Recently there have been a number of comments about the Bike Around Midlothian bike ride. This got me to thinking about what do I look for in a bike ride. There are many rides I look forward to and there are some I ride once and never bother to return. From my experience here is what I think:
- A catchy theme or purpose gets my attention to first consider the ride.
- A convenient location. Close rides are more practical than driving across Texas. One exception I make on this one is the Hotter’n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls. I drove to Harlingen several times for the Jalapeno 100.
- A reasonable price. When I first started going on rides in the 1980′s the typical cost was $10. Now the typical cost is $25. For rides during the year when the weather is questionable I hesitate pre-registering so I pay the late fee which I think $35 is the upper limit. When I see a ride is above these amounts I have a rough time considering them.
- Various route lengths. In the 1980′s a 100 mile route was my goal now that I am 25 years older the upper limit is 60 to 75 miles.
- Plenty of parking at the starting location. When parking is not in one spot having people direct the traffic is very helpful. Big signs are most appreciated.
- Quickly moving and easy to find packet pickup locations. Sometimes I go to rides where I cannot find the place to pickup the pre-ride materials and stuff.
- A clear starting lane for space and safety. If the start lane is small and has cars parked the chance of accidents increase a lot.
- Plain route markings. Each route length should have it’s own color and the markings should be painted on he roadway. I can remember one ride in Tyler when vandals moved the route signs and caused a major problem. Signs are good but markings on the road last longer. If the local authorities have a problem use paint that washes away after a few rains. A map should be included in the packet. Also it has to be detailed enough that you can actually make out the road names.
- Rest stops with cheery people and adequate supplies. It takes both. Supplies with no cheer make for a sad ride. At the same time continuing on a ride without water is not good. Ride organizers have a difficult time estimating how much supplies they will need at each rest stop so it is important for riders to mark which route they really plan on riding when they preregister.
- Sag wagons that are not too far away. This is one area that seems weak on many rides. There may be sag wagons but I never see one when you need them.
- Traffic spotters at dangerous intersections or places on the route. I have seen some near misses when there have not been spotters.
- Easy to find finish line. Do not hide the finish without signs and/or spotters to direct the riders. After riding high mental thought to find the finish line is not what is needed.
- A lunch at the finish. This is why I go to the Pineywoods Purgatory in Lufkin year after year. They have the best fajitas and there are plenty of them. The lunch does not have to be free but it helps.
Did I list all of the things you look for?
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Speaking for myself I have only considered just a few of the things you have mentioned here as my main criteria for good ride. Here are my main criteria:
1) Overall affordability. Here I look at total cost to go to the event not just what the fee for the ride is. Gas for the car, etc. In the case of far away events such as when I went to the Shiner GASP then there is hotel, meals, gas, shopping(optional), emergency costs, as well as the fees for the event.
2) A reasonable expectation of what the road conditions will be like. I look for all the reviews of a particular event that I can find and see what the conditions of the roads and surrounding areas are described as. Granted one persons “smooth as glass” is another persons “rough as heck” but what I have seen so far is that the road descriptions as stated in the reviews are pretty accurate for a given event.
As for the rest I have gone in and taken my chances on what the parking, check in and the overall situation is like. I have a habit of arriving real early and so many things that I have seen people complain about have not been a problem for me so far. I will usually watch and see how every thing flows as the day progress and make my assessment on whether to return the next year or not after a couple of days of thinking about how every thing went.
My 2cents ……
Good points. Overall cost is important and I think over the years cost increases for most rides has been reasonable. Some rides have made their registration fees too high. I think they may have wanted to limit the number of riders (BP MS150 in Houston) or thought the riders would still turn out even if the price was near $50. Organizers need to decide if a larger number of riders paying $20-$30 is better than a smaller number paying $40-$50.
Road conditions play an important part. I have a tough time on “chip and seal” pavement for much distance but I also like a challenge as well. To me the challenge is usually in the terrain; hills are rare in southeast Texas so a reasonable “mountain” on the 60+ mile route is doable.
The other points add to the overall perception of the ride and the organization. A smooth, hassle-free start is soothing.
Hi y’ll,
here’s my 2 cents’ worth:
@ Rick: I agree with your list. It covers nearly everything I would want in a ride. What I’d like to add, though, would be the availability of (free) memorabilia, such as the mugs and/or the bandannas the LBJ 100 organizers gave out for free, and/or the (usual) t-shirts. But I’d also appreciate special-occasion jerseys at a reasonable price. At the end of a ride, I’d greatly appreciate the availability of showers and a place to change – I’m really not looking forward to spending much time in my sweaty riding clothes.
@ Joe: I agree with you on costs, especially since quite a few rides require an overnight stay at the location. And as to road conditions: a good map like e.g. at the MapMyRide and/or GPSies.com websites, with a elevation profile and the chance of looking the course in GoogleEarth would be great.
Safe bicycling,
Pit
Good points. I have been on rides that offer the free memorabilia but they usually are heavily sponsored by a company. One that comes to mind is the Tour de Houston and Guaranty Bank. I think the LBJ 100 might be connected to the National Park Service. The Hotter’n Hell Hundred has jerseys but I am not sure they are reasonably priced. They also have the showers. I agree they come in handy. The first time I did the HH100 we stayed in a campground at the Arrowhead State Park and we really needed the showers before we went back after the ride.
The overnight stay rides limited my range since I am a Sunday School teacher and cannot skip too many Sunday’s. A few rides offer the GPS files of their routes. Again the HH100 does this.