General Cycling Discussion - What are your most memorable cycling moments of 2005?

For me it was a great year riding all around... trying new things, pushing myself a little harder. Every time on the bike was an experience in itself, but there are a few rides that I will always remember.

1. STP (Seattle to Portland)
My first year doing this ride, and I was lucky enough to pedal next to a great group of bikeforum folk for the entire ride, all in one day. I'm thinking next year trying it out with some gears and a freewheel, as 206 miles paceline riding can get a little tiring.

2. Barton Park cyclocross race
Again, my first year giving cyclocross a try, and I can't believe I didn't start it sooner. It's totally up my alley, mixing mountain biking and road riding all in one muddy, exhausting package.

3. Torture 10,000
100+ miles, 10,000+ ft. of elevation gain. What more can I say? I got to ride with 55/Rad, and we both agreed it was the most miserable experience on the bike. But somehow it ranks up there with the best of the year. Go figure.

4. Mudslinger mountain bike race
Awesome lung-busting race. Literally, I had to see the doctor about some torn fibers in my lungs after that race. Was definitely worth it, though.

5. Day at the Track
Took a development class at the track, and instantly fell in love the first time acsending the 45 deg. bank. What a rush... I'm planning to spend a lot more time out there this coming Spring/Summer.

Just getting back on the bike on a regular basis... Been riding for some 30+ years, and over the last 3 I have somewhat abandoned commuting...

This year 2005, I rebuilt one bike, overhauled the other and have been commuting again. Also to make sure I have not forgotten anything critical I also took the LAB Road I and Road II classes.

As small as that seems, it is one giant step to being a regular rider again.

puking overboard when riding home after a long night drinking

Riding 700 miles from Missoula, MT to Astoria, OR with my daughter on her first self-contained tour. Three weeks, hardly any tears, lots of heat and spectacular scenery!

Kicking it over the North Cascades this summer, big loop from Seattle over the North Cascades Highway(one of the most beautiful roads in America), 5 days, 430 miles, close to 10,000 feet in elevation gain. Fast, light, and strong.

15th, 3rd in age group, in the Devil Dog Road Race at MCAS Beaufort.

Getting my son to ride without training wheels.

Discovering it is time to upgrade my touring crankset.

Just under 16,000 feet of climbing in 105 miles into a headwind most of the day, solo, no doubts, no problems, and no worries. Felt very good to complete that goal ride of mine.

Well seeing as I just started riding this year...

1) Discovering the Road Bike, the joy of the open road, learning how to sit on a wheel, parks tool school, my first overhaul on a friends bike, all the initial joys of cycling.

2) My first race, 42 mile road race with a pro in the pack, and I was only 4 seconds behind her. That was toward the end of the season, so I only got 3 more races in after that, but I am psyched for spring!

3) My first Mt. Bike race, I struggle to take the risks I need to take on single track, but race mentality took over and I had a blast! (and got 3rd)

I just can't get over how much I love the bike, what did I do before the bike? I ran, but only 40-60 minutes a day, I'm on the bik 1.5-4 hours a day now. I have no clue how I spent my time before.

1. Everest Challenge (http://www.everest challenge) Stage Race
My main goal for the year was to compete ina nd complete this 2 day stage race in the Eastern Sierras. 200 miles with 29,035' of climbing. It was the best and worst 2 days on a bike :eek:

2. Grand Tour Double Century
I'll never forget my first double, it was an epic ride and one of my greatest single days on a bike

3. Breathless Agony
112 miles and 12,000' feet of climbing in San Bernadino and Big Bear. This was in May, and up unitl then, I had never completing a ride with this much climbing.

4. Unsupported Mt Baldy Century with fellow BFer Extort.
Just a fun (but very hot) day on the bike with great company and challenging terrain.

