Popular Post Square Wheels Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #1 Posted January 16, 2021 Mentally and physically, I remember one century I just didn't want to finish. All was going well until mile 95. My butt was on fire, I just wanted to give up. I didn't and felt good about finishing. I've done 10 or so centuries and have finished all that I've started. By far the hardest thing I've done on a bike was ride up Mt. Washington. I didn't prepare enough for it, weighed too much... I remember looking down at my power reading and saying, that can't be right, I can't ride that hard. 2 hours of that finished off with a few hundred yards at 20+%... ugh. Again, I felt great that I did it. 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeman564™ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #2 Posted January 16, 2021 For me it was a century. I've done many, but this one in particular was after not riding much for a few years. I thought, "I've done it before, I can do it" After aboot mile 80 I was coasting in on fumes this was the hardest century I've ridden. The take away from this is, don't underestimate a century when not in shape 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BR46 Posted January 16, 2021 Share #3 Posted January 16, 2021 Wo46 and I were riding a century and the last 20 miles we had a 15 to 20 mph head wind 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddmaxx ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #4 Posted January 16, 2021 I don't ride centuries and usually I don't ride much road. The toughest ride was only about 50 miles from a bit east of Mashpee Commons on Cape Cod down to Woods Hole then north to North Falmouth and back to Mashpee on 151 then back to where we were staying. It was a dangerous ride with stretches on rt 28 where there is no shoulder and lots of tourist traffic at speed. Back on 151 isn't as bad but is still high speed traffic. The trip was longer because whenever possible I'd duck off the main roads and go well out of my way to stay on some back neighborhood roads. I think that was the last long trip on the roads that I did. Now I just stick to off road trails with just the necessary hops on the road to connect them. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted January 16, 2021 Share #5 Posted January 16, 2021 The one where I broke my right leg at the tibial plateau and shattered my left wrist. 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #6 Posted January 16, 2021 Wind is the big culprit for me, or maybe biting off too much distance and then thinking, oh shit, I still need to get home! OK, so it is the combination! Probably on a longish ride for me, maybe 40-50 miles in the windswept farmland south of me. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #7 Posted January 16, 2021 3 minutes ago, Taylor said: The one where I broke my right leg at the tibial plateau and shattered my left wrist. Had to be pretty bad to be worse than the gate. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Some Old Guy Posted January 16, 2021 Share #8 Posted January 16, 2021 5 minutes ago, Philander Seabury said: Had to be pretty bad to be worse than the gate. The tibial plateau is what supports the knee. It took the whole summer to recuperate and I still have pain in that knee every freaking day. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Further Posted January 16, 2021 Share #9 Posted January 16, 2021 It was to be about 50 miles, I got lost, ran out of water, and became dehydrated. I got oriented, found a store and hit the Gatorade, hard. Was feeling better and it was pretty much all down hill to home. Cruising along on fairly level ground, about 10 miles to home, feeling pretty good when my leg began to cramp. I stretched it out and walked a bit, continued on, cramped again, stretched and tried again. Gave up and called for rescue. My daughter hauled me home, where I showered, ate oranges and drank Gatorade. Had leg cramps that had me screaming for a couple hours. Limped while walking for a few weeks, never really regained decent bicycling form. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdc2000 Posted January 16, 2021 Share #10 Posted January 16, 2021 TOSRV West (230 miles in 2 days), Ride the Rockies (2002, 2010, 2011, 2016), Bicycle Tour of Colorado (2010, immediately following Ride the Rockies) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post dinneR ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #11 Posted January 16, 2021 Trans-Iowa. 336 miles, it took 33 hours. 30 mph winds, thunderstorms all night. Temps dropped to the 30s overnight and I did not bring pants. One guy I rode with dropped at 6:00 am(26 hours and 270 miles into the race). He crawled into a ditch and slept. We had to leave him behind. An hour later the other guy I was riding with said go on without me. He didn't finish. I opened a can of coffee that I had been carrying all night and it exploded it my face. When I finally made the last turn and had a tailwind for the last 15 miles I knew I could finish before the time cut-off. Arrowhead 135. I attempted it four times and finished twice. It's cold, snowy, and really difficult. JayP's fat pursuit. I've tried twice and not finished twice. 