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National Boards => General Highway Talk => Topic started by: roadman65 on March 08, 2014, 02:59:56 PM

Title: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: roadman65 on March 08, 2014, 02:59:56 PM
I am not sure if this belongs here or not, but if it doesn't then moderators please place this thread in what you feel it belongs.  To me this has to do with roads, as we bike on roads just as we would drive a car on, with certain exceptions.

What is the farthest anyone has driven a non motorized bike whether you were a teen, or an adult?

I know for me its when I was a teen, and I could not drive yet, I would bike around my area and clinch roads that my parents never drove on.  My farthest drive was from Clark, NJ to Grasselli, Linden, NJ which I calculate to be about 7 miles one way.  Then my second longest was to see what the unopened section of I-78 in Berkley Heights NJ looked like.  I drove my bike over First Watchung Mountain and entered the road from Drift Road in Watchung (I-78's terminus from 1971 to 1986) and then drove the paved but not yet used freeway on both sides.

I was wondering if anyone else has taken long drives, even far away where you went overnight and came back the following day.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: DaBigE on March 08, 2014, 04:35:14 PM
Approximately 20 miles. It was back in college when I didn't have access to a car (and didn't feel like paying an arm and a leg to keep one on campus). The trek (one that I did several times while in school was a circuit around Lake Mendota, on a combination of trails, county and state highways, and city streets. A close second was taking the Capitol City Trail around the southern part of Madison, through Fitchburg, and back into campus, nearly all on trails. According to Google, that one was around 19 miles.

I also frequently rode a circuit around Lake Monona, which was about 16 miles roundtrip (including the trip from my dorm/apartment to the trail).
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: 1995hoo on March 08, 2014, 04:41:16 PM
I did around 70 miles in a day once when I was in my teens as part of earning the Cycling merit badge as a Boy Scout. You had to do six 25-mile rides and a 50-mile ride, if memory serves. We wound up doing around 70 due to locations of parking areas.

I'd like to do what my brother and some of his colleagues did last October. They rode from Pittsburgh to DC via the Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O towpath over a period of six days. Unfortunately for them, it was the rainiest week of the year, but I'd still love to do that someday if I were in better shape and had a more suitable bike (I have a Dahon folding bike).
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: hotdogPi on March 08, 2014, 04:42:05 PM
For me, only about one mile. I don't do long bicycle trips, and my bicycle has been at my friend's house for years.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: pianocello on March 08, 2014, 04:49:53 PM
My longest bike ride is a 20-mile loop in Clinton County, MI. At some point in my life, I'd like to do the RAGBRAI and bike across the state of Iowa in a week.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bicycle
Post by: NE2 on March 08, 2014, 05:50:50 PM
Probably 20-25 round trip.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Zeffy on March 08, 2014, 05:56:35 PM
1584 ft.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Brandon on March 08, 2014, 06:00:55 PM
14 miles one-way, on a few different occasions.  One was to/from McLain State Park from MTU.  I also took two trips from MTU along the south side of the Portage Waterway to the Houghton Breakers, a stamp sand beach.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Pete from Boston on March 08, 2014, 06:27:21 PM
35 miles to Concord, Mass., and back.  2/3 on bike paths so fairly easy overall.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: briantroutman on March 08, 2014, 07:10:03 PM
When I lived in the Harrisburg area, I used to bike the Stony Valley Railroad Grade nearly every weekend during the warm months. It's about 36 miles roundtrip.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Kniwt on March 08, 2014, 07:22:08 PM
193 miles in one day, just once; west to east across Indiana from Terre Haute to Richmond, also just once; San Francisco to Los Angeles (seven days, ~545 miles) in seven out of the past eight years. Not that I'm into bicycling or anything, y'know. :P
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: bobonabike on March 08, 2014, 07:44:34 PM
^^^^^^^ Can't top this, but when I was attending U of I (and much younger), I rode my bike home one day from Champaign to Palatine, 165 miles.  Freaked my parents out.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: sdmichael on March 08, 2014, 08:41:23 PM
200 miles in one ride - 620 miles in seven days touring with a maximum of 104 miles in one of those days.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: DaBigE on March 08, 2014, 11:19:58 PM
What is a bycycle?
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Molandfreak on March 09, 2014, 12:08:50 AM
I haven't gone more than about 100 miles in a single day, but I've had two multi-day trips.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Alps on March 09, 2014, 12:19:57 AM
I've put on about 40 miles in a day. Most of it was from Times Square up to the Yonkers line, and down to the bottom of Manhattan, and back to Times Square - and then I had biked about 12 miles to catch the train in the morning and 3-4 miles back.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: DandyDan on March 09, 2014, 01:43:54 AM
In my last year in Minnesota, my friend and I rode our bikes from our home in Cottage Grove SE of St. Paul all the way to Bloomington, ultimately to the site of what became the Mall of America.  Not certain how long that is, but that trip cannot be recreated today because they eventually demolished the old Rock Island railroad bridge and I believe one of the bridges in Bloomington is now gone, too.
Title: Re: Farthest RIDDEN on a bicycle
Post by: froggie on March 09, 2014, 08:54:30 AM
Minor nitpick:  we don't "drive" bicycles.  We RIDE them.

