The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[ColinJ]

I'm intending to ride to Ilkley tomorrow to watch the women's peloton finish the Tour de Yorkshire on the Cow & Calf climb. It is about 82 km there and back. My cousin is coming down from Scotland tomorrow afternoon for the second half of the men's race at the weekend. If I have time when I get back to get the missing 18 kms in before he gets here, I'll do it to bag an early metric century for May. (No matter if I don't because I will be doing nickyboy's Lllandudno ride the following weekend and that is an imperial century.)

 

[gbs]

Well done to all of you still going, all starters have recorded rides into April with the exception of @gbs , you still going?

Got the May ride ticked off today, great weather, nice-ish route to Henley on Thames and back with a good few new roads in. Bit of a rush job as I had to be home to take dog #1 to the vet, no time for tea and cake or a photo stop...

YES, still in th egame but where do I post?

Don't answer!. Have found thread and have posted for April and May

 

[cosmicbike]

YES, still in th egame but where do I post?

Don't answer!. Have found thread and have posted for April and May

And that makes it a full house

 

[Bazzer]

Well that was a range of temperatures!. Full fingered gloves at 6.15 am, but by 10.30 . Very enjoyable though, particularly travelling along the length and back again of the new cycleway on what used to be the A556, but I think now renamed B5569. I have been on parts of it previously, but thought it was a good time to do the full length and recommence my planned journey.

Stopped (roughly) halfway in Tatton Park, by the mere.

Toilet break, pasty and drink, (although not necessarily in that order) and a few minutes by myself on a bench, spoilt only by being on the flight path from Manchester Airport and 'planes taking off every 2-3 minutes.

Would have liked to have ridden for longer, but with this ride, my legs have over 200 miles in them this week. Not a lot for some on here, but on one of my two non cycling days this week, I spent most of it crouching and standing laying clay pavers. Quads and hamstrings are going to be reminding me of their presence for the next 48 hours.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Well that was a range of temperatures!. Full fingered gloves at 6.15 am, but by 10.30

The range on my ride was considerably narrower due to setting off at midday Toasty and all things good (relatively at least).

My route touched on tomorrow's Tour de Yorkshire stage route at Burnsall. They seem to have invested remarkably heavily in large Yorkshire Rose flags there - it's positively bedecked with them - all very colourful in brilliant sunshine.

I thought I'd found a very useful 'new' road, from Gargrave to Bell Busk. Unfortunately, it's not so much the 'lane' it's described as; more a stony track and occasional footpath and not exactly road bike friendly. Were I not using tubeless tyres I'd definitely have had to turn back for fear of pinch punctures.

 

[ColinJ]

I thought I'd found a very useful 'new' road, from Gargrave to Bell Busk. Unfortunately, it's not so much the 'lane' it's described as; more a stony track and occasional footpath and not exactly road bike friendly. Were I not using tubeless tyres I'd definitely have had to turn back for fear of pinch punctures.

We do West Street/Chew Lane on the Spring Into The Dales audax ride every year and Mark House Lane is effectively a continuation of West Street - I wondered where that road went! Now I look at it - further along it is clearly marked as a bridleway on the OS map.

I took @Littgull and @skudupnorth up something like that on my most recent forum ride and we all enjoyed it so I may do that kind of thing again. Scenic rides with sections of 'light offroad' suitable for anything more rugged than than a full-on racing bike with delicate wheels/tyres/tubes.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Mmmmm...... I don't think that qualifies as 'light off-road', and it's really not 'suitable for anything more rugged than a full-on racing bike with delicate wheels/tyres/tubes'. Much of it is large gravel or firm footpath, but there are several stretches of rutted, very uneven track with plenty of rocks the size of a clenched fist ranging up to head sized chunks. I walked about 500m of it. I was misled by seeing that someone I follow on Strava had been up there recently, but it turns out that he was on a mountain bike that day, not his road bike ... Ho hum - I ought to have asked!

 

[ColinJ]

Mmmmm...... I don't think that qualifies as 'light off-road', and it's really not 'suitable for anything more rugged than a full-on racing bike with delicate wheels/tyres/tubes'. Much of it is large gravel or firm footpath, but there are several stretches of rutted, very uneven track with plenty of rocks the size of a clenched fist ranging up to head sized chunks. I walked about 500m of it. I was misled by seeing that someone I follow on Strava had been up there recently, but it turns out that he was on a mountain bike that day, not his road bike ... Ho hum - I ought to have asked!

I suppose I should have said "Suitable for mountain bikes, cyclocross bikes, hybrid bikes/touring bikes with big tyres, or even full-on racing bikes with delicate wheels/tyres/tubes if ridden with great care" but it's a bit of a mouthful!

A dirt, gravel or grass surface, perhaps with the odd minor rut or stone ...

 

[Sea of vapours]

That sounds a bit grim :-\ At least, presumably, the weather was pleasant for the repeated re inflations. And 'rotten' doesn't sound good with respect to tyres!

 

[GuyBoden]

My first ride for May was done today, a nice slow ride with a bit of sun and a bit of a breeze, I went to the Brereton Nature Reserve, which entails a short bit of the A54, which is usually reasonably traffic free , but has the occasional big truck. I had installed a new Shimano rear axle in 600 hub (1st gen Ultegra) , so I took my cone spanner and an adjustable spanner along for the ride, just in case it needed fine tuning.

 

[13 rider]

Mays done . I had a planned 50 mile charity ride this morning so an extended ride to and from the start for a total of 66.1 miles .Done in 3.35.08 18.4 mph with 3884ft of climbing . A rapid ride for me

 

[Lilliburlero]

May done and dusted with 173 km`s on the Midland Mezzo Monster Sportive. Got a few early miles in before the start to get the imperial and the weather was just fantastic

All did not go well though..... I went over a cattle grid and something went wrong with my gearing, I think the problem is in the hub, but not really sure at the moment. The wheels are brand new (Fulcrum Racing 3`s) and I only had them fitted on Friday along with a new cassette and chain . Managed to limp through the last 40 miles though as the problem was intermittent, but it was making a right racket at times .

 

[Elysian_Roads]

May done and dusted with 173 km`s on the Midland Mezzo Monster Sportive. Got a few early miles in before the start to get the imperial and the weather was just fantastic

All did not go well though..... I went over a cattle grid and something went wrong with my gearing, I think the problem is in the hub, but not really sure at the moment. The wheels are brand new (Fulcrum Racing 3`s) and I only had them fitted on Friday along with a new cassette and chain . Managed to limp through the last 40 miles though as the problem was intermittent, but it was making a right racket at times .

A like for the ride, not the mechanical! Hope it's not serious.

 

[Lilliburlero]

A like for the ride, not the mechanical! Hope it's not serious.

Thanks @Elysian_Roads , me too. Hope to get it sorted before next Sunday`s ride out to Lincoln with a few forum lads

 

[Donger]

May's ride done. Combined helping a very unfit and inexperienced friend slowly around the British Heart Foundation's Cotswold Ride (the 30 mile version) with riding much faster to and from Cheltenham Racecourse at the start/finish. 101.4km. Still in the game .... that's 41 months now. And got my imperial Eddington Number up to 55 too. All in glorious sunshine.