120 miles in the GYE with lots of snow. I think I pushed my bike for 4 hours. Chequamegon 100. I hit a tree with my face and shattered my nose. I had to ride back to the start bleeding like a wounded deer. The first of two sunrises in Iowa. 3 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Thaddeus Kosciuszko Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #12 Posted January 16, 2021 Hardest... I've been riding a while so how to decide... The longest? That would be the Jersey Double. If anybody tells you New Jersey is flat, they're a liar. Worst crash? Then the century where I crashed at mile 93. Afterwards I couldn't swing one leg over the saddle, but could manage the other. Rode the last 7 miles, as I found out later, with a fractured pelvis and a fractured rib. Most nettlesome? Then the century where I flatted 5 times, including twice on the front wheel of all things. It seemed like I'd never get to the end of that ride. Loneliest? That's the local bike club ride where the riders gathered together after the ride but decidedly and pointedly ignored anybody who wasn't part of their regular clique. Most frustrating? The century where my rear tire sidewall blew out just before mile 70, and the SAG support had already left for the day. I duct taped the tire up, took off the rear brakes, and rode until mile 97 when a sliver of glass punctured the rear tire. At that point I had to abandon and take a lift back to the start. Abandoning so close, now that was hard. For this year anyway, the most difficult for me was the ride to Lake Desolation. Riding up a 4 mile hill, in the dark, on my touring bike towing a loaded BOB trailer became a mind over matter situation for me. Fortunately I have no mind, so it all didn't matter, and I made it to the top eventually. 5 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Longjohn ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #13 Posted January 16, 2021 I did a century in the middle of a week long tour. They had predicted temps over 100° so we started 5:30 ish. Running our lights. The rest stops were not set up when we got to them. They did have some fruit and water and Gatorade. I don’t think they really expected people to ride 100 miles in that heat. It was an out and back and they had a rest stop at 15 miles. Nobody there when we went by. A lunch stop at 25 miles we got fruit and water there. Our turn around was at a winery 50 miles out. It was now over 100° They sent an Ambulance with bottles of ice water that pulled up along side us while we rode and handed us bottles of water. That part was cool. We got back to the lunch stop and ate some leftovers that the 50 mile riders didn’t eat. The final 25 miles were 104° official temp but the bike computers were reading 118° with the sun and heat off the pavement. The last road we were on had melted and the hot tar was sticking to our tires and splattering up on our legs and bikes. I looked for a farm pond or swimming pool or someone washing their car anything where I could cool down but there was nothing. At least when we were pedaling there was a breeze. We past an ambulance on the side of the road that was tending to someone who overheated. I kept on pedaling and when we got back to camp I didn’t stop at my tent but went straight to the shower truck. I don’t usually take cold showers but that day I took a half hour cold shower trying to get my body temp back down. I felt a bit out of sorts the rest of the day. Went in town to dinner with a friend I made on the trip and by next morning I was fine. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #14 Posted January 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said: Hardest... I've been riding a while so how to decide... The longest? That would be the Jersey Double. If anybody tells you New Jersey is flat, they're a liar. Worst crash? Then the century where I crashed at mile 93. Afterwards I couldn't swing one leg over the saddle, but could manage the other. Rode the last 7 miles, as I found out later, with a fractured pelvis and a fractured rib. Most nettlesome? Then the century where I flatted 5 times, including twice on the front wheel of all things. It seemed like I'd never get to the end of that ride. Loneliest? That's the local bike club ride where the riders gathered together after the ride but decidedly and pointedly ignored anybody who wasn't part of their regular clique. Most frustrating? The century where my rear tire sidewall blew out just before mile 70, and the SAG support had already left for the day. I duct taped the tire up, took off the rear brakes, and rode until mile 97 when a sliver of glass punctured the rear tire. At that point I had to abandon and take a lift back to the start. Abandoning so close, now that was hard. For this year anyway, the most difficult for me was the ride to Lake Desolation. Riding up a 4 mile hill, in the dark, on my touring bike towing a loaded BOB trailer became a mind over matter situation for me. Fortunately I have no mind, so it all didn't matter, and I made it to the top eventually. Winner! For the best use of duct tape. