QUESTION: I’ve enjoyed cycling for years, including some multi-day trips and adventures. But some time ago, my wife underwent a health change that has made her more reliant on me for care. But she is mostly self-sufficient a day at a time, and lately, she’s been encouraging me to look for some single-day bike events to resume my cycling. I have attended a few one-day group events I’ve found within a couple of hours drive from home, but there aren’t enough of these. Any suggestions? —Anonymous
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES: One solution could be to create your own one-day adventures. I have a friend who has set a goal to cycle in every county in our state. (Ohio, with 88 counties). He lives approximately in the center of the state, so he can drive with his bike almost anywhere within Ohio’s boundaries in about three hours or less.
This goal also provides him with some interesting homework: He scours the state highway map looking for rides that will let him roll through as many as three counties at a time — on roads with low-traffic counts. I’ve ridden with him a couple of times, and we make a day of it, stopping for lunch in a town along the way. When no companion is available, he does some of the rides alone.
There’s no prize for reaching his goal, except that he’s getting to see parts of our state he’s not seen before and experience some of the different “flavors” of the geographic and cultural diversity that exists here. He finds it all enjoyable enough to keep at it.
I have a somewhat similar project myself. I live in southeast Ohio just three blocks from the Ohio River, which, within our state, flows from East Liverpool, some 200 miles north of my location to Cincinnati, about 150 miles west of me. But of course, the river, snaking along as it does, travels even more miles between those two communities. My goal, which I’ve been picking away at over a few years, is to plot a continuous road route for cycling that follows the river.
That’s not as obvious as it sounds. Yes, there is a federal highway (US Rt. 52) that follows the river from Cincinnati to Chesapeake, Ohio, and a state highway (Ohio Rt. 7) that parallels the river much of the rest of the way (but not all, as 7 goes inland for a while). But significant parts of those highways sustain heavy vehicular traffic and are not bike friendly. So for the unsatisfactory parts of those thoroughfares, I’ve been finding local roads, a section at a time, to use instead (and in one section, switching to the Kentucky side of the river). I don’t yet have the route complete, though I could probably figure it out in a couple of days using my car and a good set of maps. But my intent is to explore each section by bicycle, so I study maps, read about the history of the river and the towns on its banks, and when my schedule permits, I drive to a chosen section, park my car, and then cycle that section out-and-back from the car.
There’s no prize for this endeavor either, but it’s a heck of an adventure and a learning experience, and it keeps me turning the cranks.
Another suggestion: If you have a riding buddy, set up a standing “date” to ride somewhere rewarding in your home area. Currently, I ride with a friend most Thursdays when weather permits. Usually, we cycle to the same destination — an Amish bakery way out in the country that sells monster-sized donuts. We each have a donut, but even when we take the “short” route there and back, we log about 65 hilly miles, so we burn off the sugar hit. But there are multiple variations of the route, so we mix them up and sometimes ride more miles than that. And mixing the routes adds interest to the rides.
I guess there is a prize for this event: It’s circular and covered with our choice of a sugary glaze or frosting, with or without sprinkles.
Think about what’s within range of your bike or your car (hauling the bike) for some one-day DIY bicycle adventures — and don’t forget to thank your wife for pushing you to keep riding. She’s giving you a gracious gift.
Stan Purdum has ridden several long-distance bike trips, including an across-America ride recounted in his book Roll Around Heaven All Day, and a trek on U.S. 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, the subject of his book Playing in Traffic. Stan, a freelance writer and editor, lives in Ohio. See more at www.StanPurdum.com.
Can you sneak away for an overnight? Leave at 5 p.m., go to the lodging of your choice 25 miles from home, and be back home by `10 am. the next morning.
It’ll feel like a vacation.
The great Grant Petersen pioneered this concept — the “sub 24” — some years ago.
I’m a bit of a specialist on finding great day-rides within 2.5 hours from home.
Do your research, maybe with cycling guidebooks or tourism office road cycling routes, or the many rides mapped on ridewithgps, and you will surely find some good day rides that will fill your specific duration/difficulty/near-to-home requirement.
We’ve also looked at bike club rides’ ride-maps, and these too have formed the basis of our day rides in places we don’t know very well.
If you want company during your cycling, check out your closest bike shop to se if they offer group rides or know of any Bike Clubs in the area. Besides regular scheduled weekly rides, some clubs plan more adventurous outings once a month. Good Luck!