The 2025 Half Century (50km or 50 mile) Challenge Chatzone.

[sevenfourate]

A tale of woe today, I need to ask for the mercy of @13rider.

I drove out to rural Cheshire to ride on my favourite almost traffic free route and on setting the bike up discovered I had left my Garmin at home. Never mind, I could record the ride on my phone’s Strava app.

I had my Fazua powered EAPC, fitted the battery in the bike and set off. It felt a bit sluggish and I realised that although the battery was fully charged and switched on no power was reaching the motor. Determined to get my 50km done I carried on knowing I’d be slower but it would be good training.

After about 9 miles, getting a bit fed up with hauling 5 kg of useless battery I stopped to have a fiddle with it to try to get it going, no luck. But I had stopped the Strava because it wasn’t in pause mode.

I cracked on for the best part of an hour before stopping to get the phone out of my pocket to check my distance ridden only to be horrified to see I’d forgotten to start Strava after the previous stop.

Anyway, the route was one I’ve ridden before and know to be 50km + so I’m hoping I can claim it. As the wind chill reduced the temperature to around O*C and the ride was a bit miserable I would like something good to happen on a bad day!

You can go on that activity on Strava (Full version online - not the app): press on the 3 horizontal dots toward the top left - and “Correct GPS distance”. And of course the update on that activity 😁

I think this will be perfect in your situation. Your phone GPS will know you’ve done the distance. Just you only part recorded on Strava…..

 

[13 rider]

February 1st - 66 miles - 2491 feet - 4:36 - 14.4 avg
Bill Rimmers Loop: Home >Euxton >Rufford >Tarlscough >Southport >Ainsdale >Formby >Clieves Hill >Lathom >Euxton >Home

Points: 2
Month total: 2
Challenge total: 7

My biggest post crash ride. A bastard cold headwind for much of it. Beautiful sunshine.

To make the effort into the headwind more rewarding it's worth 3 points as you past 100kms 👍

 

[PaulSB]

Setting off at 8.30 I thought I'd be first out of the blocks this month but no @sevenfourate was home just 12 minutes after I clipped in!!!! Note to self get up early on May 1st - my next chance to ride on the 1st of the month!!!

Some musings on today's ride. I joined a club ride, I hope this still counts, and had the pick of three. The Social ride was only 26 miles so I'd need to add 24 solo, not a good idea. Another ride was heading out to Lytham which would give me 58 miles, Lytham seemed a long way, this is a mental thing, it isn't. I chose the potentially fastest of the three rides available and set off with, as my wife puts it, the big boys to Southport which bizarrely is a 66 mile ride. With 19 riders we had to split, 13 headed off fast, 6 formed a second, not quite so fast, group. They averaged 15.4, we did 14.6, not much difference really. The sun was beautiful, the sky was clear and the head/sidewind was cold and ferocious.

At 70, post major RTC, and rebuilding fitness to mix it with riders 20 years my junior was a huge boost to morale. I know the group slowed a couple of times to let Paul recover, this meant 18/19 dropped to 15/16, but I'll ignore that.

Brilliant day.

 

[kapelmuur]

You can go on that activity on Strava (Full version online - not the app): press on the 3 horizontal dots toward the top left - and “Correct GPS distance”. And of course the update on that activity 😁

I think this will be perfect in your situation. Your phone GPS will know you’ve done the distance. Just you only part recorded on Strava…..

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately it doesn't work. It has given me an extra 3 miles on what I actually recorded but the section for which Strava was on stop is shown as a dead straight line from the stop point to where it was turned back on. A strange outcome, I've tried using the 'correct distance' on some of my other rides and non of them give me more than about 800 metres extra.

As I can't prove to my satisfaction that I actually covered 50km I'll bin this in the expectation of getting another qualifying ride done before the end of the month.

 

[13 rider]

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately it doesn't work. It has given me an extra 3 miles on what I actually recorded but the section for which Strava was on stop is shown as a dead straight line from the stop point to where it was turned back on. A strange outcome, I've tried using the 'correct distance' on some of my other rides and non of them give me more than about 800 metres extra.

As I can't prove to my satisfaction that I actually covered 50km I'll bin this in the expectation of getting another qualifying ride done before the end of the month.

Like I say no actual proof is required ,it's just down to you if you feel happy claiming it

 

[kapelmuur]

Like I say no actual proof is required ,it's just down to you if you feel happy claiming it

Thanks, but I think I'll ride the route again and claim it if it checks out.

A strange thing I just noticed is the the 'corrected' version states my top speed as 48 mph! I'm lucky to reach half that.