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #15 Posted January 16, 2021 The Katy trail..only because having the shingles..All of April and the itch remained for most of a year...and the ride was in June... Yeah it was hard. 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scrapr ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #16 Posted January 16, 2021 43 minutes ago, jdc2000 said: TOSRV West (230 miles in 2 days), Ride the Rockies (2002, 2010, 2011, 2016), Bicycle Tour of Colorado (2010, immediately following Ride the Rockies) jeebus...found the badass how was ride the Rockies? You took your 'lectric bike right? edit: you're all badass 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralphie ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #17 Posted January 16, 2021 Damn! I am not worthy. 200 and 300 miles! Shit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffJim Posted January 16, 2021 Share #18 Posted January 16, 2021 June 2009 the Granite Pass between Shell Wy and Burgess Junction on WY Route 14. Literally had to push my fully loaded bike and Bob trailer most of the way up over the 9033 foot pass. Got to the top and my tire was flat. Had to inflate and coast down to Sheridan WY the next day to fix. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jdc2000 Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #19 Posted January 16, 2021 Ride the Rockies is one of the best organized rides in the U.S. The support is excellent. It is not actually as hard as it might look if you are checking out the daily elevation profiles. Most of the climbs in Colorado that have been part of this tour over the years, while they might be long, are not as steep as many of the shorter climbs in the eastern U.S. The RAGBRAI often has as much elevation gain as Ride the Rockies, but the difference is that on RAGBRAI, you go up for 10 or 20 minutes, and then down for 90 seconds, so most of your time is spent climbing. On Ride the Rockies, you may go up for several hours, but then you go down for 30 minutes to 2 hours. The steepest climbs on any of the routes I have ridden were on the 2016 tour, on the last day on the east side of Horsetooth Reservoir. There were some quarter mile sections of 14%. Most climbs are 4-6% with the occasional 8-10% section. 3 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
groupw Posted January 16, 2021 Share #20 Posted January 16, 2021 Similar to LJ. Organized century from Grand Island to Lincoln. Temps were forecast over 100. They released us at 6:15. The first half was relatively flat and mostly comfortable. At York, I took a little longer snack break. Drank down my water and refilled them before starting the 2nd half. The heat started to set in but it was still pretty flat and the asphalt was newer than it had been so riding was good. Made friends with an Ironman triathlete before she got into aero position and really got after it! She pulled away. By Seward, it was really hot. I drank both bottles empty before refilling them and some grapes and a cookie for snack. The last 20+ miles had a lot of hills. The wind off the pavement was as cool and refreshing as a blow dryer. Both water bottles were empty when I got to the last rest stop. I refilled my bottles and worried about a lady under the canopy who was beet red. Her husband was trying to convince her to wait for a ride to come but she was determined to finish her first 25 miler. A while later on the road, I was catching a guy. He was swerving and erratic. I asked if he was ok when I caught him. He said yes, but I could tell he wasn’t. A little bit later, an official vehicle was checking on another rider. I stopped and told them to check on the other guy and I described his jersey. They radioed to someone else a description. I was only a few miles from the finish. I was out of water. Sun was about high noon and the road was a moderate but steady uphill grade. I was in the first stage of heat stroke. I was irritable. I was calling people names just for driving courteously! I finally made it to the finish. My Ironman friend had faded at the end and had only finished a little before me. She handed me a water bottle from the cooler which I downed and went in for another. I put both my wrists in the ice water of the cooler for a little while before getting my bottle. I drank half and put the rest in my bike bottle for the couple miles to my son’s place. Said goodbye to Rosie after a little chat and finished the ride. WoW met me there with street clothes. After a shower and lunch, I felt like a new man. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bikeguy Posted January 16, 2021 Share #21 Posted January 16, 2021 Every year since 2003 (except for 2020 when the virus canceled the ride) I ride in the Pumpkin Pie Ride. (first Sunday in October) One year.. at a rest stop, maybe 60 miles, I was hungry. They had GREAT sloppy joe sandwiches. I had 2. OMG what a bad mistake. After the rest stop, a few miles down the road, there was a climb (large for my area, not so much anywhere else) up out of the Illinois River valley. It was like I had 2 bricks in my stomach. I got to the place where I had to choose, between 100 and 75 miles. 