Favorite organized rides in your area?

**Fredwina** · 04-11-2007, 02:56 PM

I'm also putting a plug for my club's , the tour de foothills (www.tourdefoothills.com), you do some climbing (1/4 way up Mt. Baldy), plus lot of riding thourgh SoCal Surburbia. The route may change this year now that GMR will be open to cars.....)
Other clubs, I like two centurys the Orange County Wheelmen (www.ocw.org) put on.
The Amtrak century goes from Irvine to Sand Diego, the Last half of the ride is along the coast. Once you get to San Diego, you board a commuter train and ride back to Irvine
Ride around the Bear goes from Redlands to Big Bear Lake and back. it has 9,000+ feet of climbing. It tookme about 10 hours, but it was worth it.

**Aint Doody** · 04-11-2007, 03:10 PM

Here's my plug the CROC--Century Ride of the Centuries--in beautiful eastern Oregon over Memorial Day Week-end. It's cheapo--$110, fully supported, lotsa food, night at a Dude Ranch, themed SAG stops, great scenery (only time Eastern Oregon is green), limited to 250, so much more.

www.cyclependleton.com

Xrayted--take a look!

**KayTee** · 04-11-2007, 03:16 PM

The Peanut rides, each year outside Emporia, VA, on the weekend after Labor Day - http://www.greatpeanuttour.com/. You see everything from families with little kiddies on pink bikes w/streamers to fatfree racer types on carbon flyweights. There are beautifully marked routes and distances for everyone (13-100+ miles), and terrain is fairly flat except for the more rolling Lake Gaston routes on Friday. The big draw, however, is the FOOD. You gain weight riding from food to food, especially on Saturday and Sunday. Rest stops all feature different offerings - you might expect a Peanut Stop, a Cookie Stop and a Cake Stop at an organized ride, but how about a Cucumber Stop, Gazpacho Stop, Homemade Ice Cream Stop, Watermelon Pickle Stop, Popsicle Stop...on and on. My favorite is the Tomato Sandwich Stop. The website says they don't offer lunch - what a laugh! Registration is limited to about 1200, so the roads are never too crowded. It's a party. Come on out!

**SandyLS** · 04-11-2007, 04:23 PM

The primere ride in Michigan is a 4 or five day camping tour of the state called the DALMAC. It is held just before Labor Day weekend each year.It starts in East Lansing and ends at Mackinaw City. Riders choose from several routes some of which include riding across the Mighty Mac bridge that connects the upper and lower penisulas of the state. There are 500 riders on each route and all routes fill up just days after registration starts in early Feb. This will be my second year to do this ride. Three grandkids, a daughter and S-I-L, are riding with me along with my DH, our faithfull support driver.

**AuntieK** · 04-11-2007, 04:43 PM

Gotta put a vote in for Little Red Riding Hood:
http://www.bbtc.net/Calendar/annual/lrrhinfo07.htm

**Mr. Bloom** · 04-11-2007, 05:01 PM

Originally Posted by makbike

Silver and Mr. Silver - please if you decide to participate in the OKHT let me know by all means. I'd love to meet you guys and hopeful pedal a few miles if not more with y'all.
.

I could go for that. Bardstown is a neat place...(but I don't sleep in gyms...)

Come join us at the Hilly Hundred...we have a condo in Bloomington...no camping necessary

**Starfish** · 04-11-2007, 06:28 PM

RAW (Ride Around Washington) every August. Don't have the URL, but you can Google Cascade Bicycle Club (of Seattle) for ride info. They do it every year, it is a week of touring through a different area of Washington state every year. REALLY well organized and supported, and limited to 200 riders.

And, the Olympic Cycling Classic (May 19 this year) in Port Angeles WA. I am doing the organized version this year for the first time, but I have done the whole route in my own bits and pieces...amazing scenery, from salt water beaches to glacial lakes to rivers to mountains... This is a one-day century with metric and shorter options, stuff for kids, etc.

**Trek420** · 04-11-2007, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by snapdragen

I'll second the Holstein. I try not to miss it - no matter what shape I'm in!

