How to Find Bike Events Near Me
If you have ever Googled “bike events near me”, you might notice that Google is pretty good at knowing where “near me” is. Which is super helpful if you are like me, and I happen to be looking for bike races near me, and Google automatically points me in the direction of sites like texascyclist.com (a great Texas cycling events resource). And the great thing is, no matter where you live, if you are trying to find organized bike rides near me, there are plenty of bike event resources that will filter down to local cycling events for you. This guide will give you a list of helpful resources and websites all in one place, in order to simply and easily locate all the best “cycling events near me”.
Disclosure: Below are some affiliate links-these are all products I highly recommend. I won’t make any recommendations on this page that I haven’t tested or personally used! Enjoy this guide to finding bike rides near me!
How to Find Bike Events Near Me
As a long distance runner AND a biker, it seems like there is an organized 5k, half marathon, or marathon (what’s the difference between all those running distances anyways?) on every street corner every other week (I do live close to a major city in all fairness), but organized bike events near me are harder to come by. I love partaking in local bike rides near me, and I also love planning destination races that are fun to travel to! These resources I am about to introduce to you can help you locate both bike races “near me”, and cycling events in other destinations. It all depends on how you want to filter your results.
Top Websites for Finding Bike Races Near Me
These are the resources and websites I utilize in order to find both organized bike rides near me, and cycling events in other states that I wish to travel to for a “cyclecation”!
- https://www.bikeride.com/
- https://www.bikereg.com/
- https://usacycling.org/events
- https://www.active.com/cycling
- https://battistrada.com/en/cycling-calendar/united-states/
- https://findarace.com/us/cycling
****Looking for mountain bike specific bike events near me?
Top Websites for Finding Bike Races in Texas
Because I am a local Texan, I had to include these resources for finding bike events in Texas. Whether you live in Texas, or want to travel here and participate in a destination “cyclecation”, these are the top websites to research for Texas specific bike events!
- www.texascyclist.com
- www.wheelbrothers.com
- https://www.fwcycling.com/events/rides-events-maps-pg230.htm
How to TRAIN for Long Distance Bike Events Near Me
So, you’ve used the resources and websites above and located a great bike ride near you that you would like to complete! Now what?
Here are the STEPS to follow to get ready for your first long distance cycling event!
1.Know which distance you want to compete in – there are century rides (100 miles), half century rides (50 miles), and smaller distances like quarter century rides (25 miles). This is not an exhaustive list of organized bike racing distances, but just a couple of the most common.
2. Use the websites listed above to help you locate preferred bike races “near me”, and choose your favorite! Make sure you are choosing a cycling event that is at least 4 months out still, to give yourself ample time to train. Especially if you are a complete newbie. And especially if you are aiming for a longer distance like a half or full century ride!
3. Get all the necessary gear! Obtaining a bike is an obvious must, but here are 16 other essential cycling items you need to have as your inventory before competing in a bike event near you! If you are planning to ride in the saddle for long distances like 50 or 100 miles, you are going to want to take a look at this list of essential cycling items, because many of them will help you maintain a better comfort level for long distances (I’m looking at you upgraded cushioned bike saddle!).
4. Train! Yep, that’s right, competing in a local bike ride near you is going to take some intentional practice and training, especially, especially, if you are new and going after a big distance like a century ride! No matter which cycling event you sign up for, and what state of experience you have with cycling, your training needs to be INTENTIONAL. Get a training calendar, and set up your training ride dates AHEAD OF TIME. If you tell yourself you will ride and train “when you have time”, something will always come up. Be INTENTIONAL! If figuring out when to train and how to set up a training calendar is overwhelming, no worries, I have two preset training calendars all ready to go below, that take all the guesswork out!
***I highly encourage you to conduct most of your training rides outside, to mimic what you will experience in real time the day of your cycling event. However, I also do not recommend cycling in bad weather, so it is inevitable that sometimes outdoor cycling is not ideal. In this case, check out my post on the Wahoo Kickr – the BEST indoor stationary cycling bike hands down that best mimics real outdoor cycling!
And there you have it, you are not only equipped to find the best bike events near me now, but you are also ready to cross the finish lines of them! But the more you know, the better, so be sure to check out more of my additional cycling resources and training guides below, including posts on cycling safety, dealing with environmental elements, solo cycling, beginner training guides, and of course, these two long distance cycling training calendars:
RELATED ARTICLES:
- Road Cycling for Beginners
- Road Cycling Training Program for Beginners
- 16 Must Have Bike Accessories for Beginners
- 11 Important Bike Safety Rules and Why You Need to Know Them
- Getting to Know Your Wahoo Kickr Bike: Setup and Use
- 7 Solo Cycling Safety Tips to Put Into Practice Now
- Falling Off a Bike: How to Handle It, and Ways to Prevent It
- Do You Bike with or Against Traffic?
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