The Annual Lunacy (aka "I Don't Do Winter") Challenge Chatzone

[Alex321]

My 5th qualifying ride of the year today. All done in the rain, but surprisingly enjoyable. The shortest of my rides, but the most elevation by 500ft.

Set out not quite sure with the weather if I would do a long ride, but with a vague idea of heading over towards Caerphilly, to the "mountain" snack bar - which I'd only ever done once before, to watch the final stage of last years Tour of Britain.

Although it was raining, there was little wind, and the temperature was around 15-17 for most of the ride, so I was actually quite enjoying it, and did get up to Caerphilly Mountain. Had a bacon bap and a coffee before coming back via Pentyrch. Needed a little creative routing at the end to make the distance.

I was having some trouble changing from the small ring to the large, and when I had a look at it when I got home, there is a little play in the bottom bracket. As it is press-fit and I don't have the tools, that will be down to Simon's Cycles in Cowbridge sometime in the next couple of weeks.

 

[steverob]

Clocked up my ninth Lunacy ride at the weekend with a 73 miler; only four more to go, with my aim being to do them within the next three months. As my first ride was done the day before the clocks went forward, I thought in keeping with the "don't do winter" sub-title of this thread, I should plan to get all 13 rides completed by the time the clocks went back again (27th October).

As for my rides so far, some of the highlights have seen me cycle past both dinosaurs and sharks.

Don't believe me? See below!

Also I've gone through two fords (one wet, one bone-dry) and crossed a bridge sponsored by Ford (during RideLondon).

As for mis-adventures, I've had two visits from the P-fairy (both thankfully fixed at the roadside), plus one call out to the other half to come and pick me up in the team car - although to be fair, that wasn't anything mechanical, but rather on a one-way route, my planned train home (and the subsequent half dozen after it) were all cancelled due to an incident further up the line.

 

[ColinJ]

This year once more, my flagging mojo has been holding me back, but perfect weather today tempted me out to do a hilly metric century on my CAAD5.

(I classify 'hilly' as 15-20 m of ascent per km and today's ride came in at around 17.3m/km.)

Some of the climbs were pretty steep, and some of the surfaces that I rode on were very poor. Those factors, the heat, and my relative lack of fitness left me feeling quite tired when I got home. After scoffing a cereal bar I immediately dozed off. I woke up half an hour later feeling sufficiently revived to have a shower and then eat my pre-prepared veggie curry.

I'm glad that I made the effort to do a good ride. The mid-section of the ride was quite unfamiliar to me. I had done some bits of it many years ago but didn't remember them. Some of the lanes were definitely new to me. I came to a deep ford near Foulridge which I would definitely have remembered. Fortunately, there was a footbridge at the side of the ford.

So, 5/13 now for this year's challenge. It will be hard work to complete it but I'll see what I can do.

 

[lazybloke]

This year once more, my flagging mojo has been holding me back, but perfect weather today tempted me out to do a hilly metric century on my CAAD5.

(I classify 'hilly' as 15-20 m of ascent per km and today's ride came in at around 17.3m/km.)

Some of the climbs were pretty steep, and some of the surfaces that I rode on were very poor. Those factors, the heat, and my relative lack of fitness left me feeling quite tired when I got home. After scoffing a cereal bar I immediately dozed off. I woke up half an hour later feeling sufficiently revived to have a shower and then eat my pre-prepared veggie curry.

I'm glad that I made the effort to do a good ride. The mid-section of the ride was quite unfamiliar to me. I had done some bits of it many years ago but didn't remember them. Some of the lanes were definitely new to me. I came to a deep ford near Foulridge which I would definitely have remembered. Fortunately, there was a footbridge at the side of the ford.

So, 5/13 now for this year's challenge. It will be hard work to complete it but I'll see what I can do.

I've noted the hills in your rides in the past @ColinJ. You have a rather different landscape from the low-lying hills of the South East! The highest tarmac I ever cycle down here is only about 252 m above sea level., and it doesn't get much higher in this entire region.
(useful tool: https://www.freemaptools.com/elevation-finder.htm )

So I didn't expect too much of a challenge from yesterdays "Tour of the (Surrey) Hills audax", particularly as I'd done all of the big climbs previously with no particular issues.
But ugh, the sunshine, heat and climbs were relentless. Think i was okay for the first 70km to lunch, but the remaining 50km were punishing.

