What organized rides r u planning on doing in 2003



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[email protected] (Edward Dolan) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Having done many organized bike tours in the past few years I have come to the conclusion that
> they are about as much fun as death warmed over. I fully intend never to do another organized bike
> tour so long as I shall live. The only way to go is on your own by yourself where you can be
> totally independent.
>

Well, tastes differ. I enjoy riding my bike, not shopping for food, or searching for camping spots,
or begging water, or explaining myself to strangers.

You'd probably *hate* Cycle Oregon. It offers: Designated camping areas (all of them grass fields
this year) Three hot meals and snacks at rest stops Water stops with porta-potties every 10-15 miles
Trucks to carry all of your camping gear Shower trucks at each night's camp A beer garden and
nightly entertainment (there's a traveling stage that goes with the tour) Police escort and
ambulance service Beautiful scenery (we're going up Hells Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border this
year) And most important: riders of all stripes from kids to septuagenarians. True, there's lines to
stand in, but they're rarely excessive (to me) and the lines are times to chat and socialize.

Like I said- you'd probably hate it. But I like getting up in the morning knowing that all I have to
think about that day is riding- everything else is taken care of.

Jeff
 
[email protected] (Edward Dolan) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> Having done many organized bike tours in the past few years I have come to the conclusion that
> they are about as much fun as death warmed over. I fully intend never to do another organized bike
> tour so long as I shall live. The only way to go is on your own by yourself where you can be
> totally independent.
>

You'd probably *hate* Cycle Oregon. It offers: Designated camping areas (all of them grass fields
this year) Two hot meals, lunch, and snacks at rest stops Water stops with porta-potties every 10-15
miles Trucks to carry all of your camping gear Shower trucks at each night's camp A beer garden and
nightly entertainment (there's a traveling stage that goes with the tour) Police escort and
ambulance service Beautiful scenery (we're going up Hells Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border this
year) And most important: riders of all stripes from kids to septuagenarians. True, there's lines to
stand in, but they're rarely excessive (to me) and the lines are times to chat and socialize.
There's *always* new people to meet on Cycle Oregon.

Like I said- you'd probably hate it. But I like getting up in the morning knowing that all I have to
think about that day is riding- everything else is taken care of.

Jeff
 
Bill in Indiana <[email protected]> wrote:
: For me it is TOMRV (Iowa) , Hilly Hundred, Hoosier Hills, Ride across
: IN., Local Century and a few other more obscure organized rides.

Not sure what counts, but I'm planning on the .fi EcoTrip (you know, not the only but the original
anyway) - http://hpv-finland.org/ecotrip/english/

Would races count? :) Was thinking of Cycle Vision in the Netherlands...

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/ varis at no spam please iki fi
 
TBRADSTER wrote:
> Here's my list for 2003: TOSRV (Ohio) Metro Grand Spring Tour Tour de Lakes One Helluva Ride MS
> 150 BDBT in Wisconsin Assenmacher 100 DALMAC #7 for me Apple Cider Century Blue Water Ramble
>
> The Hostelshoppe event would be great, maybe hire a bus from Lansing, eh Foltz?
>
>
A bus'd be cool, if we could fit all the bikes, too. I don't think we'll get enough participants,
though. A small caravan might be all we can hope for. I've got my motel reservation already.

I'd do TOSRV, but only if my wife followed me for SAG. I don't want to ride in the rain like the
last one I did.

I want to do the Assenmacher this year. Last year I had to work *really* late the night before. I
haven't decided yet whether or not I'll do the Hilly 100; their new HQ looks interesting, but IIRC
it's the same weekend as another one I want to try. (ACC, Amish Land & Lakes, ???) Also, it seems
that a few of the lowracer crowd want to try the Ohio State 40K TT Championship in June this year,
maybe I'll do that one too.
--

John Foltz --- O _ Baron --- _O _ V-Rex 24/63 --- _\\/\-%)
_________(_)`=()___________________(_)= (_)_____
 
I thoroughly enjoy taking part in well run organized rides. However, I thought this thread might be
a good spot to offer one thought. A lot of these rides have been extremely aggressive in raising
fees. For many of these rides, the annual increases have far exceeded the rate of inflation. One
ride I attended struck me to be little more than a thinly disguised attempt to turn attending riders
upside down to shake the money from their pockets. Organizers would do well to remember, that at the
heart of these events, they are ESSENTIALLY CHARGING RIDERS FOR AN EVENT BASED ON THE USE OF PUBLIC
ROADS. I think it's nice, but I really don't care if some small part of the fee is being donated to
a charity. I still expect reasonable value for money. I will be attending fewer organized rides this
year, because some of the organizers have simply priced themselves out of consideration.
 
