Grail Rides
 

We all like to talk about grail bikes... that chrome Alex Singer, the 7-11 team bike, what have you. But bikes are meant to be ridden, and what better way to enjoy them than on a ride in a place you've always wanted to go?

For me, I've started thinking about where I want to take my Trek 620 when I get it finished this winter. I think in the spring I want to ride it down Oregon's Umpqua river to Reedsport thence south down 101 through Redwoods National Park and finish up in Eureka. 450 miles or so, a pretty decent week's ride and plenty of spectacular food and wine along the way.

How about you? Any particular ramble you've promised yourself you'd do someday?

When I got back into cycling, my goal was to do a metric century in every state...and...while I still want to do that (maybe)...I am changing my focus...

What I want to do now is ride more of the rail trails in the US. Couple of "grail" rides...Katy Trail in Missouri, C&O Canal in DC, WV, MD, Ohio & Erie Towpath...etc. There are more and more of these each day. Since I live in the Atlanta area, my first BIG ride on a rail trail was the combined Chief Ladiga (Alabama) and Silver Comet (Georgia) trails. I did my "50th Birthday Century" on these trails...first full century...on my 50th birthday!

I have also put over 1500 miles on a local Greenway...

I simply feel that these trails provide a lot more safety than road riding does any more...and the scenery is generally superb!

My bucket list ride vacation would include the 1938 Giro della Lombardia route, the L'Eroica route (alone, not with 6000 other riders), Stelvio from Prato and a Giro d'Italia d'Epoca ride (La Mitica or La Polverosa).

Coast to coast.

I dream of a coast to coast ride.

I also dream of a ride around Europe. If just Brittany and Normandy, that would be cool- but through France, Belgium and Germany... that would just be incredible.

Would Love to ride the Cabot Trail again.

I'll eventually string together a 500+ mile long chain of Agriturismo Farms while enjoying an extended credit card cycling tour of Italy. A touring route in Italy would be done to enjoy authentic rustic Italian cuisine while enjoying stunning scenery while criss-crossing the peninsula on rural roads and paths at the rate of 100 km per day. An example of an Agriturismo cycling tour is found here: From Ferrara to the Po Delta

I already have enjoyed cycling in Italy and keep a suitable bike there for my bi-annual visits;

http://i289.photobucket.com/albums/l...psf9618865.jpg

Hmmm. There be lots of rides I'd love to do but probably never will. That's why they call it Grail. Two examples, Pan Mass Challenge and Trek Across Maine. Real life, time and tide get in the way of everything I really want to do. I'm deep into negative vacation time as it is. :(

1. Tour of Flanders sportiff version on my Eddy Merckx... with sew-ups.

http://www.geraardsbergen.be/upload/...risme/muur.jpg


2. Italy to Switzerland over whatever pass is available - pref near Lago Maggiore.

Alpe D'Huez

http://www.steephill.tv/2006/alpe-d-...0be%238add.jpg

There's some photos posted here of pretty neat places to ride. However, I'm mostly content with what the Northwest has to offer.

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...121449_542.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...3351_322-1.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...104501_483.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...142044_720.jpg

http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/f...094702_444.jpg

I'm looking forward to riding some in Montana, Idaho, and more of Oregon

In the not too distant future, you can add the Rock Island Trail in MO.

Make it three for coast to coast. My next sabbatical is in 2020, that's my plan.

Before then, I'd like to take 2 weeks and just follow what this guy did. There are over 50 pictures in his Flickr album-you could randomly pick any one, view it, and be green with envy. Here's just one:

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/604/21...24d300da_b.jpg

And I'll take his bike while I'm at it...

You have to put up with THAT on your rides?

How icky!

All that beautiful sky, mountain and tree stuff... Ugh.. It makes me shudder.

I guess if that's all you have... You just have to deal with the cards you're dealt.







:D

I've done both (and will be doing so again next week :)) and the experiences are totally different. Touring the Tuscan roads and hills is absolutely wonderful; a perfect combination of challenging hills, breathtaking sights and great foods and wines. As good as touring gets.

The l'Eroica event, however, adds something else: the ability to experience some of that mid-20th-century Giro d'Italia atmosphere. If you're romantically inclined, it's easy to let your imagination get the better of you and feel like Gino Bartali as Italian ladies in 1940's outfits are cheering you on.

The 6,000 participants are pretty much spread out in time and space during the day, so you're never really aware of them. In that respect I found the difference with the Retro Tour of Flanders - with less than 1,000 participants - much smaller than the numbers suggest.

Did a coast to coast in '97 and loved it. My goals at this point are a Seattle to IA ride. The best part of the coast to coast was the west and I'd like to check out some different areas out west while riding back home. That cuts the distance down considerably.

Plus I plan on doing a lot of riding in the Pacific Northwest as my in-laws live out there. Nothing like a free place to stay when planning out a vacation.

So if anyone wants to do some touring in WA or OR late next summer on some old bikes, shoot me an e-mail, :).

Just moved into the Portland area last year. After 30 years of riding in the Bay Area, I think I sucked the marrow out of that bone. Now I'm hungry for what the PNW has to offer. I'm off on a tour next week, starting in Seattle, through Cle Elum, backside of the Cascades, wiggle back between Rainier and St. Helens, then back to Portland.

When I'm ready for more, I might contact you for recommendations!

Keep me in mind, and I'll do the same! I've been doing my "mid-life crisis" annual bike tour for a few years now, always looking for new places and new friends to ride with.

Was always curious to ride the Splugen Pass on a bike:

Passo dello Spluga

I went by car on a vacation returning from Lake Como to Switzerland. Was a definate highlight of the trip. The Italian side is epic (and are most of these pics). Better have some low gearing for this one.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=478766

Someday I want to do Minneapolis (my fair city) to San Francisco. Shorter and more realistically I would love to ride up Mount Haleakala in Hawaii and Mount Washington. I have done RAGBRAI (as have tens of thousands of others every year!) and would love to do other across-the-state-rides like FANY across upstate New York.

I have been very fortunate to do some truly wonderful rides, from CA to DC (35 years ago, fully loaded) to the Big Sur coast (a couple weeks ago, fully supported).

If the opportunity arises, I'd love to try Alpe d'Huez and especially Mont Ventoux. With my current ability and attitude ("I go slow, but I make up for it by stopping a lot"), both would be all-day epics. I'd also love to ride up to the Madonna del Ghilsallo chapel and museum at Lake Como, which would likely also be an all-day epic.

Is that the road to Crystal Mtn.?

I still think it would be cool to ride one of my Viennese bikes, either the repainted and updated Modell Campagnolo or the cosmetically unrestored and OEM-equipped Sieger, through Austria on the Danube River bike path.

Lake Como gets many positive comments from visitors.

I guess riding the Peugeot PKN-10 in the relatively short French-themed "Tour de North [San Diego] County" does not quite qualify. :)