5. San Clemente Circuit Race
I don't know why, but this was a really fun race and I finsihed 13th.

6. Countless other century rides, group ride and races that I'd feel incomplete without riding.

7. How could I forget our BF Orange County ride, where I finally got to meet and ride with a bunch of you :D

1. Changing out of my cycling gear in the middle of the city, with bunch of people eating across the street in the caffe. (This was after the race, and big azz towel was involved. ;) )

2. My first Century which included climbing MT. Diablo, with total around 10k of climbing.

3. Davis 4th of July Crit.

4. Ridding from Yosemite Valley to Glacier Point, and having people saying "wow, you made it." :rolleyes:

[Easy one here...getting my brand spankin' new roadie back in February :D

After buying my first real bike in May:

1) Improved from 1 mile ride to 18 miles in 1 month to enter an organized ride, then riding 3.5 miles farther than my goal.

2) Riding 606 miles in less than 6 months.

3) Passing a 1000 Km and not even noticing it.

4) Being told to slow down by MTB racers

All on a hybrid and with no feet. I couldn't walk without assistance a little over a year ago.

Doing the first century of the season during tropical storm Arlene. This was the first time I've ever gotten water in my tires.

Converting one of my road bikes to SS. Overhauling my first BB. Riding more than I have since I was a kid. Having people ask me if I was sick since I had lost alot of weight from riding. Doing rides by myself, at night, after my wife and kids go to bed in order to maintain my sanity. Getting up at 4 am to get rides in before starting work at 7:30. Hitting 60 km/H on a down hill run. Dropping people on better bikes than I have. Buying a Truing stand. Walking home after an exploding deraillieur incident. Walking home after an exploding tire incident. Drafting in a paceline. Drafting busses. Playing in traffic. Almost getting a ticket for running a red light on the bike. Getting other people into cycling. Riding in the pouring rain. Seeing the sun set, seeing the sun rise and watching the moon sparkle off of the bay, all on the bike.

Well ... it was a tough year for me for some reason. I moved to a new place, with a higher elevation, and with hills, and with a whole different cycling schedule ... so it didn't really flow. I had some good rides ... and some very bad ones. These ones stand out:

1) Golden Triangle Tour
That was a very good ride. It was a 3-day tour in the mountains here put on by a local cycle touring club. I've never ridden an organized tour before, and thoroughly enjoyed this one.

2) 400K brevet
Rode a very similar route to the Golden Triangle tour, but all in one day (22 hours). That was a good ride! I love the 400K distance, but wasn't sure how well I would do given the mountainous terrain. I was so pleased that it didn't take me much longer than the time in which I normally complete 400Ks and it was absolutely beautiful.

3) 600K brevet attempt
NOT a good ride. DNF'd at 320 kms. Let's see ... pouring rain for 27 straight hours. City and town officials evacuating the towns we were cycling through because of flooding because of all that rain. Winds so strong I had to shift into an easier gear going downhill. Thunder and lightening periodically. Cool temps which, when combined with the rain and wind led to the early stages of hypothermia.

4) GoldRush 1200K attempt
NOT a good ride. DNF'd at about 400 kms. Quite the opposite of the 600K above ... very, very, very hot. Also, although the ride was supposed to be supported, the organizers didn't provide much food at all, and the little they did provide didn't take into account the fact that some people (me) have food allergies to things like peanuts. They served peanut butter sandwiches. :( I kept running out of food. I bonked several times. I also knew nothing about electrolytes (who needs them in Canada?), and finally DNF'd in the middle of a bonk with electrolyte depletion.

5) 600K brevet attempt (solo)
NOT a good ride. DNF'd at about 380 kms. Fairly hot ride, and started it at quite a brisk pace. Not sure what happened, but at some point I quit consuming electrolytes (I still didn't know much about them then). I spent the last 14 hours throwing up in the ditch but still trying to keep riding. The situation finally got to the point where I realized I couldn't make the next control on time because of all the stops I was making. I lost approx. 8% of my body weight and was severely dehydrated. But I learned about the importance of electrolytes!

