The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone

[StuAff]

I got them back in time! But thank you for the offer.

126 miles across the Chilterns done and dusted including a lot of Bridleways and tow paths.

Stopped at this place which has the best cycling cake -
https://m.facebook.com/velolife.co.uk/?fref=ts

Still haven't written up last month - the backlog is growing.

Velolife...we stopped there on the FNR(not to the coast) a few weeks back. Lovely place!

 

[Soltydog]

Got mine done today. Weather was a bit damp & drizzly, not forecast & nearly didn't make it. Was very close to getting wiped out at around 75 miles Approaching this corner https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7...4!1sYQ8O266ZNa6RKtfrWl931w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 I noticed an oncoming car starting to cut across the corner, thinking he's not leaving me much room, then he carried on cutting across & leaving no more than 2" of tarmac. I tried braking, but due to the greasy road surface ended up skiding, release brakes & headed off road. How I stayed upright heaven knows & the tosser didn't even have the decency to stop & apologise. Scariest moment I've ever had on my bike Guess it wasn't my time to go?

 

[ianrauk]

Got mine done today. Weather was a bit damp & drizzly, not forecast & nearly didn't make it. Was very close to getting wiped out at around 75 miles Approaching this corner https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@53.7...4!1sYQ8O266ZNa6RKtfrWl931w!2e0!7i13312!8i6656 I noticed an oncoming car starting to cut across the corner, thinking he's not leaving me much room, then he carried on cutting across & leaving no more than 2" of tarmac. I tried braking, but due to the greasy road surface ended up skiding, release brakes & headed off road. How I stayed upright heaven knows & the tosser didn't even have the decency to stop & apologise. Scariest moment I've ever had on my bike Guess it wasn't my time to go?

Blimey. Close call. Glad you survived and got the ton done.

 

[Soltydog]

Blimey. Close call. Glad you survived and got the ton done.

Too close mate! I saw he was cutting the corner & thought 'he' was going to leave me room, but just kept coming across the road. I'm thinking surely 'he's' seen me, but guess 'he' never did No excuses for it there either, flat as a pancake, no hedges & I'm not exactly small at 6'5" & 16 stone

 

[tatr]

It seems wrong to like your posts in this case

 

[Dogtrousers]

November done, in rather exalted company. (Casual name dropping mode) Oh, I popped out for a ride ride with Steve and Kajsa yesterday (/name dropping).

Steve Abraham and Kajsa Tylen

A really nice group ride which was organised by a nice lady called Deborah I think.

 

[rb58]

November nailed. Top day mingling and drafting the veteran cars on the annual London to Brighton run. Bumped into @ianrauk and a bunch of other CycleChatters along the way. I only went as far as Handcross before heading East and dashing for home before the rain arrived. I made it with plenty of time to spare.

 

[ianrauk]

Novembers qualifying ride all done and dusted. Down to Brighton following the Vintage Vehicle Rally, and back. Mini report HERE

One more month to go

 

[Trickedem]

Got out early this morning just after 7am. Cycled out onto the Hoo Penisular, every time I follow this route I realise just how nice it is. Empty roads and big skies. The headwind was tough and freezing cold when I turned West, but I just put my head down and got on with it. I got to Polhill at 45miles in time to take part in my local CTC hill climb. A different sort of half way stop, but the homemade cakes were excellent. I then headed up to Ide Hill, then along the weald to Yalding and up my least favourite hill, Red Hill. I only ever seem to climb this when I am knackered, hence my dislike. Heavy rain was forecast for 1.30pm, but fortunately this held off and I only had about 20 mins as I was finishing the ride. Very cold all day, but nice to get another month under my belt.

https://www.strava.com/activities/767963140

 

[Supersuperleeds]

November done, one more month to go for the hat trick

Ride details posted in the your ride today thread ans Strava link for those to want to see the brilliant route I did

https://www.strava.com/activities/774407129

 

[HLaB]

I'll wait till my brain unfry's before I type it up but thats this month's done. One bottle certainly wasn't enough today I had to drop the pace quite a bit to make sure I made it but it was quite a nice day so I didn't mind

 

[StuAff]

Somewhat later than planned (was intending to do it back on the 3rd, or failing that the veteran car run, possibly both, but my digestive system decided to malfunction for a few days), done and dusted. Just for a change, went to Whitchurch (NW wind, so headed into it). Tailwind not terribly helpful on the return, a bit slower than usual, but never mind...

 

[Aravis]

November is done, also a little later than intended. Friday or Sunday would've been pleasanter. It really felt as though I was ploughing a lone furrow today.

Saying "done and dusted", as others have done, would have been apposite. I'll elaborate further in Your ride today....

 

[Aravis]

While I was riding at the weekend I came up with a brilliant/stupid idea for a history challenge for next year.

For my first century next year I could do a route that visits a site associated with the first century (something Roman probably), and same for my second (Roman again I expect) and so on. For my ninth century I could go to Winchester to see the statue of Alfred the Great, 11th I could go to Battle...

Obviously the challenge ends with 21 centuries, unless you have a Tardis-bike.

I may start a thread.

Is it the intention that all century rides are included, not just the first of the month? It seems like a nice idea, if a little contrived. When you get to around the 12th it's going to get a lot easier since you can always stop for lunch at a pub reputed to have been built at the right time.

I glanced at your post this morning just before going out for a couple of hours. I'd misinterpreted it completely and composed a response in my head to an altogether different proposal. It seems a shame to let that go to waste now. I thought you were talking about emulating some feature of your personal first century in your first 100+ ride of the year, and so on (in which case stopping at 21 makes no sense - had I read your post at all?). Anyway, my first century was 148 miles from Cheddar to Harpenden in 1982, including sections of road which are now part of the M25. Cheese sandwiches for lunch? The second was Bristol to Plymouth on a scorchingly hot day the following year, almost exclusively on the A38 (shudder). I could toast that one with a G&T in the evening. My third century was from Kyle of Lochalsh to Gairloch, with a bit of backtracking in the middle to boost the mileage which I certainly couldn't reproduce, and here I'm struggling. The most relevant thing I can think of is to find someone called Cathy to ride with me...

Thereafter my memory of events becomes patchier, and when I get to century number 10 I have no recollection whatsoever.

 

[Aravis]

While I was riding on Monday I also had an idea for an alternate challenge, somewhat more prosaic perhaps. Each month you need to record a ride longer than one from the previous month, the idea being, I suppose, to maximise the total of the 12 rides combined.

Clearly you are limited by the maximum distance you are able to ride in December. If the challenge is restricted to centuries, the shortest possible for December is 111. You'd probably want to establish more than one sequence through the year to give yourself options in the last few months.

This year I would have failed the challenge in June, when I only recorded one ride which didn't fit with any of my possible sequences up to that time. One benefit of this variant would be to give value to rides which are neither the first nor the longest in any given month; I believe some of the monthly challenges other than the imperial century do this in other ways.