The 2018 Half Century a month Challenge chatzone
- Thread starter 13 rider
- Start date
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iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
That's my opener for the year done. Still a lot of ice around once you leave the main roads so went out on the Cross-Check with the snow/ice studs. Good choice as the single track road out to Breascleit (The Pentland Road) was very dodgy in places. 
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Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Number 2 done in an “accidentally on purpose” style, did a route to the airport and back through local lanes. It wasn’t plotted out other than “go to the airport and back” in my head but when I got back to Coalville I’d done 27.5 miles so that’s when the “on purpose” kicked on to get me over the magic marker. And true to the law of sod it waited until I’d got to the airport before it decided to drizzle! Ah well, another one in the bag!
@Chris Doyle, that's the magic of the challenge for you....always pushing you to the next milestone.
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Too true @tallliman, it never occurred to me to do it until I saw I was 4 miles away from doing so!
Jon George
Mamil and couldn't care less
- Location
- Suffolk an' Good
Ah, and just how many times have I cycled around the roads near where I live at the end of a ride to get the qualifying distance? .....
steverob
Guru
- Location
- Buckinghamshire
I used to have to do that a lot, but now I've come up with a new trick.Ah, and just how many times have I cycled around the roads near where I live at the end of a ride to get the qualifying distance? .....
Most of my rides end with me coming back into town along one of four main routes. I've worked out a point along each one where I know that if I've got more than "X" miles to go to my target (be it 50km, 50 miles, whatever) when I pass it, I'm going to end up short and so I need to start detouring in order to get some extra miles. By knowing these distance markers that are further away from home, it means I've still got choices on how I get to my target and can keep some variety in my routes, rather than having to wait until I actually got home and do tiresome loops of the same block over and over again as I used to!
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Hey, it’s all good to me! Doesn’t matter how it’s done so long as it’s done!
I'm with you there! I know the lengths of at least 2-3 different loops to make up a distance!
Hi everyone the subject of split rides has reared its head so here's my take on it having reread the rules . The rules for the half century challenge does not state miles within 24 hours as per the Imperial century which is what I was basing my point of view on .
So what makes a ride 1 ride not 2 . I work on the rule 1 ride does not include a change of clothes ie into work clothes , a work shift inbetween starting and finishing , or stopping to sleep .
I believe the whole ethos of the challenge is to get you riding more miles not just adding 2 commutes together to score some points .
I think most people act within the spirit of the challenge and understand what makes a qualifying ride .The challenge is purely personal so you are only challenging yourself to do the miles . The rules are pretty relaxed and I'm fairly forgiving . In the Imperial century challenge you cannot register your house during the ride for example
The subject seems to be a storm in a tea cup and I believe only 1 split ride was counted last year in exceptional circumstances the rider returning from a pretty serious injury was in danger of not getting a ride in having completed half the challenge .
Hopefully this clears things up and dosnt cause any confusion . Happy riding everyone
Sorry for slightly misleading @steveindenmark as I replied to a pm a bit to quickly
So what makes a ride 1 ride not 2 . I work on the rule 1 ride does not include a change of clothes ie into work clothes , a work shift inbetween starting and finishing , or stopping to sleep .
I believe the whole ethos of the challenge is to get you riding more miles not just adding 2 commutes together to score some points .
I think most people act within the spirit of the challenge and understand what makes a qualifying ride .The challenge is purely personal so you are only challenging yourself to do the miles . The rules are pretty relaxed and I'm fairly forgiving . In the Imperial century challenge you cannot register your house during the ride for example
The subject seems to be a storm in a tea cup and I believe only 1 split ride was counted last year in exceptional circumstances the rider returning from a pretty serious injury was in danger of not getting a ride in having completed half the challenge .
Hopefully this clears things up and dosnt cause any confusion . Happy riding everyone
Sorry for slightly misleading @steveindenmark as I replied to a pm a bit to quickly
LeetleGreyCells
Un rouleur infatigable
- Location
- Whitehaven Mansions
I completed my first ever 50 km ride today! Hooray! 
I’ll add it to the relevant threads.
I’ll add it to the relevant threads.
Well doneI completed my first ever 50 km ride today! Hooray!
I’ll add it to the relevant threads.
that's the reason the challenge exists for to get you out doing some miles 
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I got a half-century in today. Littgull and I rode over from Todmorden to Wilsden to meet a friend at a cafe. There was a possibility that I might do a 50-miler but we spent quite a long while in the cafe and by the time we got back over to the Calder Valley it was nearly sunset. I didn't fancy riding in rush hour traffic in the dark so I came straight back from Hebden Bridge rather than going the longer way via Mytholmroyd, Cragg Vale and Littleborough. Still, it was a nice lumpy 58 km ride (36 miles).
I had never actually been to Wilsden before. It is up on a hill above Bingley and Bradford and I found a few nice lanes out that way. The best thing though was Hewenden Viaduct between Cullingworth and Wilsden. It is now a Grade 2 listed structure and forms part of the Northern Rail Trail, which should eventually link up Bradford and Keighley.
You can just about read some of the history of the viaduct in the pictures below ...
There was a '10% off in January' offer in the cafe so we might repeat this ride in 2 weeks time if the weather is kind to us.
I had never actually been to Wilsden before. It is up on a hill above Bingley and Bradford and I found a few nice lanes out that way. The best thing though was Hewenden Viaduct between Cullingworth and Wilsden. It is now a Grade 2 listed structure and forms part of the Northern Rail Trail, which should eventually link up Bradford and Keighley.
You can just about read some of the history of the viaduct in the pictures below ...
There was a '10% off in January' offer in the cafe so we might repeat this ride in 2 weeks time if the weather is kind to us.
It was a really enjoyable day out on the bike with @ColinJ. I too, had never previously been to Wilsden though have often cycled just a few miles from it when riding with Colin. The Hewenden viaduct was very impressive, an excellent riding surface too! I hope the required public funding is achieved for Sustrans to expand the Great Northern Trail in line with their proposals. At 46 miles (which included Littleborough to Todmorden and back) this was by far my longest ride this January so getting well prepared for longer rides to come when daylight lengthens and the weather is more consistently better.
