# 2020 January Challenge



## steveindenmark (31 Dec 2019)

Here is a relatively easy and short lasting challenge. Something similar helped me kickstart riding much longer distances and got me fit quickly. It makes you go out and do something, regardless of the wind or weather or even whats going on in your life.

The challenge is to ride at least 20km (12.5 miles) every day for 20 consecutive days, starting on 1st January 2020.

You cannot miss a day. If you do, you are out of the challenge. It is not as easy as it sounds 😁

Is anyone up for it?


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## Sharky (31 Dec 2019)

A good challenge, but not for me.
I tend to use January to build up slowly. Too many bad weather days and it only takes one slip on black ice to ruin a whole year's cycling.
And at my age, I need rest/recovery days!
Good luck to those that take it up.


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## steveindenmark (31 Dec 2019)

Black ice??? 
Its almost shorts weather here in Denmark 😁🇩🇰


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## bluenotebob (31 Dec 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> The challenge is to ride at least 20km (12.5 miles) every day for 20 consecutive days, starting on 1st January 2020.



Good idea @steveindenmark 

I like the sound of 20/20/20 … I'm up for it ..I'll count any 50+km rides that I do in this period in this challenge as well.

Hoping for decent weather tomorrow ..


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## steveindenmark (1 Jan 2020)

1 Jan 27km

Only 19 left to go 😁🇩🇰


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## bluenotebob (1 Jan 2020)

I'm really surprised that this challenge hasn't attracted more interest. 

1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km


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## steveindenmark (1 Jan 2020)

bluenotebob said:


> I'm really surprised that this challenge hasn't attracted more interest.
> 
> 1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km


I only posted it yesterday Bob. We will enjoy doing by ourselves


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## steveindenmark (2 Jan 2020)

avsd said:


> Steve & Bob - I would like to join you on this challenge but can only cycle on my turbo (Tacx) in Film mode. Not sure if that qualifies. My ride today was
> Raid Pyrenees Stage 18 - Hendaye - Part 1 - Spain. Distance: 20.62 km, Elev Gain: 370 m


Sorry, but as its my challenge. If your not out in the wind and rain. It doesnt count.

I accept turbo training is a valuable fitness tool. But its not cycling in the true sense of a cycling challenge IMO. Good for a turbo challenge though. Im laying here in bed and its raining and blowing a gale outside. Part of the 202020 challenge is getting out of bed and getting out in it. 

If you have time to do it inside. Why cant you do it outside? Just curious.


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## avsd (2 Jan 2020)

Steve- agree with your viewpoint and decision. After all it is your challenge. Good luck to you and Bob. I have deleted my original post.


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## tallliman (2 Jan 2020)

@steveindenmark, I was gonna ask the same question having done 20km on the turbo today. My commute to work is 40miles as a round trip on country roads. At this time of the year, they are often icy (albeit not at the moment....) so I don't want to take the risk. The turbo enables me to keep the miles up (so to speak) and train a bit.


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## steveindenmark (2 Jan 2020)

tallliman said:


> @steveindenmark, I was gonna ask the same question having done 20km on the turbo today. My commute to work is 40miles as a round trip on country roads. At this time of the year, they are often icy (albeit not at the moment....) so I don't want to take the risk. The turbo enables me to keep the miles up (so to speak) and train a bit.


Unfortunately, the answer is still the same. I am hoping the weather does not scupper my attempt. I doubt if it will impede Bobs 😁


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## steveindenmark (2 Jan 2020)

Day 2. 27km Cold and windy.


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## The Crofted Crest (2 Jan 2020)

I'm in.

01/01: Amersfoort Vaassen Amersfoort: 108 km

Sorry, I'm already out. 

Just realised I'm in Belgium without a bike for three days in the middle of the month. Good luck to everyone else.


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## tallliman (2 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Unfortunately, the answer is still the same. I am hoping the weather does not scupper my attempt. I doubt if it will impede Bobs 😁



Didnt expect you to change your mind....just wanted to explain why!😄


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## ColinJ (2 Jan 2020)

I think it is an interesting challenge and I did consider doing it but I want to tackle a couple of long rides in the next 3 weeks and after I do a long ride I prefer to spend the next day off the bike recovering.

