The 2019 Half Century a month Challenge chatzone

[NorthernDave]

The good news is that I'm signed up for the York-Leeds-York sportive on Saturday - just the "short" at 66 km, but another point for the challenge once ridden.

The better news is that the forecast is dry and possibly even sunny, with a "breeze" from the west that will be a tail wind for most of the second half of the ride
The bad news is that I'm absolutely full of cold with a horrendous hacking cough...fingers crossed it's improved by Saturday morning

 

[Domus]

Two weeks and two days after my surgery I managed a gentle 15 Kms to Costa in Bolton and back. No discomfort in the saddle region just way off in fitness. Hopefully I should just scrape in by the end of the month, maybe just a ride out to Frederick's in Chorley and back, quite flat.

 

[NorthernDave]

The good news is that I'm signed up for the York-Leeds-York sportive on Saturday - just the "short" at 66 km, but another point for the challenge once ridden.

The better news is that the forecast is dry and possibly even sunny, with a "breeze" from the west that will be a tail wind for most of the second half of the ride
The bad news is that I'm absolutely full of cold with a horrendous hacking cough...fingers crossed it's improved by Saturday morning

Unfortunately I'm no better and it looks like I'll miss the Y-L-Y for the first time in 4 years .
Really gutted about this as it's a great early season ride and will have around a thousand riders taking part (or maybe just 999 now...). They look to have improved the route by (at last) finding better ways to cross the Ouse than the bridge at Naburn which was a real log jam and a bit of a joke.
Gutted doesn't even start to cover it.

 

[13 rider]

Unfortunately I'm no better and it looks like I'll miss the Y-L-Y for the first time in 4 years .
Really gutted about this as it's a great early season ride and will have around a thousand riders taking part (or maybe just 999 now...). They look to have improved the route by (at last) finding better ways to cross the Ouse than the bridge at Naburn which was a real log jam and a bit of a joke.
Gutted doesn't even start to cover it.

Can give that a like . Hope your soon back and firing on all cylinders

 

[bluenotebob]

Another one from today. More info and a 'map' here

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/t...winter-challenge-chatzone.241349/post-5560618

 

[aferris2]

Ok. That's the March ride done. Was originally planning to do a ride last weekend but family commitments got in the way. I knew today was likely to be my last chance. Yesterday the front wheel bearings on the road bike finally gave up the ghost, so it had to be 50km on the hybrid.
Forecast was sunny and windy. Someone decided to add rain into the mix as well, so I ended up wet and very warm.
Wind didn't seem as bad as I feared. 40mph gusts didn't sound nice, but perhaps having a wheel that would go round helped.

 

[NorthernDave]

Unfortunately I'm no better and it looks like I'll miss the Y-L-Y for the first time in 4 years .
Really gutted about this as it's a great early season ride and will have around a thousand riders taking part (or maybe just 999 now...). They look to have improved the route by (at last) finding better ways to cross the Ouse than the bridge at Naburn which was a real log jam and a bit of a joke.
Gutted doesn't even start to cover it.

Can give that a like . Hope your soon back and firing on all cylinders

No ride today then.

Nipped over to the pharmacy this morning for some industrial strength medication and noticed it was cold and very windy - far winder than forecast.
Then it started to rain on the way back and I got in just as the sleet started....

The mate was meant to be riding the Y-L-Y with reported later that he's "never known wind and rain like it", but he still did the 66km course in 2h 44m, so not a bad time considering. I did the right thing not attempting it - I think that weather might have finished me off!

At least I've got the March ride in the bag already.

