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

[Domus]

Up in not Sunny Grange. Wahoo never registered more than 2°C all day.
Managed another point with a 52 Kms ride to Milnthorpe with 600+ metres of upness to get the heart pumping. Excellent coffee in Rivers and Road in Milnthorpe as usual. 👌

 

[PaulSB]

The Met Office promised 4⁰ and sunshine. The Pedalling Pensioners decided to saddle up. What did we get 3.5⁰, a wind chill to add or should that be subtract???, 2 hours 7 minutes the longest continuous ride into said chilling headwind, grey skies and bugger all sunshine.

These are the days that earn the summer rides, building strength, stamina and endurance. I invested heavily in new winter kit last year and it's really paying off. A very chilly 60 miles, not cold but never comfortable. Character building 🤣

 

[ColinJ]

The Met Office promised 4⁰ and sunshine. The Pedalling Pensioners decided to saddle up. What did we get 3.5⁰, a wind chill to add or should that be subtract???, 2 hours 7 minutes the longest continuous ride into said chilling headwind, grey skies and bugger all sunshine.

These are the days that earn the summer rides, building strength, stamina and endurance. I invested heavily in new winter kit last year and it's really paying off. A very chilly 60 miles, not cold but never comfortable. Character building 🤣

I completely wimped out!

I haven't been out at all today so I think I will nip out to Lidl and/or Aldi just to stretch my legs.

Tomorrow is forecast to be very chilly again here, but sunny. I need to get a ride in. If I can face the cold I'll make it 50+ km. If not, I'll just do an hour or so then head back into the warm!

 

[FrothNinja]

I completely wimped out!

I haven't been out at all today so I think I will nip out to Lidl and/or Aldi just to stretch my legs.

Tomorrow is forecast to be very chilly again here, but sunny. I need to get a ride in. If I can face the cold I'll make it 50+ km. If not, I'll just do an hour or so then head back into the warm!

If it is sunny I may head down your way tomorrow - first day of hols. I am meant to be doing jobs around the house....

 

[PaulSB]

I completely wimped out!

I haven't been out at all today so I think I will nip out to Lidl and/or Aldi just to stretch my legs.

Tomorrow is forecast to be very chilly again here, but sunny. I need to get a ride in. If I can face the cold I'll make it 50+ km. If not, I'll just do an hour or so then head back into the warm!

This is when having regular cycling companions helps. We had a decent forecast all week for Thursday, 4⁰ and sunshine. We made plans. Come the day it was grey, cold and a bitter wind. None of us cried off as we had made the commitment to ride. Left to my own devices I would have stayed at home.

 

[sevenfourate]

This is when having regular cycling companions helps. We had a decent forecast all week for Thursday, 4⁰ and sunshine. We made plans. Come the day it was grey, cold and a bitter wind. None of us cried off as we had made the commitment to ride. Left to my own devices I would have stayed at home.

Absolutely !

Previous weekends this year "we've" ridden in whatever nature has thrown as us.

But with one riding buddy working away. And the other sidelined - i dont have the drive to get out in this (cold) weather on my own. However good the journey music, handwarmers, half-time food or coffee at the end.

 

[Domus]

Signed up for the Lancashire Road Club West Lancs Ronde, the short 64 Kms route. Mix up at the start so signed on last and was playing catch up for 30+ Kms in the biting winds. Baled out at Haigh and rode home. The winds were brutal all day, still 78 Kms and another point. I was shattered so could not face looping around to get 80.5 Kms and a two pointer. ( I did tell the organiser I was baling)

 

[13 rider]

Signed up for the Lancashire Road Club West Lancs Ronde, the short 64 Kms route. Mix up at the start so signed on last and was playing catch up for 30+ Kms in the biting winds. Baled out at Haigh and rode home. The winds were brutal all day, still 78 Kms and another point. I was shattered so could not face looping around to get 80.5 Kms and a two pointer. ( I did tell the organiser I was baling)

78kms !!! Argh my cycling OCD just got painful , I've been out today an can understand not wanting to do extra in the cutting winds but 78kms !!!!

