WORLD’S BEST ROAD CYCLING! - SW Wisconsin - Driftless Randonneurs 125k & 150k Weekend! 

Really enjoyed watching this. I live in India, but went to school at UW-Madison. This makes me want to return and explore/ride these parts of Wisconsin that I never got to experience....

Like 20 years ago I was on a work related 2 weeks in Pennsylvania, coming from Belgium. Over the weekend some colleagues planned to go mountain-biking in some woods somewhere in the area. I joined, hardly doing any sports for several years. In the more rural areas, the resemblance to some areas in Belgium was stunning. Same type of mountains, same abandoned steel/coal industry and railroads and people over the weekend making the steam locomotives ride again... So much like several towns in the South of Belgium. Also the autumn colors, gave the same feeling as on the other side of the Atlantic ocean. And I got totally confused when one of the guys had brought his own pedals and shoes from the UK over to the US to ride a bike... Now I understand. I remember the exhausted feeling at night after the ride, but I loved. It was the start of now many years of bike riding and falling in love with bike mechanics. And being a micro-electronics engineer, I hated moving things in the past... Also I shared this love of riding with my 2 sons -one who took it serious and became a pro rider. The images of your video bring me back that experience of 20 years ago; similar landscape, same beautiful autumn colors. And kudos for the bike build! I like it ;-).

Nice dog owner. 'He likes to bike'. AKA 'Get off my land or get mauled'. Lovely video. Inspirational to get out riding of course!

I graduated from a hybrid to a road bike this year. Covid kept me from getting the new road bike for a couple of years. Thankfully it finally came to the shop! That looks like a lot of fun! The drivers there are no different than the drivers here in S.C.. They are in a hurry and they have no respect for cyclists. We have a lot of hills here. Some of the climbs are brutal, but I enjoy it.

I am a farmer also and I have taken my 16 inch dahon folder with a frame backpack around the world twice to red square to see Lenin , to east germany checkpoint charlie and took it to work in PI Subic Navy Base that I would ride on deck working on a 600 foot ship to coffee at the stern of the ship. One time a military oilier cargo ship waited for me at Guam and the purser carried my bike in a bag and the ship then left to the next port. Even at sea I would ride it on deck and went through shell back initiating going to Australia. In PI SUBIC BAY the girls were like running water and F14s were flying overhead for training just like top gun and working in Singapore and once through customs would ride out of the airport to meet a ship out in the bay by water taxi and the best place to ride is SF with the most interesting streets in the world and hills galore that I love because no one goes there and I would ride down hill the other side and look at 100 year old homes to see the stairs, fences, gates and many are below grade to to being built when there was only dirt streets. Many are earthquake shacks people bought for 12 dollars and moved them by horses and bought a lot for $100 and are now worth 2.5 mill

I'm a mountain biker, but I found your channel because I like to watch videos of people working on bikes and I like to see the vintage bikes as well. 50 miles is about as much as I can stand on a mountain bike in one day, but I can see how Randonnerring would be fun on the right bike. Greetings from Bavaria, Germany ! P.S. you should come over here and ride in the hills south of Munich, we have some incredible back country highways and views along the way!

Agreed! Been singing the praises of biking SW. Wisconsin for a while now. Truly some of the best riding in the world!

Brought to mind my motorcycle rides in my youth. Saturday mornings around Holy Hill. I'm sure a lot has changed.

Can never trust an A-hole mechanic to get the job done right...LOL Really enjoy the ride footage. Shots were very well framed and the camera was not bouncing around too much.

Really enjoyed coming along with you. Thank you.

Driftless for the Win! If your channel keeps growing, I will no longer be able to say SW Wisconsin is one of cycling's best kept secrets. All great routes start in RC :) Thanks for sharing the joy.

We are blessed to live in the driftless, the cycling is fantastic. I live in Baraboo but we ride to the Richland Center area and back often, very little traffic and great roads.

I visited this area decades back. Nice country. The local farmers and local radio station were all talking about "The Drought" as It hadn't rained for 6 weeks and folks were getting worried. I told em come down to Missouri it might not rain all summer!

Dude you're awesome and this content is gold!

Love it. Just your luck you stop with a pissed off dog 😂

Glad to see your subs are taking off Andy. Enjoying the good mix of content. Keep it up

Just my opinion, but your bike is waaaay sicker than the Pin! Even with a dropped chain! LOL!

Awesome video! Back in 2017 I rode the Million Meters of Milk 1000k in Wisconsin and the Great Lakes Mac & Cheese 1227k which started in Michigan and led into Wisconsin. Beautiful country, great people.

Thank you very much for the great video. Impressive landscape. Greetings from beautiful Switzerland 😊👍

Beautiful region. I toured through the area earlier this year and can't wait to get back.

