List of Century Rides

[justasaintz]

Hi,

Does anyone know where I can find the list of all the century rides that are held? I’ve been trying to see what are available and at what time of the year they are held so that I can decide which one I want to participate it depending upon my schedule.

But being new to the century scene, apart from Seagull i have no idea what other events are held.

Appreciate any direct info or links to sites where I can put things together. Thanks.

Topic

[JimF22003]

I don’t think there’s a comprehensive list anywhere. A couple of good places to start are the local bike clubs. Check Potomac Pedalers and the Oxon Hill BC:

http://www.bikepptc.org/Out_of_Bounds
http://www.ohbike.org/events/index.htm

You can do searchs on Active.com and other bike event registration sites.

Mostly I just keep links from previous years’ events, and check them the next year.

Here’s a couple that are upcoming. Some are metric centuries early in the season, and some involve a bit of driving:

http://www.6pillarscentury.org/
http://www.virginiacapitaltrail.org/page/Cap2Cap2011.aspx
http://bikechesapeake.org/
http://tourdecarroll.com/App_Content/home.aspx
http://endhungercalvert.org/bike/
http://ohbike.org/events/rural_legacy_eflyer.html

This one involves a lot of driving and a lot of CLIMBING:

http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/mountains-of-misery

[DaveK]

PPTC puts on the Backroads Century ride which is one of my favorite rides I’ve done lately. Great rolling terrain, beautiful scenery, and very little vehicle traffic out there. It’s in the fall.

[baiskeli]

http://www.bikeride.com has a searchable list

[justasaintz]

Thank you very much. Its funny the one name i knew did not appear in Bikeride.com! But I will check out the rest of the links. from almost nothing to do, to, now so much to do! i have a feeling its going to be a nice year for my biking

[adamx]

i do the same as jimff2203…post rides through the year and then move them to the next year once they’ve past…check balto bike club, reston bike club and the free sports mags you find at metro stops and bike shops like DC Sports and Blue Ride whatever and there’s another

[justasaintz]

i keep coming across the term “rolling hills”. What exactly do they mean by that. areas that I am familiar with are beach drive (the hill next to beach dr), mt.vernon trail, W&OD complete trail, McArthur blvd, falls rd, river rd, glen rd (N & S) (the WASA ride route). so would appreciate it if someone could give a comparable idea.

i’m thinking of doing the reston century, but still need to work on my climbs.

[JimF22003]

hi justa,

Rolling hills can vary, but basically it suggests something other than a half-mile or more consistent climb. It can vary from short stuff you can power over, to stuff where it pays to gear down and spin. Comparable stuff on the routes you mentioned that I’m familiar with:

Mt Vernon: think of going over the two bridges near the airport over and over, some a little longer, some a little shorter, but about that steep. Similar to the hills right at the end of the Mt Vernon Trail as you get up to George’s house
Custis: like the hills up from the river including the steepies along I66
Off W&OD, like going up Walter Reed. That would probably be about the steepest, although you will hit some that are longer

If you’ve done the complete W&OD there are some easily-accessible routes right off the trail that will give you some idea, like Simpson’s Circle & Meadowlark Drive in Paeonian Springs. Off of Dry Mill Road you can ride up Woodburn. That hill is about the worst you would run into on the Reston Century I think. You can ride the loop up that and then back into Hamilton on Harmony Church. In fact I think the Reston Century uses that route. And of course Snickersville Pike pretty much is the definition of “rollers” around this area.

I’ve done the RC twice, but skipped it last year because I’ve ridden all those roads so many times I got a bit sick of them. But it’s a great ride.

If you can you might want to try a flatter century or two first. The Cap2Cap ride is coming up in two weeks. That’s easy and scenic.

Have fun, and I’m sure you can do it!

[baiskeli]

http://www.bikeforums.net has a new category for people to post rides. You don’t have to be a member to view it.

Also, just heard about this ride: http://www.dcchallenge2011.org One of several nationwide.

[justasaintz]

Thanks Jim, I guess i’ll have to start training now if i have tackle those climbs over and over again!

[Author]

Replies