75 was my choice... It took most of the ride back to feel better. I learned what not to eat... Then the was the year it was 38o at the start of the ride. And I forgot my full finger gloves. My hands were cold for a long time... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Kirby Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #22 Posted January 16, 2021 I repeat the story of my childhood cycling adventure. Sure it was only 10 miles total, but this was for two people who never really cycled. Luckily ice cream treats were involved. And yes, the picture is still hanging in my bedroom. 3 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #23 Posted January 16, 2021 14 minutes ago, Bikeguy said: I got to the place where I had to choose, between 100 and 75 miles. 75 was my choice.. Those cut off points are tough. In my area they save all the toughest climbs for those that don’t cut off for the shorter route. 2020 was no riding for me but 2019 my riding was really limited because my wife wasn’t well. I opted for a couple of the 60 mile routes on the two organized rides I did. I felt like a cheater when that turn off point came up and I had to decide and I went for 60. That was enough miles for someone who hadn’t been riding much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ChrisL Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #24 Posted January 16, 2021 I gotta say my hardest rides were races back in the day. Some of those crits were just on the rivet for an hour with a couple of prime sprints thrown in for fun. When I progressed to a point where I was placing and consistently top 10 (and one win!) I would finish so wasted I couldn’t stand up for several minutes. I remember sitting in the street just heaving trying not to throw up and seeing my quads throbbing. My hardest overall physical & mental efforts were not on a bike but during marathons and military training. Going all day long for miles & miles with 100 lbs of gear on you is a total physical & mental drain. The police academy had some tough moments but not as bad as the Army. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted January 16, 2021 Share #25 Posted January 16, 2021 I'm probably forgetting some of our self-made touring rides with just dearie....since am riding with clothing, some trips camping gear, etc. Riding in humid heat 95-90 degree C from downtown Toronto to Niagara on the Lake, by going around the perimeter of Lake Ontario. It was a 107km. ride for the day ...it was really the humid heat, not the route, since it includes Waterfront Trail. Of course, air quality isn't the greatest when it's quite humid heat in that part of Canada in summer. Or riding from Vancouver BC to Marysville, WA (holiday inn) which was close to 108 km. or so. It was summer but poured steady rain ...riding in it for 3 hrs. in rain for part of ride, where I didn't want to stop to put on jacket..what was the point? I was wet already and in shorts. I kept on cycling. My feet were so wet, that the skin turned dead white..(sorry, did I offend?). Then afterwards made mistake of wearing flip flops...walking to restaurant. Really didn't want to bike to supper. Big mistake, my feet in pain = no orthotics. I could barely walk 3 blocks back to hotel. Next day rode on and met up with a Seattle cycling couple in that city. The guy was a radonneur....he had just finished a 220 km. ride in 1 day. Yes he was fit. Most dangerous ride: Was cycling trip in Quebec, on highway in pouring rain and whole convoy of 10-15 logging trucks were speeding steadily by.. only a 75 km. ride but it was scary..wondering how close we were to the logging trucks on slick high speed highway. So glad that part of ride was over... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shootingstar Posted January 16, 2021 Share #26 Posted January 16, 2021 31 minutes ago, Kirby said: I repeat the story of my childhood cycling adventure. Sure it was only 10 miles total, but this was for two people who never really cycled. Luckily ice cream treats were involved. And yes, the picture is still hanging in my bedroom. A chain donut coffee shop is a welcome site in a rural area after ..only 60 km. before another 40 km. Sometimes I wish Canada wasn't so friggin' BIG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prophet Zacharia Posted January 16, 2021 Share #27 Posted January 16, 2021 Hardest? Probably Alp D’Hues? Although Brass Town Bald after a long, climb-filled ride was tough. Surprisingly my double century wouldn’t be on this list, nor my fixed gear century, as I’ve had 2 or 3 bonks that trump them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffJim Posted January 16, 2021 Share #28 Posted January 16, 2021 5 hours ago, shootingstar said: I'm probably forgetting some of our self-made touring rides with just dearie....since am riding with clothing, some trips camping gear, etc. Riding in humid heat 95-90 degree C from downtown Toronto to Niagara on the Lake, by going around the perimeter of Lake Ontario. It was a 107km. ride for the day ...it was really the humid heat, not the route, since it includes Waterfront Trail. Of course, air quality isn't the greatest when it's quite humid heat in that part of Canada in summer. Or riding from Vancouver BC to Marysville, WA (holiday inn) which was close to 108 km. or so. It was summer but poured steady rain ...riding in it for 3 hrs. in rain for part of ride, where I didn't want to stop to put on jacket..what was the point? I was wet already and in shorts. I kept on cycling. My feet were so wet, that the skin turned dead white..