 

[Domus]

78kms !!! Argh my cycling OCD just got painful , I've been out today an can understand not wanting to do extra in the cutting winds but 78kms !!!!

I know, I know but I was on my knees. My HR was at max on the flat battling the headwind all the way from Haigh to home.

I promise to try harder

 

[ColinJ]

I know, I know but I was on my knees. My HR was at max on the flat battling the headwind all the way from Haigh to home.

I promise to try harder

I wimped out again and just did a chilly little valley ride to Hebden Bridge (for coffee and cake with a friend) and back.

I thought about adding an extra 33 km to my 17 once I got back to Todmorden but after 5 seconds thought decided to go home and warm up instead!

The start of the coming week looks just as cold but temperatures are due to rise later in the week so perhaps I will do a longer ride then?

 

[Spartak]

I wimped out again and just did a chilly little valley ride to Hebden Bridge (for coffee and cake with a friend) and back.

I thought about adding an extra 33 km to my 17 once I got back to Todmorden but after 5 seconds thought decided to go home and warm up instead!

The start of the coming week looks just as cold but temperatures are due to rise later in the week so perhaps I will do a longer ride then?

I was in a similar position last week, had completed a 30km ride to meet a mate for breakfast but was so cold 🥶 on the return decided against adding an extra hour to my ride to reach the 50 !

 

[Jon George]

And that was chilly! It also took just over three hours.
A few weeks ago I went down with a cold that was doing the rounds (A weird associated cough - and I did test for COVID) during which time I slept for England and its taken awhile to recover. Now, I have a sibling who has had her life turned upside down by Long COVID and, figuring that we share the same parental genes, avoiding another bout has seemed best practice, but given that four of the two hundred odd common cold viruses are types of coronavirus, it does make me wonder if this latest experience has overly left its mark.
Or I could just be getting old ....
A pic at Waldringfield.

 

[13 rider]

Well done @Jon George not only getting a ride in but missing the 1st nudge list of the year 👍
We have 17 riders fully posted up for February leaving 7 riders yet to declare so a last weekend warning a just a gentle nudge for @Spinney ,@bruce1530 ,@ColinJ ,@Gibbo9 ,@Donger ,@Spartak and @Norry1
Let's hope it warms up in March 🌞 I for one am fed up with this cold wind

 

[PaulSB]

On Monday the forecast promised sunshine. We planned our first trip of the year to the Ribble Valley. A favourite destination. A great cafe and a nice rolling route of +/- 3000 feet over 50+ miles. It's time to get the climbing legs back on. We haven't been to the Ribble Valley area since the autumn. I was astonished to see how badly some of the roads have deteriorated. Two excellent stretches between Chipping and Longridge which just encourage pace are now riddled with pot holes. It's now a case of watching and dodging rather than push as fast as possible. On the positive side a very quiet road, know only to cyclists and walkers has been resurfaced. It's gone from moonscape to smooth as silk! Bizarre.

Once again the investment in quality winter kit paid off. Wet in three hours of rain. Chilly but not cold. Winter bikes. Rolling route. A decent average of 12, which we felt would be 15 on summer bikes, and effort. Rule #9 applies.

 

[ColinJ]

We haven't been to the Ribble Valley area since the autumn. I was astonished to see how badly some of the roads have deteriorated. Two excellent stretches between Chipping and Longridge which just encourage pace are now riddled with pot holes. It's now a case of watching and dodging rather than push as fast as possible.

I have a 111 km route planned to mark my 69th birthday last month (111 km = 69 miles). I will catch the train to Blackburn then ride up into the Ribble Valley. I will take in Longridge, Chipping, Whitewell etc then head back to Todmorden via Whalley and Padiham. I want the ride to be as early in the year as possible, subject to finding a warmish sunny day to do it on!

The last time I rode out there (last year) I was pretty shocked by how bad the road surface was from Newton to Dunsop Bridge. I was playing dodge-the-potholes then!