merider1

Hi guys, in conjunction with the CAM thread and the 2007 Goals thread, I thought I'd get up and running the 2007 rides rating thread (which was originally Caligurl's idea - so she deserves credit!). It is now the third week of January, and we should get this going! If you read this and have comments on what else you'd like included, please PM me, and I'll add it.

Just like the CAM Data thread: PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING IN HERE BUT YOUR RATING AND COMMENTS ON THE RIDE YOU ARE RATING.

If you want to discuss the ride or someone's rating of a ride, please PM that member directly, or go to the original ride thread or post-ride report thread to post. If neither exist, please create a new thread for questions, comments and jokes. This will keep the ratings of rides succinct and easy for people to read. Thank you for your help with this...

So, in terms of rating, please rate the rides you go on. Anyone can rate any ride he/she attends. So, even if you see that someone else has rated a ride, please give your 2 cents as well! This will give an overall idea of how more than one rider viewed a ride. This is not a competition or debate thread! Please feel free to be candid about these rides and to give as many comments as you like. However, please bear in mind that you may be rating a fellow BFer's ride, so please be both respectful and courteous. If you hated the ride, please explain why in a constructive fashion. I know I'll get MY feelings hurt if you don't!

I propose a scale of 1-5 as follows:

1 = Dismal, will never ride again and wouldn't recommend it!
2 = Not so great, but others seemed to enjoy the ride
3 = So-so, with minor improvements I'd do it again
4 = Darn good ride, I'd do it again and recommend it
5 = Outstanding on every level that matters to me! I'd suggest you do it next year for sure!

Please include the following:

Name of Ride:
Location:
When:
Type: (century, double, double-metric, metric)
Number of Riders: (If applicable)
Route: (organized or un-organized)
Organizer: (name of bike club if organized "paid" event. If a BF ride, just put BF organized)
Rating: (please use the 1-5 scale)
Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: (what food was provided, SAG support presence etc.)
Comments on the route: (constructive thoughts, ideas, favorite aspects, etc.)

roadfix

Name of Ride: 2007 Griffith Park Night Rides (most Wed nights)

Location: Griffith Park

When: Most every Wednesday night. Click on link above.

Type: Under 2 hour fun/social ride, under 20 miles

Cost: Free!

Number of Riders: Anywhere from 4 to 10+ on average

Route: Un-organized, informal, ride up to the Griffith Observatory in pitch darkness and loop back...LIGHTS REQUIRED!

Organizer: BF ride

Rating: 5

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: No-drop ride, re-group several times, and post ride beer and tacos on most nights.

Comments on the route: A short loop & almost no traffic leading up to the observatory, this is a very safe night ride. Highly recommended!

merider1

Name of Ride: Encinitas Interruptus

Location: Irvine, CA

When: January

Type: Century Ride

Number of Riders: 8

Route: Started in Irvine and continued to Encinitas - Out & Back

Organizer: BF ride

Rating: 4+

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: This was a self-supported ride

Comments on the route: I actually really enjoyed the route, including the Camp Pendelton section. It was supposed to be a double-metric, but due to daylight issues, it was cut short and a train was taken from Oceanside back. But it was still a good 100 miles! Great company!

merider1

Name of Ride:Wells Fargo Stagecoach Century

Location: Octotillo, CA

When: January

Type: Century

Route: Organized

Organizer: Shadowtours

Rating: 3 this year due to weather, otherwise it would have been a 4

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: Excellent, the volunteers were wonderful and I was just fine with the food and water supplied. Lots of SAG vehicles along the route

Comments on the route: It's an out & back with a weird loopy thing in it. Not great, but I actually like the spread out climbing aspect of the roads there. I had great company along the way!

1955

Name of Ride: Encinitas Interruptus

Location: Huntington Beach, CA

Type: Century Ride

Route: Started in Huntington Beach and continued to Encinitas - Out & Back

Organizer: BF ride

Rating: 4

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: This was a self-supported ride

Comments on the route: I actually really enjoyed the route, including the Camp Pendelton section. It was supposed to be a double-metric, but due to daylight issues, it was cut short and a train was taken from Oceanside back. But it was still a good 100 miles! Great company!

I pulled a Joel here and awaited your stats before inputting mine (actually they are [mostly] your stats...but I agree wholeheartedly)

nesdog

Name of Ride: Agoura Cycles Shop ride. Leaves the shop at 8 am Saturdays

Location: Agoura Hills. Thousand Oaks Blvd/Kanan

Type: Two rides offered: 20 or 40. Generally both go together with the short ride turning back as needed.

Number of Riders: Low of 5, high of 25

Route: Various Conejo Valley routes. See website for details. www.agouracycles.com

Organizer: Agoura Cycles

Rating: 4

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: If you flat, there is a reasonable chance the group will wait or help with changing tube. On occasion, shop van was called to pick up a disabled bike (due to accident)


Comments on the route: As expected, some are more hilly than others. Routes include Rock Store, Mulholland, Hidden Valley, et al. Generally it's a good group and social at a decent pace.

nesdog

I added a line for Number of Riders.

