Long Distance Competition/Ultracycling, Randonneuring and Endurance Cycling - How would you catagorize the kind of riding you do?

If more than one fit, pick the one you identify with most.

This is difficult of becaue I like to race and I also like to cuise along an chat with good friends on brevets. I'm both a ultra distance racer and a randonneur, I even use the same bike for both. I couldn't choose so I picked "I don't like labels." :)

In a normal week, I'll do 30-mile rides on four weekdays, and two centuries over the weekend. Alone. Uncompetively. "Cyclist" works, I guess. All these other categories might be too much work. :D

This is difficult of becaue I like to race and I also like to cuise along an chat with good friends on brevets. I'm both a ultra distance racer and a randonneur, I even use the same bike for both. I couldn't choose so I picked "I don't like labels." :)

Homeyba, I think riders really like us because we have such a large vacuum behind us:lol:

Recreational. I can't even say oganized cause I don't do many organized rides. You forgot the "ride with the wife then do an organized ride here and there" category!:D

My view is riding is fun, I don't need a label.:D

I will choose organized rides though for the poll.:p

I would have chosen Pass Hunter but I haven't done any yet this year..

Btw, Steve, is SIR doing any big mountain rides this year? (besides Cascade 1200!) Like the three-pass 400k from 2008, I loved that route! I hope they run it again at some point.

I just might see you crazy guys out on a (smaller) brevet later this summer. I do miss (parts of) those big rides, especially riding in the mountains.

Rando, but on a rather limited basis: 1 SR series and a 1200 every year, just because it's a 3-400 mi round trip drive for every brevet. Could put on my own series here, I guess, but who else'd ride?

SP
Bend, OR
:recum:

I've done a little of everything, so I'm not big on the labels. I tend to focus on goals and I move from goal to goal without any real rhyme or reason. Whatever sounds like fun, I'll work towards it. The great thing about cycling is that there are a lot of different ways to do it and plenty of goals to reach for, so you shouldn't ever get bored!

I voted "aspiring..." because, for the purposes of this poll, since it's on this forum, I'm definitely a wannabe. I have ridden more than 150 miles in a day... maybe three times. More than 125 miles in a day, only twice in the last year.

Most of my riding is my commuting, on a little folding bike; so I should probably class myself first and foremost as a commuter. But that's just how I get to work, and has nothing to do with the cycling aspire to do. And anyway, "commuter" wasn't among the options (wrong forum).

Rando, but on a rather limited basis: 1 SR series and a 1200 every year, just because it's a 3-400 mi round trip drive for every brevet. Could put on my own series here, I guess, but who else'd ride?

SP
Bend, OR
:recum:I would like to put on some brevets, but I'm afraid nobody would ride them. I intend on putting together a permanent and that might lead to an organized brevet.

I'd like to race, but I need to lose at least 50 pounds for that. Who said bicycling is an expensive eating disorder?

My cycling is varied. I identify with long-distance riding. Most of my rides are in the 35 to 55 mile range and I will complete multiple 100+ mile rides per month.

I also cycle for fitness. I need cycling to control my weight, reduce stress and cycling improves my personal happiness.

Finally, I like bicycles as both an art form and engineering application. I own two vintage and two modern bikes.

Michael

I've done both organised and unorganised (i.e. solo centuries, solo double centuries, etc.) long distance rides since 1994. I've been a Randonneur since 2001. I've done two 24-hour races and would love to do more.

The one I probably identify most with is "Other" ... the unorganised long distance rides where I just go out and do a long distance ride by myself or with one other person. Up till this year, that's the type of long distance riding I've done the most of. This year, Rowan and I are doing a lot of Randonneuring events.

Btw, Steve, is SIR doing any big mountain rides this year? (besides Cascade 1200!) Like the three-pass 400k from 2008, I loved that route! I hope they run it again at some point.

I just might see you crazy guys out on a (smaller) brevet later this summer. I do miss (parts of) those big rides, especially riding in the mountains.

I'm with you on that. One of my fondest cycling memories is going over Chinook Pass at 2:00am last summer, 29 hours in to Jan's mountain 600k. Words can't begin to describe how amazing that felt (in a painful sort of way).

I haven't heard about any good mountain routes this year, but then I haven't been paying that much attention. I'm hoping to do the Cascade 1200 so that should be enough mountain riding to hold me over for a while.

I hope to see you on a brevet some time this year, Matt. Take a break away from racing for some more "civilized" riding. :)

I chose "other". I just like to ride. Sometimes I like to ride all day. Sometimes I ride in the company of others, but lately my cycling interests have become so narrow and arcane that it's tough to find like-minded folks with whom to ride. And I'm getting a little sick of the helmet preachers (not trying to start a fight here...) so I haven't been doing much in the way of organized centuries/brevets lately.

My clubmates and I are talking of trying to put together something like the Lake Pepin Three Speed Tour (http://www.3speedtour.com/) -- which may illustrate the difficulty of labeling my current interests...

My clubmates and I are talking of trying to put together something like the Lake Pepin Three Speed Tour (http://www.3speedtour.com/) -- which may illustrate the difficulty of labeling my current interests...

Where? I'd be totally into that.

I picked rando, but that's one day a month, basically. I do some organized rides (never a double century, seldom a century). Rest is bike shop rides or riding around wishing I was thinner.

I'm riding brevets, some organized century races but finding them too short for my liking, several double centuries, 540 km race, 24 hour races
and just the occasional centuries as training or for mental reasons ( to forget the everyday problems).

I prefer the label " long distance rider" but not racer, because I only race against my self and my own limits.

I'm with you on that. One of my fondest cycling memories is going over Chinook Pass at 2:00am last summer, 29 hours in to Jan's mountain 600k. Words can't begin to describe how amazing that felt (in a painful sort of way).

Yes, that route too! I've DNFd it twice... made it only to Packwood the first time, then only to White Pass last year.. mentally was done, but I wish I'd just soldiered on... (easy to say now!)

Chinook is one of the passes I've yet to conquer.. must. do. it. eventually.


I haven't heard about any good mountain routes this year, but then I haven't been paying that much attention. I'm hoping to do the Cascade 1200 so that should be enough mountain riding to hold me over for a while.

C1200 - yeah that'll give you what, 5-6 passes (more?) for the year? Not bad for one ride!! I feel like I should be doing c1200, given how much I wanted to do it the last two years, but I haven't done a ride over 80 miles this year so far..


I hope to see you on a brevet some time this year, Matt. Take a break away from racing for some more "civilized" riding. :)

The thing with the racing is that every race is an opportunity for "upgrade points" - and they expire in a year, so I need to get all them I can. That said, road-race season is winding down a tad (leading to crit season), so I might have some spare weekends for some longer rides. I'll see y'all at some point this summer, but it might end up being on a populair or something.

Where? I'd be totally into that.

Southern California, unfortunately or you!

Considering the amount of interest generated both by the Lake Pepin tour and by the discussions I have had with locals, I am surprised that these events are not springing up all over.

If and when the SoCal version gets off the ground I will post details to the LD forum.