brit-style touring/group rides
b hamon
>>I've got this film on my site and what I liked best
was mainly the
fact that all the cyclists stayed together. In
addition they wore
regular clothing and drank beer at rest stops. I
dislike what we
Americans do now with our charity rides and 'quasi
touring races'. I
always seem to end up riding alone...
I much prefer a non organized/organized event that
requires self
sufficiency and charges nothing.........just not too
sure if the rando
events are much different plus they all seem to be
ultra distance
rides for hard core riders 'doing their penance' while
riding a
bicycle. I'm not interested in racing the clock or
doing a series of
events to qualify. I haven't the time for it but I do
like to ride a
50-60 mile ride and enjoy it on a Sunday afternoon
when other like
minded folks are involved. Not sure if that type of
group exists here
in Northwest Washington.
**********
Yeah, I agree. The problem in the US is multi-faceted
and seems to involve:
--higher auto traffic speeds on most roads
--lack of truly user-friendly rail travel
--lack of semi-rural places to ride in many parts of
the country that have seen rapid growth
--the trickle-down of the racing mindset in
advertising and elsewhere
I'm sure there are other psychological factors
involved but I'm not enough of a psychologist or
sociologist to clearly identify all these here.
Then, too: These lovely old film clips of British
bike-rail trips are several decades old. How close to
that reality is the current British bicycling scene
today?
I would LOVE to have something like this here in
Portland; but I'm not sure how many people would sign
on for a 40- or 50-mile group ride at a 12 mph pace
with coffee stops. Slug Velo worked because distances
were kept under 15 miles. I doubt most of those same
riders would be up for a 50-miler (though I know I
would).
Beth
http://bikelovejones.livejournal.com
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David Estes
Cheers,
DE
charlie
and the bike I ride. I wouldn't like it if I had to risk a coronary to
keep up with others.
Riding around 30-60 miles is perfect for me since it is possible to do
it easily in one day with stops. Life is awful short and I'm not about
to miss out on some good conversation over a hot coffee or a cold
beer. I find people interesting and interacting with others is what
makes riding fun. Riding alone is fine for a commute or exercise but
lets face it...that gets a little uninteresting after a while.
To answer Beth's question as to how many would sign up for a 50 mile
ride at 12 mph...........I'd say more might if that 12 mph pace was
kept as a group and the event included stops for a hot meal and site
seeing. Ultimately its the riders that determine the mood of any ride
and not the event organizers. In my area,small groups of fast riders
often blast through the course as fast as possible, rarely even
stopping for snacks and you hardly ever see any of them stop for a
photo....as that might mess with their average speed. I'm not against
that so much as I am for the other approach to riding. I live in a
rural area of Washington state and there are miles of low traffic
roads so I guess the urge to race hasn't hit me but I do enjoy getting
around on my own power. I'm not sure I'd do a rail tour but the idea
is charming.
On Jan 19, 9:15 am, "David Estes" <cyclotour...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Both Charlie and Beth described the perfect outing. 12 mph for 50+ miles
> with coffee (beer!) breaks. That's pretty much what I do by myself on solo
> Cheers,
> DE
>
> Cheers,
> David
> Redlands, CA
charlie
rides from now on. A small group of fairly equal riders or at least
understanding ones would be ideal. Riding more or less together and
meeting up at designated points is the way to ride IMHO.
> with coffee (beer!) breaks. That's pretty much what I do by myself on solo
> Cheers,
> DE
>
David Estes
I find 30-60 miles is a perfect ride, although due to familial obligations, most are around 10-15. I think for that longer distance, even though the ride is slower, being equal in riding style/speed/endurance would be VERY helpful. Slowing down or stopping a lot for a novice rider isn't a big deal on a five miler, but would get old on a 50er. Same for faster/stronger riders: I imagine they would get bored taking twice as long to finish a route.
Cheers,
David
Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery
starfishboy
On Jan 20, 1:58 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com>
wrote:
>
> - Show quoted text -