# Event (s) you would recommend for 2016?



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

What event did you do this year that you would HIGHLY recommend for 2016?


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

I'm going to bite, even though it's not the tip you're looking for...

I joined the Strava climbing challenges for the last two months. I have friends I actually ride with who join regularly, as well as acquaintances and relative strangers I follow from Poland, France, Australia and Italy. I have to say that I climbed more in the last two months than I did all season. I'm a BIG guy and climbing hurts, it's a suffer-fest for me, and I've been suffering like mad lately (or as much as time permits). I'm not an overly competitive guy but edging past friends on rankings and watching that orange bar graph fill up pushed me to be a better climber. 

Still not a big events guy... every time I almost bring myself to pay $100-$250 for a ride I go for an epic ride with a buddy (sometimes on the same roads) and wave it off.


----------



## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

Obviously depends on what you are looking for, pinning on a number, gravel, fondo etc. In the spring you have Hell of Hunterdon and Battenkill for the gravel, can be as fast or casual as you want but tough. The HoH crew does other spring classic style rides. Monkey Knife Fight and Donuts Ride out in Lehigh Valley are sufferfests. Lots of century rides like Revolutionary Ramble through out NJ late spring and summer. Highlands Gran Fondo, NJ Gran Fondo, Colavita NY ride, NY Gran Fondo for the bigger money rides. Bon Ton or Virginia if you want to travel. Fall has Bicycling Magazine ride, Covered Bridge Ride in Bucks Cty. I did not do all of these, but ride with people who vouched for them as challenging, fun and well organized.


----------



## MaxKatt (May 30, 2015)

In this area, this year, NY Gran Fondo, Blooming' Metric, Twin Lights. Other years I always like NY Century. 

Road tripped again to Chocolate Ride in Hershey, PA. Going to try similar Tour de Chocolate out there next year if it doesn't cross with other stuff we want to ride (Sea Gull Century in particular). 

Also road tripped Maine Lighthouse Century which we loved.

I can find joy in any ride, but if I had to name some I would put lower on list...Tour de Yonkers, Tour de Staten Island, or Tour de Bronx, or Discover Hudson.


----------



## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

D2R2. There's nothing else like it.

The scenery.

The peacefulness.

The lack of cars.

The dirt roads.

The climbing.

The task of navigating the course.

When it takes 6 hours to ride 100k, you KNOW it's unlike any other ride you've done.


----------



## 9W9W (Apr 5, 2012)

MaxKatt said:


> In this area, this year, NY Gran Fondo, Blooming' Metric, Twin Lights. Other years I always like NY Century.
> 
> Road tripped again to Chocolate Ride in Hershey, PA. Going to try similar Tour de Chocolate out there next year if it doesn't cross with other stuff we want to ride (Sea Gull Century in particular).
> 
> ...


Sooo... basically every ride you can think of is on the must do list.


----------



## MaxKatt (May 30, 2015)

9W9W said:


> Sooo... basically every ride you can think of is on the must do list.



Not at all. Did not mention Golden Apple, Harlem Valley, etc. Specifically "low lighted" a few.


----------



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

Thank you, some of these I had not heard of.


----------



## TricrossRich (Mar 26, 2014)

In the past 2 years, I've done the 5Boro, Gran Fondo New York, NJ Gran Fondo, Ramapo Valley rally.....

The only would I would NOT do again would be the GFNY. As a whole, I thought the GFNY event was woefully unorganized. Packet pickup was a nightmare. not at all worth the money. The only thing the event has going for it, is the climb up Bear Mountain. Save the $200 and take the ride up with your buddies.


----------



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

Here is one I just learned of:Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo Sounds interesting, not too far.


----------



## Bee-an-key (May 5, 2007)

merckxman said:


> Here is one I just learned of:Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo Sounds interesting, not too far.


Just saw that as well, some of the Watchung Wheelmen posted it. Lots of climbing, lots of dirt, lots of fun for early Spring.


----------



## chriscc63 (Mar 9, 2011)

*Ride listing*

Mercxam, it seems you are rather accomplished cyclist having done several GFondo's. After doing a fondo, all the other rides are just "joy rides" to you. 
Here is a non fondo event, but I believe it is timed and I have been wanting to do this myself.
Tour of the Catskills - Home

Of course there are other easier events like the:
Tour De, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn & Yonkers, Brooklyn's epic ride, Escape ny Ride, NYC century ride, Montaulk LI. century ride. 

