot – Wow. That’s pretty damned freaky. Thank Merckx you went the way you did!
@G’rilla
Great shot. Though I’ve never tried cross, I imagine if I was the subject of the image, you’d be watching me catch my foot on those boards, flailing my arms as I try and not fall on my face.
Wasn’t this guy, was it?
@roger
Don’t worry, it’s been done before.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEGAIYKTZ9w
Don’t know why that didn’t embed. I fail at the intertubes… probably all the cats clogging up the lines…
@mcsqueak it’s not just you, I managed to have the video embedded in the preview window but it disappeared from my post when I hit submit. I swear my IT dept is actively working against my participation here by making me use IE 8.
@mcsqueak Never gets old!
@brett amazing. what a douche as some of us americans say.
@wiscot
ONe of my teammates, that you’ve met/ ridden with, at the same race (you look mahvolous BTW):
Bunny Hop – Fuck Yeah!
@Mikael Liddy
Same happened to me as well though I’d thought it was the result of me hassling @Frank about the redundant brakes on the CX-V.
@roger
I’ve just found two pictures of myself in this month’s Cycling Plus – one of which is a full page spread. One is of me walking up a hill and the full page one is of me falling off before I had to walk up the hill.
@ the Engine
Go on, scan and post – give us a laugh.