Your Best Ride of 2011...

  
   As the stroke of midnight quick approached yesterday marking the start of 2012 and a new year filled with promise..Many of us reflected on the past year. It was a difficult year for many but one things rang true. No matter how hard the year had been "Our Ride" was for most of us the best part of the year. So, in an effert to reflect on the passion that we all share I asked this question of all my followers on Twitter and fans on Facebook:

"What was your best ride of 2011".

The result was astounding.
Here are some of the responses that we received :

*things got a wee bit cheecky

>from Cycle Cafe's Facebook Group (join us we have a great time in this forum)


Cycle Cafe:

•  Mark Anthony Sullivan Liverpool to London on my Raleigh Royal tourer. Averaged 15 mph with 38s on, made it in a day (16 hours riding time, spent a long time in a boozer in Oxford drinking Leffe before riding overnight into London). Then did London - Brighton. Tried riding back to London, managed to get to Gatwick. Next day went for a ride in the Surrey Hills and checked out Box Hill. Dunwich Dynamo was ace too. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/93790630
• Brenda Noonan Onmybike Scarborough (Western Australia) to Scarborough (Queensland) - 4565 kms - www.brendanoonan-onmybike.com  http://www.brendanoonan-onmybike.com/
• Tony Pacini My first road century over the summer with a great group of guys - Sub-five
• Dave Johnson Fourth in the veterans 50-55 year olds in the British Time Trial Champs. Not epic, but watch out 2012!!!
• Simon Popeye Ward Aberdeen to Newcastle !! charity ride !! mind you longest , hardest climb ever!! Pease bay to Eyemouth still have nightmares 6 months later !! :) 
•   Simon Popeye Ward ‎@ Brenda ! """"RESPECT""""" !! :)
• Joe White Local league race win. Wasn't overly difficult but I think I was actually smiling most of the way :)
• Kyung Lee Probably Santa Barbara Long Course.... because it was tough =)
• Jon Wesley Braswell Me and Bike Jack aka Jack Stenger, had an Awesome ride in the ATL today. Java Vino, Elliot Street Pub and Euclid Avenue Yacht Club. A great way to ride out 2011...Thanks, Jack!! your buddy big jon...
• Nathan Mahalic To the top of mount evans, 14,375 ft :
• Alison Miller Seattle to Portland!!
• Donna Marie I will have to think about my best ride I think it would have to be my first club ride with VC10cycling this past summer :)
• Camilla Brokking Mont Ventoux, in support of Alzheimer's Research. The first of hopefully many such bike challenges! :D
• Graham Hewson Well that is a tough one 2 events fit finishing last in the National team TT . Simon Olav and Peachy where 19th . Riding the TM24hr at Calshot was fantastic to have Magnus there . 107 miles was a good ride for this Old Fart
• Galen Kehler I think it was tonight, when I hit a dog. "Flying through the night" changed from metaphorical to literal.

VC Revolution Cycling Club:

>Things got a wee bit cheeky here lol ;)

• Alan Lawrence I take it you are referring to cycling ?! :)
• Simon Freebrey Mine was the Norwich 100....80 miles of pleasure....20 miles of pain
  

  
  
• Nigel Manuel Nobody mentioned cycling!
•             Nigel Manuel In that case lol....
• Donna Marie yes Alan cycling lol
• Andy Horner Climbed on the Missis and climbed off 6 hours later. Does that count?
• Alan Lawrence ‎6 hours.....don't you mean 6min

 

Florida State Cycling:

• Robert Wigen Hard to pick one so....A week in NE GA-Unicoi NP, Tallulah Gorge, Stonewall Falls, White Twister and Lake Rabun uphill and mostly downhill for 25 miles, reached +30 mph downhill, and met 3 other xctry riders on same segment of road. Best part of that ride was having a vehicle at the "bottom".
• Kent Roberts The rides that didn't send me to get X-rays after.
•              Kent Roberts And even those were pretty sweet
• Sheila Teocali ORAMM hands down
• Jack Attack Tomassetti I had a ton of awesome rides:
  -beginning of spring semester when there was 17 of us all out on a ride with kits
  -sleepy hollow crit, where Chris Sandelli, David Friedt and I teamed up and beat the team of Jason Snow, Stoner and Will Thompson.
  - Liz Gerrity's foodlion ride where she crashed halfway, and we paced her back to the finish... she was beyond her limit
  -racing ride at World Golf Village with Gabriel Suarez and Jazz Tomassetti
  -Super Urban Gorilla Ride with Joe Rawley
  -riding with Jose Fernando Roman over the summer
  -riding and trying to drop Allyse Price over the summer. lol
  - The Matthew Beard Memorial Ride with the team
  -That week were the leaves changed color and started falling with Lindsey Barlett
  -Higher Ground mtb ride at night with Bobby Allen   ‎-fsu mtb race pre-ride with @Sam Fortunas
  -2011 Mountain Bike Season!!
  -Cross Florida ITT (170miles of mtb in 18hrs)
  ... can you tell I love biking yet? watching Greg "Sandbagger" Buker dominate Swamp crossJack Attack Tomassetti ‎-fsu mtb race pre-ride with @Sam Fortunas
  -2011 Mountain Bike Season!!
  -Cross Florida ITT (170miles of mtb in 18hrs)
  ... can you tell I love biking yet?
• Jack Attack Tomassetti watching Greg "Sandbagger" Buker dominate Swamp cross
• Jason McArthur singing "i'm sexy and i know it" with a group of riders on call street. also, not getting hit by a car
• David Friedt Being ahead of Greg Buker for two hours at the 6 hours of pine log with images of glory in my head before being passed with less than 5 minutes left. He was laughing much too hard.
• Greg Buker Im going to have to second davids best ride but from my perspective xD Andd beating out 74 people for first place in a 4/5 circuit race in PSL!
• Savannah Sill best ride by far, riding across the country!

