Originally Posted by
John N
I have done 8 various "cross state" state rides during my 45+ years of touring. Most did a one-way, new town every night format.
My favorites did a figure 8 (Ohio's GOBA is one) where they stayed 1 night in each town except for nights 3 & 4. This allowed a lot of options for riders. If you could do the entire trip due to time, you had a choice a two 3-day rides, two 4-day rides, or the full 7-day ride. The 4th day had optional half and full centuries. What I liked about it is that you met new faces most days; two, had a lot more family (adults with their kids) oriented; and three the miles were quite reasonable, something like 50 max with even a day in the high 30s I think.
My least favored was the grueling rideathon of Nebraska's with their long days and mandatory full century days (hardest cross state ride by far for me), It had something like 502 miles or some absurd amount. Almost EVERYONE (not joking) would start getting up at 4am. Not fun when trying to sleep and all you heard is Zip zip ziiiiip zip zip; poles clanking, people yelling to their buddies. Not even the *&^%$ birds were up. I was almost always the last one out of camp at 6am and I was only leaving then because that was when the luggage truck was leaving. Miserable cold ride.
Bike Tour of Colorado in the ‘99 version, was 489 miles, I think, with 6 passes over 10,000 ft, 2 over 9,000 and 35,000 total climbing feet, with one day at 109 miles. Not bragging, it was a good ride, never really got lower than 5000 ft and the gradients were not terrible as is typical for Colorado, just slog along. It rained very day though and if you were smart (like me) you were on the bike by 6:30 AM and didn’t get as wet. I think most of the rides I contemplated that year, Maine, Virginia, Erie Canal, were all in the 500 mile distance range.