6) UMCA 24-hour Time Trial
Finally, a good ride!! This was my first 24-hour time trial and I really enjoyed it ... I also placed 2nd in my category! Apparently the route was quite a bit hillier than 24-hour time trials are supposed to be ... 13000 ft of climbing.

7) Last Chance 1200K
I finally completed a 1200K this year! I squeaked in at 89:25, just under the wire, but I made it!! That was quite a slog - eastern Colorado and western Kansas don't exactly have much to look at, and the wind was a challenge. This was pretty much an unsupported 1200K too, which I prefered to the "so-called" supported event I attempted earlier, but being unsupported for that kind of distance does present its challenges too.

And with the completion of the Last Chance, I have now qualified for the "International Super Randonneur 3-continent 1200K award". To qualify for that, I needed to do four 1200K events on three different continents. Mine are the RM1200, PBP, GSR, and LC. :)

So that's my year! Hopefully 2006 is better!!

My first STP! (yeah!) Being MAD AS HELL watching my husband rehab after some dumb ass in a gravel truck takes him out in a hit and run. Recovering myself
from my first road rash injury. (these events were all separate)

1. Riding along the New England seacoast on a beautifull day in mid- August

2. My first solo century ride

3. A two day 150 Tour Ride

4. Breaking 29 minutes for a 10 mile sprint

5. First ride on my new bike.

6. My second solo century ride

7. Getting hurt in a freak accident in the parking lot of my apartment complex in Sept. and losing the rest of my riding season (it wasn't good, but it was memorable).

8. Riding from CT up into Rhode Isalnd and back just to have lunch with my father who is retired.

Getting my roadie back in March

The Muddy Buddy (Chicago) in September on my old mtn bike that was falling apart on the last leg!

First Century in September

Riding with the Cheeseheads west of Madison and with Hipcycler in the Kettle Morraine in October. Good times with BF folks!

1. CBR Anger Management Crit - Did not finish with the pack but was off the front solo for nearly 3 laps - best race of the season

2. Palm Springs Century - First 100+ mile ride of the year

3. Personal Prologue to Redlands - 120+ mile ride following the route of Oak Glen road race through my home town areas

4. My first commute - At midnight!


And there are bad days too but we like to forget those!

Most memorable for me this year was in october when I rode my bike friday for both day's of CFC. 2 day's 200 miles from lancaster ohio to marietta ohio and back. At the start of the ride on saturday most of the people who normally ride with me regularly thought that I had just brought the BF to fiddle around on and that I wasen't going to ride that "small wheeled" thing for the 200 miles. I said look in the back of the van, do you see any other bike in there??...There wasen't any other bike in there, and by the end of the day and that weekend, I had turned all of them into beliving that you can ride bikes like that on a century route!!

It was a first for me and it turned out soo well for me that I'm taking it to colorado this coming summer in july for the triple bypass ride.

Benjamin

Enjoyed many a group ride, centuries, and wonderful commutes.

But the standout ride of the year was an 8 mile ride this summer along the Truckey river on the MUT with my six year old daughter. We took our time, enjoyed the scenes, had snacks, and most of all she had fun. She fell, got scraped up, cried, but got back on. I think it was the first time she realized that her bike can help her go places. We have done many more rides together since, but that one stands out, and always will.

LA Wheelmen Century Challenge.

Rails to Trails route from Butler to Mansfield, Ohio on a borrowed bike.

Palm Springs Century

Five days riding in Western Massachussets in mostly perfect conditions (except for that day of driving rain, of course). Discovered that I really need more gears than my road bike has (a triple perhaps?), but still have not got round to doing anything about it.

Bikejournal.com ReUnion 2005 Feature of riding Going to the Sun Road and Logan Pass in Glacier National Park. Hands down the most incredible experience for me to date! It was a cold rainy day in July. But man, what a ride! What great company to be in!

Realizing that my wife had gotten bitten by the bug when she suggested that we cycle to the grocery store in a rain storm.

Go baby, go!

I started the year with a 30 miles ride on the 1st of January and established some goals for 2005:
1) ride a century (my first).
2) climb Mt.Diablo (SF East Bay).