You know, now that you've brought this up, can we collect all the rides everyone knows about lets say within 50 mils of nyc and list them here with aprox date. Then we can copy and past them to a master list. No mater how lame the ride like the 5BBB. This way we can just pick and chose. I'll start:


Tour De Staten Island 1/2 century 4/17
Ghost bike ride tri-boro NY 4/19
Tour De Brooklyn NY 6/7
Revolutionary Ramble Tour Morris NJ 6/11
discover Hudson valley NY 6/26
Tour De Queens NY 7/12
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo NJ 7/19
Harlem Valley Rail ride 7/24
Brooklyn Epic ride NY 7/25
Tour De Catskills NY 7/25
Tour De Farms Sussex NJ 9/4
Tour De Farms Warren NJ 9/24
NYC Century NY 9/13
Twin lights NJ 9/27
Tour de Bronx NY 10/25
Tour de Yonkers NY 9/
Tour de Long Valley
Hillier than Thou NJ
Colavita NY ride
Blooming Metric
Revolutionary Ramble NJ
Catskills Gran Fondo NY
Highlands Gran Fondo NY
NJ Gran Fondo
NY Gran Fondo
Golden Apple ride NY
Harlem Valley ride NY
Ramapo Valley rally NY
Montaulk Century L.I. NY
Escape Ny
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo NJ

What others out there? anyone, anybody, Buhler?


----------



## tommybike (Dec 30, 2015)

merckxman said:


> Here is one I just learned of:Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo Sounds interesting, not too far.


Heard great things about this. Unfortunately it is conflicting with a time trial I want to do.


----------



## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

merckxman said:


> What event did you do this year that you would HIGHLY recommend for 2016?



If you have never done a sportive and don't know all the Rockland county roads the Gran Fondo NY is a must. If you train for it you will absolutely love it. Ifyou like to climb then by all means do the Catskill Gran fondo that climbs devil's kitchen. I have done both. I do not recommend repeating these but instead try new challenges which is what i am doing this year attempting Mont Ventoux in a Gran Fondo setting.

If you are from NY the one event I would not recommend is Glen's ride to Montauk. It's not a sportive and the bike care post-event is sub-optimal. 

Basicallly do as many different rides as you can and don't repeat them, new experiences are awesome.


----------



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

Mont Ventoux is beautiful. I had a great day to do it, although it was very hot in the bottom wooded section. It's a relentless uphill, steady, winding grind, all the way to the hairpin before the top at the tower. Didn't have any wind that day and it was spectacularly clear.


----------



## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

merckxman said:


> Mont Ventoux is beautiful. I had a great day to do it, although it was very hot in the bottom wooded section. It's a relentless uphill, steady, winding grind, all the way to the hairpin before the top at the tower. Didn't have any wind that day and it was spectacularly clear.


I do hear its relentless. I'm on a semi-compact now with a 28 cog. Still debating swapping out for a compact and a 32 for the trip. I have another bike on order that will be so configured but its more of a gravel bike with disc.


----------



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

If you have hard daily rides leading up to Mont Ventoux I think having a lower gearing option wouldn't be a mistake. 




Trek_5200 said:


> I do hear its relentless. I'm on a semi-compact now with a 28 cog. Still debating swapping out for a compact and a 32 for the trip. I have another bike on order that will be so configured but its more of a gravel bike with disc.


----------



## Lallement (Mar 1, 2014)

I really like the Harlem Valley Rail Ride Home

it is really lovely scenery, great roads, great rest stops and very well organized. It is one of my favorites each year. You might also like the Tour of the Litchfield Hills in CT


----------



## joestralia (Aug 20, 2008)

I hope this ride doesn't get cancelled this year, and hoping for good weather. It is a climbfest that managed to find the sharpest uphills I've ever experienced. And all in Joisey! Great value unlike GFNY (which you can do on your own ~ just follow the arrows).

Hillier than Thou 

Hillier than Thou Course - 101.6 mi mapped course on MapMyRide


----------



## chriscc63 (Mar 9, 2011)

Yea, that's pretty damm hilly alright, judging from the elevations link you posted. Is this the name of the ride or is it your personal ride? post a link.


----------



## tommybike (Dec 30, 2015)

chriscc63 said:


> Yea, that's pretty damm hilly alright, judging from the elevations link you posted. Is this the name of the ride or is it your personal ride? post a link.


Hillier than Thou is pretty much legendary in NJ cycling circles.


----------



## AlanE (Jan 22, 2002)

HTT has been around for about 20 years in one form or another. It used to be run by the Central Jersey Bicycle Club. The route changed somewhat from year to year, but was mostly based in northern Hunterdon & southern Warren counties. I remember one year it crossed into PA a bit. I think it always included Fiddlers Elbow.


----------



## ROAD&DIRT (Mar 27, 2009)

chriscc63 said:


> Yea, that's pretty damm hilly alright, judging from the elevations link you posted. Is this the name of the ride or is it your personal ride? post a link.


Hillier Than Thou is the name of ride... The last time I participated, CycleCraft was handling/hosting the event.


----------



## SauronHimself (Nov 21, 2012)

The Saratoga Springs Tour de Cure is a big charity ride in June. There is usually a 2500 rider turnout, and the climbs on the 62.5-mile and 100-mile routes are substantial.


----------



## mtrac (Sep 23, 2013)

I liked the Tour de Long Valley. Everything else I'm familiar with is already listed.


----------



## merckxman (Jan 23, 2002)

I just learned about 2 Tour de Farm events in northwestern NJ: 2015 Tour De Farm NJ


----------



## chriscc63 (Mar 9, 2011)

GOOD FIND MERCHXMAN. They are a little out of my reach but are still good ones. I'll add them to the list.


----------

