The 2018 Half Century a month Challenge chatzone

[NorthernDave]

Managed a cheeky 50km this morning day off work should be getting ready for my Holiday but a time gap arrived so snuck out .33.2 miles . Off to Cornwall for 2 weeks tomorrow the bike coming but will have limited time so may not get many quialifing rides in . I will have limited access but I will be watching everyone progress

I understand that most pubs have free Wi-Fi... #justsayin'

Anyhow, set off this morning with an all day pass if I wanted it, so had thoughts of an imperial half or maybe even a metric century.
In the end it just got too blooming hot (but also oddly breezy), so it ended up 'just' being a metric half (and a bit)

Chapeau to anyone who did big miles out there today.

 

[Elysian_Roads]

A friend wanted to do a circa 30 mile ride, and I saw this as a potential opportunity to get an Imperial Half in, with a bit extra getting to the start point and back . The not so good news was that she could only go out from 10:30 this morning.

It was a bit warm out there, and I am now planning routes past express mini market shops to be able to buy extra water, and enjoy brief moments of standing by the chiller section....

Apart from the heat, a good weekend's riding. Both the half century and metric century rides tucked away, including my longest single ride to date at 82 miles.

Safe riding everyone.

 

[NorthernDave]

Another metric half this morning with the added bonus of being accompanied by a barn owl for a small part of it.
One of those rare rides when I was grateful for the breeze too, if only to keep the edge of the temperatures.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Another imperial half this morning, my second one ever.

 

[PatrickPending]

July's done with a quick 81km down to Easenhall

8th July 81Km Blaby- Countesthorpe - Wiloughby Waterlys - Ashby Magna - Dunton Bassett - Leire- Ashby Parva - Claybrooke Magna - Withybrook - Ansty - Brinklow - Easenhall - Pailton - Monks Kirby - Ullesthorpe - Gilmorton - Countesthorpe

Actually its my first ride down to Easenhall - not been past Brinklow before. Was nice too...first time I've seen Brinklow castle - and I must have cycled within 100m of it many times as it was on one of my commuting routes from Leicester to Coventry. MUst explore round there a bit more.

 

[the stupid one]

Today was the day I finally tried my clip-in shoes, which have been giving me the side-eye for a few weeks now, and also the first point in this challenge achieved on the Triban 500.

And it was a big thumbs-up to both - the shoes were comfortable and pretty easy to attach/detach, and the bike was light and responsive. The 25 mm Continentals made a few routing decisions for me (avoid the sand!), and some sections of road or track were particularly jarring (shout-out to the notorious cobbled section at Seacombe Ferry: ten metres of hell, haha).

The new bridge across the docks between Wallasey and Birkenhead is finally open, so shaves a chunk of time and distance off compared to recent circuits of the Wirral Circular Trail. The Neston cutting has - gasp! - standing water, which must be indicating the water table I imagine. Well, I say standing water, but more accurately I spotted a couple of puddles. That’s not very dramatic though.

A few sections of the Wirral Way are not ideal for such narrow tyres, mainly through Heswall, but I stayed on the smoother lines because it wasn’t too busy. Met a former colleague cycling the other way, so we had a natter. And when I got home the family had all gone out and I hadn’t taken a key, so I sat in the garden for a while and watered the frogs in the diminishing pond. Also, the absurd excuse for a Foreign Secretary had resigned, so I might go out again tomorrow and see if Gove or Fox resign as well.

 

[Domus]

Car in for a service so fitted the bike rack, dropped off and set off to visit mum in Chorley. As only going from Bolton and back I would be short of 50 K so did a circuitous route back to the garage. It was a little contrived with the roads over the moors still closed but managed to sneak over the 50 Kms. just.

Grandson's birthday this weekend so good ride there planned including Cragg Vale.

 

[13 rider]

Managed to get up early enough to sneak in a Cornish 50km ride before the family got up . 32.6 miles with only 3300ft of upness. There's no flat bit here it's either up or down . The downhills are pretty as very poor line of sight so you don't get much reward for all the climbing . Anyone who does the area I climbed out of Watergate bay towards Newquay which was tough .

 

[ColinJ]

Grandson's birthday this weekend so good ride there planned including Cragg Vale.

It is probably ok at Blackstone Edge now because we have had rain, but they had moorland fires up there this week, with road closures - LINK!

 

[Katherine]

I did a lovely half century yesterday evening whilst most of the country were watching the TV! The few cars on the main roads were stupidly speeding but all of the side roads were empty except for children who were enjoying themselves. I saw a fantastic water fight with super soakers. They weren't interested in wasting any of their water on me! To make the best use of the quieter roads, I did a familiar route in reverse so I came back on a cycle path which was a good thing because for the last half an hour from about 9.45 onwards it was like rush hour! I also got a QOM that I have been so close to for a while. It's on the loop that I normally add to the end of a ride if I need a few more miles to round up to the half century. So I decided to add the extra loop first while I was fresh . And the countryside around Dunham was stunning in the evening sunshine.

 

[Domus]

Thanks Colin, will keep an eye on the situation, might go through Mytholmroyed and drop down to Sowerby Bridge instead.

 

[Domus]

All was well up Cragg Vale, apart from my lack of fitness of course. Hot and sticky everywhere except the last few Ks up Cragg Vale where the wind was blowing in my face. 72.6 Kms to get to number 1 daughter's house in Sowerby Bridge where numbers two and three daughters came to celebrate my grandson's third birthday. Nice to see all my girls and the grandkids together and a good ride to boot. Cracking day all round.

 

[the stupid one]

shout-out to the notorious cobbled section at Seacombe Ferry: ten metres of hell, haha . . .

In honour of today's TdF stage over the cobbles towards Roubaix I have "created" a "graphic" to demonstrate this infamous section. A technical entry, then significantly more than the ten metres I'd estimated - possibly as much as twenty-five! What with this, and the other fiftyish kilometres of the route powered through in about four hours, I am confident in saying that I fully understand what the Tour riders are going through today.

hellofthenorthwest

• the stupid one
• 15 Jul 2018

cobbles at seacombe ferry

And best wishes to Richie Porte and anybody else caught up in that crash just now.

 

[Noodle Legs]

A very hot, laboured but pretty nippy Startline Leicestershire Sportive today after a few days break. 57.7 miles in 3:11. Nice to be back on it.

Full report soon in Your Ride Today.

 

[NorthernDave]

Back to back metric halves this weekend - didn't get chance to post about yesterdays in the half century threads then but will do this afternoon.

Two points spring to mind -

• By 'eck it's 'ot
• Anyone who thinks that "breeze" this morning was 6-8mph is having a laugh