I checked to make sure part of the route hadn't been recorded in the car and it hasn't. I have never used the Strava app on the phone for recording before, but it doesn't look reliable on this evidence.

 

[sevenfourate]

Thanks, but I think I'll ride the route again and claim it if it checks out.

A strange thing I just noticed is the the 'corrected' version states my top speed as 48 mph! I'm lucky to reach half that.

I checked to make sure part of the route hadn't been recorded in the car and it hasn't. I have never used the Strava app on the phone for recording before, but it doesn't look reliable on this evidence.

I had this very conversation with yesterday’s riding buddy after our ride.

We’re about the same weight - I have mine entered in Strava. (He’s VERY similiar). As I do my various bike weights from manufacturer websites. We rode around on each others tail for 3 hours.

My top speed was way higher than his.
My watts used were and are always dramatically higher than his.
And probably hence my calories used were way more than his.
Distance measuring is usually pretty damned good compared to Garmin / other devices.

I can confirm the clock keeps good time though 😉 😁

 

[Willd]

50 consecutive months of doing a separate 50 mile ride

 

[Jon George]

Well done @sevenfourate on being the first poster for Feb , me and @Jon George will have to get up earlier on weekends to be in contention for the 1st poster award but us retired folk will get get him when the 1st falls on a weekday 😁

I didn't even think about it, this weekend. (I'd just got over a cold and accompanying weird cough that lasted a fortnight and thought I wouldn't push it. Normal service should be be resumed next month, however. )

 

[iandg]

A night at Tweedsmuir and cycled back to Clarencefield on the Sunday. Gusting 30mph head wind all the way and rain at the start. Gloves were soaked and hands numb after the first 10 miles. Managed a maximum 20mph on the final bit of the descent of the Beeftub into Moffat. Had to pedal all the way down the hill to keep moving. Coffee, soup and a toastie at Cafe Ariete and a visit to the touristy wool mill and bought some new (dry) gloves which did the job and kept my hands warm for the final 20+miles to home. 68km total

 

[bluenotebob]

I blocked out my diary for the first 9 days of February just so that I could concentrate on biking and have a good start to this month after a fairly disappointing January. I’ve racked up just over 260km so far this month so it’s worked out quite well (despite a minor problem with my right ankle).

This afternoon’s ride was a gentle potter down the V3 Voie Verte from Mauron to la Touche Carné and back – getting back to the van in twilight. I really enjoy riding in the dark at the moment.

La Rossa at la Touche Carné

 

[Domus]

Was hoping to ride out on the West Pennine Moors as the forecast was for bright blue skies, however a pal asked me for my opinion on an ex demo Orbea Gain with Dura Ace Di2 at a bike shop in Bury. So I did a similar route to my last ride and met him there this afternoon. Stunning looking bike in an iridescent blue. A 9K bike for 5K. He has a 1st gen Orbea Gain bought during covid a little small for him but it was all he could get. He needed the Gain as he was having chemo at the time . He rides a Ribble when out by himself but needs assistance on longer group rides and multi day rides. The new Orbea really is stunning in sunlight.

 

[steverob]

Hope you don't mind but I've just downloaded that route as I'm in London in March with a bike (if the weather's good) and I may modify i to suit what time I've got available.

You're very welcome to it, although you will need to go over it with a fine toothcomb as there are some bits where I messed up and so the route doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For example a few times I missed a turn and so had to course correct and twice I got stuck in a traffic jam and decided to detour from my original plan.

Also the reason why it gets so meandering at times is because I was trying to cross off certain roads I hadn't done before (mainly for VeloViewer tile hunting purposes) while at the same time staying on cycleways or lower traffic streets as far as possible.

 

[Jenkins]

You're very welcome to it, although you will need to go over it with a fine toothcomb as there are some bits where I messed up and so the route doesn't make a whole lot of sense. For example a few times I missed a turn and so had to course correct and twice I got stuck in a traffic jam and decided to detour from my original plan.

Also the reason why it gets so meandering at times is because I was trying to cross off certain roads I hadn't done before (mainly for VeloViewer tile hunting purposes) while at the same time staying on cycleways or lower traffic streets as far as possible.

Ta - I'll be re-doing it on Strava maps starting and ending at Liverpool Street station and a bit of shortcutting as I'm not a tile hunter and will only have around 3 to 3.5 hours if all goes to plan.

 

[teeonethousand]

Had planned to stay indoors because of the weather but in a mad rush of blood I decided to go out. If was cold but dry. It was also , temporarily, pleasant before it rained and was generally glum. Glad I did it as usual but glad I am back .