 

[Houthakker]

Wasn't keen to go out today, cold, wet and windy, but as I'm looking busy for the next couple of weekends didn't want to leave it till the last minute. Had a choice between going out early in heavy rain, or waiting until the rain stops but the wind was forecast to get up to force stupid, so out came the waterproofs! 51km and cold and wet when I got back, but March ride in the bag.
If it hadn't been for this challenge I would have stayed in bed

 

[13 rider]

Wasn't keen to go out today, cold, wet and windy, but as I'm looking busy for the next couple of weekends didn't want to leave it till the last minute. Had a choice between going out early in heavy rain, or waiting until the rain stops but the wind was forecast to get up to force stupid, so out came the waterproofs! 51km and cold and wet when I got back, but March ride in the bag.
If it hadn't been for this challenge I would have stayed in bed

Great effort not many of us got a 50km this weekend myself included . Great to see the challenge getting people on their bikes

 

[Sbudge]

Unfortunately I'm no better and it looks like I'll miss the Y-L-Y for the first time in 4 years .
Really gutted about this as it's a great early season ride and will have around a thousand riders taking part (or maybe just 999 now...). They look to have improved the route by (at last) finding better ways to cross the Ouse than the bridge at Naburn which was a real log jam and a bit of a joke.
Gutted doesn't even start to cover it.

That's rotten, this year's version of the annual Winter cold seems particularly nasty, mine took 3 weeks to shift. Get well soon!

 

[Sbudge]

I took one look out the window on Saturday morning and rapidly downgraded my plans for a 100km to a 50km. That wind was just evil! I had the cunning plan though of doing a slightly hillier route (1000m+ in 50km) in the hope that there would be more shelter that way. I have now decided that a 20mph headwind on a 20% incline is neither fun nor smart.

Also, this must have been one of my slowest ever 50km rides as the gusting wind meant I couldn't make up any time on the descents, some of which were almost slower on the way down than up!

My route finished coming down The Hale (our house sits right at the bottom of it), I was in such a good mood I doubled back and went back up for the hell of it... which if you know that hill is particularly daft.

 

[bluenotebob]

I started cycling again in 2015 – by accident: I won a bike in a school lottery. Not a very good bike of course, but it got me back into the swing of going out several times a week, getting some fresh air and stretching my legs. I traded it for a decent MTB, then I added the Urban Shaper.

2017 was my first year of taking cycling ‘seriously’ (although I’m not sure I take it very seriously, even now). I set monthly targets and tried to meet (or exceed) them, if I could. I also decided to ‘award’ myself a chocolate cake for every 1000km cycled.

With the HMCAM and the Annual Lunacy challenges, plus my own monthly targets, it’s probably true that the 1000km ‘milestones’ are less important to me now, but hey – chocolate is chocolate … and I still manage to convince myself that they are well-deserved rewards. I passed 1000km on Sunday (yes, I know – most of you passed it in January) and yesterday I treated myself. I couldn’t decide between the tartelettes and the moelleux, so I bought both ..

Photos of both below for any fellow chocaholic who might be interested ..

 

[Sbudge]

I started cycling again in 2015 – by accident: I won a bike in a school lottery. Not a very good bike of course, but it got me back into the swing of going out several times a week, getting some fresh air and stretching my legs. I traded it for a decent MTB, then I added the Urban Shaper.

2017 was my first year of taking cycling ‘seriously’ (although I’m not sure I take it very seriously, even now). I set monthly targets and tried to meet (or exceed) them, if I could. I also decided to ‘award’ myself a chocolate cake for every 1000km cycled.

With the HMCAM and the Annual Lunacy challenges, plus my own monthly targets, it’s probably true that the 1000km ‘milestones’ are less important to me now, but hey – chocolate is chocolate … and I still manage to convince myself that they are well-deserved rewards. I passed 1000km on Sunday (yes, I know – most of you passed it in January) and yesterday I treated myself. I couldn’t decide between the tartelettes and the moelleux, so I bought both ..

Photos of both below for any fellow chocaholic who might be interested ..


View attachment 457170 View attachment 457171

Cake is always justified, chocolate cake doubly so.

 

[gavgav]

Today’s attempt aborted at 2 miles after being caught in a massive Hailstorm!! That hurts!

Probably only 1 more opportunity left, on the last weekend in March, when we open the caravan up again, in Wales and so I’m crossing fingers for some better weather

 

[C R]

Today’s attempt aborted at 2 miles after being caught in a massive Hailstorm!! That hurts!

Probably only 1 more opportunity left, on the last weekend in March, when we open the caravan up again, in Wales and so I’m crossing fingers for some better weather

A like for the attempt.