Need Opinions/Input please

[tprevost]

I have a question for those who regularly ride organized events. What month or time of year do you wish you had more ride options? For me, its early fall but wanted to get as much input as possible.

Thank you SO much!

Tracy

[caligurl]

winter! november and december! they are so blank!

jan and feb are ok.. with just a couple rides. that's plenty for that time of year!

march is getting fuller with the addition of new rides!

apr, may, jun! FULL FULL FULL FULL FULL!

july and aug.. slim pickins again.. would like a couple more rides in there!

sept and oct are ok...

i love organized rides! give me different places to ride i wouldn't do on my own! and i love the sags stops (i'm "allowed" to eat junk!)

[bcipam]

winter! november and december! they are so blank!

)

See? We can say that cause we live in California but can you imagine the folks in the midwest, south, well anywhere else, they put their bikes away in October and don't bring them back out until April!

But in California where we can ride year round I would like to see more rides in October and November. December's a tough month cause of Christmas. We do a sprinkle of rides in January and February, not many but then weather is usually iffy those months while October and November are normally dry. My favorite month to ride is October, deep fall. Crisp air, cool temps. My favorite!

[tprevost]

I am considering putting together a ride in south Riverside County. I spoke to several people at the planning departments and it seems very doable. I've got the photographer lined up (am going to do this a bit differently than most rides) and am working on some sort of business name so I can get that out of the way, fictitious name statement filed etc. I plan on doing a 20-30 mile route and a metric to start.... now to figure out a date. I'd really like to aim for fall as summer (although, I think there's a need there too) is to close for me to get everything done (I've got a lot of loose ends I'm clearing up so I can concentrate). Although August is a possiblity - however, it gets pretty toasty here in the summer - most people would be done by 1-2pm at latest though... Hmmmm.... whatever I decide, I want to keep it that way and not have to move it to a different month the next year (assuming it all goes okay).

Thank you for your input, I'd love to also hear what things have been very good on previous rides and areas that you find problematic....

keep it comin' ladies!

Tracy

[Running Mommy]

Can I come Tracy???
COOL!!!!

[tprevost]

please do!!!!

... lets see if I can pull it off first I'm a little nervous about what I might be missing at this point!

T~

[MomOnBike]

OK, I don't live within a thousand miles of you, and don't have a snowball's chance of riding anything you'd put on, but I'll chime in anyway.

Some people work weekends. I would love to have a ride for those of us with "not normal" work weeks.

Also, some people don't like heat much. I'd go in for a ride called something like the Cold Century (as opposed to the Hellishly Hot Hundred).

Just some thoughts that have been rattling around in my skull for a while...

[caligurl]

things i remember: ICE at the rest stops! with COLD water!

i love when they have an ice chest with a bag of ice and a cup to scoop it out to put in your water bottle! and if they ice down the water.. even better! smog to smurf... had ice for their ride (in the middle of august) and it was GREAT to have cold water and ice for the bottles to keep it colder longer!

palm springs had their water iced down (and their orange slices iced down!! YUM) at one of the later.. after lunch stops! NICE!

i REALLY dislike warm or room temp water.,,, and only drink it when i HAVE to... so on warm rides when they don't ice it... i don't drink nearly enuf once my bottles/ice are gone/have melted!

so ICE! and COLD water!

of course...... i'm also a fan of junk food.. rice krispie treats are my favorite! lol! i always gravitate to the junk food if they have it!

i like when i actually SEE the roving support! some rides you never see anyone.. the whole time! makes me wonder if i broke down.. would they ever show up? i like seeing the sag vehicles go by a few times... it's comforting!

on the opposite of "mom".. i prefer heat to cold! i can go out and ride a century in 100+.... but have the weather be in the 50's or low 60's and i'm ready to quit and go home and get warmed up!

if you decided to do it in the fall.... you may want to start it later (8:30-9:00ish) cuz any earlier may be too cold for southern californians! in the summer, of course, you want to start earlier!

you already know i love R&B rides... cuz i KNOW what i'm getting.. julian bread and apple pie! EVERY ride! that's what i get.. i LOVE it and i do make the drive.. not only for the ride.. but the treats (and rich and his gang are WONDERFUL people!) so that might be a consideration.. find a good local treat to incorporate either into the ride or the after ride snack! (another example... OCW's fall metric always has oak glen apple crisp! YUM!)

(you get the idea i do these rides for the FOOD! i'm SO bad!)