What is your cycling perfect moment?

prb007

1. Descent into Positano on the Amalfi Coast, overtaking luxury coaches at 80kph on a tandem and seeing the looks on people's faces.

2. Riding the Slickrock trail in Moab, Utah with wife and friends 8)

3. Completeing the Passeportes du Soleil on my my MTB with a dozen mates

4. Summiting the col du Telegraphe, solo and not getting off.

5. (still to come); completeing JOGLE, next May with ten mates, fingers crossed

Diogenes

marusches wrote:

finally breaking the 50 mph barrier down lythe bank (near sandsend) while riding to whitby

Just as much fun coming back up it on the return leg from Whitby.

D

sugarbeet

Great thread. Real antidote to my first day back at work.

One of my favourite moments from last year was deer racing!

Returning from a long summer ride i spooked a deer on one of the Norfolk lanes. Rather than running across the field (as you might expect) the stupid creature ended up running parallel to me. Even worse it started pulling away! Naturally we had to race. Who wants to be dropped by a Muntjac.

The chase probably only lasted 40secs...me crashing madly up through the gears, the deer vaulting over drainage ditches on the verge. But It was fantastic, i was laughing like a loon. Eventually it rather unsportingly shot straight across the road in front of me nearly wiping me out. I admit it probably would have served me right if it had.

Next year the bloody thing will probably be back riding a bike. Hmmm Lycra clad venison. So wrong on so many levels...

Cross_Tri

Summer Saturday Morning 8am. Jump on the bike and meet a few mates. Do about 30 or 40 miles around South Armagh's rolling Hills or around the Cooley Peninsula in Co. Louth. Coffee Stop at half way! Home, shower and have a big breakfast. Heaven.

Or Else..

Hunting down a rival in a triathlon that kicked my ass in the swim!

Mark Alexander

Descending Col du Galibier.

mr_goo

Cycling along Ornamental Drive, New Forest very early on a summers morning.

screebs

Reaching the top of Mont Ventoux having only taken up cycling less than 6 months before and aged 40!

macondo01

Anymore stories/photos? They make such good reading. Cheers.

navrig

Going for a solo 25 mile flattish ride in Burgundy this summer and getting lost. It became a 45 mile hilly route in the peeing rain. It was so nice just be out there enjoying the quiet, good quality tarmac then stopping at a local cafe (Quarrier les Tombs) for a strong coffee and a strawberry flan and to warm up.

Wish I was there now instead of being stuck of a flipping train.

Evil Laugh

Cycling to the very top of a Pyrenean mountain, chatting to an old french guy in french for a good 15 minutes, desperately revisiting my gsce vocab. Surveying the landscape looking out over spain, andorra and north into france via 360 panorama, taking in what id achieved and feeling very proud and composing myself for the 30km descent safe in the knowledge that id done the last 25km on each of the previous 2 days, knew the road and knew I wouldnt be touching the brakes much.

There were barely any other cars or cyclists, it was exhilarating. The smell of the pine forest, the layers of cloud I descended through, the perfect, confidence inspiring smooth tarmac.

Not the hardest climb in the world by any means (1500m <6% av), but id never tried anything like it before. Cant wait to go back next year to that cycling playground.


Actually a great memory was when I cycled from our house into the town of Foix, when I first went into the pyrenees. I turned a corner and suddenly the mounatin range opened up before me. The hilltop castle of Foix seems to hang above the town but the mountains tower above everything. At the time I didn't know but I was heading up higher than any peak I could see and what I could see looking completely insurmountable. :shock:

mcp73

After not cycling my particular training route for a while and exploring other places, taking 10 minutes off my best time is a recent highlight. Being able to measure your improvements is wonderful.

uphillbothways

I was on my first proper tour, alone and hopelessly lost in the middle of France. I felt homesick, lonely and utterly out of my depth. I was woefully underprepared, spoke no French, had no real plan and very little cash. Sitting at the side of the road, staring at my rather soggy Michelin road atlas and wondering what the hell I was going to do, I took stock of my situation.

I had several bottles of water and a few days worth of petrol station snacks. I had a basic selection of spare parts and tools and a little compass on my keyring. I knew that if I pushed myself, I could ride 140km a day. I knew that I was somewhere west of the Auvergne volcanoes. It occurred to me that if I simply rode west for three days, I would inevitably hit the Bay of Biscay. At that moment, I was enlightened.

TommyEss

Last weekend I had the privilege of riding Amy's Gran Fondo down in Lorne - the route included 40km along the Great Ocean Road, with no traffic. Took all my concentration to not gawp at the scenery and actually make the turns.

Stunning.

the_spooks

Still not been cycling too long but 2 perfect moments that spring to mind
Doing the C2C this year with 15 other riders, sweeping into Whitehaven across the old railway track, all of us in the same t shirts, perfectly straight line in true peleton style and people cheering us on( didn't expect that). That will live with me forever, the light, the sights and great feelings.
Second one was my first time out on my road bike, the realisation that some roads I feared before or had looked steep were in fact not, it helped it was the first time I had travelled through the small villages I had grown up in for many many years.
There is something about sitting with a few other riders not saying anything with nice weather, scenery and just listening to the bikes.

fludey

My perfect moment was whilst training for my first sportive 77 miles, I was up north visiting wife's family.
Did a few training rides up that way, but the perfect one was from Amble following the coast line all the way to Tyne mouth in brilliant sunshine enjoying the coastal views covering 50miles.
There is a good flat section near seaton sluice 3 or 4 miles long which was done like a time trial keeping above 22mph.

Back there for the weekend, doubt it will be quite as sunny this time.

macondo01

It's that time of year again... What's your cycling perfect moment?

saprkzz

My best moment this year was in a sportive with 1000 riders, on the most amazing summers day, considering the year we have had), with a great route, with loads of entertainment afterwards, watching Martyn Ashton perform.

Oh and coming 7th in 1000 was satisfying.. yeah i know its not a race, but thats only what the slow people say!!

sjireland

my first 50 mile ride. felt epic after it

samsbike

mrchrispy wrote:

Oooo yeah, wind assisted fast riding.
nothing like blasting along at +25 with very little effort.

+1

il_principe

Riding the Tourmalet from Luz in 1 hour 21 back in June. It nearly killed me during the '08 Etape, so this was mighty satisfying.

nevman

Finishing LEJoG with 7 mates.Incredible feeling after 1002 miles.Difficult to see how it can get any better than that.

elderone

As a new rider my best moment was my first 25miler.this was also when i knew i,d got the bug.

centimani

32 degrees, long countryside ride, the sound of melted tarmac on your tyres, sounded like i was riding through rice crispies.
Someone mentioned earlier, battling a headwind, then riding home effortlessly at 25mph for mile after mile.

One of my best mental momemts, outrun into the countryside, saw some heavy heavy cloud maybe 5 or 10 miles away, the winds blowing it toward me. Best head back before it catches me up...no chance. I rode the last 5 miles home in the heaviest heaviest rain i think i ever rode in. Absolutely mental, i was going flat out, cars couldnt go as fast, plumes of water off the wheels.
I had the stupidest great big grin across my face while riding in it.
When i got back, i couldnt get my clothes off, they were stuck to my skin. The seat tube was full of water, it cream crackered the BB shortly after, the headset went rusty shortly after...but a very memorable ride.

centimani

uphillbothways wrote:

I was on my first proper tour, alone and hopelessly lost in the middle of France. I felt homesick, lonely and utterly out of my depth. I was woefully underprepared, spoke no French, had no real plan and very little cash. Sitting at the side of the road, staring at my rather soggy Michelin road atlas and wondering what the hell I was going to do, I took stock of my situation.

I had several bottles of water and a few days worth of petrol station snacks. I had a basic selection of spare parts and tools and a little compass on my keyring. I knew that if I pushed myself, I could ride 140km a day. I knew that I was somewhere west of the Auvergne volcanoes. It occurred to me that if I simply rode west for three days, I would inevitably hit the Bay of Biscay. At that moment, I was enlightened.

Epic, love that one.

Snailpace-Bob

25 miles into my first 40 mile ride I spotted another lone rider way off into the distance. The realisation that I was catching up and the sheer joy as I passed him on a hill was slightly diluted by the fact that he was about 15 years older than me.
However the thrill of the chase is always magic for me.

Thebigbee

Has to be when I arrived home after riding 0.01 miles up the shop and Martine McCutcheon popped her head out my garage on my return and gave me an acapella version of this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jG16jv-itYw

Seriously - WTF ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-f8hwafsIU

navrig

Navrig wrote:

Going for a solo 25 mile flattish ride in Burgundy this summer and getting lost. It became a 45 mile hilly route in the peeing rain. It was so nice just be out there enjoying the quiet, good quality tarmac then stopping at a local cafe (Quarrier les Tombs) for a strong coffee and a strawberry flan and to warm up.

Wish I was there now instead of being stuck of a flipping train.

This year it was getting to the top of a horribly streep hill on Fuerteventura in 33 degrees of heat and then coasting for 7km downhill, grinning all the way.

Mikey23

Pedalling slowly along the disused railway from morlaix to Carhaix in the sunshine with my lovely friends Lucy kat and Jonathan and then lying in the grass at an old railway station just listening to the birds sing and feeling at peace with the world

markos1963

My highlight was getting an entry to the Little Mountain Time Trial http://www.beaconrcc.org.uk/open_races/lmtt/index.html
An amazing event that pushed my cycling ability to the limit. This was partly due to the course, two timed climbs with Ankerdine being the big killer and the weather conditions, howling wind and rain and the temperature down to 4c. It was my first long TT having only done 10 milers before so I had to go past the point of my normal comfort zone and that was the point of it. A challenge should be just that, something that pushes you to a new high.

Oh and the moment I stood on the scales this week to see that I had lost two stone over the summer season!

FlacVest

1) Leaving the driveway on the bike. I know the next 2 or so hours are going to be amazing.

2) About 20 minutes in when the adrenaline kicks in and I feel great.

3) Passing guys on the trail with more expensive kit/nicer bikes. Knowing those hours of heaving over the handlebars paid off.

4) Flying down hills after climbing them. All the pain is gone, and you're going extremely fast.

5) Recording stats of the ride and seeing a long distance with a newer high average speed; bringing that pace up just 1 more mph.

6) Looking left or right and seeing something amazing: Nature.

7) Oh and the most recent, riding around a lake at ~5pm, and watching a couple pass me in a jeep, stop, let a dog out, and watching the dog run across the field, by himself, racing the jeep home. That was probably the most awesome thing I've ever seen while cycling.