Anyone doing any organized rides this year?

I'm officially back in training for the Solvang Century on March 8th. I took a 3 1/2 hr, 40 mile ride with 2300 ft of climbing last Saturday and it felt great to be back on the roads again. :thumbsup:

I'm also planning a local metric fundraiser for our schools in April, another century in May and a double metric century (125miles) at the end of May.

For me, having goals to train for keeps me motivated to get my ass back in shape again. :D

:hi: What's everyone else doing? :shrug:

didn't you just start riding last year?

I'm considering doing Solvang too. Are you riding Wildflower in April?

Last weekend, for my 50th birthday, I did about 2,500 ft of climbing on Catalina Island -- it was fantastic. Best thing about all that activity is you get to eat whatever the hell you want to!

OMG, it was effing hard, but I did all 5 passes, on my very first attempt, so I'm proud of myself. 129 miles, 15,000 ft of climbing....all in ONE day. :eyes:

I doubt I'll do the Wildflower, but I've heard it's a great ride. We live in the Santa Cruz mountains, so coming down for the Solvang in March and the double metric in Ojai in late May will be enough traveling far distances to ride for us. :D

I agree with you about the eating. :thumbsup: A nice side benefit, to be sure. Great job on your b'day ride and happy belated to you! :party: I've been to Catalina Island before, I didn't know there was much cycling. I take it you were on a mountain bike?

I turn 44 in March and am really motivated to get my ass back in serious shape again for all these upcoming rides. :hi:

(completing Death Ride, Breathless Agony, and Mulholland Challenge) but backed out -- too many other commitments. Maybe next year. Congratulations on Death Ride...MAJOR accomplishment.

Catalina was great, there's very little riding around Avalon so you have to get a permit and head out to Two Harbors (or vice versa). The pavement is awful and the grade sometimes 12º+ so a mountain bike is a necessity. But the scenery is amazing.

But we are "kind of" far apart with participants in Ohio, Missouri, and California so far. I have never done an organized ride, btw.

I'd recommend an organized ride sometime, TBA. First off, it's fun to have something to train for and then the ride itself is fun to do with other kindred spirits, especially if it's a well-supported ride, with a beautiful route. :thumbsup: Usually a lot of them will have different route options for you to choose from, i.e., one event will have a 25 mile route, a metric century route(approx 65 miles), or a full century route(100 miles)...the elevations vary too. Anything is do-able if you give yourself enough training time!! I speak from experience. :D

:hi:

Meet new people, always have a lot to talk about for 30 or 40 miles. That was a few years ago, though.

400 miles in 8 days. I did it the last 2 years with my daughter on the tandem. Thi year we take the singles.

Fun, relatively flat, very social ride with a very large cross section of people.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing". That's their tag line. Did the 66 last year, doing the century this year.

Does the ride have a webpage? I am kind of far from there, but someone might want to know. :)

http://www.ironmanbikeride.org/

It's a great ride. PM me if you want more info or if you want to ride it with me.

I'm feelin it today!
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5511775

you were bookin! :yourock:

:hi:

I did quite a bit better that I thought I would, time-wise. It helped to have a little tail-wind for the last half!