Cracked the 50 :)

[Paul_L]

I've only been cycling since March but today i "burst" through the 50mile mark today with a 50.2m ride. Did is as part of the White Rose Challenge sportive from Ilkley.

Included two horrible climbs (Lindley Wood res at 9 miles and Langbar at 44 miles for those that know it) with 740m of climbing overall.

It should have been 48 miles but due to some dodgy signage i missed a turn and added a 2 mile loop which made up the 50! The only down side to this was that i missed the silver medal time of 3h42 by 6mins, which were it not for the detour i would have got.

Never mind though, my legs are still in all sorts of pain, but i enjoyed it, and now can start thinking about the next target.

 

[Lisa21]

Well done but you put me to shame-I did my first 40 yesterday, well 42 actually, but it took me 3hrs and 47 mins.......think I got overtaken by a snail once on my way home too

 

[jeltz]

Well done mate, did the same myself today

 

[Helly79]

well done sorry to hear that you missed out on the silver but its still a great achievement

 

[Sittingduck]

Well done Paul

 

[Garz]

Yes well done paul!

 

[HLaB]

Well DoneIt'll be the metric century (62.14miles) next

 

[JamesM]

Well done. My longest ride recently is only about 19 miles - I went from Baildon, up Hollins Hill, through Menston and Burley to Ilkley, up Cow & Calf and back over the moors (map)

What are the Lindley Wood Reservoir and and Langbar climbs like compared to the Cow & Calf? I take it you did Lindley Wood from Otley and Langbar from Beamsley? I'm busy this weekend but I fancy another trip out that way one weekend soon. Might have to have a look at one or maybe even both of those...

 

[Paul_L]

Stick at it James. As i said i went from 0 to 50 from March to June, but i didn't rush it, and upped the mileage steadily but have been riding 2 or 3 times a week. By the end of March my longest was 22m. By April it was upto 30 and end of May 38.

That 19mile ride of yours looks a nice run out and the beauty of the roads around here is that routes can be easily extended. My normal routes take me from Shipley west through Wilsden and Cullingworth towards Haworth.

I've never riden C&C before, but looking at the profiles of all 3 there isn't much to pick between them.

Cow and Calf - 2km length 148m ascent.
Lindley Bank - 2km 173m
Langbar - 2.2k 161m

Yes, Lindley Bank was from Otley direction after about 9 miles, and Langbar was from Beamsley after about 43 miles.

Lindley Bank was tough but as it was fairly early in, not too hard. Langbar hurt like hell and felt a lot harder than Lindley, which looking at the profile Lindley is tougher, but obviously my legs had 43 miles and 3hs 30 of riding in them. I had to fight every fibre in my body not to get off and walk, but apart from not wanting to quit the hill i also realised i wasn't going fast enough to uncleat my shoes!!

I'm now interested to see how Langbar feels with a fresh set of legs.

 

[Marko62]

It took me a year to get to 50 miles and now just a few months later 50 miles feels like I'm just getting warmed up. 71 miles in 4:42 and 3000 ft climbing is my record distance so far, I could have gone on for a few miles more but ran out of time. Got the opportunity to better that with a 90 mile Sportive coming on Sunday and my first 100 miler coming up in a few weeks.

My point is that it took me ages to get to 50 miles going through tendon pains, cramps, neck pains and a lot of walking up hills. Now I get no leg pains - just a little neck pain when I've been riding constantly for 3 hours and the hills are a touch easier, that 50 mile barrier is a real breakthrough to better things its just getting there that's the real pain

 

[Randochap]

 

[upandover]

I made my first over 50 this Sat, with a 63.5 mile ride from Birmingham down to Slimbridge in gloucestershire. Baking hot towards the end, but so much fun riding through the country i the early morning.

Steve