oilfreeandhappy

The Tour de Fat in Fort Collins, CO, on 9-22-07, attracted 4800 cyclists, mostly costumed. What a blast it was! Nobody could tell me if it was a coincidence that it was on the same day as World Car-Free Day. It's being reported to Guiness, as it shattered the 1800 rider record set in Thailand. I dressed up as a GAS TANK with a NO symbol. Here's some pictures. They don't do justice to the spirit and camaraderie of the event.

oilfreeandhappy

A few more:

Keith99

NOT

Rosarito-Ensenada has over 7500 every time.

Bet someone on this board knows a ridethat breaks the 10,000 rider mark.

EDIT:

Solvang also beats the 1800. Paris-Brest-Paris has about 4000.

Looks like Guiness did a pretty poor job on this one.

jit5

Ride for Heart Toronto 2007





THANK YOU TORONTO FOR PUTTING YOUR HEART INTO IT!


Together we raised a record breaking
$2.7 million nationally!
Thanks to 12,000 participants, more than 132 corporate challenge teams, over 600 volunteers, sponsors, and the City of Toronto, the 20th Anniversary Becel Heart&Stroke Ride for Heart was our largest success ever!

bluebottle1

The Houston to Austin MS150 tops out at 13,000 each year and that's because they limit the number of riders.

ghettocruiser

Montreal, around 30K riders

https://www.canada.com/montrealgazett...56e0e7&k=65449

Higher still anyone?

Keith99

I'd bet this is the winner, at least on this side of the pond.

tornado

https://www.bikenewyork.org/rides/fbbt/index.html

Ride the Commerce Bank Five Boro Bike Tour!

May 6, 2007, marked the 30th anniversary of the Tour through the five boroughs of New York City. At 32,000 riders, it is the largest recreational cycling event in America. The 2008 ride will take place on Sunday, May 4.

TRaffic Jammer

I believe Montreal's Tour De L'ile takes the Guinness Prize for the biggest cycling event EVAR!!!... I think it topped out at 45,000 riders once. It's been going on for years and at one point was breaking it's own record year after year.

StephenH

I was thinking the Hotter-than-Hell 1oo in Wichita Falls topped that was well.

It would be impressive in Fort Collins because the town's not that big.

HokuLoa

I still would have enjoyed the Tour de Fat. Oh well. Next year...

Halfast

Hotter than Hell official published numbers per webste was 11,200 riders with 70% doing the 102 mile century. This MAY be the largest century.

oilfreeandhappy

I guess I wasn't explicit enough on my statement. Here's the official word from the President of the Friends of the Fort Collins Bicycle Program, Inc.

By the way, don't know if you were aware that two of our City Council members were "witnesses" on Saturday. David Roy and Lisa Poppaw stood for four hours in the sun with counters verifying the numbers of cyclists in the parade! They'll be writing letters to the Guinness folks for the record verification. If you see them down at Kinko's or at the Coffee Shop please tell them thank you!

They're talking about a Bicycle Parade. However, it sounds like some of the others mentioned, may have been parades also. Maybe they weren't reported to Guinness?

M_S

Er, congrats on the turnout. I went to the one that came through MIssoula (good turnout for a small city, but obviously much smaller) however what distinguishes a bike "parade" from any other ride?

Costumes? To the general public, surely lycra fals under that category?

Phantoj

Seattle-to-Portland was 10,000 riders in 1991, but has since been limited to fewer (9,000). It's a double century, but the majority do it in two days.

Keith99

That is a good question. Spectators? Didn't see any in the pictures. Closed road? Costumes? (for some).

Any of those Rosarito-Ensenada Qualifies.

Too short to be a real ride?

StephenH

Oh...you mean people don't dress like that for the Hotter'n'Hell 100?

Bolo Grubb

Bicycling Magazine has a list of some of the largest rides, in a few different categories.

oilfreeandhappy

There were a lot of spectators, many of them cheering. We didn't get any pictures of them though. And it was a closed road, with planned route, and policemen directing traffic. On most roads, the bikes had the right-of-way, and any traffic just had to wait what was probably, an incredibly long time. At a few major roads, the police would occassionally stop the bicycle traffic, and let the cars through.

DieselDan

I don't think the OP was referring to the number of rider but the tonnage of the combined riders.

oilfreeandhappy

I'm not quite so shallow...

Machka 

The PBP had 5300 participants this year.

But I'd venture a guess that the Cape Argus Pick 'n Pay Cycle Tour is right up there on the scale for number of people with 35,000 cyclists.

https://www.cycletour.co.za/home.aspx

DanteB

I've seen this ride, you can't believe seeing 35,000 cyclist leaving the start in groups of 800 at a time.