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The background is a hellish couple of days of meetings and I need a distraction.
So, imagine you are granted time, money and means to do any "bucket list" cycling events, whether MTB (Crocodile Trophy?), Gravel (Dirty Kanza?) or Road (L'Etape)... what would you book yourself onto?
Bonus points for niche or obscure or properly far-flung events.
Trans Provence, Trans Madeira... Something like that really. Although i think the reality would be somewhat different to perception and i'd need more skills, less weight and ideally be 20 years younger.
HT550. But id also need a fantasy bucket list bike and gear set up and a fantasy pair of stronger legs to get back in 7 days or so! Also Dales Divide. Pan Celtic looks like fun as well.
More realistically for a few years i've wanted to do Ride To The Sun, but there's always a family holiday at the same time. Next year....
with a wave of a magic wand, what events would you do
Not an event, but a slow moving lap of Europe on my bike.
I have worked out the geographic centre of each country - perhaps a challenge to have a beer at that point in each country, plus of course the four compass points of (political) European Union, plus visit many a friend and acquaintances from all my Erasmus+ work.
Edit, followed by Tour Aotearoa.
none - I just want to ride my bikes. Now places to ride would be a different matter.
That amazing looking New Zealand trip that was on here a few weeks ago, helicopters and all that jazz! That looked totally incredible
somewhat more realistically
I'd like to give the BC Bike Race a go.
Trans Madeira
Trans Tasmania
And the kiwi one.
That amazing looking New Zealand trip that was on here a few weeks ago, helicopters and all that jazz!
I sent that to my riding group and one of them took the bait. He’s come second in all our regional enduros in his age group so he’ll make a pretty good fist of it.
Stone King rally is the only event i really fancy.
Lots of the long bikepacking routes appeal, but not as a race.
I rode the Granguanche route through the canaries earlier this year, a few weeks before the race, at a gentleman pace. It was fantastic.
That amazing looking New Zealand trip that was on here a few weeks ago
Eldest_OAB has been invited to work on it...sadly it clashes with final exams week at uni, so he is thinking 2025 instead...
Tour Divide. There are loads of others too, many mentioned above, but the Tour Divide is the one for me.
It has to be the Megavalanche! I was ready to do it one year, but managed to dislocate my shoulder practising for it while riding on snow... so I decided against it 😀
The Great North Trail. Credit card touring not backpacking.
With a lottery win, I'd love to do a tour of Swiss mountain biking destinations by mountain bike and train. Probably incorporating the Glacier Express, Bernina Express and Golden Pass Express.
Some of the Spanish mountain biking destinations by train.
A guy I met on a Basque MTB holiday had done a 3/4 day ride in the Colorado Rockies. No race, just him and a couple of mates goofing around in the wilderness going from here to waaay over there.
I'd like to do that sort of thing before I can't.
Megavalanche for pensioners.
Not a pensioner, but probably ride like one. 😆
I'd do the first ever Boltby Bash, Ard Moors, Ard Rock and some of the old skool Bontrager 24/12 races. So basically I'd step back in time 15 years.
Bike events now either as a spectator or participant hold absolutely zero interest.
To all those that say the megavalanche, do it, it's really accessible and in my experience a pretty welcoming event. The trails can be daunting for a first timer but everything, subject to line choice is rollable.
If I had a magic wand I'd be lining up at the start of the Stone King Rally in 2024... I suspect fitness and money will stop me however!
To do as myself, money and annual leave no object - BC bike race, stone king rally, NZ rally
To do if I had the body, mind and budget of a podium contender professional, the various french mass start downhills, culminating in the Mega. I'm addicted to watching the youtube POV films.
Red Bull Rampage.
The magic wand does grant me elite level freeride skills, yeah?
I’d love to ride out in Colorado. No interest in doing a competitive event any more, just riding some nice trails and hanging out somewhere different with my mates would be enough.
For everyone mentioning the Stone King Rally have a listen to the Downtime podcast this week. He’s talking about his experience doing it and it’s a good listen. Just back from riding around Sospel and it’s pretty full on. To do it for a week straight would be very tough especially as it averages out at +1000m and -3000m riding per day! No doubt it’d be an amazing experience, just too tough for my old bones.
Not an MTBer anymore, even if I ever was, so I'd want Lejog as something that noncycists can relate to.
I like the idea of the Tour Divide but only if theres a leisurely hotel to hotel option.
Someone I follow in Texas has just done RAGBRAI for the 5th(?) time, and that looks a fantastic event and atmosphere.
US gravel races always look amazing when you see the sponsored athletes video highlights, not sure how the reality shapes up for numpties at the back.
I’ve always wanted to cycle to Australia so that. Just need someone to start running ferries from Indonesia to Oz. 🤣
BC Bike race
Stone King Rally
Tour du Mont Blanc
Another one for the Tour Divide
To all those that say the megavalanche, do it, it’s really accessible and in my experience a pretty welcoming event.
Or just ride the route as its signposted from top of pic blanc....i know it lacks the atmosphere but no crowds and race pressure either so you can just enjoy the descent at your own pace; did it last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it
Trans Slovinia over 10 days ..
Or just ride the route as its signposted from top of pic blanc….i know it lacks the atmosphere but no crowds and race pressure either so you can just enjoy the descent at your own pace; did it last summer and thoroughly enjoyed it
not really the same, I’ve done it half a dozen times and the event as a whole is what makes it, qualifying being the most fun. One year I took the road bike so I could do the Road descent and climb the day after the race.
This year we headed south for a week on the beach after a week in the Alps. Was lovely.
I’d quite like to take a stab at the Mountain of Hell, I hear it’s a step up from the Mega, but that might suck the fun out for me.
To add to another post, the Mega is indeed very accessible and pretty cheap too, a weeks lift assisted riding and other races if you have the energy for less than £200.
Right now, with a bit of extra training.
Trans Madeira
Stone King Rally
With additional magic riding ability,
Hardline
Added Time Machine
Mammoth Mountain Kamikaze Downhil.
For me it would have to be the trans cascadia followed closely by the trans taz and the NZ rally. I've already done the Trans Madeira, but another shot at that and the chance to better my previous result would be ace. (This could be difficult though, the guy I needed to beat last time has had a lot of practice out there - so much so that it's not really blind racing for him, hey-ho!)
I'd also like to give the mountain of hell a go too, did the mega years ago and it was good, but the MoH looks even better.
If we are talking events probably the silk road race or similar.
If we are talking trips if would be a NZ road trip taking in George road trails to mention but a few.
A euro road trip similar to the above.
A north American road trip similar to the above.
A summer touring Europe by bike.
Events - Torino Nice (added to list this your), PanCeltic, GB Divide, All Points North, Tour Divid, LEL & PBP.
Want a crack at the European divide too...
When I retire / win the lottery and have time to train properly rather than half-assing it most of the time.
Defo one of the big dog Christmas time Belgian or Dutch CX races (with the form to be competitive of course!) Ideally night time, flood lights, pissed up spectators, town centre sections and greasy conditions.
For me a large part of the pleasure comes from the planning so I couldn't tell you now what it would be but it definitely wouldn't be a recognised 'thing' - it would be a personal challenge between places that probably only made sense to me. lEJOG would be my personal purgatory.
What I have learnt in the last few weeks is that whilst I could probably train myself to be better in heat and at altitude I don't think I'll ever really enjoy journeying in either so that's part of the world knocked out that I previously could well have picked.
Swiss Epic
Trans Alp
Trans Madeira also looks nice.