Which rides to do when facing not-quite a mid-life crisis?

mercia_man

If you are wanting to mark an important time in your life, I would suggest something a bit special, rather than a single sportive which you could do any time.

I agree with whoof's suggestion of a significant multi-day challenge such as the Route des Grandes Alpes. Or the Raid Pyrenees is another possibility.

You could do such a trip unsupported or as part of an organised group. Your Fratello would be well suited for carrying luggage for a hotel tour.

Two trips I've done to mark occasions like changing jobs or early retirement are the pilgrim route across France and Spain to Santiago de Compostela and Channel to Med across France.

FatTed

I'm not so keen on mass participation events, try going on tour with a cycle holiday company like Marmot, pyrenees multisport or Alpine Cadence

ugo.santalucia

FatTed wrote:

I'm not so keen on mass participation events, try going on tour with a cycle holiday company like Marmot, pyrenees multisport or Alpine Cadence

I did the Raid Pyrenees with Marmot... nice crowd... it rained all the time, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Make sure you go with someone you know and you get on well with... spending a week with people you detest can be daunting

Dorset_Boy

For my 50th I rode Velothon Wales, the Etape and Ride London. By a distance riding in the Alps was the best and PRL the least satisying. Did the same 3 again this year which confirmed it - and very unlikely to do PRL again.

The Route des Grandes Alps is the same as the Raid Alps mentioned above. It's something I want to do as you'll do most of the famous French alpine climbs, and can go at the pace that suits you. I'd look to do it supported.

I also want to do the Maratona, and there is a Geneva to Venice route too that's in the same style as the Route des Grande Alps.

I fail to see why you'd want to celebrate / mark you 40th with solely one of the UK rides when there's so much more available that it truly memorable and spectacular. By the I can't see why anyone would want to do a LEJOG when you could ride across France, Italy or Spain instead.

shmooster

One thing that stuck with me was the morning of the Marmotte riding down Alpe D'Huez as the sun came up, and seeing all the other riders joining from the side roads gradually creating a huge peloton all heading to the start. If you want something special then heading to the Alps is hard to beat. I get the view that a one day event is a bit of a risk if you aren't right on the day, but those big events are something special. These days I tend to go out to the mountains for a few days and ride a much wider range of climbs, but I'm still really glad I did the Marmotte.

Plus one on the Fred, but it's more achievement than enjoyment IMO, you'll never regret doing it, except maybe on the day itself :-)
It has an atmosphere like no other ride, where else would random strangers hug you at the top of a climb out of a sense of sheer joy that it was over.

ugo.santalucia

Dorset Boy wrote:

For my 50th I rode Velothon Wales, the Etape and Ride London. By a distance riding in the Alps was the best and PRL the least satisying. Did the same 3 again this year which confirmed it - and very unlikely to do PRL again.

The Route des Grandes Alps is the same as the Raid Alps mentioned above. It's something I want to do as you'll do most of the famous French alpine climbs, and can go at the pace that suits you. I'd look to do it supported.

I also want to do the Maratona, and there is a Geneva to Venice route too that's in the same style as the Route des Grande Alps.

I fail to see why you'd want to celebrate / mark you 40th with solely one of the UK rides when there's so much more available that it truly memorable and spectacular. By the I can't see why anyone would want to do a LEJOG when you could ride across France, Italy or Spain instead.

Judging by the rides you have done in the UK, I am not surprised you see things that way. There is so much more even here

twist83

My vote is a week or so away in the Alps or similar. Do what you fancy doing on the day and plan some routes.

I went there in July and did the Marmotte route. Not the actual event.

Mallorca is also a great place. Went there in April and loved it. Going back next week for 10 days as well.

It can all be done fairly cheap or very expensive depending on what you fancy. Echo what Ugo said. Try and take someone with you to ride with you get on with.

kingstongraham

FatTed wrote:

I'm not so keen on mass participation events, try going on tour with a cycle holiday company like Marmot, pyrenees multisport or Alpine Cadence

Hi, anyone been away with Alpine Cadence? Their Italian tour is tempting me for next year - dates might work better for me than Pyrenees multisport who I've been with before and thought were great.

Thanks!

cycleclinic

It LEL for me if i can get an entry. I want to do it in three days. Leige baston liege is one of those three mknty dog mentioned that i have not done, i hope to do it next year. Entered the strada bianca too next year.

Want to do erioca now i have a bike from 1948 (got a 1980 steed too).

I think my mid life crusis is in full swing.

navrig2

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Whatever happened to buying a fast car and having an affair with the Office grad?

I got a motorbike at 40 and didn't hit the Alps on a bicycle until 50.

Head to Bourge St Maurice and leave by any road except the one you came in.

Gromson

I've done Ride24 two years running (London - Newcastle and Newcastle - London) and its great. 310 miles in under 24 hours.

Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town is iconic. Doing that in March.

Also done Ride London three years running - definitely my favourites

VirginMoney Cyclone 106 mile route in Northumberland is stunning.

crescent

drlodge wrote:

I'm a little older than you and have been through this thought process already. I stay away from one off events since any kind of issue - illness, weather, travel plans etc can totally ruin the whole event. Much better IMO to book a holiday for a week or two where you can explore the roads at your leisure. Majorca, Gran Canaria, Alps, Dolomites all have something to offer.

Agree wholeheartedly with the above comments. Choosing one solitary event would effectively be putting all your eggs in one basket - any issues on the day and your enjoyment is much reduced. The beauty of cycling is that we can go and cycle on pretty much whatever roads we want, especially the ones we have watched during the Tour or the Giro etc. I would choose a couple of iconic roads/climbs and put together an itinerary that allows you to complete your chosen routes but build a bit of fat into your trip in case of any delays or weather issues for example, this takes the pressure off meeting deadlines, connections etc. The Alps, Pyrenees, Ventoux are all reachable with a bit of travel in between but doable nonetheless.

Gromson

Alternatively, stay 39 forever.

kingrollo

Buy some yellow trousers and grow a pony tail. Enjoy a dump in soltitude - you might have company soon !

term1te

I took part in the Marmotte for my 40th. I went with Bruno at Cyclomundo, spending five days cycling from Geneva down to Alpe d'Huez, then the Marmotte. Great week, but it really is weather dependant. I spent a week in the Dolomites this year, and I'm beginning to prefer Italy to France for cycling. I've got the Haute Route lined up for the next landmark in 2017...

meanredspider

Surely, by the time you're 40, you just get on with stuff regardless of the weather? I one of the first cycling events I did was Etape Caledonia - never cycled that far before the event. A third of people entered didn't turn up/finish because of the weather. A team from work cycled from Inverness to Livingstone in Edinburgh over the Cairngorms on the day of "the worst storm in 50 years". We were going to cycle in relay but one guy cycled the entire route and several cycled most of it - the winds were brutal and the popular activity at stops was wringing out gloves. The Strathpuffer is in January because a mountain bike race in the Highlands for 24hrs when it's cold and mostly dark is tough.
I know not everybody agrees with this view but the if you haven't toughened up by the time you're 40, when will you? After all, anyone can get fit enough to do pretty much any of the events that have been listed - the mental toughness to do them is a different story.
But it depends what you need to prove to yourself.

pblakeney

meanredspider wrote:

...
I know not everybody agrees with this view but the if you haven't toughened up by the time you're 40, when will you? After all, anyone can get fit enough to do pretty much any of the events that have been listed - the mental toughness to do them is a different story.
But it depends what you need to prove to yourself.

I did the Marmot Classic Climbs of the Pyrenees this year as the cycling holiday of a lifetime*. The training was much tougher mentally and physically than the event. But it made the event easier.


* To be repeated on a different tour ASAP.

Monty Dog

I've done L'eroica a couple of times but it was getting a bit too much 'corporate hospitality' for my liking and less of the genuine bike enthusiasts and more the 'cool gig' crowd. I find it ironic that the distances for the 'classics' like P-Rx and RvV have decreased as they've got more popular and pleased I did them when I did. There's something really magical about early morning starts in the dark, following a line a blinking red lights as dawn breaks. Bit disenfranchised with many road events as they feel like they've lost that sense of adventure. Off for a repeat trip to the arctic in February to attempt a 5-day race that only 4 entrants completed this year - being on a frozen-lake in near white-out conditions at night after 30 hours of racing, your GPS is playing-up, your speed is 2kph pushing through knee-deep snow and you just want to curl-up somewhere warm takes you mentally and physically to places you'll never forget!

term1te

Monty Dog wrote:

I've done L'eroica a couple of times but it was getting a bit too much 'corporate hospitality' for my liking and less of the genuine bike enthusiasts and more the 'cool gig' crowd. I find it ironic that the distances for the 'classics' like P-Rx and RvV have decreased as they've got more popular and pleased I did them when I did. There's something really magical about early morning starts in the dark, following a line a blinking red lights as dawn breaks. Bit disenfranchised with many road events as they feel like they've lost that sense of adventure. Off for a repeat trip to the arctic in February to attempt a 5-day race that only 4 entrants completed this year - being on a frozen-lake in near white-out conditions at night after 30 hours of racing, your GPS is playing-up, your speed is 2kph pushing through knee-deep snow and you just want to curl-up somewhere warm takes you mentally and physically to places you'll never forget!

There were some snow flurries this morning, so I took the train. I'm clearly more of a fair weather cyclist than I thought.

For a proper mid-life crisis, you need to buy a very expensive bike and spend your time standing outside your house polishing it, riding it might be a bit like hard work. That’s what my mid-life acquaintances seem to be doing, although for bike read car, motorbike, very large house, or new wife. One person I know tried three of those at the same time, didn’t end well.