(sorry, did I offend?). Then afterwards made mistake of wearing flip flops...walking to restaurant. Really didn't want to bike to supper. Big mistake, my feet in pain = no orthotics. I could barely walk 3 blocks back to hotel. Next day rode on and met up with a Seattle cycling couple in that city. The guy was a radonneur....he had just finished a 220 km. ride in 1 day. Yes he was fit. Most dangerous ride: Was cycling trip in Quebec, on highway in pouring rain and whole convoy of 10-15 logging trucks were speeding steadily by.. only a 75 km. ride but it was scary..wondering how close we were to the logging trucks on slick high speed highway. So glad that part of ride was over... 95-90 C heat would be hard to ride in. My blood would boil. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #29 Posted January 16, 2021 2 minutes ago, BuffJim said: 95-90 C heat would be hard to ride in. My blood would boil. Not quite but very close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend_Maynard Posted January 16, 2021 Share #30 Posted January 16, 2021 I'd have to go with the North/South trail ride this year that we attempted to stretch into a century. Ended up with 93.1 miles, 5700 ft of climbing on my FS mountain bike, in 12 hours overall time. Fortunately, I was in shape for it so didn't feel that bad. Unfortunately, we wasted too much time at the beginning waiting for slower riders and ran out of daylight to get the 100 miles. https://ridewithgps.com/trips/56790718 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parsnip Totin Jack ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #31 Posted January 16, 2021 Longest was a solo ride I did in Ohio. Rode from home, Liberty Twp, to Loveland and took the Little Miami trail north to Xenia. Some other trail west to Dayton and picked up the Great Miami trail south. When I reached Middletown, it was getting dark and I didn’t want to ride on the roads without lights so I called Wo7 for SAG. My computer said 108 miles so I rode around the block until she arrived. 110 miles. Hardest was the Garrett County Gran Fondo in MD/WV near Deep Creek Lake. They had 25, 44, 62, and 100 mile options. I signed up for the 62. After climbing for miles with a 39x27 low gear I opted for the 44 mile route when I got to the split. The hardest part was I couldn’t maintain a steady cadence to climb with all the other cyclists at different speeds. Finished with 43 miles and 5,000 feet of climbing. Still a hard ride. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donkpow Posted January 16, 2021 Share #32 Posted January 16, 2021 Going to the grocery store, pulling the trailer, about five miles away. My back was "out" and I could barely walk. Sweated bullets the whole way but didn't puke. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Tizeye Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #33 Posted January 16, 2021 Photo update, today, 1/16/2021. Wiping out at a high rate of speed on an unbanked 90 degree turn 9/10/2020 as couldn't brake hard enough and tires lost traction. After 4 months, the fractured clavicle healed but the hematoma remains. While initially ballooned out to size to size of grapefruit in the final couple of miles during the post accident ride home, appears to have maxed out this week as not get getting the stretching twinges - otherwise not painful. Hopefully will begin absorbing down over the next few months. Only thing I can think of is with the left being the road rash and fx clavicle side, caused by landing inside the handlebar. The only injury on the right was a puncture wound on the calf, presumably by brake lever. No vien punctured so wasn't a 'control bleeding' issue as just oozed blood which clotted quickly. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post petitepedal ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #34 Posted January 16, 2021 The last couple of days on the Great Adventure were hard..the heat was a biggie, sleep was lousy and then the shoulder issue...my shoulder was so inflamed..I couldnt wear my camelbak over my right side..I got cranky and misserable...but I would do it again. 