Good luck!


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## bluenotebob (2 Jan 2020)

1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km
2nd January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Chalais – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac– St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.96km 

It's certainly windy here - I let the wind carry me for the first half, then I tacked back home against it. Average speed only 17.36kph .. probably the slowest yet on my new bike. I got home just before the rain arrived


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## bluenotebob (3 Jan 2020)

1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km
2nd January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Chalais – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac– St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.96km
3rd January 2020 Home – Plaisance – Kerminy – Evriguet – Guilliers – Esquiniac – Home 23.43km

Another chewy ride today - wet and muddy roads, plus a stiff SW wind. Tomorrow should be easier


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## steveindenmark (3 Jan 2020)

Day 3. 35km It was certainly wet today. 😁


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## steveindenmark (4 Jan 2020)

Day 4. 55km. Very windy today. 

https://strava.app.link/Ydh7nlOEY2


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## bluenotebob (4 Jan 2020)

1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km
2nd January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Chalais – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac– St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.96km
3rd January 2020 Home – Plaisance – Kerminy – Evriguet – Guilliers – Esquiniac – Home 23.43km
4th January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Quihiac – Chalais – la Ville ès Olives – Lac de Loscouët-sur-Meu – la Gautraie – Plumaugat – Lanrelas – les Treize Chênes – Trémorel – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 68.35km


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## steveindenmark (5 Jan 2020)

Day 5. - 23km

https://strava.app.link/GSvNJ2mNZ2


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## bluenotebob (5 Jan 2020)

1st January 2020 Home – Kerminy – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Illifaut – Pont Ruelland – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 34.19km
2nd January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Chalais – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac– St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.96km
3rd January 2020 Home – Plaisance – Kerminy – Evriguet – Guilliers – Esquiniac – Home 23.43km
4th January 2020 Home – Pont Ruelland – Quihiac – Chalais – la Ville ès Olives – Lac de Loscouët-sur-Meu – la Gautraie – Plumaugat – Lanrelas – les Treize Chênes – Trémorel – Illifaut – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 68.35km
5th January 2020 Home – Brignac – la Riaye – la Cotinaie – la Ville Jallu – la Corbinais – Evriguet – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 28.36km


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## bluenotebob (6 Jan 2020)

1st to 5th January: a ride over 20km each day – total cycled 185.29km

6th January Home – Esquiniac – Bourg Neuf – Evriguet – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.07km


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## steveindenmark (6 Jan 2020)

6th January. A 4am start and a 4pm dental appointment scuppered me today. But I will be on the bike tomorrow and will carry on with the challenge. I will try and accumulate a few miles. Its a bugger when real life gets in the way of cycling 😊


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## steveindenmark (7 Jan 2020)

Day 7. Part 1. 😊 Back on the road again.


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## bluenotebob (7 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Its a bugger when real life gets in the way of cycling 😊



Ain't that the truth ! My sympathies.

This challenge has proved to be more of an exercise for me in time management than cycling. Trying to focus on everything else that needs to be done on a daily basis - and getting out on the bike - has been the greatest difficulty. The weather has been generally kind so far - and I'm delighted to have racked up so many kilometres this early in January. I'll keep going until it becomes impossible to continue.


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## steveindenmark (7 Jan 2020)

Thats the thing Bob. The distance is just a little leg stretcher. The challenge is just making time for it every day for 20 days or being bothered to go out when its freezing cold and raining. Its also a good way to give your yearly mileage a good boost, without really realising it.


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## ColinJ (7 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Day 7. Part 1. 😊 Back on the road again.
> View attachment 499452


You were short by 740 metres!  

I sometimes find myself touring the local streets to add that kind of distance to complete one of my challenge rides. It always feels a bit silly because it adds nothing to my fitness, pleasure or achievement, but it enables me to say that I had completed the distance.

In your challenge, it is about just making the effort to go out so a few metres here or there makes no real difference.


