I can't say that I've ever been on a "challenging" bike ride. I don't have time to ride much lately, but when I did ride, I rode for pleasure. Mostly just casually riding around the neighborhood, maybe up to a nearby store, or riding with my daughters when they were younger.
Location: Joplin, Missouri
09-24-2021, 02:26 AM
The most challenging
100%, for sure, no doubt about it was riding my bike during my 7th month of pregnancy (the furthest I got being pregnant and riding), I swear that on my 2nd mile that day, my baby completely shifted!!! I was not about to stop and call for help. I ended that bike ride with a baby pushing on my bladder!!!
Spur of the moment 75 mile ride to visit Grandma with an unexpected 30 miles of continuous up-downs through glacier formed hills.
Since my mom was killed on her bicycle in 1994, I largely avoided bike riding until COVID hit. Had a knee injury in 2019, during recovery COVID hit in 2020, which forced to retire and got back on a bicycle as part of my recovery as swimming pools & gyms closed during COVID and my knee couldn't handle full pressure. Then getting my kids and spouse involved too doing light trail rides and 2-lane country blacktop on rural roads with hills. Using a pedal bike still puts stress on the knee on steep inclines; however, I am looking to get an e-bike to keep up with my daughter who can climb hills and then has to patiently wait for me to catch up to her at the top.
I'm much too lazy for challenging routes or weather, but once I was out at around 5am bc I like feeling like I have the whole planet to myself and I was on the side of a bridge where there was a small strip of sand next to me and a muddy tidal inlet a long way below, with no cars around until one jerky driver in a truck passed so close to me that his mirror was an inch from my sleeve. I was on a road bike, so if I had moved to the right, I would have come to a standstill in the sand and most likely gone over the short rail. I think it was more terrifying than challenging . . .
After buying a new bike rode 15 miles from the store to my home in almost exhausted state.
The long: riding day and night during snow and sub-freezing temperatures on hilly/mountain roads for a month long solo tour; included camping with out a tent! Never again!
The short: starting a 20 mile ride after work and crashing a 1/4 mile into it, instead rode a couple miles to my local watering hole to knock back a couple beers to ease the pain. Friend observed that I had 1/2 a football growing out of my backside. Rode back to work (a hospital) and rolled into the ER on the bike. Internal bleeding; admitted for 3 days; back riding 2-3 weeks later (still hurts now after years).
Ride Fast, Be Safe!
Howard
Second year ride of the STP (Seattle to Portland classic) I took air plane to Portland, shipped my bicycle earlier several weeks in advance to cousins house. Assembled bicycle, and did several days of rides in the cool weather of the North West to insure bicycle was ready for a 207 mile ride. Son was to pick me up about 2 in the afternoon, but showed up about 8 pm, and we drove his truck to Seattle, WA. arrived and parked at UWA about 2am, slept for several hours took truck to parking lot by the train station, and taxi back to University and left the start about 3 hours late.
Flatted 3 times with a new tire, as cable had separated and occasionally punctured tube, had to ride back to a organized stop to purchase another tire to continue. Son crashed into berry vines 80 miles into ride, and it took an almost an hour for him to recover and adjust bicycle to continue. We met relatives that drove him to our overnight stop, I found a friend @ 100 mile mark and we road another 39 miles into the night, with one dim working headlamp, was a bug filled ride in the center of the roadway the last 20 miles to reach the overnight stop.
Ate, showered and slept for 5 hours. then spun the pedals @ sunrise to finish the 77 miles of the long ride. The used tire I had purchased from one of the vendors at the sag stop became threadbare and eventually flatted 1/2 mile from the finish. Another rider walking down hill from finish grabbed a new tube from his bag and assisted me onto the pathway towards the finish. I fell asleep during dinner and did not awaken until next afternoon.
Lack of sleep on night before I did the STP with the son was a very difficult ride that year. I have done the event 5 times and enjoyed the other four rides including finishing the event in one day with out an overnight stop. 2 days makes the ride a lot more fun, and the weather is unbelievable cool in the Northwest during July, compared to Las Vegas summers I endure...
JR
My first and last half Ironman event
Toughest and most challenging ride of my life was when I tried to test my dream of bikepacking on a fatbike back in US. I had a Walmart fatbike that I had fallen in love because it's like an all terrain vehicle. I gave away my road bike and wanted to use only fatbike. I had done many century rides in the past but bikepacking on this Ironhorse fatbike took a lot out of me. I only did some 60-70 miles before calling it a day and stayed with a Warmshowers host. That was another challenging experience as a cyclist to believe and accept a total stranger's generosity..:-)
I hope this experience did not cause any consequences and your child was born without hatred towards cycling & bicycles.
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