Sheldon

merider1

Name of Ride: Colavita Regional Team Weekly Ride

Location: Simi Valley, Corner of Yosemite and Los Angeles Avenues

When: 7:30am every Sunday

Type: Group Ride, Unorganized, Loop or Out&Back (typically 45-80 miles)

Number of Riders: Low of 8, high of 40

Route: Various Simi/Thousand Oaks/Moorpark routes. See website for details: https://www.colavitasocal.com/forum/default.asp

Organizer: Colavita So Cal Regional Team

Rating: 5

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: If you flat, the group will wait or help with changing tube. Great group of guys and an incredible ride. They are strong, fast riders but without the ego.

Comments on the route: Some hills on all rides for sure. They pace hard and usually head out to Grimes Canyon, Norweigan Grade, etc. They are the guys who took me up Balcom - but that ride doesn't occur too often.

caligurl

Name of Ride: wells fargo stagecoach century

Location: octoillo

When: January

Type: century (or shorter is you choose)

Route: paid organized

Organizer: shadowtours

Rating: 1

Number of Riders: less than 1000

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: Poor. I don't care for the food provided at the SAG stops. The people are nice enough. i just prefer something more than cliff bars and i don't do gels. they had bananas but they were green. the lunch stop was decent. i at some chili and grabbe some cheetoh's for the ride back. they had plenty of porta potties available for the number of people at the ride HOWEVER they were expecting 3000 to register and less than 1/3 of that showed up.

Comments on the route: out and back. the scenery is pretty. it's an easy course. some may not like the climb at the end, but it's short. there is a loop at the lunch/turn-around end but no route slip to tell the newbie's to do it. even with the loop at lunch it doesn't come out to 100 miles as advertised. you have to ride a couple miles at the end to get your century.

as i said, they didn't provide route slips. yes, it's an out and back, but it would be nice to know where the rest stops are, what the sag phone numbers are, about the loop at lunch, etc.

the organization of this ride is poor. i've done it two year and both years i've been disappointed. i will spend my paid organized ride money elsewhere.

caligurl

Name of Ride: borrego to the sea (formerly known at the artist called borrego to the sea)

Location: borrego springs

When: January

Type: century or less if you choose, various routes

Route: paid organized

Organizer: R&B

Rating: 5

Number of People: 400? (not sure)

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: excellent rest stops and nice people. i do R&B rides for their sag stops and post meal treats! this ride always has bread from the dudley bakery (along with PB to spread on, if you choose, bananas, and other goodies) their post mean treat is a slice of julian pie topped with ice cream!

Comments on the route: the original borrego to the sea is an out and back. nice course, not to much elevation. a good beginners ride. the roads for a VERY VERY short stretch in imperial county are pure crud... but not long enough to deter me from the ride. (i've ridden it on both aluminum and carbon fiber). i can't speak on the extension loop that makes it a century, as it's new this year. if it detracts from the overall ride i'll come back and update this. otherwise i wholeheartedly recommend this ride! rich (organizer) and the gang are terrific folks who put on a terrific ride!

roadfix

Name of Ride: L.A. Wheelmen Grand Tour LOWLAND

Location: Los Angeles & Ventura Counties

When: Every June

Type: Double century 200 mile Lowland route. (the route I rode)

Cost: $50

Number of Riders: Approx 110 finishers on 200 mile Lowland route last year (2006)

Route: Organized double metric, 200, 300, & 400 mile routes

Organizer: Los Angeles Wheelmen

Rating: 4.5

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: Excellent support and well equipped rest stops. Full lunch and post ride dinner included. No complaints whatsoever. I don't expect anything less since they've been doing this for 50 years!

Comments on the route: I did this double century back in 1994 and again in 2006. The route and route slips were clearly marked and easy to follow and they've obviously chosen the best route possible as it has not changed over the years. The only reason I did not give this ride a 5 rating is because you do have to ride the busiest part of PCH heading back to the finish in Malibu. This is a great route for those doing their very first double century as it has relatively little elevation gain. The climb up to Ojai and you're pretty much done with most climbing for the day. I chose to do this last year on my fixed gear bike and had no trouble finishing this ride. I plan on doing this ride again this year on my fixed gear.

merider1

Name of Ride: L.A. Wheelmen Grand Tour - Lowland

Location: Los Angeles & Ventura Counties

When: Every June on the longest day of the year (most sunlight filled double)

Type: Double century 200 mile Lowland route. (the route I rode last June)

Number of Riders: Approx 110 finishers on 200 mile Lowland route last year (2006)

Route: Organized double metric, 200, 300, & 400 mile routes

Organizer: Los Angeles Wheelmen

Rating: 4+

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: Excellent support and well equipped rest stops. Full lunch and post ride dinner included. No complaints whatsoever. I don't expect anything less since they've been doing this for 50 years! Kermit is a sweetheart.