SORCE - Surrey Off-Road Cycling Enthusiasts:

• Kim St. Pierre Float plane ride to Spruce Lake from Tyax resort, Southern Chilcotins. Mountain bike back to Tyax throught the wildflowers, mountains, trees and raging rivers. Best ride yet.
• Max Sheppard My last ride in Canada before i had to pack my bike up :(
• John Foley What Kim said! "It's times like these you learn to live again..." (Foo Fighters
• Jamie Leggatt Riding the Whistler Bike Park with a bunch of wonderful women on ladies night. I learned to drop and loved the ride and people!
• Dale Tiessen It would have to be a couple of days on WBC with my son...so cool to see him rippin' on Crank It Up!

Bike Talk:

• Seppo Noro Round New Zealand January-February.
• Brenda Noonan Onmybike Across Australia - 4565 kms - loved every km!!!!
• Savannah Sill best ride by far, riding across the countr
• Michael Miller Sr. Grand Tour Triple Century

Bicycle Friendly Springfield:

• Bruce Adib-Yazdi Two days of riding in the rain at MS150. Seriously.
• Rc Catt Tour de Bass 100.....Beautiful day in October....
• Br'er Aaron McCullough First ride on my "new" bike after getting it kitted out to fit me as best
• Brian Goodell Tour de Cox. It was our first and it was on the day we renewed our wedding vows (see the profile pic! as possible. Liberating, lovely, and fun.
• Gary Rader Everyday I was on my Bike...
Donna Marie great answer Gary....I agree!
 

>from Twitter Cycle_Cafe:

 

 HoodsandDrops Odin  @Cycle_Cafe got to be Dragon Ride for me. Met @velo__city , came off the bike, ruined clothes, road rash, finished ride. Self confessed hero

 David_S_McKay David McKay @Cycle_Cafe. My best ride of 2011? It would have to the climb and descent of Sormano, near Belaggio, Italy. Beautiful in many ways

 911shazza ironmamawannabe @Cycle_Cafe best ride of 2011 was @TheAlbertaRide to conquer cancer. 2nd day was brutal weather but made the finish sweeter!!

 lesvachesdutour LesVaches DuTour @Cycle_Cafe A two week cycling holiday in Japan. Lots of great rides, but the Shimanami Expy was one s

 Rc Catt Tour de Bass 100.....Beautiful day in October....

 ...... 

The New Year, 2012, was rung in last night on the stroke of midnight with the traditional pots banging and the sounding of numerous fireworks in the neighbourhood. Dave and I wished each other "Happy New Year", whatched a wee bit of celebration on the teli and then headed to bed. May sound boring to some, but for me personally it was the best New Years I have ever had and perfect in my books. It's now 5:25 a.m. and considering that for the past week or so I have been waking up at 3:41 a.m. most mornings, from jetlag, I consider that a lye in and welcome. In a few hours time Dave and I will be off on our steeds to VC10 Cycling's Top of the Year Time Trial. My first; and I think I am a bit nervous...it not only is my first TT it marks the first, of what I hope will be many, of Road Racing for me this year. Thus checking off already one of my "Resolutions" for the New year "to Road Race in 2012".
P.S. I didn't do to badly on my 1st TT January 1st, 2012..10 mile course with a time of 36:20 minutes; and that was draggin my steel steed anchor. Thank you to all for your very warm well wishes especially from my sweet man who posted :
 Dave Johnson You were scared and nervous and feared you'd get lost. But you overcame it all with a big heart and finished second lady in your first ever tt, ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD!!! awesome ride, great commitment. Well bloody done! x
Yay me! 2012 is off to a GREAT start!

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