I've never done the Holstein, but it looks good!

**Kathi** · 04-11-2007, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by Mr. Silver

I could go for that. Bardstown is a neat place...(but I don't sleep in gyms...)

Come join us at the Hilly Hundred...we have a condo in Bloomington...no camping necessary

Mr. Silver, no one sleeps in the gym at OKH, unless you want to sleep with your bike!

Since the event takes place a week after the tourist season (Labor Day)motel rooms are inexpensive and transportation is provided to all the motels.

And, yes, OKT is a great ride.

Another ride that is my all time favorite and hope to come back to do some day is the Horsey Hundred on Memorial Day weekend in Georgetown Ky. http://www.bgcycling.org/horsey.htm

The routes tour the horse farms and you will see barns worth more than your house. You will also see the foals racing around with their mothers.

Accomodations are at Georgetown College or motel rooms.

Everyone we recommended this ride to has fallen in love with it.

There are rides from 25 miles to 100.

**snapdragen** · 04-11-2007, 08:02 PM

I've got to throw a plug in for jobob and my club's ride - the Tierra Bella. I had one rider tell me that it's the only ride he's done where he's in danger of gaining weight (we have some of the best rest stop food in the land)

**Mr. Bloom** · 04-12-2007, 12:12 AM

Originally Posted by Kathi

Another ride that is my all time favorite and hope to come back to do some day is the Horsey Hundred on Memorial Day weekend in Georgetown Ky. http://www.bgcycling.org/horsey.htm

.

Wow! I could do that too. Some parts of Kentucky have the most beautiful countrysides imaginable!

**makbike** · 04-12-2007, 03:35 AM

Mr. Silver - from what I understand the gym can be an interesting and entertaining place to camp out in (I can't speak first hand given I've never elected to sleep there) and it can't be too bad for the perimeter of the gym is air mattress to air mattress thick with people. However, if you're not up to the gym bring your tent and claim your spot out in the baseball field (I've claimed some choice spots the past few years out in right field). My brother, elects, every year to rent a room so that option is also available. No matter where you decide to spend the night the two days you will spend on your bike between Louisville and Bardstown will be two days packed with smiles, lots of good food and a ton of memories to cherish.

Seriously, if you and Silver venture down for the Horsey Hundred in May or OKHT in Sept. please let me know for I'd love to meet you guys.

**texascyclist** · 04-12-2007, 06:35 AM

I have to second The Hotter 'n Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, TX. Although I have not ridden it yet either, which I will this year, my DH has. I went with him last year and actually there were close to 12,000 participants. It was an amazing site. Taken from the local newspaper......[The 25th anniversary cycling event on Aug. 26, 2006, The Hotter 'n Hell Hundred, is one of the oldest and largest events in the United States and this year attracted 11,806 bicycle riders and racers.]

The Hotter n Hell is extremely well organized and the rest stops are out of this world, with each having their own theme, doctors and repair area. It's a whole weekend of fun.

I copied this from the website......Several things happen during the Hotter'N Hell weekend. The activities that comprise the HHH are: Registration, Consumer Show, Spaghetti Dinner, USCF Criterium Race, USCF Road Race, the Hotter'N Hell Hundred Endurance Ride , an Off-Road bicycle race, off road trail run along with entertainment food and fellowship at the Finish line Village. In other words HHH is not just one day it is at least 3 days of challenging and inspiring activities.

Endurance cyclists will face wind and heat with the help of 4000 event volunteers on routes up to 100 miles. The Hotter'N Hell Hundred route is rolling with some long inclines accentuated by incessant wind. With the huge consumer products show, off road mountain biking and USCF Races over the weekend, the Hotter'N Hell offers an awesome start and the greatest weekend on two wheels. If you are going to ride 100 miles, the best place to do it is at the Hotter'N Hell Hundred!

It was the fear from the amount of participants that kept me from actually riding in it myself. But after going with my DH and experiencing all the excitement and fun first-hand.....and meeting so many people who love to ride, I will definetly not miss out this year.