As for me, 106 miles in one day.  While on leave right after boot camp.  Hit 4 counties in 2 states.

Haven't done much recently...injured my ACL about 6 weeks ago in a fall.  Did have a 30 mile ride in Suffolk before that, and pulled an 18 mile ride yesterday here in Norfolk.

QuoteNot certain how long that is, but that trip cannot be recreated today because they eventually demolished the old Rock Island railroad bridge and I believe one of the bridges in Bloomington is now gone, too.

You could still recreate the trip...maybe not exactly but close enough, as the new Wakota Bridge does have a bike/ped lane.  Though if you used the Cedar Ave bridge over the Minnesota, yes that bridge is closed....not the river bridge proper but the old bridge over Long Meadow Lake.  But you could still get from Cottage Grove to the Mall of America via the Wakota Bridge and the I-494 Minnesota River bridge (which had a bike/ped lane built in from the get-go).
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: ET21 on March 09, 2014, 03:03:18 PM
About 20 miles, round trip
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: NE2 on March 09, 2014, 06:20:17 PM
Quote from: froggie on March 09, 2014, 08:54:30 AM
Minor nitpick:  we don't "drive" bicycles.  We RIDE them.
Anal and wrong.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: AsphaltPlanet on March 09, 2014, 06:39:56 PM
I did about 110km or so in Ottawa a few years ago, and another 100km or so through Midwestern Ontario earlier in the year.  I have also done the 50k version of the ride for heart on the DVP/Gardiner in Toronto.  Highly recommend that for other roadgeeks.

http://support.heartandstroke.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=rfh_home
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Duke87 on March 09, 2014, 10:56:18 PM
About a dozen miles round trip on a couple occasions.

Both of these were casual recreational rides which ended where the bike trail did. I've never really tested my limits when it comes to cycling. I don't own a bicycle, so I'm not on one very often.

I imagine I could probably do a lot on relatively flat terrain but would get knocked out fairly quickly by steep hills. That's how I am with walking.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: skluth on March 10, 2014, 12:02:45 AM
I didn't own a car until I was well into my twenties. I've done 60-70 miles per day several times. Green Bay-Appleton. Madison-Blue Mounds. Madison-Belleville. Even in the Navy I once rode from Rota to Jerez to Puerto and back one day. I never gave it much thought at the time but it all was over 30 years ago.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: realjd on March 10, 2014, 07:38:33 AM
My farthest was probably 20 miles round trips more typically, I'm riding the 4 miles to work or the 5 mile mountain bike trail near my house.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: formulanone on March 10, 2014, 07:43:37 AM
A couple of 20-25 mile trips, before I had a car. My longest was 28 miles...basically to see where the road went, where it ended, or where there was new construction.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: jeffandnicole on March 10, 2014, 08:52:07 AM
In my teen years, I rode 23 miles one day, including on limited access highway (NJ 55).
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: english si on March 10, 2014, 09:26:31 AM
Something like 33 miles (https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=Southampton+Rd%2FA35+to:50.8326351,-1.469199+to:Lepe+Rd+to:Church+Ln&hl=en&ll=50.910827,-1.444702&spn=0.280117,0.676346&sll=50.91613,-1.422043&sspn=0.070022,0.169086&geocode=FREzCQMdz6_q_w%3BFSpACAMdpgjo_w%3BFfukBwMd8ZTp_yklz-2dHnh0SDEGvRWyc90RNA%3BFcTtBgMdk1Lr_w%3BFTIoCQMdhLbq_w&oq=Hythe,+&dirflg=b&mra=dme&mrsp=4&sz=13&via=2&t=m&z=11&lci=bike) (as Google counts the ferry, where I wasn't biking, though I haven't counted the mucking around at Lyndhurst). I had a race and beat the train along Hythe Pier - free wheeled it all and had to brake quite a bit too!
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: agentsteel53 on March 10, 2014, 11:34:57 AM
fyfty kylometers, each way, so about 100 round trip.  call it 60 miles.  it was 3 hours in the morning, about 6-7 of not bicycling, then another 3-4 in the afternoon.  so I'm not sure if that counts as 30 or 60 miles.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: hotdogPi on March 10, 2014, 02:31:27 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 10, 2014, 11:34:57 AM
fyfty kylometers, each way, so about 100 round trip.  call it 60 miles.  it was 3 hours in the morning, about 6-7 of not bicycling, then another 3-4 in the afternoon.  so I'm not sure if that counts as 30 or 60 miles.