3 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #35 Posted January 16, 2021 I think Mt Washington is the single most difficult event I ever done. I worked hard preparing for it; trained in ways I’d never trained before, thought I’d lowered my gearing enough and was psyched mentally to do it. And it still kicked my butt. The last hundred yards or so: And the mountain from the bottom: I’ve done other rides that have taxed me in different ways. I did a solo ride in PA back in 95 that I wasn’t prepared for. I didn’t have enough to eat, I’d not switched out my flat lander cog and I bonked badly. I’d ride/walk until I came across a gas station, buy a snickers and a Mt Dew, try to test a few and then repeat the process. My mental fatigue was making it difficult to think properly and the idea of trying to catch a ride back never even crossed my mind. Did a MTB ride with a group of friends in CA back in the early 90s that turned out to be technically far above most of our skill levels. It was truly miserable. Was wipe out after wipe out. Very little actual riding it seemed. At one point one of the guys was literally hanging over a ledge that dropped hundreds of feet straight down holding onto an exposed root by one hand while his bike was swaying from his other. We were trying to pull him up, and yelling for him to let the bike go. But he wouldn’t. We managed to get him up safely and saved his bike as well. We were pretty shaken after that. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share #36 Posted January 16, 2021 4 minutes ago, Zealot said: thought I’d lowered my gearing enough You needed gears like this, it's the only way I was making it up. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #37 Posted January 16, 2021 20 minutes ago, petitepedal said: The last couple of days on the Great Adventure were hard..the heat was a biggie, sleep was lousy and then the shoulder issue...my shoulder was so inflamed..I couldnt wear my camelbak over my right side..I got cranky and misserable...but I would do it again. And we were very thankful you completed it with us! 😊You did well. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Square Wheels Posted January 16, 2021 Author Share #38 Posted January 16, 2021 22 minutes ago, petitepedal said: but I would do it again. That's the great thing about hard rides and badass riders, we always want to do them again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #39 Posted January 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Square Wheels said: You needed gears like this, it's the only way I was making it up. You are right. And one of the multi repeat riders told me at the start, “you’re riding up on that gearing?!” I knew then that I was in trouble. I rode a 36t front, 34t rear if I recall correctly. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #40 Posted January 16, 2021 1 hour ago, Tizeye said: Photo update, today, 1/16/2021. Wiping out at a high rate of speed on an unbanked 90 degree turn 9/10/2020 as couldn't brake hard enough and tires lost traction. After 4 months, the fractured clavicle healed but the hematoma remains. While initially ballooned out to size to size of grapefruit in the final couple of miles during the post accident ride home, appears to have maxed out this week as not get getting the stretching twinges - otherwise not painful. Hopefully will begin absorbing down over the next few months. Only thing I can think of is with the left being the road rash and fx clavicle side, caused by landing inside the handlebar. The only injury on the right was a puncture wound on the calf, presumably by brake lever. No vien punctured so wasn't a 'control bleeding' issue as just oozed blood which clotted quickly. Ouch! Wow, four months later you’ve a hematoma like that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petitepedal ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #41 Posted January 16, 2021 9 minutes ago, Zealot said: And we were very thankful you completed it with us! 😊You did well. Some good sleep..some food and maybe the end of September instead of the beginning..and I would do it again...if my surgery fixes the shoulder 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #42 Posted January 16, 2021 15 minutes ago, petitepedal said: Some good sleep..some food and maybe the end of September instead of the beginning..and I would do it again...if my surgery fixes the shoulder I rode the GAP solo early Sept this past year. Was the soggiest, most humid ride I think I’ve done yet! But my shoulder did fine. You’ll be good when you heal. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #43 Posted January 16, 2021 11 hours ago, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said: Most frustrating? I’ve ridden with this guy. Great guy to have with you in a pinch! Always thinking. 😊 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zealot Posted January 16, 2021 Share #44 Posted January 16, 2021 11 hours ago, dennis said: Trans-Iowa. 336 miles, it took 33 hours. 30 mph winds, thunderstorms all night. Temps dropped to the 30s overnight and I did not bring pants. One guy I rode with dropped at 6:00 am(26 hours and 270 miles into the race). He crawled into a ditch and slept. We had to leave him behind. An hour later the other guy I was riding with said go on without me. He didn't finish. I opened a can of coffee that I had been carrying all night and it exploded it my face. When I finally made the last turn and had a tailwind for the last 15 miles I knew I could finish before the time cut-off. Arrowhead 135. I attempted it four times and finished twice. It's cold, snowy, and really difficult. JayP's fat pursuit. I've tried twice and not finished twice. 