How far you travel for ride event

[mustang1]

How far do you travel to ride at a bike event? And how long is your typical journey to get there?

I've driven from London to Hook, and London to Brighton to attend cycling events and while I enjoy the vent once I'm there, I always have a feeling of how silly it is to travel that far simply to ride a bike.

If transport links were more efficient, I wouldn't have as many qualms about getting to the event.

 

[Dave 123]

You're right, it is silly!

The last two weekends I've been to Notts in the car with either a tandem or my road bike to ride.
Cambs to the Wirral with bike for a ride.

I wouldn't worry, I don't!

 

[Racing roadkill]

https://www.strava.com/activities/358717097

On the way up to the P100.

https://www.strava.com/activities/359437667

And on the way up

https://www.strava.com/activities/390536662

to do this.

https://www.strava.com/activities/391338390

That was very surreal

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I once rode 40km to the start of a 200km Audax ride. Unfortunately, I was pretty knackered after the 200km (because it had 3000m of climbing), but another ride participant was kind enough to drive me home.

 

[mjr]

My usual is 5 miles, I travel 12 miles for a couple of charity rides each year and I've been 35 (picnic, fair) and 110miles (big ride, free cycle) by train a couple of times. I'm not keen on putting the bike in the car to go cycle.

 

[byegad]

To meet friends I often drive 95 miles each way for a weekend's riding and a couple of times I did 300 miles each way!

Actual events? Well I did several events for a well known charity starting some 10 miles from home, but haven't ridden for them since my 'local ride' changed to 120 miles from home. They didn't have the courtesy to reply to my query about it being 'local' in which I asked how many London based cyclists (They have a London HQ.) would turn up in Lille for a ride.

 

[Citius]

Depends what you're doing. We sometimes travel 500-600 mile round trips (with overnight stay) for national series events. Friends/team mates of ours occasionally race in Belgium, Holland, Ireland. It can be a lot of commitment.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I drove (foolish I know) from London to Cardiff (and back) to do the FNRttC last month. This involved hours (literally) sitting in traffic inside the M25. I did make a cycling weekend of it, visiting friends and doing an Evans organised ride on the Sunday before driving back.

But next time I'll be getting the train. Like @mjray I don't like the idea of driving somewhere in order to ride my bike. It just feels all wrong.

Audaxes, by their very nature, tend to start very early. Often this is too early to get the train to (near) the start. And because they are so long, I'm not keen on riding there/back. This is what puts me off from doing more of them.

 

[Ian H]

Generally I'm prepared to travel further for longer AUK randonneur events. I try to combine the event with visiting/staying with friends. Racing, I wouldn't go any distance to ride a ten, but would look anywhere in the Southwest for a 25 or longer.
My longest event this year was Paris-Brest-Paris. I rode all the way (apart from a lift to Dorchester and train to Southampton) there and back.

 

[martint235]

I rode 230 miles in 2012 to ride the Manchester - Morecambe FNRttC

 

[Sharky]

Although I have lived in Kent for over 40 years, I have kept links with my original club on Merseyside. Occasionally, I make the effort to ride their open 10 on the Rainford bypass in June. One year I drove up in the morning (250 miles) and arrived at the HQ to find that the council had been cutting the grass on the central reservation and still had the cones out. The event was cancelled!

So it was back in the car and another 250 miles back home.
Might not be the furthest to a bike event, but must be the furthest to a DNS?

 

[EltonFrog]

We Travelled to Cape Town in March to take part in the Cape Argus, that's quite a long way.

 

[Moodyman]

260 miles to Portsmouth to catch an overnight ferry to France where I met a group of friends for a week's tour.

 

[Milkfloat]

Any long journey to a cycling event starts of being planned for other reasons like visiting family and friends - so I tell the wife anyway.

 

[totallyfixed]

250 miles for a 2 min ride is probably the worst but regularly have to drive 250 - 300 miles for rides of less than 20 mins.