[email protected] (Jeff Wills) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> [email protected] (Edward Dolan) wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > Having done many organized bike tours in the past few years I have come to the conclusion that
> > they are about as much fun as death warmed over. I fully intend never to do another organized
> > bike tour so long as I shall live. The only way to go is on your own by yourself where you can
> > be totally independent.
> >
>
> Well, tastes differ. I enjoy riding my bike, not shopping for food, or searching for camping
> spots, or begging water, or explaining myself to strangers.
>
> You'd probably *hate* Cycle Oregon. It offers: Designated camping areas (all of them grass fields
> this year) Three hot meals and snacks at rest stops Water stops with porta-potties every 10-15
> miles Trucks to carry all of your camping gear Shower trucks at each night's camp A beer garden
> and nightly entertainment (there's a traveling stage that goes with the tour) Police escort and
> ambulance service Beautiful scenery (we're going up Hells Canyon on the Idaho/Oregon border this
> year) And most important: riders of all stripes from kids to septuagenarians. True, there's lines
> to stand in, but they're rarely excessive (to me) and the lines are times to chat and socialize.
>
> Like I said- you'd probably hate it. But I like getting up in the morning knowing that all I have
> to think about that day is riding- everything else is taken care of.
>
> Jeff

As you said, tastes differ. I have been there and experienced all those things you mention
above. I am delighted that you enjoy it. There are some really big disadvantages to independent
touring (you only mention several - I could go on and on). Each person has to decide for himself
which he prefers.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
On Fri, 28 Mar 2003 01:28:04 GMT, "Bill in Indiana" <[email protected]> wrote:

>For me it is TOMRV (Iowa) , Hilly Hundred, Hoosier Hills, Ride
across
>IN., Local Century and a few other more obscure organized rides.
>
>Bill in Indiana
>
>

Miller Lite Ride for the Arts - Milwaukee, WI. Last year, the most attractive girl in the bunch
was...you guessed it, riding a 'bent.

PALM XXI - my first multi-day organized ride. Any other 'benters gonna be there?
http://www.lmb.org/palm/

I guess I'll miss the Midwest Recumbent Rally again this year - it always falls on the same weekend
as departure for my annual Minnesota fishing trip.

Glenn 2002 Burley HepCat remove .invalid from e-mail address when replying
 
Edward Dolan wrote:
>
> Having done many organized bike tours in the past few years I have come to the conclusion that
> they are about as much fun as death warmed over. I fully intend never to do another organized bike
> tour so long as I shall live. The only way to go is on your own by yourself where you can be
> totally independent....

This also has the advantage of not meeting people whose political opinions differ from your own,
thereby causing nausea and vomiting.

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)

The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is,
the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. - John Kenneth Galbraith
 
This year'

in no particular order.

Assenmacher 100........Don Smith, myself, Grank Geyer and hopefully John will tag along. Crank
probably will join us also for a lowracer paceline.

Hancock Horizontal 100 Findlay Ohio

Liberty Tour Midland Mi.

Apple Cider Century for sure again.

Dalmac

Waterford

40 k TT

NOrthbrook and Kenosha

April 26th........velodrome race in Indiana

another century ride in Midland.........can't remember the name but have it written down
somewhere........late July

100,000 meter T shirt ride

Around 7 other Centuries planned on a list. Can't remember them all at the moment.

possibly Horsey Hundred

Calvins for sure.
 