120 miles in the GYE with lots of snow. I think I pushed my bike for 4 hours. Chequamegon 100. I hit a tree with my face and shattered my nose. I had to ride back to the start bleeding like a wounded deer. The first of two sunrises in Iowa. Respect! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #45 Posted January 16, 2021 The most painful ride I had was riding back home after I crashed and separated my shoulder and broke ribs. The paved road wasn’t too bad but my gravel road was dreadful. Driving myself to the ER was a breeze compared to that. Driving home from the ER was interesting with my arm in a sling. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MickinMD ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #46 Posted January 16, 2021 Having only taken up cycling for exercise in my 60's as part of multiple form of exercise, my longest ride is only 25 miles on a mountain bike on Baltimore and Annapolis Bike Trail from a park south of BWI Airport to the U.S. Naval Academy and back. After I'm back in my house, I'm probably going to get a hybrid bike and take some longer rides and and when the pandemic's over do one of those 50 mile events. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JerrySTL ★ Posted January 16, 2021 Share #47 Posted January 16, 2021 Back around 1978. It was an unsupported, flat century ride. The temps were in the upper 90s but I've ridden in that heat many times recently in New Mexico although NM didn't have that white stuff called humidity which the St. Louis area had an abundance. At the half way point the group I was with stopped at a bar for a hamburger, fries, and a couple of beers. Not the best for a long ride. I did remember to fill up my one little water bottle. I neglected to put on sun screen so I was a little red already. The way back was desolated with no where to get water and little shade. I got dropped and shortly later I started to feel bad. I wasn't thinking to straight and my water bottle was empty. Then I notice that I had stopped sweating! I could peel salt flakes off my arms. Fortunately for me there was a small waterfall about 3 miles from the end. It was a hangout for the locals to drink beer. I ran into the waterfall like a crazy person. It was cold and wet and I was attempting to drink it all. After many minutes I got out and one of the people offered me a beer. I figure it was wet and had some carbs. I swear that I was almost drunk from that one beer. I made it back to my car and drove to a store where I bought some cold Cokes and candy bars. Still when I got home I had lost 10 lbs which probably was water weight. I was sunburned, dehydrated, probably had heat stroke also. I was closer to death than I'd like to imagine. Now I usually bring 2 large water bottles for any ride and taught my kids to always bring a lot of fluids and stuff like Gu or energy bars on long rides. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post MoseySusan Posted January 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #48 Posted January 16, 2021 The last day of touring in Holland we lost the route markers, went the wrong way, got lost, ran out of water and food. It extended our saddle time and my butt was starting to hurt. We ended up in the Amsterdam red light district after sunset, which is creepy because men have full license to leer and they’re not discrete about it. But, at least we knew our way back to the hotel from there. We bought water and Red Bull at a liquor store and limped into the hotel. The day before I had wiped out on some gravel, but mr. didn’t know because he was ahead of me. I got back up and riding, but lost the route, couldn’t see mr., found myself in what looked like someone’s back yard. So, I backtracked to the place I crashed, hoping mr. would try to find me. It was a weird feeling that we were separated in a foreign country and neither knew where the other person was with no phones to contact each other. He eventually found me. But the tour wasn’t so fun after that. The last day was the longest and as already mentioned, turned weird at the end. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted January 16, 2021 Share #49 Posted January 16, 2021 McKenzie river trail as a loop. Most everyone shuttles this. We rode back up. <Mountain> No idea of stats other than it was 65 miles. This was pre-strava and garmin days Crater Lake century. <road> 6600 ft, 104 miles Those two really stand out. I really wanted to bag a MTB century, but my health things got in the way. I should have done this when I was 30. Post MS, I have trouble pushing too much and tearing the body down. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentonMakes Posted January 16, 2021 Share #50 Posted January 16, 2021 I have a 62-miler and a 69-miler, each of which I'll never forget for the wrong reasons. But those are nothing compared to what some of you have done. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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