What is a challenging road ride for you?

[lynnepin]

I just started biking this summer. My fiance bought himslef a Cannondale R7000 this spring, so I started riding with him on my cheapie Target mountain bike until I decided I liked it enought to get a real road bike of my own. So, about a month ago, I got a Trek Pilot 2.1. I love the bike, and I especially LOVE how much better and farther I can ride on it. So, that leads me to my question...what do you consider a challenging ride? How far do you go? How much of your ride is flat or has hills? I have been riding 20 miles pretty consistently at about 17 mph with mostly flat and some hills.

[petals]

So happy to find someone else with a Trek Pilot!! Mine was a gift from Hubbie this spring. I have enjoyed this bike it is awesome. I ride in the western Mountain region of Maine and along the coast. This bike climbs hill and mountains like no other!! It is a smooth ride (we have pot holes that can eat motorcycles never mind bicycles)!! The pilot rides along so smooth my teeth are no longer chipped from bump vibrations!!

Ok about a challenging ride. 35-50 mile ride on the weekend with lots of rolling hills at average speed of 13-15mph is a good challenge for me. Weeknights 20 miles fairly flat 1hr and 15 minutes before dark is a good challenge for me. If I can sneak in 1/2 day of riding during the week I like a good 40 mile ride with some steep hills.

I have never completed a century day event but would like to. I may try before my big 50 coming in less than 2 years!!

Pilot is not really fast downhill?? Think it may have to do with the weight. Prior bike Specialized Seqouia reached downhill at 41 mile per hour before I decided to grip the brakes. The Pilot top downhill this year 35 mile per hour. But what it loses in downhill it makes up for in uphill.

Ok enough about the Pilot!!!

[bcipam]

Long Distance ride in Southern Utah, the Colorado Rockies, Glacier Park. Anthing around 100 miles and 8500' + of climbing. Tough stuff. Check out an upcoming ride - The Spooktacular - either the Hideous or Horrible 100. See kernwheelmen.com.

[runnergirl]

I really wanted to try the pilot, but the bike shop said they couldn't get one in till August (this was in May) so I never got to try one.

A hard ride for me is A) a race, or B) a race effort group ride (40-50 miles with hills, 20-23mph avg, with sprints). I would like to be able to average that without drafting by spring, but at this point I'm just waiting to see what my genes are like.

[petals]

What did it take to get that speed. Did you practice alot on a trainer? Do you perform spin drills?

[runnergirl]

petals (great name, btw ),

No trainer yet, the weather here is fairly ridable year round. Spinning is still an off/on thing for me, I mash at a very high cadence (90-100) unless I think "spin, spin, circles, circles" in the back of my head. I ride 200 road miles a week, commute, and mt. bike a little (which I am soooo slow at), have a female ex-pro coach, a flexible schedule (grad school), and a supportive group of Pro/Cat 123 guys to ride with. My coach's current "base" training plan is 2 recovery, 1 sprint, 1 interval, 1 hill, 2 group rides (one at "race effort") a week.

When I started riding, 30 miles at 16mph was a HARD ride for me. The combination of higher milage and group riding were the keys for me. Trying to keep up pushes me waaay farther than I can push myself, it's also great for bike handling skills!

[petals]

WOW!!! That is alot of riding!

[caligurl]

anything with climbing: breathless agony (114 miles, 12000 feet of climbing), ride around the bear (100 miles, 8000 feet of climbing, grand tour lite double metric (124 miles, 6000 feet of climbing)....

of course... i consider flat centuries a challenge too... 100 miles on a bike is nothing to scoff at!

then there are days... like the day after a climbing century... that a flat recovery ride becomes a "challenge"!

around where i live... nothing is "flat".... no matter where i ride... i have some upgrade at some point in the ride! i can ride out one way that is slightly uphill... with a nice downhill... that i then have to climb to get home.... i have another way i can go that is slightly down going out.... but then slightly up coming home.... then, of course, i have the national park to climb up into if i want! that is a nice training climb just to the entrance gate is a good ride... but on days we have more time... we go all the way to jumbo rock campground or even climb more to keys' view!! i feel fortunate to have this right in my "backyard"!

then there is also oak glen.. .and hour-ish drive away... tough climb! and the gorgeous gmr... a 29ish hour drive! but well worth it!

[RoadRaven]

A challenge for me is not a long distance... if I had the interest to do loooong rides, then it would def be a challenge

But my challenges tend to revolve around 20-50km rides and doing them as fast as I can

Training rides and recovery rides become a challenge in so far as I have to MAKE myself keep the speed down - very hard to travel at 26kms when you want to do at least 32kms

Hills with a gradient of 8% or more are def a challenge, I still weigh to much to be very effective on hills and my aim is always to get up there as quickly as I can cause then it is less time climbing... but we have an 11% climb just before I get home, and at last I can climb that with out feeling like throwing up... so guess I am rising to the challenge

A really interesting thread to read. Thanks all

[fiestymama]

so anything over 20 miles and 13mph is a challenge to me. My kids don't want to ride for too long, so usually the challenge is more speed than distance. When they are older I look forward to getting in longer rides. Also, because I am limited to trails with my Burley ( I wound't want to take the kids on the road), everything is flat. I'm actually looking forward to hills and I'm sure they will be a big challenge. BTW - I've only been riding for 1 1/2 months, so I'm sure things change with time.

[Dogmama]

Sprinting the foothills where I live.

[cindysue]

today was pretty challenging. I've done several long distance rides before (this year: 3 full centuries, a metric century and a 420 mile trip to Santa Barbara)

But today included some SERIOUS climbing: 65 miles and 6000 feet of climbing. We were training for the Breast Cancer Fund's "Bike against the Odds" event.

The ride suddenly turned ugly when at mile 50 (after 5000 feet of climbing), we had 2 brutal miles of 13-17% grade. Ouch!

[cindysue]

anything with climbing: then there is also oak glen.. .

I lived near Oak Glen when I was going to high school - beautiful area! Don't forget your caramel apple next time!

[Bike Goddess]

Okay Ms Cindy Sue- Since you have told us about your % grade, now tell us about your ride!!!!!

Maybe put it in adventure thread?

[frances]

i also just started biking this summer. around here, there is this road that is a 5.2 mile hill climb. i think the elevation is about a 1900 ft at the top. anyway, people around here climb it and they like to time themselves. sort of a way of gauging their fitness and progress.

when i first started, i think it took me an hour to go up. then it went to 55 min and now my best time a couple of weeks ago was 49 min.

it is really hard for me. i think some of the grades are around 12 -15 %. but it's a beautiful view when you get to the top -- vineyards and views!

oh, and coming down is fun but almost as much work as going up!

frances