So far I have ridden 3 centuries: the first with 5,000ft of climbing in March, the second with 8,000ft in May, and the last and most memorable with 10,000ft in October.
Mt. Diablo (3,200ft in 13 miles) is still waiting. May be in December, who knows!

Logging numerous miles in my bike commuting.

Climbing 8% grades at 7 miles per hour on a fixed gear (42x16) .... seated.

The look on my neighbours faces as I was doing that.

My wife climbing a 14% grade on her hybrid.

My wife going for 10 mile solo rides.

My wife buying me spd's and clipless for my birthday.

My wife pondering the purchase of a road bike for longer rides .... 300 miles after we bought her a hybrid.

My return to fixed gear riding.

This is going to seem kind of lame, but this is all I got :lol:

I found myself about C&O Towpath on a Tuesday afternoon in mid-November. Nothing sounds too memorable about that except for the facts that 1)I live probably 850 miles from the towpath. 2)I had not ridden a bicycle for more than two miles in 20 years. 3)Just took off and had no idea what to really expect.

I bought the Jamis Coda two weeks before heading up to Virginia for a 4-day vacation. I knew I wanted to start riding. I figured I would ditch the smoking and find another habit. And after reading about the towpath, I knew this was something I wanted to do...in the future. Like maybe next year. This is my first bike since my BMX days in the early to mid-80's. And in those two weeks since the purchase I only had time to take it on a few 2-mile runs around the neighborhood. On Friday evening, while packing up the rental SUV, I got a wild haired idea to throw the bike in there. I figured I might check out Lynchburg, Virginia's paved trails since that was only about 40 miles from where I would be staying. I did that. Rode about 18 miles late Monday and then took off north. I had a good idea where I was headed :D

I stayed in Winchester on Monday night and headed towards Harpers Ferry late Tuesday morning. Way later than I wanted to head out :rolleyes: Days of not sleeping but a few hours caught up with me. I finally got there and it was after 1pm. I tried to act like a male and not ask for directions, but eventially had to. They were not of much help. I decided to head to Shepherdstown and get on the towpath there. By the time I found the parking area, changed my shoes, inhaled some chocalate chip cookies and got on the towpath it was well after 2pm. I headed toward Harpers Ferry, stopping and taking plenty of pictures along the way. I cruised on past a few miles and came back and crossed the bridge into town, looked around and decided it was way after 4pm and that I better start heading back. I also got my first taste of night trail riding. It was pretty dark the last 5 miles. I almost ran into a deer... the little LED Cateye wasn't of much help. I had managed to ride 15 times as far as I had in many years. Rode on a historic trail that I had no intention of being on anytime soon. Saw some pretty cool things. And most importantly, really got hooked on riding in about a 3 hour period. I would have loved to have stayed another day, in fact up until 7pm that night I was going to. But I called several people to look at weather sites for me and all told me it would be raining, very windy and turning cold by afternoon, so I headed on back.

I still find it odd that I actually even went and did this. I honestly think I could have done 50 miles the next day pretty easily. My butt did hurt a little though. I do want to do the whole thing at some point though. I'll be the idiot in blue jeans on the C&O :roflmao:

So far, my most memorable would be the snowy commute I wrote up here: http://www.mechbgon.com/commute/index.html It's mostly pics, for you visual types :)

My bike tour (http://www.borealphoto.com/plein-air/velo/2005/tour_2005_images.htm), especially the part through the Charlevoix region. Climbing 15-16-19% grades with a full load and reaching 85km/h descending, patches of fog and light drizzle while riding on a perfect road, cumulonimbus clouds and sleet coming from underneath as I was alone on a treeless summit, riding under the stars, the full rainbow at night in camp (from the moon). It was all great.

jeez you guys,I was just happy that I reached my goal of riding to work this year.did it 3 times.was happy with that.I have lots of rides I want to do but have to get a roadie to do it.I love the rides you guys do and someday you will see me outthere.