I thought about treating myself to one of those frame building courses for the big five 0, I like the idea of riding an event on a bike I’ve made. However, in the end I’ve booked to ride up and down Ventoux a few times next year.

Monty Dog

I should add that for my 50th, I designed the frame and had it custom-built in titanium, sourced all the parts and built it all myself. Very satisfying when you ride it first time and it rides beautifully which got me thinking, "now I've got it, what shall I do with it?" Maximum width tyres and rims are this year's project - maximum float and grip on soft snow for hopefully a little less pushing.

Anonymous

Stick on some snowchains and change the front wheel for a snowboard?

term1te

Monty Dog wrote:

I should add that for my 50th, I designed the frame and had it custom-built in titanium, sourced all the parts and built it all myself. Very satisfying when you ride it first time and it rides beautifully which got me thinking, "now I've got it, what shall I do with it?" Maximum width tyres and rims are this year's project - maximum float and grip on soft snow for hopefully a little less pushing.

That’s pretty much what I did last year with a small inheritance I came into. Built the bike up in time for a tour of the Dolomites last summer. Its not built for snow though.

meanredspider

Monty Dog wrote:

Maximum width tyres and rims are this year's project - maximum float and grip on soft snow for hopefully a little less pushing.

Is it the type of snow that will work like that? With a fair bit of experience of commuting on MTB in snow using Ice Spiker Pros, I've found that wide tyres are actually a hinderance because they don't "cut through" snow but kind of crush it. It becomes a bit like trying to ride out of one of those concrete cycle stands. I had a talk with a Canadian guy who reckons 23c tyres work best for him in snow. YMMV.

kayakerchris

go and ride in the Swiss Alps with Alain Rupf of grand tours Project. Really nice guy and superb cyclist.

Monty Dog

meanredspider wrote:

Is it the type of snow that will work like that? With a fair bit of experience of commuting on MTB in snow using Ice Spiker Pros, I've found that wide tyres are actually a hinderance because they don't "cut through" snow but kind of crush it. It becomes a bit like trying to ride out of one of those concrete cycle stands. I had a talk with a Canadian guy who reckons 23c tyres work best for him in snow. YMMV.

Not really comparable to expedition riding in the arctic. I was riding one section where it was deep snow but big tyres and my relatively light weight helped me stay 'afloat' - a big Swedish guy was pot-holing up to his thighs whilst pushing his bike. Take your bike to the top of the Cairngorm Plateau in winter and see how you get on....23 tyres would be 'fun'

meanredspider

Monty Dog wrote:

Not really comparable to expedition riding in the arctic. I was riding one section where it was deep snow but big tyres and my relatively light weight helped me stay 'afloat' - a big Swedish guy was pot-holing up to his thighs whilst pushing his bike. Take your bike to the top of the Cairngorm Plateau in winter and see how you get on....23 tyres would be 'fun'

Sounds more like fat bike (or snow bike) conditions but, as I meant in my opening and YMMV codicil, you know the conditions you're riding better than anyone. I've just found wide tyres in anything more than a few inches of fresh snow counterproductive. I think if I took any regular bike with any tyres to Cairngorm Plateau in winter it would be 'fun' (if I wasn't blown away first )

meesterbond

meanredspider wrote:

Sounds more like fat bike (or snow bike) conditions

I think that's exactly the sort of bike he built...

Thigh_burn

Thanks for all the really helpful tips.

The ideas on here have been fantastic in helping me focus my mind and work out what I don't want to do, as well as do want to do. Some of the tour companies look fantastic, but not quite what I'm after for now.

So, having looked and researched, I'm thinking 5 days, in late May / early June staying in or around Bourg d'Oisans. That gives us access to Alpe d'Huez, Croix de Fer and Galibier. Which, if I can do them, will be some good going.

I'd really like a decent recommendation for a gite or B&B that is bike friendly and well located. My ideal is a place we can stay that can do airport transfers and some basic mechanical assistance. I'm a sucker for a bit of comfort, so the place doesn't have to be too basic...

reacher

I can recommend chalet Michelle just out of Bourg I stayed their and it's pretty good , nice warm up ride to the foot of the D'huez , I think he will do transfers he was when we stayed their, food is excellent as well. Plus they have some limited bike mechanic facility's if you need to work on he bike. Theirs a cracking bike shop in the town if you need more Stuff.

meanredspider

meesterbond wrote:

meanredspider wrote:

Sounds more like fat bike (or snow bike) conditions

I think that's exactly the sort of bike he built...

Ah cool - I'd have thought fitting "maximum width wheels and tyres" are what you did from the outset on these bikes? Else it would be like fitting flat bars on an aero bike - kinda missing the point. But fat bikes aren't my thing so I wouldn't know.