Comments on the route: I did this double century last June. The route and route slips were clearly marked and easy to follow. The only reason I did not give this ride a 5 rating is because you do have to ride the busiest part of PCH heading back to the finish in Malibu (I agree, George!). This is a great route for those doing their very first double century as it has relatively little elevation gain, is easily marked and has lots of urban stops in case you need them (for gatorade, bathroom, etc.). The climb up to Ojai and you're pretty much done with most climbing for the day. I really enjoyed this ride and highly recommend it!

awiner

Name of Ride: Planet Ultra Xmas Club Century

Location: Calabasas

When: December

Type: Century

Route: Paid Organized, $30 Total ($20 donation to The Challenged Athletes Fund/$10 For SAG driver)

Organizer: Planet Ultra

Rating: 4+

Number of Riders: 100-150 Normally

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: This ride is a semi-supported "Club Ride" with one leapfrog support vehicle providing water and some snacks at two locations along the course. The driver will not have a car equipped to carry bikes. Riders are expected to be self-sufficient. There will be no SAG vehicle. If you can't finish the ride, you'll have to find your own way back!

Comments on the route: Starting in Calabasas, we ride through Agoura, Hidden Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Malibu and back. For those of you who know the area, the main climbs are Potrero, Encinal and rollers on Mulholland. 100 miles with about 5,800 feet of climbing!.

The 2006 ride was great. It is a little back loaded on the climbing but the ride is for a good cause and was a ton of fun. Can't beat the scenery on PCH and in the Santa Monica Mountains.

https://www.planetultra.com/clubrides/XmasRide.html

merider1

Name of Ride: Tour de Palm Springs

Location: Palm Springs, CA

When: February

Type: Century & Charity Ride

Route: Paid Organized, $50

Organizer: Varies

Rating: 2

Number of Riders: 2K+?

Comments on SAG support and Rest Stops: SAG stops and volunteers were fine as I recall.

Comments on the route: Don't really care for it. I didn't find it all that pretty to ride there and I thought the roads sucked. But I've been told improvements have been made. There is very little climbing except for some rollers. Nothing to write home about. However, I may ride it this year as many BFers are planning to do it. That will improve the ride for me, I'm sure.

Oh, and one last thing, is is also a charity ride benefiting many different non-profit organizations in the area. So, that would motivate me to do it again as well.

Mo'Phat

Name of Ride: Bike Forums Burrito Century

Location: Irvine Amtrak station to Santa Fe Train Depot, Downtown San Diego

When: December (possibly in spring as well)

Type: Bike Forums group century

# of Riders: All are welcome, sandbagging is encouraged.

Route: Semi-Organized...free...

Organizors: Mel and Mateo - Bike Forums members

Rating: 4 - 1 point deduction for so many traffic signals not going our way.

Comments: The route was gorgeous, giving a better view of the I-5 corridor rather than cruising at 75 mph. There were too many signals, though, but the urban areas were balanced well with long stretches (PCH bike path and Camp Pendleton) of no signals at all. The sketchiest parts were coming down from Mission Bay, through Point Loma and down SD Bay past the Airport. Busy roads and ackward traffic crossings.

I loved cruising through the beach towns (Cardiff, Leucadia, Solana Beach, Del Mar) and the company was excellent. Will do it again in a heartbeat, and you should, too.

Mo'Phat

Name of Ride: Bike Forums PIE Century (aka The Apple Pie Ride)

Location: Valley Center, up Mt. Palomar, Lake Henshaw, up Mesa Grande, Santa Ysabel to the Julian Pie Company, over to Ramona, down to Escondido, back up to Valley Center.

When: November...generally the Saturday after Thanksgiving

Type: Bike Forums group century

# of Riders: All are welcome, sandbagging encouraged, flakes are mercilously ridiculed for duration.

Route: Semi-Organized...free...

Organizor: Satan...perhaps one of his more sadistic minions.

Rating: 5

Comments: Almost 100 miles, with almost 10K feet of climbing, with the glorious summit of Palomar near the beginning, so all the subsequent pain feels like a cakewalk. I loved the scenery, the roads, the route, the challenge, the motivation, the company, the sense of accomplishment, and the weeks reminiscing about it. I CAN'T WAIT to do it again.

This ride has everything: Climbing, fast descents, long leisurely stretches, technical downhills, and that ever-elusive feeling of it just being you and your bike, riding on a lonely road...having fun.

merider1

Name of Ride: "Damn, Joel, I'm Tiiired" aka DJIT

Location: Sherman Oaks to Malibu

When: Any time of year, but preferably after daylight savings kicks in

Type: Bike Forums Century

# of Riders: If you got climbing legs, bring it

Route: Magicant's (Joel's) very own route...you'll have to ask him

Organizor: Duh

Rating: 4+

Comments: I would have rated this ride a 5 based on excellent route (lots of climbing, even in the beginning and at the end), nice descents, stunning beauty and great company. But since we had to take Santa Monica and Sepulveda back, the traffic was frightening! The next round will involve Latigo, upping the rating to a 5+, I'm sure...well, after I've recovered from 10K+ feet of climbing that is!

I highly recommend it!