Annual Simplified Climbing Lunacy Challenge chatzone
- Thread starter FrothNinja
- Start date
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Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I've decided to join in this year, but at a reduced target of 1,200m. I failed last year at 1,500m and to be honest it meant I did quite a few rides that were. how shall I put it?, "of limited pleasantness" only to fall at the last fence. But 1,200m is still enough to prevent me from bottling out completely and to give me a bit of an incentive to include some hills in my rides. And who knows, I might find myself in a position to increase it towards the end of the year.
It's a balance between setting a realistic incentive to counter my natural laziness, and actually wimping out.
It's a balance between setting a realistic incentive to counter my natural laziness, and actually wimping out.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I'm in two minds whether to allow myself to include turbo rides as I did a couple of years ago. I "rode up" a simulation of the Tourmalet at the weekend. 1400m (guess where my special cycling trip is this year 
)
On balance I think lowering my target from last year (1500 to 1200m) is sufficient wimpiness for one year so I'll stay road-only.
) On balance I think lowering my target from last year (1500 to 1200m) is sufficient wimpiness for one year so I'll stay road-only.
midlandsgrimpeur
Active Member
I'm in two minds whether to allow myself to include turbo rides as I did a couple of years ago. I "rode up" a simulation of the Tourmalet at the weekend. 1400m (guess where my special cycling trip is this year
On balance I think lowering my target from last year (1500 to 1200m) is sufficient wimpiness for one year so I'll stay road-only.
The Tourmalet is a great climb. I would recommend doing it from the West and including the Aubisque beforehand, that makes it a proper day. Just looking back over my ride there and it is officially 18.82km, 7.6% with 1395m of elevation. I rode up it with a freak weather front, at the bottom it was 28 celsius, by the time I reached the top it was 1 degree with about 1 metre of visibility in thick fog. I then had to descend 8km to the hotel unable to see a thing in front of me!
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Will be going from the West, with some friends, following Octave on his lorry up the climb from Luz St Saveur. Montée du Géant. Two fit people, two less fit people. Possibly also some e-bikers. I am one of the less-fit people.
midlandsgrimpeur
Active Member
Sounds good, you will all have a great time I am sure. The first 5km is pretty much false flat and then the real climb starts with about 13km to go, it is a pretty even gradient from there though so fairly easy to settle into a tempo.
OP
OP
FrothNinja
Veteran
Two qualifying rides in 8 days. The one last week continued the increase in height in subsequent rides but it dropped back a chunk today.
Interestingly (only to those amused by stats) distance wise, todays ride in and out of Preston was almost exactly the same length as ride 4 but quite a difference in height. Different route (more dipping down to valley bottoms, fner fner) but today's had 198 m / 650 ft more ascent.
Pushed over 2 metres side ways on a fast descent a couple of times due to cross winds - I blame the pannier.
Deliciously warm when sheltered from the wind.
Interestingly (only to those amused by stats) distance wise, todays ride in and out of Preston was almost exactly the same length as ride 4 but quite a difference in height. Different route (more dipping down to valley bottoms, fner fner) but today's had 198 m / 650 ft more ascent.
Pushed over 2 metres side ways on a fast descent a couple of times due to cross winds - I blame the pannier.
Deliciously warm when sheltered from the wind.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
That happened to me once on an 80+ km/h descent off Holme Moss towards Woodhead even without a pannier on the bike. Any further over and I would have been perilously close to hitting the wall on the other side of the road!
OP
OP
FrothNinja
Veteran
I got uncomfortably close to the centre line on a fast flowing road
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I got a third challenge ride in today, and it was a big 'un. 2,245 m. Almost double my challenge target of 1,200.
I started out thinking I would ride the route of the Kent Grimpeur Audax, but on examination there was one hill I didn't like (River Hill - too much fast traffic, I'm not riding up that). So I made one tiny edit, and then another and eventually my route looked nothing like the original.
But both started and finished in Otford, were 100k and had a ton of hills. And as it happened I played fast and loose with my planned route anyway so my ride itself was even more different.
Beautiful day, with lots of cyclists out. But still a chilly in the shade and a brisk wind. I wasn't sorry to still be wearing longs.
Went very well. I had lots of contingency bail out points in case I flaked out, but I kept going well almost to the end. The last two hills (Hubbards Hill and Mote Rd) were quite tough but I never got into the miserable survival zone. I still had a bit of spring in my legs.
Having said that I went well, that was referring to my legs, not my speed. If it had been an audax I would have been Outside Time Limit. But it waasn't so I didn't need to worry about finding out the colour of the sheds or the numbers on lampposts, only to find it had been a waste of time as I was OTL.
I think I've earned my steak, chips and mushrooms tonight.
I started out thinking I would ride the route of the Kent Grimpeur Audax, but on examination there was one hill I didn't like (River Hill - too much fast traffic, I'm not riding up that). So I made one tiny edit, and then another and eventually my route looked nothing like the original.
But both started and finished in Otford, were 100k and had a ton of hills. And as it happened I played fast and loose with my planned route anyway so my ride itself was even more different.Beautiful day, with lots of cyclists out. But still a chilly in the shade and a brisk wind. I wasn't sorry to still be wearing longs.
Went very well. I had lots of contingency bail out points in case I flaked out, but I kept going well almost to the end. The last two hills (Hubbards Hill and Mote Rd) were quite tough but I never got into the miserable survival zone. I still had a bit of spring in my legs.
Having said that I went well, that was referring to my legs, not my speed. If it had been an audax I would have been Outside Time Limit. But it waasn't so I didn't need to worry about finding out the colour of the sheds or the numbers on lampposts, only to find it had been a waste of time as I was OTL.
I think I've earned my steak, chips and mushrooms tonight.
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