The 2023 Half Century (50km or 50m) Challenge Chatzone
- Thread starter 13 rider
- Start date
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Oops, sorry... I am slightly poorly and neglecting my reporting duties!
No need for double-counting - I did 2 qualifiers this month, a 50 km local ride on my '6-er' which I think I kept in singlespeed mode for most or all of the ride, and a lumpy 51 km ride in Devon on which I used all 11** gears on my Devon bike. I will go over to the rides thread and report them there.
** Actually, that might have been 10 gears since I discovered at the end of my holiday that the chain was struggling to get down onto the 11 tooth sprocket.
That's me got a ride in for September. But I'm pretty sure I'll be dropping out of the challenge.. 
Bright dry morning, but breezy. Followed the NCN73 path from Saltcoats to Kilwinning, then farm roads around Irvine to Dreghorn. On to Dundonald, Loans, then Troon, for a nice coffee stop, sat enjoying the sunshine for 15 mins.
Back through Troon and Barassie, then Irvine, Kilwinning and home, 54k in total.
I've been doing this challenge since Jan 2017 - that's 81 months where I've done at least 1 50k ride. But I'm pretty sure this is where the challenge ends - I'm having an operation later this month, and I doubt I'll be ready for a 50k before the end of Oct 😭
Bright dry morning, but breezy. Followed the NCN73 path from Saltcoats to Kilwinning, then farm roads around Irvine to Dreghorn. On to Dundonald, Loans, then Troon, for a nice coffee stop, sat enjoying the sunshine for 15 mins.
Back through Troon and Barassie, then Irvine, Kilwinning and home, 54k in total.
I've been doing this challenge since Jan 2017 - that's 81 months where I've done at least 1 50k ride. But I'm pretty sure this is where the challenge ends - I'm having an operation later this month, and I doubt I'll be ready for a 50k before the end of Oct 😭
That's me got a ride in for September. But I'm pretty sure I'll be dropping out of the challenge..
Bright dry morning, but breezy. Followed the NCN73 path from Saltcoats to Kilwinning, then farm roads around Irvine to Dreghorn. On to Dundonald, Loans, then Troon, for a nice coffee stop, sat enjoying the sunshine for 15 mins.
Back through Troon and Barassie, then Irvine, Kilwinning and home, 54k in total.
I've been doing this challenge since Jan 2017 - that's 81 months where I've done at least 1 50k ride. But I'm pretty sure this is where the challenge ends - I'm having an operation later this month, and I doubt I'll be ready for a 50k before the end of Oct 😭
... but today is notable for one other reason - my Strava "total distance ever" counter has just rolled over to 20,001 km!
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
September in the bag.
When mama comes calling with an offer of a Sunday roast, I don’t turn it down! The weather was simply gorgeous and the opportunity to bag a few points was too good to pass up, so around 0930 this morning I made my way up to my home town of Mansfield on the same steed that got me across Normandy earlier this week, albeit minus the bags 🤣
The route I’d plotted up to mum’s house largely parallels the A38 with the path at the start actually on it and I only came off as the route took me straight through Derby city centre so suffice to say there were no land speed records broken! North of the wall out of Derby in any direction is almost certainly uphill, and I’d plotted the easiest of them. From there it was paralleling the A38 again and quite lumpy through Ripley, Alfreton and South Normanton and never really let up until I got to nearby Sutton in Ashfield where it levelled off straight to Mansfield.
I didn’t fancy going back home the way I came so I winged it using local knowledge rather than plotting a route. Some of the roads were quite busy as I came back through the outskirts of Nottingham and I dropped a boo boo with one of the paths which meant heading further out west than I wanted at that point and a bit more hill work in Ilkeston! Once out of ‘Ilson’ though it really levelled off as I skirted round the edge of Derby and so it remained all the way home.
77.6 in 5:07.
When mama comes calling with an offer of a Sunday roast, I don’t turn it down! The weather was simply gorgeous and the opportunity to bag a few points was too good to pass up, so around 0930 this morning I made my way up to my home town of Mansfield on the same steed that got me across Normandy earlier this week, albeit minus the bags 🤣
The route I’d plotted up to mum’s house largely parallels the A38 with the path at the start actually on it and I only came off as the route took me straight through Derby city centre so suffice to say there were no land speed records broken! North of the wall out of Derby in any direction is almost certainly uphill, and I’d plotted the easiest of them. From there it was paralleling the A38 again and quite lumpy through Ripley, Alfreton and South Normanton and never really let up until I got to nearby Sutton in Ashfield where it levelled off straight to Mansfield.