Getting back into cycling for physical therapy and exercise, and sticking with it every day after remembering how enjoyable, etc., it is to be on a self powered bike.

Finding BikeForums. I've been riding more-or-less regularly for 10 years, all of it solo, because I don't know anyone else I can ride with. I was surfing the net on my lunch break one day in late June looking for some good TdF info when Google coughed up a link to a thread in the Roadie forum. I clicked on it and read through the thread, then stuck around to see what else was here, and discovered my own little cycling universe was much, much larger than I'd ever imagined. I joined a few weeks later. I don't post very often, but I sure enjoy reading everyone else's posts (my productivity at work has fallen off a bit ;) ).

I still ride solo, though.

Finding BikeForums.

^^ Ditto that!! ^^

BF is my sanity throughout the unending vapidness of the work-a-day world.

A couple of weeks cycling in India in February / March.

My new Titanium clavicle.

Enjoy

1st day of RAGBRAI. We rode the mileage, it was a hot day but totally manageable. Set up camp, ate some good food, drank some good beer, and turned in for the night. We got woke up around midnight by 70-90 mph winds and buckets of rain. Lighting and thunder galore! We had to evacuate to the nearest school. I ended up sleeping on a cold tile floor. That was a memorable day/night of RAGBRAI!

Riding my first century unassisted and averaging 17.2 MPH for the ride. I have two cyclocomputers on board, one wired and the other wireless, each using different wheel magnets. They read nearly identical at the end of the ride.

the tour de palm springs (http://www.tourdepalmsprings.com).. my first century!

breathless agony (http://www.cyclingpros.com/onyx.htm).... i did this by "default"... hubby was registered but blew his knee out... being a cheapskate... i didn't want to lose out on the entry fee.. so i rode it,,,, and conquered it! 112 miles, 12,000 feet of climbing... and i was a new rider still! being a girly gurl... i cried when i got to onyx! (plus i've done something hubby hasn't!) (and YES... i bought a jersey... i earned it!)

oh... and of course getting a brand new bike last week.. that was memorable too!

Wolfpen Gap in North Georgia

My best friend, Matthew, was killed riding down Wolfpen Gap last Spring. He took a turn too fast and just lost it.

In September I went to Dahlonega for the Six Gap ride which went over Wolfpen Gap. I was climbing up the road that Matthew had been coming down. I knew that it would be difficult to look at the cross that another friend had erected on the turn and relive the horror Matt must have felt when he realized he was going too fast and couldn't stop. Before I got to the turn, though I passed the spot about 100 yards down the road where just last year we had stood together and cheered as Hincapie and Ekimov escorted Lance to a victory in the Tour de Georgia. I had not felt that excited about seeing a sports star in all my life and I know Matt felt the same way.

Matt was never happier than when he was in the North Georgia mountains so, when I did reach the spot where he laid down his hammer, I said a little prayer in thanks for his friendship. If the Tour de Georgia goes over Wolfpen Gap next year I will be there on that same hairpin turn with a six pack of Shiner Bock and a can of spray paint to to paint "Allez, Y'all" on the road.

Sugar Run Metric Century. SW PA. I couldn't believe I made the whole route. Had a major case of the bonks half way in, but somehow suffered thru the rest of the ride. I woke the next day wanting to go for a ride, so in the end I guess it was a good thing.

1) Total Mileage > 5,000 miles

2) Total Climbing, nearly 300,000 feet

3) First Death Ride (www.deathride.com) - 129 miles, with 15,000 feet of climbing.

4) Fastest Century - 105.15 miles in 04:50:45 (21.699 mph)...in the Rockies in Colorado!

5) 4th Bicycle Tour of Colorado (www.bicycletourcolorado.com) - 474 miles with 31,000 feet of climbing.

6) And the winner is...I met a beautiful athletic woman who likes to ride/run/hike as much as I do. When I asked her if my cycling would interfere with our relationship she replied, "Ride as much as you like...just save the last mile for me" :love: :love: :love: