Your best ride ever?

marusches

i take my bike (1970's Bianchi) at the time with me in the wagon and one night in middle of summer i stopped on a259 in between portsmouth and chichester, i went for a ride and soon overtook a cylist shortly another i did u turn up ride and came back down other side then people started clapping at roadside and i stopped near a bunch of people one with a clipboard who came over and asked for my number.??????? turns out i was in portsmouth wheelers 10 miler......i was chuffed to bits .lovely road just put bike lane on it in the smoothest tarmac , boy could you fly

bombdogs

Ooooh, I haven't done anything fantastic like an Etape or that, but my best ever was in the space of four months after getting onto my bike for the first time.
Entered the Bill Bradley Sportive in Lancashire, which is 85-miles and takes in climbs up and over the Trough of Bowland (Cat 3) and Waddington Fell (Cat 1).
Both have featured quite regular in the Tour fo Britain and Milk Race over the years, but I didn't have a clue about any of this at the time.
Had finished the Liverpool-Chester-Liverpool 55-mile charity ride two weeks before in 3hrs1min, so thought 'I can do that no probs - it's only 30-odd miles longer'.
Oh how i was wrong. I crawed, and I mean crawled, up the first steep climb.
My bike wobbled from side to side because I was going so slow - about 5mph.
Made it to the top thirsty as anything and with hardly any water left, but I had only covered a third of the overall distance.
Managed to make it up about two or three more nasty climbs to a village hall near Dunsop Bridge, where I had to fill my bidons up from the taps in the loos.
At this point, I was on my own and to top it all off, I had only planned to do the easy 40mile route because I wanted to get back handy for my first sunday lunch at my girlfriend's parent's house.
Silly me had ended up following all the seasoned riders on the 80-mile route with only the 40-mile route directions in my back pocket, which by now - with all the sweating - had fallen to bits, anyway.
After topping my bottles up with water and realising that I couldn't even phone my dad to pick me up because I had no signal on my mobile and only a spare £10 in my back pocket (a taxi back to the finish was out of the question), I carried on with the looming Waddington Fell starring at me like the grim-reaper and 40-miles left to pedal.
So here I was, all alone, no clue where I was or where I needed to go. I could have cried there and then.
Luckily, two riders pulled alongside me and we started chatting. Can't remember their names were but they lived locally and guided me all the way back to the finish line.
If ever they read this, I want them to know how truly gratefull I was back then.
I managed to make it back to the finish line, swearing blind that I'd never get on my 'bloody' bike again. I'd finished the course in just under six hours - just getting back before all the seasons amateurs, who had stopped for lunch, etc.
Last year, I returned - complete with a full year of riding with my club, a new and much lighter bike and plenty of hill climbing in my legs. Found it quite easy and never struggled up any of the climbs - even had about two or three cogs left going up Waddington and pulled way, way, way ahead of everyone from my club.
Despite that, my best ride was the previous year when I suffered so much. Even though my legs were dead to the world and I felt like giving up, I carried out through grit alone. Nothing will ever be as sweet as crossing that finish line that year - ever!!!!

ugo.santalucia

In 1996 I rode my boss during a summer job stage. She was a psychologist, very attractive sexy woman she was!

I still think that was the ride of my life...

snakehips

In 2007 I had just got my road bike and was challenged/invited by my son-in-law to do the Dunwich Dynamo. I did it with him and a mate of his. . I fell off in Saxmundham just after dawn and left a bit of skin behind as a sort of calling card. It was twice the length of any ride I had done before , and anybody who did that ride will remember what a foul night it was.
Truly a ride to remember

DunRun2007

Anonymous

Feel a bit twerpy with this one, no alps or foreign soil, but.....the road from Monmouth to Abergevanny is fantastic. rode it with 3 clubmates the day before last years Forest of dean classic, smooth fast and undulating, brilliant road.

nickwill

The Raid Pyrenean in September last year. 4 and a bit days of fantastic climbs and even better descents between Hendaye on the Atlantic and Cerbere on the Med. The sense of history whilst riding the route was tangible.
Without doubt they were the best days I've ever had on a bike!
You can read my account here:
http://www.sportivecentral.com/index.ph ... 313&page=1

softlad

Padova wrote:

First ride with my kids, probably the best of them all.

agreed - nothing else comes close..

Gav888

Riding at 30mph keeping up with the traffic for about 4 miles, I had a lovely tail wind that day and felt like a pro riding at those speeds... LOL

Moomin23

My first club run, Bolton to Knott End, turned up in trainers, boardshorts and trackie top with wool gloves riding a flat bar hybrid. Got soaked and filthy, but after getting home having done more miles than ever before was Ace, made me think there was something to this cycling lark and now try to replicate that same sense of achievement every time I go out, albeit in much better kit!!!

Feltup

Fred Steele wrote:

This years's Dunwich Dynamo was pretty good for me. Great weather, full moon, nice sunrise.

It was good wasn't it. Sat on a bench with my mates having some breaky just after sun rise and good banter with all the riders going by.