Jump to content

What's the hardest bike ride you've done?


Square Wheels

Recommended Posts

16 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

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. 

I don't agree.  Mt. Washington was crazy hard for me.  Nairo would zip right up it.  I find the Mt. Washington century within my reach.  A friend rode it, and while he did finish, it took him several hours longer than me.  He never did it again.

Perspective.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

37 minutes ago, TrentonMakes said:

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. 

I once heard a medaling marathoner who’d set a record  say that he had more respect for the folks who give it their all and finish in 4 hours. He said he could not imaging going all out for that long.

As @Square Wheels said, perspective.  Never downplay what you’ve accomplished. 

  • Heart 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The hardest day riding physically was in Cape Bretton NS. Climbed both North and French Mountains. Some double digit grades for long distances.

hardest day mentally was a century that started off as overcast and 70 degrees, by mile 10 it was windy, pouring rain and 55 degrees.

  • Heart 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 1/15/2021 at 10:05 PM, jdc2000 said:

TOSRV West (230 miles in 2 days), 

 

Is this the one in Ohio?  I've never heard it called TOSRV West.  If it is, I did it the second year I lived in Columbus because everyone talked about it.  Never again.  It's too darn early in the riding season to be pulling something like that. 

I think the hardest ride I ever did was the Top of Ohio 100.  I don't know what happened. I had done three other centuries that summer. I just couldn't finish. I did it, but it was not fun at all. I remember being at mile 93 and it was all I could do to keep going. I ended up taking a short cut and only riding 96 miles. That was the last century I ever attempted.

  • Heart 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine was easily my second century.  My first one I trained for and rode it by myself in 5 and a half hours on my commuter bike.  My second was with my now slick road bike so I was super cocky and did not train enough.  It also turned out to be in Alberta on a 98 degree day.  I rode well for the first 30 miles, then ended up alone for 30 into a headwind.  At the 60 mile mark there was basically a 7 mile climb out of the valley.  Given the timing it was at  noon and the coulee was at 107ish degrees.  I felt nauseous so stopped eating and my water bottle water was so warm I stopped drinking.  By the time I was at the top I was severely dehydrated and could barely keep my head up.  I limped into the next checkpoint and almost fainted getting off my bike.  I think the only reason the med staff did not pull me off the ride is they were so busy with other heat issues I went unnoticed.  A few salt tablets later, and enough water I wanted to throw up, I limped the last 30 miles.  I normally solo ride around 18mph, the last 30 miles I was getting dropped by people doing 13 or 14mph.  My wife said I looked like death when I finished and then gave me shit for not quitting.   I told her it never occurred to me to give up, which is rather scary.   

  • Heart 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Zephyr said:

Mine was easily my second century.  My first one I trained for and rode it by myself in 5 and a half hours on my commuter bike.  My second was with my now slick road bike so I was super cocky and did not train enough.  It also turned out to be in Alberta on a 98 degree day.  I rode well for the first 30 miles, then ended up alone for 30 into a headwind.  At the 60 mile mark there was basically a 7 mile climb out of the valley.  Given the timing it was at  noon and the coulee was at 107ish degrees.  I felt nauseous so stopped eating and my water bottle water was so warm I stopped drinking.  By the time I was at the top I was severely dehydrated and could barely keep my head up.  I limped into the next checkpoint and almost fainted getting off my bike.  I think the only reason the med staff did not pull me off the ride is they were so busy with other heat issues I went unnoticed.  A few salt tablets later, and enough water I wanted to throw up, I limped the last 30 miles.  I normally solo ride around 18mph, the last 30 miles I was getting dropped by people doing 13 or 14mph.  My wife said I looked like death when I finished and then gave me shit for not quitting.   I told her it never occurred to me to give up, which is rather scary.   

And the air in Alberta is often always drier year round, than coastal B.C. People might have humidifers in homes in Alberta or get nose bleeds in winter more often. vs. dehumifiers in a home (if one wants one) on coast or southern Ontario.

In summer, I get a little concerned when I forget a bottle of water even going for just a 2 hr. prairie ride and it's not hot. Lack of tree cover in many areas can be a drag. The prairie winds can be something. 70% of the time, approx. 3:30-5:30 pm or so, each day, the wind kicks up in our area, when I would cycling for a longer ride after work....  

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone done those crazy 24 hour mountain bike races? I did a couple years of the 24 hours in the old pueblo, Tucson AZ. The last one I did as duo back in 2011 and it will probably be my last (unless I do a team category some year and can just do a lap or two). The 16 mile laps were pretty fast - 1 hours for the super fast to 2+ hours per lap for the slow amateurs. I got 6 laps in and was dragging tail at the end. I still remember the 2am lap, hoping my headlight wouldn't give out and wishing it was over. My most concerning issue was my jaw was sore and would would click and feel like it was going to lock up for a couple days after (and a nasty sore throat). Probably because I spent 12 hours with my mouth wide open gasping for air. That's pretty much when I figured out endurance riding wasn't my cup of tea. I've done a few century rides since then and every one of them has been fun at the beginning but pretty miserable towards the end. As they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey!

 

  • Heart 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Palesaint said:

Anyone done those crazy 24 hour mountain bike races? I did a couple years of the 24 hours in the old pueblo, Tucson AZ. The last one I did as duo back in 2011 and it will probably be my last (unless I do a team category some year and can just do a lap or two). The 16 mile laps were pretty fast - 1 hours for the super fast to 2+ hours per lap for the slow amateurs. I got 6 laps in and was dragging tail at the end. I still remember the 2am lap, hoping my headlight wouldn't give out and wishing it was over. My most concerning issue was my jaw was sore and would would click and feel like it was going to lock up for a couple days after (and a nasty sore throat). Probably because I spent 12 hours with my mouth wide open gasping for air. That's pretty much when I figured out endurance riding wasn't my cup of tea. I've done a few century rides since then and every one of them has been fun at the beginning but pretty miserable towards the end. As they say, it's not the destination, it's the journey!

 

I've done some 24 hour races. I did one solo on my SS. It was okay, but after a while it just gets boring. I did get disoriented around 3:00 am. I thought I had left the course. 

The others I did were just long races that took more than 24 hours. The longest was 35 hours. Seeing the sun rise twice in one race is weird. But the sun rise is such a good feeling after riding all night.

  • Heart 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Forum Administrator said:

Is this the one in Ohio?  I've never heard it called TOSRV West.

The Ohio TOSRV is the original ride.  I have not done that one, although I have considered it.  TOSRV West was the Tour of the Swan River Valley in Montana.  It went from Missoula to Seeley Lake and then on to Swan Lake (or Bigfork) Montana through the Swan River Valley, then on the second day it went along the east shore of Flathead Lake to Polson, then back to Missoula.  It was eventually discontinued due to too much nasty traffic on Highway 93 on day 2.  Traffic on day 1 also increased significantly.  When traffic was lighter, it was an excellent ride.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...