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

[sevenfourate]

Thankyou very much for thinking of me @bluenotebob 🙏

As you may or may not have noticed - 2024 is about my first year ever of trying to be a regular cyclist 😁

I’ve committed in my head to the 50 miles / 50k a month challenge. To encourage me to push it a bit. And just get out and ride when perhaps it’s easier to do nothing.

Can I enter this Lunacy challenge - with as little as 50k as my target distance ? I’m just so aware I don’t want to spoil what I’m REALLY enjoying right now - and make any ride a chore.

This in some ways sounds ‘easier’ to achieve than the 50 miles or kilometres a month though. And in Summer I’m sure I can collate more than 1 ride a month of this kinda distance…..

 

[Sea of vapours]

why 13 rides ? I'm a suspicious person!

Thirteen lunar cycles in a year, hence 'Lunacy'. Plus, it differentiates the challenge even further from the monthly ones.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Can I enter this Lunacy challenge - with as little as 50k as my target distance ?

Yes, definitely. The original idea was that people would choose a target which they'd not wish to do, or not be able to do, in 'winter', but the rules don't stipulate a minimum, so it's whatever you think will be a worthwhile challenge.

 

[sevenfourate]

Yes, definitely. The original idea was that people would choose a target which they'd not wish to do, or not be able to do, in 'winter', but the rules don't stipulate a minimum, so it's whatever you think will be a worthwhile challenge.

Cool - ta. I’m in then. With 50k as my Distance Target.

I’m planning quite a few 50 milers next year. Maybe a couple ‘further’. As I say. Just don’t want to have to ride if I don’t fancy / slog it out unnecessarily / spoil a good thing…..blah blah.

Maybe I can become the ‘little and often’ guy 😉

 

[bluenotebob]

why 13 rides ? I'm a suspicious person!

I imagine it's because it's one more than the minimum number (12) that you'd need to do to complete one of the Monthly challenges. You're not constrained by having to do a ride each month .. but you need to do one more.

13 is also why it's called the 'Lunacy' challenge.

Good luck with doing your 13 x 50 miles next year !

 

[bluenotebob]

Cool - ta. I’m in then. With 50k as my Distance Target.

I’m planning plenty of 50 milers next year. Maybe a couple ‘further’. As I say. Just dont want to have to ride if I don’t fancy / spoil a good thing blah blah.

Good !

Yes - do be wary of over-doing it.

I suggest you concentrate on getting your qualifying ride done very month in the HMACM challenge ... and post your 'extra' rides (ie where you do more than one ride over 50km in a month) in this challenge.

You'll have a much better idea of what you're capable of - and what's enjoyable - by the end of next year.

 

[sevenfourate]

Good !

Yes - do be wary of over-doing it.

I suggest you concentrate on getting your qualifying ride done very month in the HMACM challenge ... and post your 'extra' rides (ie where you do more than one ride over 50km in a month) in this challenge.

You'll have a much better idea of what you're capable of - and what's enjoyable - by the end of next year.

Sounds like a plan. Thanks again for the ‘invite’ 😁

 

[Alex321]

I'm in. Although I didn't meet this year's target, due to my accident in August, I' still going to set it slightly higher this year, at 40 miles, on the basis that I'm going part time in work from the start of the year - down to 3 days a week, so twice as many days on which I theoretically can do a longish ride.

I still haven't recovered fitness yet after the accident though, as every time I've got up to doing 20 mile+ rides, something else has got in the way, the latest being this chesty cough that has hung around for almost a fortnight now.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Sorry for being as thick as a brick. So I choose a distance and log every time I ride it. I have to do at least one a month. Is that correct?

You have to do at least 13 in a year. Months are irrelevant. The point of the challenge is that it's *not* monthly. It was conceived by @ColinJ as something to aim for which avoided the issues around doing long/challenging distances in winter conditions, and the consequent risk of unpleasantness / injury / death :-)

N.B.

Comments and questions in the Chatzone!

.... that being here.

 

[ColinJ]

It was conceived by @ColinJ as something to aim for which avoided the issues around doing long/challenging distances in winter conditions, and the consequent risk of unpleasantness / injury / death :-)

Unfortunately, even though my body was (just about!) up for recent lunacy challenges, my mind really was not! Another significant shortfall this year...

I am coping with the 3-a-week (104 consecutive weeks, and counting) and 50-a-month, but rides longer than 80 km have been increasingly rare of late.

I think that I will drop out of the 2025 challenge before it even starts and give myself a year to sort my head (and a few physical issues) out.

If my enthusiasm comes back in time I might sign up mid-year.

I hope that you all enjoy the 2025 challenge. See you later!

 

[Marchrider]

only 12 full moons in 2025 - there will be 13 in 2026 (blue moon in may 2026)
is the idea to do a ride of a certain length (50 mile in my case) before each full moon - the first of which will be January 13th (the moon of the wolf)

 

[Sea of vapours]

There are still thirteen lunar cycles, near enough. It's rather more an amusing name than a precise, astronomical challenge ... See the rules in the challenge thread:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/2025-annual-lunacy-distance-challenge.300742/

 

[steveindenmark]

You have to do at least 13 in a year. Months are irrelevant. The point of the challenge is that it's *not* monthly. It was conceived by @ColinJ as something to aim for which avoided the issues around doing long/challenging distances in winter conditions, and the consequent risk of unpleasantness / injury / death :-)

N.B.

.... that being here.

Thank you for this. Where do I sign up?

 

[Sea of vapours]

Thank you for this. Where do I sign up?

Effectively, here, by saying that you're going to do it. Then post your first (and subsequent) ride in the challenge thread, where the, rather few, rules are. See the 2024 challenge thread for format ideas:
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/2024-annual-lunacy-distance-challenge.295541/page-7

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

This challenge seems ideal to get me back into the swing of longer rides. Various issues including health issues in the early part of this year have meant that although I have cycled just as often as usual this year, my kms have been well down compared to previous years.
2025 is also the next round of the CTC Veterans Triennial challenge ride series ( 100 mile rides for the over 50s organised by local CTC sections in the UK). I have already set myself a target of entering of completing 2 of these, something I haven't done since 2018. Luckily I retire in February so I will have plenty of time to improve my fitness and stamina!
with that in mind I am setting my target at 100kms with the added incentive that 7 rides of 112kms or over will increase my metric lifetime Eddington to 112.
I'm looking forward to the challenge.