"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - How far will you drive?

After reading the thread about everyone's race seasons, it looks like my season is looking really weak. I have 4 or 5 real races and a bunch of training races. Unfortunately, since I live in Western NY (Rochester), there really isn't too much going on up here for races. It seems like most races are in NYC or Eastern PA, and that means at least a 6 hour drive for me.

How far are most people willing to drive to race on the weekends? Do you stay overnight, or just drive down the same day? Any suggestions for races in Western NY?

I've driven as far as 900 miles -- which took longer than you'd think, given that half of it was through the Rocky Mountains. Made a vacation out of it, though. It was a pretty big and fun race.

I prefer less driving, though.

Typically 2 to 2.5 hour away is my max. For something like a stage race, I'll stay at the hosting town, so I can bare the longer drive.

I generally drive two to four hours each way to race. I do this three or four weekends a month.

when i still lived in NYC, it was normal for me to take the train to CT, borrow a car, drive back to NYC, pick up teammates, and then drive back to CT, or to Vermont, Mass, RI, NH, upstate NY, and NJ.

Maybe a 100 miles (one way) barring something pretty remarkable.

6 to 7 hours away. Will be doing that several times this year and in May just about every weekend.

90 mile radius.

last year i was willing to drive as far as I need to go to a race. Luckily in the mabra district you never really needed to go very far outside the DC area so I never had to find out.

This year I dont think I will go farther than 2 hours to compete in a road race. Even over an hour will be pushing it.

Now for cross on the other hand I will be willing to drive a full day to get to a good race.

2 to 3 hrs. fortunate to have many of my races within an hr. of home.:)

My farthest race this year is over 3000 miles away. I'm not driving, though.

The farthest I've ever driven for a single race is about 4 hours each way, but I try to limit that to 2-3 times a season. Most races I go to are less than 2 hours each way.

For a stage race, I'll drive as far as 12 hours each way, but only once a season.

Do you guys usually stay overnight for the longer drives? Is there a limit to how far you'll drive before you end up sleeping there?

It seems like a 6-7 hour drive, then racing, then driving back would make for a long day, even with my wife doing some of the driving.

im dumb and will drive far as **** for a race and then drive all the way home the same day. i got in that bad habit going on skateboarding trips. I try not to do it anymore these days.

2 years ago Etape was 3000 miles or so. Last year Everest Challenge was 2500 miles (didn't drive for either).

Typical weekend around here is 2-4 hours. Most of our races are set up as Sat/Sun so you get 2 days of racing for your drive.

Used to drive Detroit area to Indy to do their weeknight track series, then back the same night. You get used to the driving after a while, helps to have a few freinds just as crazy as you are.

Solo - 2.5 to 3

With someone else or a group - 4 to 5

Depends, really. Since I now live in Chicago, and I hate crits, I'll have to drive far to get in good road endurance-type road races. I figure I'll try to do anything within 200-225 miles of my home. As far as 'cross races go, there are a bunch that are within 75 miles, so it's much easier (and cheaper!) to get a lot of racing in.

I try to keep it under 3 each way.

To the OP, Rochester has a fair number of crits, Plus the UCI ranked Rochester Stage race, Buffalo is not a terrible scene, you have Syracuse Racing with Syracuse Race weekend, and a LOT of stuff going on in Binghamton. And I used to do Rochester to NYC in 4.5h with no traffic (which is typically the case in the middle of the night when you have to be driving).

I think I have it better here in NJ, but Rochester isn't so bad. I mean, other than the fact that it is Rochester.

4 hours. Luckly, I have family near most races so it makes it relatively easy to travel. I work alot of weekends so I have to pick my races carefully.

My max for a single race is about 2 hrs. Fortunately there are plenty of races with that radius.

For a stage race, I'd drive 3-5 hours.

Driving is why my schedule is so brief. I want as little impact on the family on the day of the event as possible. I'm doing a couple in Houston because we have family to visit there, so I can get some more utility out of the drive time.

I am generally avoiding more than about an hour drive.

Last year I drove from LA to Reno once (500 miles) and the bay area three times (350 miles). This year will be the same, plus trips to New Mexico (700 miles) and Colorado (1000 miles)

They're not so near to Rochester, but both the Owasco flyer (an open-category road race) and the Owasco Stage Race are very well organized and fun races. Treated me real well last summer. They're over near Ithaca, only a few hours.

I'll typically drive 1-2 hours, covers a bunch of races (when I lived in Fairfield County CT). Now I'm almost in MA (still in CT), closer to the unliked road races and further from the beloved NJ crits. I guess I'll still drive for some of them, makes it a 4 hour drive each way.

If the drive is really far I help justify it by taking the wife's Honda (or mine, but she doesn't like riding in it). But the nicer car (not either of the Hondas) is a lot faster and if things go smoothly it could take 1/4 less time. That car gets driven less since tires, brakes, gas costs a lot more for it.

Living where you are, I think you'll have to drive more.

I have never stayed over in a motel/etc for a race. I'd rather drive a lot, although with gas prices and my "old age" it might be more practical to stay in a hotel than drive 6 or 7 or 8 more hours and spend another $50 or $75 in gas. I have slept in the car, etc, but again, that was when I was a "kid".

If you (and your wife) are reasonable people it might be worth it to ask the promoter if there's a rider/teammate/family willing to host you for the night. Promise not to trash anything, don't do any dope, and go to sleep early. I stayed at this guy Alan's house in Michigan for a 10 day, 8 race stage race and we had a great time, as did he, since he invited us (I went with a friend) to stay the next year.

cdr

90 mile radius.

That would allow me to do one race this year. :(

How about all of you driving far enough to race in the Dead Dog Classic! This year marks our 20th anniversary stage race. June 28-29 Laramie, Wyoming. If you're one of the tough guys the Sat RR is 85 miles and 6700 feet of climbing topping out at 10800 ft. Sunday crit (7200 ft elevation) followed by TT (start/finish at 8800 ft). Come out and see what high altitude racing is like!!!!!!

I generally drive two to four hours each way to race. I do this three or four weekends a month.
Yeah, I saw the title and though of you, driving from WV to northern Ohio for a milk race!
As for me, I've gone as far as across the country, and as short as 7 minutes.
I'm going to fly to the West Coast for a few weeks in August.

No car. I'll cycle 20 miles to a race.

But around here that'll provide an ok, if not packed, race season - lots and lots of time trials though (the hilarity of riding a TT bike through the streets with disc and both an aero helmet and a backpack...). People on my team have put bikes on busses and gone to London - one can race two or three times a week during the summer in London.

I think the legacy of abandoned WWII air bases does a lot for cycling - lots of racing is around airbases. But we've also got lots more small empty rural roads than nearly any area of the US.

4 hours would get me a race every weekend, but 200 miles is my limit.

For crits I'll do a max of 2 hours if it's a good one.

For Road Races I'll do 3 hours.

For weekend stage races I'll do up 10 hours if I can carpool, less if solo.

For longer stages races I would do 15 max.

In the past I've only done 1-2 stage races per year. Hopefully more this year as they are really the funnest thing going in bike racing.