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## Pale Rider (7 Jan 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I sometimes find myself touring the local streets to add that kind of distance



"M'lud, when questioned, this suspect who denies going equipped, said he was gaining extra miles on his bicycle for a challenge on the internet."

Short pause.

"What's an internet?"


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## ColinJ (7 Jan 2020)

Pale Rider said:


> "M'lud, when questioned, this suspect who denies going equipped, said he was gaining extra miles on his bicycle for a challenge on the internet."
> 
> Short pause.
> 
> "What's an internet?"


Apparently there are about five million adults in the UK who have never used the internet. 2/3 of them feel that it would be a waste of time. My older sister is _almost _one of them - she only checks her email about once a year! Sometimes I will look something up while she is chatting to me, and it shocks her how quickly I can find information. "_Ooh, Clint Eastwood is getting on!_" (Sound of me typing...) "_Yes, he was born on 31st May, 1930, so he will be 90 this year._" (Stunned silence, then...) "_Er, how did you know that?_"


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## steveindenmark (7 Jan 2020)

ColinJ said:


> You were short by 740 metres!
> 
> I sometimes find myself touring the local streets to add that kind of distance to complete one of my challenge rides. It always feels a bit silly because it adds nothing to my fitness, pleasure or achievement, but it enables me to say that I had completed the distance.
> 
> In your challenge, it is about just making the effort to go out so a few metres here or there makes no real difference.


Colin, you missed the Part 1 add on. I had to ride home as well 😁

Day 7. 51km


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## bluenotebob (7 Jan 2020)

1st to 5th January: a ride over 20km each day – total cycled 185.29km

6th January Home – Esquiniac – Bourg Neuf – Evriguet – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.07km

7th January Home – la Plaisance – Brignac – la Riaye – la Corbinais – Kerminy – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 28.31km


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## ColinJ (7 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Colin, you missed the Part 1 add on. I had to ride home as well 😁


I humbly withdraw my objection!


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## bluenotebob (8 Jan 2020)

1st to 5th January: a ride over 20km each day – total cycled 185.29km

6th January Home – Esquiniac – Bourg Neuf – Evriguet – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.07km

7th January Home – la Plaisance – Brignac – la Riaye – la Corbinais – Kerminy – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 28.31km

8th January Home – Brignac – la Riaye – la Corbinais – Kerminy – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 25.50km

The same as yesterday's ride without the loop out to la Plaisance. No.1 bike is in the LBS today, so I was on no.2 ….32mm tyres instead of 28s, a bit safer on the muddy roads, but definitely a few kph's slower.


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## steveindenmark (8 Jan 2020)

Day 8. 23km


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## steveindenmark (9 Jan 2020)

Day 9. 202020 Challenge. 50km








s


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## bluenotebob (9 Jan 2020)

Too windy … 

It was always going to be a tall order to ride every day in Brittany for the first 20 days of January. I've thought and thought and thought about how to ride today - but it's simply impractical and much too dangerous. I've been outside getting logs for the wood-burner and struggling to walk against the wind. My shutters are rattling and the wind is howling down the chimney as I'm writing this .. and the forecast is for the wind to get even stronger ... so no ride for me today. 

I'll stay in the Challenge thread and keep posting rides. Hopefully I can recover the lost kilometrage over the next few days. 

I also have a problem with the rear cassette on bike no.1 which might not be replaced until Thurs/Friday next week. That will inhibit my chances of doing any really long rides over the coming week unfortunately.

I shall stay at home today, in the warm and making bread. If it's any good, I may post it on here later.

Good luck @steveindenmark … keep cycling (I will).


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## bluenotebob (10 Jan 2020)

1st to 5th January: a ride over 20km each day – total cycled 185.29km

6th January Home – Esquiniac – Bourg Neuf – Evriguet – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 30.07km

7th January Home – la Plaisance – Brignac – la Riaye – la Corbinais – Kerminy – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 28.31km

8th January Home – Brignac – la Riaye – la Corbinais – Kerminy – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 25.50km

10th January Home – Guilliers – Evriguet – la Corbinais – la Ville Jallu – la Cotinaie – Brignac – St Brieuc-de-Mauron – Home 32.33km 

A slightly extended version of Monday’s ride. A chilly wind from the NW but at least it was dry today.


