Your longest haul... alone!

[Avispa]

OK forum bros, please share with us how far and how was your longest, single ride... alone, that is!

I ride alone most of time and enjoy it very much. The only time I hate it is when the wind kicks my arse. So far this year my longest has been 65. I hope to do a 80 in a couple of weeks!

Cheers :beer:

[Too Tall]

I've been recused for legal reasons.

[dave thompson]

My longest was 65 for my 65th birthday late last year.

[dauwhe]

Longest solo ride ever was 204 miles, 25 years ago, doing the "Grand Loop" from Estes Park, Colorado, over the Peak-to-Peak, Georgetown, Berthoud Pass, Winter Park, and Trail Ridge. By the end I was hoping cars would run me over so I wouldn't have to ride any more.

Longest recent solo ride was probably 129 miles. I probably spent 95% of last year's 400k riding alone, but that doesn't count...

This year so far, the longest is 86 miles, when it was in the upper sixties in January in New England! This morning it was four degrees, and twelve miles seemed like an eternity!

Dave

[scrooge]

120-ish.

[saab2000]

I think Brussels to Cologne. But I don't know how far it was. But it was from early morning 'til late afternoon. Not fast. But cold and raining.

Edit: Just checked the distance online and it is only 114 miles. But I know I rode further than that because it was not really Cologne and also I rode on back roads.

Maybe 140 miles or so. I was once entered into a race which was 156 miles, but did not finish.

[ergott]

Century.

[FlaRider]

Hey Avispa!

Long time no see. Let's go riding one of these days. Can you ride reasonably early on Saturdays (leaving at 7:30AM or so) or are you still working the nite-shift sometimes. PM me. Thanks.

[znfdl]

promise not to commit me: 303 miles when I was training for a RAAM qualifier

[coylifut]

promise not to commit me: 303 miles when I was training for a RAAM qualifier

you were clearly commited.

the longest ride i've done alone was to my brothers house and back. the return trip was 125. I was 16, had a sleeping bag wedged between the bars, wore tenis shoes and cutt-off sweat pants. if i did that today, i'd be a gonner for weeks, at 16 no problem.

[pdxbikeboy]

135 with one other person or 85 by myself. the one by myself was much more challenging.
pdxbikeboy

[Kevan]

to lose Sandy.

He exhibits no qualms in asking others to give he and his trike a lift while also searching the roads for me.

Probably a metric century. I prefer company.

[Andreas]

80% of my rides are alone. Nobody else wants to ride at 4:30 AM :confused: .
Got lost last summer and rode 146 miles. Not well received at home. Tried to compensate by taking the kids to the lake. We were at the beach by 1 pm, fell asleep, woke up at 4 pm. Had a long conversation with the kids not to mention it at home. :D

Tried to use it as an argument for one of the fancy GPS gizmos - no go.

Andreas

[Archibald]

I rode across the Atlantic on my bicycle. Here is an actual photo taken of me during my crossing. I would have never made it were it not for the special and unique handling qualities I experienced by virtue of using Obtuse's CF pontoons.

http://www.forgottenfutures.com/game/ff5/aquabike.gif

[Guacamole]

While crossing the northern half of our country in 1976, on a beautiful summer day, I left Red Lodge Montana in the morning after a sweet ride down Bear Tooth pass out of Yellowstone the day before. 242 miles later I fell asleep behind the bars so to speak at 4 am on I-94 while spinning along through the dark of night trying to avoid 114 degree day time heat somewhere in North Dakota. I was living on the road with 40 lbs of gear sleeping where ever I could. To be that young again.

Guacamole :cool:

[paulh]

150 miles alone on a Saturday in preparation for a double century the following Saturday. Worked great. If you can do 150 alone... you can do 200 with others.

[Johnnyg]

210 miles in 1993 during the St Louis to Kansas City and back ride. A 7am departure and pulled into the check point at 10:30pm. That one hert. JohnnyG

[davids]

80+ miles, iirc. It was my first year back in the fold as a serious cyclist, and my family was out of town, as were my usual riding partners. I decided to ride from Dorchester to Concord, and then back through Natick. I didn't eat enough, and bonked quite badly after about 60 miles. I had (if I'm remembering this right - I was slightly dazed) a hot-fudge sundae on the banks of the Charles in South Natick, and by the time I got within 10 miles of home, was feeling much better.

[old_school]

Back in the mid 90s, I spent a week mountain biking solo on the island of Montserrat. I started each day with a ride around the perimeter road which, although only 30 miles, included approx. 8,000 vertical feet of climbing (all to the background of a rumbling volcano). Sadly, about 2 months after I left, the island was devastated by a massive pyroclastic eruption.