Thanks for taking me along for your ride. Always wanted to take a tour in Wisconsin. My wife’s folks had a cottage up on green lake that we used to visit in the summer. Thanks again!

Be me to owner: "Control that dog!" (chuckling) ... ;) Nice video !

Enjoyed the video. I live in Lone Rock, which is a tiny village about 5 miles west of Spring Green. All the places you cycled past are very familiar. Great biking area!

Simplicity IS Beauty...

I've biked the Winona to the Lewiston area on the MN side of the river. I've not tried the Driftless portion. Will have to give this area a try this coming summer. Thanks for bringing this up.

Man the roads look so familiar for this transplanted Cheesehead. Thanks for the great content!

This looks amazing - will need to take a visit from PA soon 😎🚲

Enjoyed the video

Thank you for your videos. They inspire me to do more riding. I'm 70 and did a lot when I was younger. My style has changed through the years to a more upright style. Your videos are also helping me think about my bikes that I don't ride as much anymore. I'll be contacting you someday about my Bridgestone MB1, just not quite yet ;)

Hey Andy, this video is a great introduction to rando riding, sir- nicely done. BTW I just finished riding across the USA solo and I stayed at that Ramada in Richland Center back in July! I was on US 14 from La Crosse to Middleton so not nearly as quiet as those awesome roads you folks were riding.

I grew up in that area in the 80s and 90s. We would ride all over the place. West of Elroy, down towards Wildcat is a blast.

Darkstar!😂🚀🧑‍🚀 also: PIZZA is always a climactic ending!🍕

man oh man, I love this video...great stuff and I believe I rode through some of the places you showed in this video when I rode across the US from Vancouver Wa down to Oregon and across to Portland Maine and down to NYC to take the train home to Tampa. I am in the process of building me a Rivendell A.Homer Nilsen for randoneuring and I would love to come up and ride it out with you fellows. Any good rear lights to attach to a metal fender that you can recommend? Great stuff. Cheers.

Thanks for the great video. Y'all are the nearest club to me, I may try to join you on a ride or two next year.

About two cars meeting each, each driver see’s you, they see each othe, they brake! Cussing all to meet at the same time. After riding ride along the Wisconsin rider 7 day 500 miles ride 35 years in a row, this has happened to me thousands of time’s. Wisconsin a nice place to ride

Looooks like funnnn great video don’t put ur self down ur videos are great

An episode of the podcast Nocturne got me interested in Randoneurring and this again makes me want to. I still haven't managed to get our and ride rando but still want to

"If you don't have a minivan, you're doing this wrong."

Did I see a Mountain Dew, wow your video bring back memories of hard day riding, only to throwback two bottles of Mountain Dew to enjoy the last 20 miles of hundred mile day. Caffeine and sugar get you home. Nice video.

Actually, he's an extremely friendly guy. To be fair, he is correct, you were on private property without permission. Other than that looks like a great route in an area I know very well!

SF Bay area has some nice cycling routes. Enjoyed the video. I like your gas prices too.

Rode the Horrible Hilly 100k in 2017 on my Trek Domane, the 34 chainring and 32 cog didn't cut the mustard for sure. I did love the area though and also the logged my fastest speed ever on a bike at 55mph.

looks good for hammock camping and flyfishing.

That Shimano RD-7700-GS is pretty fancy.

Thanks!

Nice rides! I grew up in Wisconsin and briefly lived in Arena, near Spring Green. About 10 years ago I rode the Wright Stuff Century, which was a blast, but it sure wasn't fully paved (unless people wiping out in pea gravel counts as paved). In 2016 I did RAW when it was "only" the ~175 mile route, but a big chunk of that was through the Driftless Area. Both of those were on a Milwaukee road bike with an Athena 11 group and skinny tires, but now I keep a light touring bike ('83 Trek 720 frame built up with modern components & 650b*42mm tires) at my parents' place in Lake Mills so I can ride the Glacial Drumlin Trail and whatever else I need to do. Maybe it's time to head back for some randonneuring...

Howdy from Lancaster PA 🤠 I'll have to check out Wisconsin

Lovely vid and great ride.. like your channel 😊 subscribed 😊 🚴🏻👍 ride on dude.. Pete

O.M.G. what absolutely glorious countryside! God's own country, as the saying goes. I've never gone 150Km at a go, but with scenery like that, I think I could almost manage it! 32:10 Bwaaa hahahaha! Sounds like me lol. You should(n't) hear me swear until I realize, "oh, shit, _I_ made that adjustment."

Good music. Curious on your source for some future videos.