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## steveindenmark (10 Jan 2020)

Day 10. A very windy 38km. With these headwinds we do not need mountains in Denmark. 😁🇩🇰


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## steveindenmark (11 Jan 2020)

*Day 11.



*


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## bluenotebob (11 Jan 2020)

1st to 10th January: 9 rides in 10 days – total cycled 301.50km

11th January Home – la Ville Haligan – Kerminy – Evriguet – la Ville Trémal – Riolo – Quéry – la Mormazière – Guilliers – Home 31.51km


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## steveindenmark (12 Jan 2020)

Day 12. Guess what! Its raining ☔😁🇩🇰


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## bluenotebob (12 Jan 2020)

Sorry @steveindenmark .. I'm bailing out. I haven't been able to do a ride today for various reasons - and Storm Brendan arrives tomorrow and stays through Tuesday .. 40+mph winds forecast here for both days (call me a wimp, but I won't cycle when it's that windy). 

I'd thought I could have got a return of 17/18 days out of 20, but it's now looking more like 14/15. 

Good luck with the next 8 days, mate.


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## steveindenmark (12 Jan 2020)

bluenotebob said:


> Sorry @steveindenmark .. I'm bailing out. I haven't been able to do a ride today for various reasons - and Storm Brendan arrives tomorrow and stays through Tuesday .. 40+mph winds forecast here for both days (call me a wimp, but I won't cycle when it's that windy).
> 
> I'd thought I could have got a return of 17/18 days out of 20, but it's now looking more like 14/15.
> 
> Good luck with the next 8 days, mate.


Thanks Bob. At least it give your yearly mileage a kickstart. 

Today was atrocious for me. Thats why I kept it short.


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## steveindenmark (13 Jan 2020)

Day 13. No rain and getting fitter 😁🇩🇰


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## steveindenmark (14 Jan 2020)

Day. 14. 46km


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## steveindenmark (15 Jan 2020)




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## steveindenmark (16 Jan 2020)

Day 16. Daily mileage - 53km

Another strong headwind for 20km. Not what you need on pitch black, cold mornings. The mileage is still not the challenge. But it tests the motivation to do it for 20 days straight. I will actually do 21 as I had to miss a day. 😁🇩🇰


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## steveindenmark (17 Jan 2020)

Day 17. 46km


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## steveindenmark (18 Jan 2020)

Day 18. 36km


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## steveindenmark (19 Jan 2020)

Day 19. A very gentle 21km in the sun. The sun.. I cant believe it. ☀😁🇩🇰


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## steveindenmark (20 Jan 2020)

Day 20. Total 43km. 
















As I have ridden 19 of the 20 days Tomorrow will be the last day of my 202020 challenge. 😁


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## steveindenmark (21 Jan 2020)

Day 21. The last day of my 202020 Challenge.

Total mileage : 761km Average: 38km per day. I have lost 2.9kg. Not all down to cycling but it helped. Now on track for 1000km in the month. For a winter month in Scandanavia, Im happy with that. I am now looking forward to putting rest days in so I can extend the distances. . 😁🇩🇰


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## bluenotebob (21 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> Day 21. The last day of my 202020 Challenge.



A great achievement ! Well done - and you've made a fantastic start to January and to 2020. 

Good luck with getting to 1000km this month. 

Thanks again for setting up this challenge - I'm already looking forward to 212121...


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## steveindenmark (29 Jan 2020)

I have managed to reach the 1000km mark for January. To do it in a winter month is both a suprise and pleasing, but because of the 20 day challenge, has been quite easy. 
I have managed to at last sort out a good set of winter riding gear and I have needed it. 😉☔☔
To top it off I have lost 4.6kg. All in all, a good project to start the year.


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## bluenotebob (29 Jan 2020)

steveindenmark said:


> I have managed to reach the 1000km mark for January. To do it in a winter month is both a suprise and pleasing, but because of the 20 day challenge, has been quite easy.



Congratulations .. that's a great achievement !


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