Rapha Festive 500. Anyone doing it?
- Thread starter Heltor Chasca
- Start date
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Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
If doing it indoors, you may as well do it in the summer. Same difficulty
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
But not the same opportunity with bank holidays being lined up and a lot of offices being closed and some employers insisting that you take holiday between them. And as noted above, it's not winter everywhere. Antipodeans are free to enter.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Yeah but it’s indoors the trainer will give you 30% above your typical outdoor average speed. You don’t need all that much time if indoors. About 15 hours over 8 days. Set the trainer on a downhill slope and average 70 km/h complete it in even less time.
Last edited:
matticus
Guru
It is on Cyclechat.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Needs to get back to its roots
”First conceived on the snowy roads of Kent in Southern England, the Festive 500 started out as one man’s personal battle against the elements.”
”First conceived on the snowy roads of Kent in Southern England, the Festive 500 started out as one man’s personal battle against the elements.”
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Sounds like the logical choice. I feel a bit stupid for doing it outside now.
Although I'd have to add on time setting up my turbo, which weighs a ton to lug around, putting the bike on and spending half an hour swearing getting it to hook up with the PC. Then I need a cuppa to recover from setting it all up. And time taken putting it all away afterwards.
Are we limiting it to modern Kent, or are we using the historic boundaries? And does it have to be snowing?
There's absolutely nothing stopping people from adopting these restrictions if they want.
Ming the Merciless
There is no mercy
- Location
- Inside my skull
Sounds like the logical choice. I feel a bit stupid for doing it outside now.
Although I'd have to add on time setting up my turbo, which weighs a ton to lug around, putting the bike on and spending half an hour swearing getting it to hook up with the PC. Then I need a cuppa to recover from setting it all up. And time taken putting it all away afterwards.
Are we limiting it to modern Kent, or are we using the historic boundaries. And does it have to be snowing?
Yes 😂
AlanW
Legendary Member
- Location
- Not to sure?
When the Rapha challenge first started, I rode in some truly awful conditions in order to finish it, okay more fool me. But that was the challenge, come rain or shine you had to go out. But the key was to hit the first day hard and knock out at least 80 miles in order to give yourself that all important buffer, weather and family commitments etc etc.
For your efforts you were then rewarded with a nice cloth sewn on Rapha Festive 500 roundel.....okay so I'm easily pleased.
What do you get now, nothing, diddly squat!
I totally get last year that things were very different and lock down rules applied to some areas and to combat that they allowed indoor and manually inputted rides. BUT, this year (and maybe last year) to it would have better to separate the original Rapha 500 challenge and run a new "Rapha 500 Inside" challenge?
Yes I have completed it this year using both inside and outside rides to count towards the overall total, but rest assured that by the time tomorrow comes I would have done it purely on road miles alone anyway.
For your efforts you were then rewarded with a nice cloth sewn on Rapha Festive 500 roundel.....okay so I'm easily pleased.
What do you get now, nothing, diddly squat!
I totally get last year that things were very different and lock down rules applied to some areas and to combat that they allowed indoor and manually inputted rides. BUT, this year (and maybe last year) to it would have better to separate the original Rapha 500 challenge and run a new "Rapha 500 Inside" challenge?
Yes I have completed it this year using both inside and outside rides to count towards the overall total, but rest assured that by the time tomorrow comes I would have done it purely on road miles alone anyway.
BianchiVirgin
Über Member
- Location
- Norn Iron
That's me done. 508km total and 3800m climbing.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
Honestly, this guy even used a e-bike for some of it. What a ... oh, hang on, it's Steve Abraham
https://www.strava.com/activities/6453884097/overview
I ended up riding a few miles without the assist on, only switching it on when I really did need it, as I was carrying something like 80kg in the trailer. There were times when I was down to 2-3mph going up inclines without the assist on. Combined weight of myself, bike, trailer and load would have been about 210kg. So not many watts/kg!
https://www.strava.com/activities/6453884097/overview
I ended up riding a few miles without the assist on, only switching it on when I really did need it, as I was carrying something like 80kg in the trailer. There were times when I was down to 2-3mph going up inclines without the assist on. Combined weight of myself, bike, trailer and load would have been about 210kg. So not many watts/kg!
Fiona R
Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
- Location
- N Somerset
I rode Festive 500 the last 2 years. This year I've not been on a bike since 14th December. Huge congratulations to everyone who achieved their goals, outdoors, indoors, e bike, hot, cold, wet, dry. You beat the other 99.999999% who did diddly squat