[onekgguy]

two summers ago i did a dawn to dusk solo ride of 266 miles. i put together a digital journal of the day...you can read about it here. (http://www.kevinandtammy.net/blog/bicycle_to_babbitt.htm)

Kevin

[72gmc]

davids, I had a similar experience at 16 with my ski patrol friends on a 65-70 miler. I recall being mystified when everyone started pulling snacks out of bike bags. Snacks? Bags? Greg LeMond doesn't do this! I bonked so badly after about 50 miles that it took me a long time to try that kind of distance again.

These days a metric century is about the longest ride I can get in on a regular basis. There's always a honey-do list waiting for me at home.

[gone]

I do a 110 mile ride solo about once every 6 weeks.

[Too Tall]

Longest solo is 600K Brevet. One 45 min. stop at a pre-arranged hotel for a quick change of cloths, bottles and a shower.

[Louis]

A hair over 70 miles a few years ago on the KATY Trail (http://www.mostateparks.com/katytrail/index.html) . It's a converted rail line and flat as a pancake, with only one hill on the way home (not on the trail) to get back out of the MO river flood plain. The only thing that made it somewhat of a challenge is that it was on my non-suspension MTB (read, no good riding positions and a modern bone-shaker) and on crushed gravel, which is draggier (that's an aerodynamic term) than roads.

Louis

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=15923&stc=1

[Bradford]

95 miles on a touring bike with a 65 pound load. I was going to stop in Rawlins WY, but it is such an ugly place I kept going.

[Too Tall]

Count your lucky stars Bradford...coulda been Rock Springs :rolleyes:

[davids]

davids, I had a similar experience at 16 with my ski patrol friends on a 65-70 miler. I recall being mystified when everyone started pulling snacks out of bike bags. Snacks? Bags? Greg LeMond doesn't do this! I bonked so badly after about 50 miles that it took me a long time to try that kind of distance again.Yeah, I've mostly learned that lesson - Two weeks ago, I forgot my little snack bag when mountain biking. I felt fine during the two hours of riding, but by the time I unloaded my bike from the car, I was spent. And I felt it the rest of the day. :crap:

[manet]

in collage*, after a cold six pack for my hydration hump, attired in brown corduroy cut-offs, a cotton baseball t-shirt and sockless docksider mocassins, stopping only for more beer, i rode my orange raleigh international, from providence to manomet for a friday night beach grinding. the following weekend dressed in the same kit, i joined the providence wheelmen for their sunday ride. sans beer, i had a coke and a mounds bar.




*fancy art school

[Grant McLean]

If by longest you mean 'the ride that felt most like it would never, ever end,
and questioning why the heck am I doing this, oh why won't this be over?'
I'd say it was a tie between these two:

Deciding to ride 15km home from IKEA with about 100lbs of glass shelves
balanced on the handlebars. I thought i'd never get the feeling back in my arms!

or

Riding 3 km to work, on a -30' day, sheer ice road, blinding sunshine with
no hat or sunglasses. I'd trade any 300km ride for that one.

g

[mflaherty37]

I did 148 in Wisconsin a couple years ago. I started at 9:00 and just never got tired. I loved the roads and the lakes. I ended up having trouble finding my way back to the cabin near Green Lake and didn't get back until well after dark - oops.

[dauwhe]

Longest solo is 600K Brevet. One 45 min. stop at a pre-arranged hotel for a quick change of cloths, bottles and a shower.

Yeah, but you probably finish a 600k faster than I do a 300k! :)

Actually, my first year of randonneuring, Sandy Whittlesey finished the 300k in exactly the same time it took me to do the 200k. And he rides 600k faster than I do 400k...

Dave

[Too Tall]

Sandy is not of this world...does he even count? ;)
He is def. on my short list of cycling heros.

[dauwhe]

Sandy is not of this world...does he even count? ;)
He is def. on my short list of cycling heros.

And he's so incredibly nice! He's been really supportive...

I was riding Quad Centuries during the 2005 BMB. On day two we were heading out of Ludlow, and saw Sandy riding back towards Boston, on the way to the BMB record of 46:03. So cool to have seen him flying by!

Dave

[wanderingwheel]

About 400 miles, Colorado Springs to Kayenta, AZ by way of Montrose, CO and Farmington, NM during a stupid-light, stupid-fast tour.

[kestrel]

177 miles from home to the beach house for 21 years. Sometimes twice a year, sometimes only 100+ miles and a pickup on the way during the early childhood years of both boys. I stopped doing it two years ago because of the increased traffic and the likelyhood of being a hood ornament.