[email protected] (Steve in SC) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I thoroughly enjoy taking part in well run organized rides. However, I thought this thread might
> be a good spot to offer one thought. A lot of these rides have been extremely aggressive in
> raising fees. For many of these rides, the annual increases have far exceeded the rate of
> inflation. One ride I attended struck me to be little more than a thinly disguised attempt to turn
> attending riders upside down to shake the money from their pockets. Organizers would do well to
> remember, that at the heart of these events, they are ESSENTIALLY CHARGING RIDERS FOR AN EVENT
> BASED ON THE USE OF PUBLIC ROADS. I think it's nice, but I really don't care if some small part of
> the fee is being donated to a charity. I still expect reasonable value for money. I will be
> attending fewer organized rides this year, because some of the organizers have simply priced
> themselves out of consideration.

Bravo Steve! You have said it better than I ever could have. For the past several years I have seen
the costs of doing a week long bike tour commonly exceed $200. If you want meals included, it will
cost you at least $300. and the sky is the limit. When I first started doing these type tours, the
cost of the Oklahoma ride was $35. and the cost of the Nebraska ride(BRAN) was $60. Around $100. was
quite common for many rides. Now you have to really search for rides that are reasonably priced.
Before I stopped doing these type rides I had a limit of $200. above which I was not going to pay.
And you are right! I have been priced out of the market. If others think these rides are worth any
amount of money, then I say they have little concept of value for money.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
Tom Sherman <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Edward Dolan wrote:
> >
> > Having done many organized bike tours in the past few years I have come to the conclusion that
> > they are about as much fun as death warmed over. I fully intend never to do another organized
> > bike tour so long as I shall live. The only way to go is on your own by yourself where you can
> > be totally independent....
>
> This also has the advantage of not meeting people whose political opinions differ from your own,
> thereby causing nausea and vomiting.
>
> Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
>
>
I can't ever recall discussing politics with any of my fellow cyclists on the many organized tours I
have done. I think only a jerk would do that. In fact, my dominant impression was that you couldn't
meet a nicer bunch of folks. It was only when I discovered this usenet group with it's OT posts that
I awoke to the possibility that recumbent cyclists could be just as ignorant and as wrongheaded as
any other group of folks. However, I think what has happended is that the cyclists who post to the
OT subjects are a self selected bunch and are not representative of recumbent cyclists in general.
Consider this if you will. Most of the people of the USA are at least 75% in favor of the war and
maybe at best 25% against, whereas as with this OT group those ratios are reversed. This is not by
accident. There are a few individuals who do nothing but proselitize for their point of view and I
consider they have been in large measure successful. Not because they offer any convincing
arguments, but because they can outlast everyone else. The rest of us give up when confronted with
such obdurancy. As more than one of your adversaries has commented when discussing an issue with
you, "...this is just plain silly". And so it
is.

The main reason I like independent touring so much better than an organized tour is that the
spirit of adventure is maximized on an independent tour and it is practically non existent on an
organized tour.

Ed Dolan - Minnesota
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] (Edward
Dolan) wrote:

> > This also has the advantage of not meeting people whose political opinions differ from your own,
> > thereby causing nausea and vomiting.
> >
> > Tom Sherman - Quad Cities USA (Illinois side)
> >
> >
> I can't ever recall discussing politics with any of my fellow cyclists on the many organized tours
> I have done. I think only a jerk would do that. In fact, my dominant impression was that you
> couldn't meet a nicer bunch of folks.

Well, you don't have to worry about that with Tom. He just starts going on about some defunct bike
with small wheels he seems to be fond of. <g>

(To be fair, he did ask about my bike first).

-Carl
 
Edward Dolan <[email protected]> wrote:
: nicer bunch of folks. It was only when I discovered this usenet group with it's OT posts that I
: awoke to the possibility that recumbent

You really read them? ;p

: you will. Most of the people of the USA are at least 75% in favor of the war and maybe at best 25%
: against, whereas as with this OT group

50% of Dutch recumbentists are hippiecommie ecosocialists according to a web survey, so what do
you expect.

: those ratios are reversed. This is not by accident. There are a few individuals who do nothing but
: proselitize for their point of view and I consider they have been in large measure successful. Not
: because they offer any convincing arguments, but because they can outlast everyone else.

It's effective... bent riders are largely overrepresented in the usenet.

: The main reason I like independent touring so much better than an organized tour is that the
: spirit of adventure is maximized on an independent tour and it is practically non existent on an
: organized tour.

I think best is to organize an independent tour with just a few friends...

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/ varis at no spam please iki fi
 
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