Was okay until the very last hill - had to walk up a couple of bits of that, and had rather sore knees in the evening.
Much better today, and have been for a very gentle ride round the village to loosen up the limbs, but I'm not doing any big rides for a few days!
120km and 2,100m of climbing, which compared to my normal flatter riding is very much "lunacy".

 

[FrothNinja]

I have noticed something and suspect a correlation.
Did two rides over 50km on consecutive days last week - the second over 50 miles - which is two long rides by my standards.
There was 3 of us on the first day and we were down to 2 on the second. Took loads of pics on both days, fewer on the second. On the first day most of the pics had bikes or riders in them, on the second almost none did.
I then did a shorter ride on my own in the evening and took pics with the bike in again.
There must be some sort of reason for it - possibly a bit more goal oriented on the second day.
Anyone else notice similar patterns themselves?

 

[steverob]

Only one more ride to go to complete the challenge and a whole month to do it in, presuming I want to keep to my original goal of getting the whole challenge done within BST rather than GMT.

Had some fun with flooded roads out on my route today though. Got through one village where there were two instances of water right across both lanes lasting about 30-40 yards each, but by staying right to the edge of the road (which sometimes had to be done on the opposite side!) and even using grass verges, I managed to only get slightly wet. Then the road was dry until I reached the next village 2 miles on which once again was flooded except even more so - this time even the verges were underwater and it was nearer to 100 yards until tarmac emerged from the water on the other side. This left me with the dilemma - try to work my way round/through this one which almost certainly would soak me, or turn around and tackle the first two floods again. I took the second option, even though that took me way off my intended route.

 

[Alex321]

I don't think I have a chance of completing it this year now, having been off the bike for 7 weeks (so far), and when I do get back on, will take some time to build back up to distance.

I was a bit behind where I'd have liked to be even before that.

 

[bluenotebob]

I don't think I have a chance of completing it this year now, having been off the bike for 7 weeks (so far)

That's tough - what happened? Illness/injury?

Good luck getting back to cycling fitness over the coming weeks

 

[Alex321]

That's tough - what happened? Illness/injury?

Good luck getting back to cycling fitness over the coming weeks

Injury.

Came off the bike on the 9th of August, landed on my left elbow with all my weight behind it, shattered the bone just above the elbow. Lots of metalwork in there now.

I'm hoping to try a short ride some time this week, then build up gradually from there if that goes OK.

 

[lazybloke]

Injury.

Came off the bike on the 9th of August, landed on my left elbow with all my weight behind it, shattered the bone just above the elbow. Lots of metalwork in there now.

I'm hoping to try a short ride some time this week, then build up gradually from there if that goes OK.

Sorry to hear that. Any injury description that includes the word "shattered" is uncomfortable reading.
Hope the return to the bike goes okay.

 

[Alex321]

Sorry to hear that. Any injury description that includes the word "shattered" is uncomfortable reading.
Hope the return to the bike goes okay.

Not as uncomfortable reading as doing

One of those slow speed falls, that if I had landed differently would have been trivial.

 

[FrothNinja]

Injury.

Came off the bike on the 9th of August, landed on my left elbow with all my weight behind it, shattered the bone just above the elbow. Lots of metalwork in there now.

I'm hoping to try a short ride some time this week, then build up gradually from there if that goes OK.

If people have stretch targets, then I think shrink targets should be allowed in the case of injury or debilitating illness during the course of the year

 

[bluenotebob]

If people have stretch targets, then I think shrink targets should be allowed in the case of injury or debilitating illness during the course of the year

The reference to stretch targets is irrelevant - they're only personal ambitions/self-motivators, intended to push yourself even further.

On the other hand, if someone loses a couple of months because of illness/injury and wants to set a lower annual target for the completion of their 13 rides, then why not?

Of course, we'd need to see mitigating documentation - including a doctor's certificate and a note from your mother.

 

[lazybloke]

Think i did 3 of my rides in the last fortnight of 2023, including one on New Year's Eve... So there's plenty of time yet!

 

[ColinJ]

Think i did 3 of my rides in the last fortnight of 2023, including one on New Year's Eve... So there's plenty of time yet!

I think I did my last one on NYE once... So much for not doing winter!

At my current rate of progress I will be doing it again this year...