Always a negative elevation gain and a tailwind, small potatos compared to some of you.

[Tom]

The longest I've done is 125 up to the farm but usually my brother, his wife or kids hook up with me between Londonderry and Ludlow so I have at least one very strong rider with me for the thirty or forty miles. Cheating.

Next summer I definitely want to do a four or five day stretch of big miles. I thought about 125 to the farm, 60-70 to my sister's place in North Haverhill, 100 or so around Franconia Notch and then head back south the way I came. That'd be a good run.

[ss-jimbo]

175 or so from Gainesville to Wauchula, FL, en route to Sanibel Island, in July, about 95 degrees, with a 15 pound fanny pack. The pressure on my stomach kept me from feeling very hungry and I couldn't eat enough. Later in the day, I was stopping every 15-20 miles to down a quart of gatorade. When I found a motel, I stripped down and laid on the the floor for about 1/2 an hour. I didn't have enough energy to take a shower.

The next day, by some miracle, I managed to ride another 100 to my destination.

[rdparadise]

Well, in 2000 I did the better part of a double century alone. Total mileage was in the 203 neighborhood, however, at least 30-50 of these miles had companionship and all it did have support of some kind or another.

Aside from this megga ride, I believe my longest solo ride was most likely in the neighborhood of 85 miles. I love riding alone as it gives me time to enjoy nature, it's natural beauty and time to think about life and other challenges I may be dealing with at that time.

I acknowledge some of you others for the mammouth efforts you've already wrote about here in this thread. Bravo! :beer:

[MarleyMon]

I rode the Kal-Haven trail in MI roundtrip (South Haven to Kalamazoo) last summer (and a couple of other times). 75 miles on a crushed limestone, rails to trails state park, paniers full of food and clothes, ending with a sunset dip in beautiful Lake Michigan. 70º, blue sky, no humidity - pure bliss.

[scrooge]

I rode the Kal-Haven trail in MI roundtrip (South Haven to Kalamazoo) last summer (and a couple of other times). 75 miles on a crushed limestone, rails to trails state park, paniers full of food and clothes, ending with a sunset dip in beautiful Lake Michigan. 70º, blue sky, no humidity - pure bliss.

My wife was just lamenting that we no longer live near this wonderful trail the other day--she ran a pretty good chunk of it when training for a marathon a few years ago.

[chakatrain]

While I've riden a few, unburdened rides longer than this, the ride that was probably the hardest/longest was a self-supported solo leg of a cross country bike touring trip I took back in '91. The second week of October, I rode from Parker, Arizona, just across the Colorado river, west to 29 Palms, California (at the base of Joshua Tree NP). It was a 119 mile ride, over a number of decently hard climbs, in the sparse mohave desert. I rode for what seemed like hours without seeing a soul, even a car, but in fact I might just have tuned them out. The temp was over 100F, and I barely had enough water.

Here's a map of the route (http://www.google.com/maps?saddr=Parker,+AZ+85344&daddr=29+Palms,+California&f=l&sll=34.162386,-114.288368&sspn=0.124712,0.343323&ie=UTF8&z=9&om=1&z=9&pw=2)

The woman working the California agricultural inspection station was actually a real doll; when she learned that I planned to cross the 100 distance under the hot sun with only a liter of water, she wouldn't let me pass, insisting that I carry another 2 gallons which I could buy at the truck stop nearby. At 8 lbs. a gallon, I ended up carrying about 20 pounds of water (2.5 gallons), which of course, I griped about. I ended up drinking every last drop and still being out of water about 20 miles away from town. Luckily I found a bar about 10 miles out of town; I ordered two big gatorades and downed them both in what seemed like single gulp each.

When I finally got into 29 Palms, I hit up the 7-11, had a super big gulp of some soda, which I also downed.

Coming down the highway from Las Vegas was another cyclist loading with touring gear. He was on his way to Mexico. We ended up chatting, sharing a pizza, and by the time we finished dinner, I somehow had agreed to change direction and head south towards the tip of Baja California with him.

Good times...definitely good times.

[tad3]

In 1971 and '72, I rode several all-day rides by myself in the northern Kentucky/southern Indiana area that probably exceeded 100 miles each; I don't know the exact distance, though, I just wanted to ride. About four years ago I wanted to try clipless pedals for the first time, and put a pair of spd-type pedals on the Richard Sachs. It was just sundown as I finished, so I rode them around the block and fiddled with the adjustments. The next morning, I wanted to give the pedals a longer ride -- it ended up being 99 miles on the odometer.
Tom Donahue
Melbourne, FL

[rePhil]

110

[Hardlyrob]

Since there are a number of forumites that have been to / lived in or grown up in Ithaca, NY, you should be able to relate.

