The Ride Rating System separates the degree of Difficulty and the Length of the ride into two separate indices.
Difficulty
Flat, with some hills, but not too long or steep. Examples:
East Wisconsin, Mississippi, Coastal North Carolina, north shore of Massachusetts, northern Florida, The Netherlands. |
| Most of the terrain we cycle is moderate. There may be frequent hills,
but seldom exceeding 8% and uninterrupted climbs seldom exceeding 1200 feet. Daily vertical totals should be generally
less than 2500 feet. This is terrain the average cyclist in good condition can handle. |
| This is for the strong cyclist. The average cyclist needs special
conditioning prior to cycling difficult terrain. There may be frequent, uninterrupted climbs exceeding 1500 feet
vertical with grades sometimes in excess of 10-12%. Less steep, but long climbs at altitudes exceeding 7500 feet
also quality for difficult. Daily vertical totals generally exceed 3000 feet. Examples are: The Alps, the Pyrenees,
the Rockies in Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Canada. |
Length
| up to 45 Miles (72 Km) per Day |
| 45 to 55 Miles (72 to 88 Km) per Day |
| 55 to 70 Miles (88 to 112 Km) per Day |
| greater than 70 Miles (112 Km) per Day |
Commercially Supported
 The Commercially Supported icon on the left tells you if the ride is supported by a commercial outfitter
Alert! - Read the Description Carefully
 There are some rides that will not exactly match the Ratings as stated; for example, a 2B ride might have hills steeper than 8% or distances longer than 55 miles on some days. In such cases the "Alert!" icon warns you to read the Ride Description very carefully."
Ride Rating Comparison Chart
| 1A |
2A |
3A |
| 1B |
2B |
3B |
| 1C |
2C |
3C |
| 1D |
2D |
3D |
Sample Ride Rating
This Ride Rating would suggest that this is a very difficult but short ride that is Commercially Supported.
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