2025 Adventure Series Guidelines

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Rules of the Peloton

To complete a segment, you may start and finish your ride anywhere, as long as your ride includes the designated Strava segment. Keep in mind that Strava segments are directional, so you must ride in the correct direction for it to count.

If you’re certain you rode the segment but don’t see it in your completed list, don’t worry. We know GPS signals and Strava segments can be finicky at times. As long as you completed the segment, and we verify it you’ll receive credit. Sometimes, Strava may hide a segment from your list—check out this information for troubleshooting.

This is a ride-at-your-own-risk adventure series. By logging in and submitting a ride, you acknowledge and accept full responsibility for your own safety. Please follow all traffic laws, ride safely, and—most importantly—have fun!

Since this is a cycling adventure series, all rides must be completed on a bicycle. To keep things fair, e-bikes are not allowed. However, if there is enough interest, we may consider an e-bike category in the future.

Record Keeping

After completing a segment, submit your ride through your Dashboard for verification (you must be logged in). Follow the instructions on the "Submit Your Ride" form. Since points are determined by your ride, only ONE segment can be submitted for each ride.

To simplify ride submission, select a recent Strava ride from the dropdown list. Important: only your last five Strava activities will be available for selection. If you need to submit an older ride, please contact us, and we’ll do our best to accommodate.

All rides must be verified through submitted Strava rides—no exceptions. Your rides must be set to public in Strava to be verified. Once submitted, your rides will appear in your Dashboard, and verified rides will count toward the leaderboard. We encourage all riders to join the RAC Strava Club to connect with others and track each other's progress!

Ride Difficulty & Scoring

Ride difficulty is subjective, so we use a straightforward method to calculate points. Based on experience, a typical ride for fit cyclists in Humboldt County includes 1,000 feet of elevation per 10 miles, or 100 feet per mile. While this may be higher in other places, it's a reasonable baseline for scoring in Humboldt.

Total ride points are determined by mileage, elevation, and the ratio of the two. While factors like road surface, climb placement, and wind conditions also affect difficulty, these are harder to quantify. The tables below outline the scoring system. These are intended as a general guide—some may find routes easier or harder than their assigned rating.

We now use an elevation/miles ratio multiplier to score overall points. This helps prevent short, steep rides from dominating point calculation by rewarding overall effort. Now, both mileage and climbing matter but extreme ratios only enhance not dominate total points. This should help balance distance and elevation in a ride, so long, flat rides still get good points, but challenging climbs get a fair boost.

Mileage Points
< 25 10
25-50 20
50-75 30
75-100 40
> 100 50
Elevation (ft.) Points
< 2,000 10
2,000-4,000 20
4,000-7,000 30
7,000-10,000 40
> 10,000 50
Ratio (feet/mile) Multiplier
<= 40 1.1
41-80 1.2
81-120 1.3
121-160 1.4
> 160 1.5
Overall Points Description
<= 40 Easy
50-70 Moderate
80-100 Difficult
110-120 Very Difficult
> 130 Epic

Points

Segment Completion: Each ride earns a total point value based on mileage and elevation. Segment details can be found on the Bike Routes page. Remember, only one segment per ride.

Attackers: The first three finishers of each segment receive bonus points:

Bonus points are awarded separately for W/T/F and Male categories. Note: Rankings are based on submission date, not ride date—so submit your rides promptly to maximize points!

Time Bonus: The main Adventure Series does not include time-based bonuses. However, we occasionally host Strava Segment Challenges with prizes. Join our Strava Club to stay updated.

Awards

Anyone who completes at least one verified ride will be entered into a drawing for other prizes!

Prizes will be awarded in both W/T/F and Male categories as follows:

Additional milestone prizes will be awarded for every 10th ride submitted:

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