Growing up in Ithaca, going to school and learing to ride hills there, I used to regularly ride around Cayuga lake. 88 miles end to end, or 99 from Cornell, back to campus. Man that last set of climbs hurts. I've probably done that ride 30+ times.

Need to bring a bike with me next time I'm in Ithaca and do it again! I even "raced" Davis Phinney once - he beat me by about 1 1/2 hours, but hey we WERE in the same race.

Cheers!

Rob

[H.Frank Beshear]

75-80 miles I get a hair about once a year and tell Deb not to worry Ill be back sooner or later. I have a loop that takes me through a few small towns that have quick shops so I can pick up food and water along the way. Someday I'll do a full century or so.

[sellsworth]

I did the High Sierra Century one year completely on my own. Great route - very beautiful around Mono Lake and Mammoth. But it was really tough because of the wind and the pollen load was really heavy that year. Lots of sneezing and wheezing.

[Erik.Lazdins]

While most of my rides are alone (4:30AM) I have not had any truly epic rides solo. I've done a few centuries solo, some made more memorable by rain and wind, but my best solo ride happened back in Somerset, NJ.

My parents were on vacation and my Dad's mom came to watch my sister and I for the week. Since my grandmother did not know my mom's rule against riding to school, she let me ride my bike to school.

I rode my bike to Conerly Road School every day that week. Those rides, the sensations, the joy the bike gave, place those rides at the top of the heap.

[weisan]

two summers ago i did a dawn to dusk solo ride of 266 miles. i put together a digital journal of the day...you can read about it here. (http://www.kevinandtammy.net/blog/bicycle_to_babbitt.htm)

Kevin

onekg-pal, I have enjoyed reading your digital journal. Thank you.

Longest solo ride for me was around 90+ miles. I got lost. :D

[Marco]

solo on my 40th b-day; most of the ride was far from anything so it was really solo if ya know what I mean.

[vaxn8r]

207, 203, 201

[soulspinner]

two summers ago i did a dawn to dusk solo ride of 266 miles. i put together a digital journal of the day...you can read about it here. (http://www.kevinandtammy.net/blog/bicycle_to_babbitt.htm)

Kevin


266 at 18.8! Great stuff.

[BURCH]

I was with a group and felt good so I broke away. Did 50 miles in 2 hours by myself to finish the ride that day. I felt so good that day and it was a peaceful ride with Mt Hood dissappearing behind me.

I do a lot of 40 milers on my own on weekends.

[shinomaster]

My longest solo ride I think was 70+ miles, I was training for the STP ride.
When I lived in Boston I did 60+ mile rides once a week, and fast too. Arlington-Lexington-Weston-Concord-lexington-Arlington...
This year my longest was a MP 36 mile ride into a sick wind. It felt like I did 50. It took well over two hours! I'm not back in shape yet...I have a hard time getting motivated to do long ride by myself anymore. :confused:

[vaxn8r]

My longest solo ride I think was 70+ miles, I was training for the STP ride.
When I lived in Boston I did 60+ mile rides once a week, and fast too. Arlington-Lexington-Weston-Concord-lexington-Arlington...
This year my longest was a MP 36 mile ride into a sick wind. It felt like I did 50. It took well over two hours! I'm not back in shape yet...I have a hard time getting motivated to do long ride by myself anymore. :confused:
Time to step up my man. I kind of have the attitude if you can't ride 50-70 why bother? :cool:

May 5th is comin' up. Better get ready.

[obtuse]

i've definatly done six hour training rides solo....not really that big a deal.

the longest ride in terms of "will this horrible ride ever end" has to be the stupid five hour ride i did last year with fstrthnu and myerspace.....i'd loaned someone my bike and forgot to check the saddle height and it felt high but it was january and cold and nothings supposed to feel right in january anyway and i was running late as usual so who cares.....first couple hours are fine...then i start cramping and getting dropped on the hills. despite much protests i tell those frootloops to keep going and i'll be fine and catch up or see'em back in boston or whatever......i proceed to get completely lost; my legs are cramping all over the place....i have no phone, no money, no spare tubular, no pump, no tools, no ipod its freezing out and i'm pushing my right leg on the downstroke just to keep moving......