it counts as thyrty myles
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: PHLBOS on March 11, 2014, 02:18:37 PM
When I was 15, I went w/a group that biked through New Brunswick (the Canadian Province) and Prince Edward Island (back when the ferry existed) for a week.  We biked 65-70 miles a day on average.

Closer to home (when I lived in the North Shore and in my latter high school years); a friend of mine & I biked from Marblehead to Essex, Essex to Georgetown and back to Marblehead in one day roughly 48 miles round-trip.

Another time we biked a Marblehead-Gloucester-Essex-Marblehead trip in one-day (about 40 miles round-trip).
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: GaryV on March 11, 2014, 08:35:28 PM
The first year I was in college, I took some bike rides around the area.  I didn't have any particular routes or directions in mind.  One time from Holland down to near Hamilton, 10 miles or so one-way direct, but I didn't take M-40.  Another time I went north toward Port Sheldon and West Olive.  I just used the grid N-S and E-W roads, so I couldn't get lost.  But then the road turned to dirt, and finally sand.  And then I ended up going through a herd of cows that was out on the "road" - I was pushing my bike by that time.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: kurumi on July 13, 2015, 11:29:48 AM
(thread necro)

101 miles, San Jose to Altamont Pass and back, annoyed at turning 30.

Most recently: 72 miles, around Lake Tahoe
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: SignGeek101 on July 13, 2015, 11:40:54 AM
Only about 21-22 km (13.7 mi). Mind you it was a hot day.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Rothman on July 13, 2015, 11:58:10 AM
100 km (62.1 miles) -- It was a Cache Valley (Utah) bicycle event about twenty years ago.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: catch22 on July 13, 2015, 02:02:10 PM
Eight miles, all the way around Michigan's Mackinac Island on M-185.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Bickendan on July 13, 2015, 02:21:53 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on March 10, 2014, 11:34:57 AM
fyfty kylometers, each way, so about 100 round trip.  call it 60 miles.  it was 3 hours in the morning, about 6-7 of not bicycling, then another 3-4 in the afternoon.  so I'm not sure if that counts as 30 or 60 miles.
Was this in Alanland? :meh:

I've done several 15 mile jaunts from Portland to Gresham and back, and a nasty 20-25 mile each way from Portland to PCC Rock Creek once.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: SectorZ on July 13, 2015, 02:39:58 PM
Since this one is back from the dead I'll chime in.

245 miles, August 2011. Second most behind that is 181 (with a dozen over 150) so it's an outlier.

Just finished up 91 today.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Alex4897 on July 13, 2015, 07:32:11 PM
I've clocked in two rides that were about 20-21 miles.  The first was a round trip from DE 24 / 5 (in Oak Orchard) to DE 1 and back (in the driving rain).  The second was a couple of loops between Newark and Ogletown using an assortment of DE 2, 4, 72, 273, Red Mill Road, Harmony Road, and Old Ogletown Road.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: sipes23 on July 14, 2015, 10:27:28 PM
I've biked Batavia to Oswego, IL, and back. And Batavia to Crystal Lake, IL, and back. And Crystal Lake, IL, to the Wisconsin state line and back. Batavia to Elmhurst, IL, and back too. I think the Batavia to Crystal Lake leg was something like 100 km round trip. Between these three trips, I think I've biked much of the Fox Valley (and its bike trails).

A Mackinac Island bike ride (and clinch of M-185) could be fun. I'm looking forward to the bike trails in Casper, WY. There look to be a couple of nice ones in town.
Title: Re: Farthest Driven on a bycycle
Post by: Thing 342 on July 14, 2015, 10:37:15 PM
My longest is probably my trip down the Dismal Swamp Canal Trail (old US-17), at about 17 mi round-trip.