What's your favorite local organized road rides?

Shawn Gossman

Shawn Gossman

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These can be in southern Illinois or in the states directly around us :)

I'm a big fan of the Superman Bike Ride here in Metropolis.

I also loved the Misaligned Minds ride in Paducah. That might be making a comeback!

How about you all? What's your favorite organized road bike ride in the area?
 
Charity ride season is fantastic in the area! Spokes for strokes and misaligned minds in Paducah, Superman in metro, ride to the sky in Carbondale. Many more I'm sure that I'm missing. Those are all great, but the lengths can really make it intimating, the Saturday ride out of the Bike surgeon is great with lots of regroups and for the most part the ride will stay together. If you want a harder weekly ride, there is a drop ride on Thursday nights at the 148/13 junction.
 
Did you ever do the Rend Lake Bike Ride (road) put on by the Kawanas? That used to be a really good ride.
 
As for standing group rides, these are on my radar (adding to what Rom shared):
  • Saturday morning Bike Surgeon ride from Carterville: crisp pace with regroups, often breaks into separate groups if enough people, moderate hills (depending on route).
  • Tuesday evening SNBC group ride from DuQuoin: crisp pace with regroups, often has several groups, pretty flat. After-ride beers / dinner at St. Nick's DuQuoin location.
  • Wednesday evening SNBC group ride from St. Nick's Carbondale airport: typically a smaller group (likely because fairly new), good hills, regroups often.
  • Tuesday/Thursday evening twilight rides (day of week varies): crit-style friendly race that will push you, but getting dropped isn't an issue since it's on a loop and the fast group will just lap you. I use this more as a training ride for a hard workout than having any hope of competing! As Rom said, it's usually at the 148/13 junction at Agape, but sometimes takes off from Bike Surgeon in Carterville with a warmup to the refuge loop.
I think Matt hosts some road rides near Rend Lake now and then as well.
 
Shawn Gossman said:
I need to try the Tour de Donut. I also hear Tour de Corn is a good one.
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Tour de Donut is fun -- year before last I won my age group in the donut-eating category (you can race outright, or get 5 minutes off for each donut you eat). I don't think I felt like eating a glazed donut for months after that!

Tour de Corn is indeed good -- a very flat century...which is nice if you hate hills. Of course, there isn't much opportunity to coast downhill!
 
jmaaks said:
Tour de Donut is fun -- year before last I won my age group in the donut-eating category (you can race outright, or get 5 minutes off for each donut you eat). I don't think I felt like eating a glazed donut for months after that!

Tour de Corn is indeed good -- a very flat century...which is nice if you hate hills. Of course, there isn't much opportunity to coast downhill!
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Yeah that might ruin donuts for me for a little while.

I've heard of people eating too many and losing it because of it, lol.
 
Rom said:
I did not. I just moved to the area this year, and although I was in Paducah, I wasn't big into big charity rides.
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It was a really nice bike ride. Kind of out of the way. But it had great SAG and nice merch they gave riders.

Superman Ride is pretty much my favorite. But it pretty much passes right by my house lol
 
Shawn Gossman said:
It was a really nice bike ride. Kind of out of the way. But it had great SAG and nice merch they gave riders.

Superman Ride is pretty much my favorite. But it pretty much passes right by my house lol
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Should've had you there to for a beer handup last year. Much needed.
 
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