three hours later when i get back to town....i realize my stupid saddle was 6cms higher than normal. that ride sucked and was too long and that's my stupid story about a long ride that was awful and now i make sure my saddle is in the right place before a long ride....

obtuse

[1centaur]

109+

Hit the planned century mark and thought, "dang, miscalculated the miles,"

[onekgguy]

reading what others have written about not necessarily their longest efforts but their most difficult rides got me thinking. back in july '81 i biked from minnesota to michigan's upper peninsula over 3 days. i'd planned for each day to be 110 miles. the 2nd day was pouring rain which caused my rim cement to break down and my rear tubular to come unstuck. stupid me didn't have any rim cement. to top it off my silca pump broke.

so there i was in hawkins, wi, trying for 5 hours to hitch-hike 70 miles east to rhinelander where i'd planned to stop for the night. nobody would pick me up. finally a guy going the opposite direction in a vw bug stopped and said he'd seen me out here for a few hours and would i be interested in going back the other way. he said there was a bike shop in ladysmith and they could maybe help me. we crammed my bike into his bug and got to the shop just as they were closing. i got what i needed and found a cheap room for the night.

i left early the next morning not knowing if i'd be able to make it (http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Ladysmith,+WI+54848&daddr=Toivola,+MI+49965&f=l&sll=45.471941,-91.108804&sspn=0.13362,0.393448&ie=UTF8&z=8&om=1) the rest of the way that day. i was heading for a family reunion in toivola, mi, and there would be other family members driving the same roads i was on so if all else failed i could catch a ride with one of them...at least that was my plan. this was ages before celphones. i made one call to my sister at a pay phone and told her that if anybody saw me to have them stop and see if i needed a lift. as it turned out my folks were coming through rhinelander the same time i was there but they missed me as i was in the dq ordering a 3x cheeseburger. i knew very little about nutrition back then but that was one of the best cheeseburgers i've ever had.

nobody else from my family passed me along the way.

as it turned out i managed to finish the ride just as the sun had gone down and the tall pines were quickly eating up whatever daylight may have been trying to linger. my mom met me out on the road a couple miles from where we'd be staying and shined her headlights on the road in front of me.

i biked 196 miles that day. the 266 miles i did a couple summers ago still pales in comparison to this ride because there was no way i was trained to go that distance but i did. as i said, i knew very little about nutrition and i certainly bonked along the way but i was able to recover and press on. easily one of the best days of my life.

here's a photo of me as i sat dazed after refueling with a plate pasta feeling pretty good about the day.

Kevin

http://kevinandtammy.net/images/gilmore3/kevin_july_1981.jpg

[Andreas]

This year my longest was a MP 36 mile ride into a sick wind. It felt like I did 50. It took well over two hours! I'm not back in shape yet...I have a hard time getting motivated to do long ride by myself anymore. :confused:


Ride more, post less. :D

[shinomaster]

Ride more, post less. :D

Hey it's only February! I could ride 100 miles tomorrow if I wanted...it's that "want" I'm lacking...

[shinomaster]

Time to step up my man. I kind of have the attitude if you can't ride 50-70 why bother? :cool:

May 5th is comin' up. Better get ready.

You better get ready! There arn't that many persons, save elite racers, that I can't drop going up a 1000 foot climb...
;)

[shinomaster]

i've definatly done six hour training rides solo....not really that big a deal.

the longest ride in terms of "will this horrible ride ever end" has to be the stupid five hour ride i did last year with fstrthnu and myerspace.....i'd loaned someone my bike and forgot to check the saddle height and it felt high but it was january and cold and nothings supposed to feel right in january anyway and i was running late as usual so who cares.....first couple hours are fine...then i start cramping and getting dropped on the hills. despite much protests i tell those frootloops to keep going and i'll be fine and catch up or see'em back in boston or whatever......i proceed to get completely lost; my legs are cramping all over the place....i have no phone, no money, no spare tubular, no pump, no tools, no ipod its freezing out and i'm pushing my right leg on the downstroke just to keep moving......

three hours later when i get back to town....i realize my stupid saddle was 6cms higher than normal. that ride sucked and was too long and that's my stupid story about a long ride that was awful and now i make sure my saddle is in the right place before a long ride....

obtuse

Jerk, That ride was MP. It reminds me of an early I ride I did in Boston from my dump on Mission Hill out to Concord and back when I was in college. On the way back I bonked really bad and my legs cramped so bad that I had to stop going over the Mass ave bridge. I barely made up up Mission hill and when I did I fell off my bike in a heap of cramps. My legs siezed up and I had to slid up the stairs into my apartment on my fat ***. It was a pretty ride though.