I didn’t fancy going back home the way I came so I winged it using local knowledge rather than plotting a route. Some of the roads were quite busy as I came back through the outskirts of Nottingham and I dropped a boo boo with one of the paths which meant heading further out west than I wanted at that point and a bit more hill work in Ilkeston! Once out of ‘Ilson’ though it really levelled off as I skirted round the edge of Derby and so it remained all the way home.
77.6 in 5:07.
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That will be a shame ,hope everything goes well and we will be here waiting for your comebackThat's me got a ride in for September. But I'm pretty sure I'll be dropping out of the challenge..
Bright dry morning, but breezy. Followed the NCN73 path from Saltcoats to Kilwinning, then farm roads around Irvine to Dreghorn. On to Dundonald, Loans, then Troon, for a nice coffee stop, sat enjoying the sunshine for 15 mins.
Back through Troon and Barassie, then Irvine, Kilwinning and home, 54k in total.
I've been doing this challenge since Jan 2017 - that's 81 months where I've done at least 1 50k ride. But I'm pretty sure this is where the challenge ends - I'm having an operation later this month, and I doubt I'll be ready for a 50k before the end of Oct 😭
As I have mentioned on another thread, I have recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Came as a bit of a shock - I have no symptoms at all, and the DRE ("finger up the bum") test didn't find any problems. And surely I'm too young for prostate cancer - that's something that old people get! But PSA levels were raised, and a MRI then biopsy confirmed the worst.
However, the good news is that it has been detected early, is very localised, and is treatable. I get surgery in a fortnight.
I've been telling lots of people about this - friends, work colleagues - and encouraging those "at that dangerous age" to speak to their GP about a check. I know several have.
A different start location today , drove up to the start of the tour of Britain at Edwinstowe . Had a walk round lusting after a few bikes . Rode the first 7 miles of the course slightly slower than the pros . Watched them come through . Then due to the loopy nature of the their route I managed to take short cuts and see them at Retford and then again in Tuxford ,where Luke Rowe throw threw me a gel ,he must of thought he looks tired he needs some nutrion
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
My old stomping ground round there mate (well, next village down anyway!)
I was pleasantly surprised how nice the riding was around the area
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
Not ridden round there for a year or two.
Domus
Guru
- Location
- Sunny Radcliffe
Annual gentle tour of Cheshire completed today 5 very hot days of riding from Premier Inn to Premier Inn with a couple of short train rides from Bolton to Manchester Airport added to the mix.
Good coffee and lunch stops and the odd ice cream made for relaxed days in the hot and humid conditions, the lack of wind certainly helped us speed along with less effort than usual.
We had a very similar route from Oswestry to Chester last year and reached Snugburys in Chester wind blown and bedraggled at 4.55 just five minutes before closing.
This year we were there at 3.00pm.
Good riding and good company
Good coffee and lunch stops and the odd ice cream made for relaxed days in the hot and humid conditions, the lack of wind certainly helped us speed along with less effort than usual.
We had a very similar route from Oswestry to Chester last year and reached Snugburys in Chester wind blown and bedraggled at 4.55 just five minutes before closing.
This year we were there at 3.00pm.
Good riding and good company
Ridgeback Roller
Über Member
- Location
- Sussex
Had a great week cycling with friends in the Vosges region, eastern France, Managed a couple of the big TdF climbs but equally enjoyed the very quiet back roads and the excellent cycle path that runs for approx. 60kms through the lush upland countryside. Especially on the days that touched 30C .
Sculpture at the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace
One of the many WWII memorials to fallen resistance fighters we found on the isolated mountain roads
Our base for the week, a ski chalet at approximately 550m elevation.
The summit of the local ski station. A 10kms climb from our chalet , at an average of 6%. Incredibly quiet road this time of year, only encountered 1 car and 2 e-mtbs in the whole of the climb. A few cars parked at the summit, the area has very good walking and mtb trails.
Part of the 60kms ish circular cycle path running from Bussang to Cornimont. Superb surface, unsurprisingly very heavily used by families and groups of roadies.
Sculpture at the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace
One of the many WWII memorials to fallen resistance fighters we found on the isolated mountain roads
Our base for the week, a ski chalet at approximately 550m elevation.
The summit of the local ski station. A 10kms climb from our chalet , at an average of 6%. Incredibly quiet road this time of year, only encountered 1 car and 2 e-mtbs in the whole of the climb. A few cars parked at the summit, the area has very good walking and mtb trails.
Part of the 60kms ish circular cycle path running from Bussang to Cornimont. Superb surface, unsurprisingly very heavily used by families and groups of roadies.
I'm in a similar position, although at 76 not considered too young. My prostate is big, according to my GP, and PSA level is rising with each blood test.
The last time I saw the consultant he advised that an operation wasn't immediately necessary, but I'm due another appointment next month (strikes permitting) and will be surprised if surgical intervention doesn't follow.