Live in western Sauk county. Maybe I'll see you riding sometime. Don't get over to Richland spring green much but maybe I will soon

I lived in Wisconsin for 13 years. Grew up in California where a 6000 ft. elevation ride was very common. Considering the highest elevation in Wisconsin is 1900 ft. Tim's Hill, your ride was EPIC! However, the guy at the Wright place and the guy with the barking dogs have the asshole personalities of 75% of the state. Wisconsinites are a very paranoid, protective people. Most are nosey as hell and not very "friendly" at all. And, you are very brave for ridind on those roads with no shoulders. I encountered many abusive to bikers drivers in Wisconsin. Many times got honked at, cussed at, thrown stuff and "buzzed" by those fheads. Stay safe. .

I need to get over there and meet up with that group sometime. In my completely unbiased opinion the best cycling is where I do most of mine: in Crawford County, just to the west of where you were.

Enjoyed the video. Curious what brakes you have on the Grey bike? Liked and subscribed.

I really enjoy your channel. I rode the horribly hilly hundred 2 years ago and I agree that general area is great for cycling. What town is your shop in?

Hamm’s beer!!

That area does have an awesome road network for cycling. I rode "Cheese Country Hell Week", which was a collaboration of Texas Hell Week's Nick Gerlich and the Big Dogs Endurance Cycling club, three times starting in 2004. It was based in Richland Center and had some amazing rides. The only thing it really lacked was mountains. Is the Coulee Challenge 1200K still around? I would love to ride it.

Just found your channel, I’m enjoying your content! What was the riding pace and the average for the day? I’ve been interested in trying a randonneur event, just wondering if I can keep up!

I like the idea of an old school ride with paper trail controls over modern technology.

In you area what type if tires were you and ghe others riding on? I am always curious they choices riders make in different parts of the US.

i love wisconsin

On that bridge, you don't like taking the lane? Shoulder riding invites close calls I believe.

Can you use furniture polish on a carbon fiber frame with a flat finish?

What was that bike you were riding, Andy?

OBTW, what's your lowest gear? Is it 30t by 34t by what I'm guessing is a 700c that you took up that 15% grade at 12:22? If so, that's only about 25 gear-inches (or 2 meters development), which I think is on the high side for a climbing gear. At least for my sorry butt lol. Just curious, thanks!

Nice! Can you put a link with the route please.

What fluid do you use to clean your bike?

please show and discuss all bikes

Okay, I'm confused. I'm a pretty fit guy, 59, but can run 8 minute miles still and ride regularly but after about 60k on my bike I'm gassed! How do you guys and gals ride so far? Serious question. Thanks

So randonneuring=bunch of people going on a bike ride.

Sconnie here, curious, where is your shop? Give yourself a shoutout

So there's no drifting on that tour then, huh?😜

LOL ,always fear a man in tights TIGHTS! tights... Definately not a motivated seller.

If i lived in a freakshow house like that id be a cranky darren too. Let him eat his stale salty fish heads in peace. 😂

Horribly Hilly Hundred.

Nice area but one vehicle is one too many for me compared to where I ride. I do not trust people in their vehicles today unless it is related to law enforcement.

That's a pretty big claim to have the best cycling route in the world 😆👍 a nice ride yes, but here in Europe a 300 mile bike ride may well take you through 3-4 different countries with 3-4 different languages and cultures, foods, completely different styles of medieval architecture, smooth cycle lanes where Billy Bob in his jacked up truck don't have the right of way and nobody yells out of doors 'private property, your trespassing buddy! " 😆 I saw a lot of generic American cracked concrete roads, not one cycle lane, same generic American wooden sheds and silos....you could of just been doing laps around the same town and slept in your own bed at the end of the day....didn't even see the sea or a castle😆👍 I'd feel like I was flogging a dead horse cycling in America.. Good to get out though ay👍

at 10:50 you move to the right so that a clueless motorist can perform the motorist manage a trios. i wouldnt do that: i pull into the lane, turn around and look at them directly. theyre blocked, period. sure, they can run me over and kill me...but im 61, over 12000 miles a year every year since age 27, and have been protecting my lane since then. and while im sure there are folks with psychological problems who will run me over, it hasnt happened yet. and frankly, if it were to happen thats ok with me...but americans are cowards, in the main, and if confronted directly will back down. since law enforcement CLEARLy doesnt care about bicyclists, or enforcing any road laws anymore, bicyclists are on their own. (the claim about law enforcement is not hyperbole: research it. traffic stops for violations are now statistically insignificant.) oh, and by the way: theres zero evidence that "high vis" clothing matters: see the research on blindsight. plus, lifes too short to be encased in day-glo out of fear...

Wow, people there seem like such arseholes, is it just a cyclist's perspective or is this usual for the US? The dog likes to bite comment, that wouldn't fly where I'm from. But almost everyone was being very unfriendly.