Sheesh, one more person to catch up to. Do I get that handicap or NOT!

Na Na Na Na Na Na!!!! Catch us if you can!!

I'm a newby here and love this forum already.

I have a question: Am I doing something wrong or does the game not tell you when you have done all the balloons?

In the other cycling levels, the game tells you that you have done all the checkpoints and to return to the starting gate.
With the free cycle, I pop all the balloons with 10.8 kms and 5 or 6 minutes left on the clock and nothing! No fanfare, no music, no indication I have achieved anything. Is this normal? Have I missed a balloon?

Hello Captainbob.It's normal, only a short message, but you sure get all 20 balloons? No miscount? Next time you pop the first balloon there comes a message which says what's your best time for the 20 balloons was. Nothing more, nothing less.
The main goal in the Free Course is to get as many kilometres (miles) as possible in 30 minutes.

Thanks Met, I'll look for that message. Then when I know I'm doing it right, I can concentrate on improving my time.

Once you get that last balloon there is a short message on the screen and then it just lets you finish out your 30 minutes. The game doesn't make a big deal of it and you don't have to return to the starting gate. It was kind of a let down the first time I managed to get them all. It's easy to miss one and I ended up using a click counter to count them off as I cycled because I would get so into concentrating on getting the balls that I would forget how many I had.

Just got 17:13!

I start at the triangle near upper lake, castle,up the mountain then jump down to the dry lakebed.

Hints: If you veer around hump rock to the left toward the castle and intentionally ditch into the lake just at the beginning of the fence, you reincarnate a little closer to the castle- a couple seconds there. Another timesaver is to veer to the right immediately before hitting the balloon on the green up the mountain - you reincarnate within a few feet of the balloon. You lose your pet but don't need him anyway before jumping down to the dry lakebed.

So I jump down to the dry lakebed, hit both jumps down outside the lakebed tunnel, snag the ledgeballoon then down to the balloon by the bridge and ditch into the river to reincarnate on top of the bridge. Pick up a pet on your way to the balloon between the buildings. The pet helps you with the plaza balloon and third one behind the building - shoot straight up the hill to the lighthouse disregarding the road, then back down to the balloon on the lower ledge then on up the cave with the metal ramp. The pet helped cut almost a minute off my time by then between the, lighthouse, ledge balloon and upper green. Continue off dog leap, pick up the two balloons around the inlet, next ruins, then go sharp right up the hill and snag that balloon, immediately back down to the beach. The pet really helps. I did try a straight trajectory from the first beach balloon to the second next to the arch- going straight through the water instead of up on the grass or along the sand/jumps and seemed to pick up some time. I also disregarded all the ramps on the beach and focused on a straight line path instead of veering to use the jumps. Result was 17:13!

Excellent Job DiDi. I will have to try your route next try. I got 17:26 today with a few bumps. It seems there is always room for improvement. Be sure to take you place among the leaders and post on the stats page. Watch out Phunguy, DiDi is coming!!!! and I'm still back here pedalling

Didi233, I don't get this part: "Another timesaver is to veer to the right immediately before hitting the balloon on the green up the mountain - you reincarnate within a few feet of the balloon. You lose your pet but don't need him anyway before jumping down to the dry lakebed."

Do you mean you dive off the cliff before going onto the grass?

And then this part: "So I jump down to the dry lakebed, hit both jumps down outside the lakebed tunnel, snag the ledgeballoon.... "

What both jumps? I only know of the jump at the right of the fence to the ledge. Where is there another?

That is almost identical to my route except for that after the dry lake bed I go left and get that balloon before riding over to the ledge. It saves the horrendous hill climb later. But of course, you are getting through it faster. Still, it seems like it should be better to me.

Also, I can't seem to get a pet if I come into town from the red bridge. I ring and ring at the same place that I get him when I am coming out of town to the bridge, opposite direction, but get no cat. Where do you get him? TIA for answering all these questions!

Wow! And I thought shaving 4 minutes off my time by starting on the grass above the castle was good. I am down to 21:03 but I guess I have a way to go. I had to take months off because of shoulder surgery but I am back at it now. Also I did some running during that time on the free run course and found that all those things we want to open up on the bike ride course have opened up on the free run. I have a cat to follow, then another cat comes along and takes me to places you cannot get the bike to go. there are extra ramps. I have been on the roof tops by the bowling alley, on the ship, over the rock formation at the base of the waterfall. Now today I unlocked the real free run and was suddenly surrounded by 6 cats that all meowed at me. It was the oddest thing. But I am just glad that I am finally getting around all those buildings that had fences before.