The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Sea of vapours]

This summer stuff is all very well, but there's an awful lot to be said for autumn. Calm, dry, autumn / winter days at 5-9C almost seem optimal for cycling ....

My ride today ride featured: very high air clarity, which you don't get in summer; lovely, autumnal colours (OK, that won't last overly long); the roads were still mostly dry; and the only precipitation was some brief, light, powdery snow high up, and I like a teeny amount of snow as it looks good. Even the actual cold has its benefits as I find it much easier to be at just the right temperature when it's cold than when it's too hot. So good that I added on 40km and a sizeable hillock at the end of the ride to make another October century :-)

 

[steverob]

Decided to do a second metric century for October, figuring that I'd probably only do the one in November and December, and this would get me up to twenty 100 km's for the year (assuming I complete the challenge of course). Also I've been a bit lazy recently and need to push my miles up a bit more, otherwise I'll get into the habit of only doing the bare minimums (again).

And it was a welcome return to all my winter kit! Two weeks ago I was in short sleeves and shorts; now I had a long sleeve shirt under my normal short sleeve top, further covered by a wind jacket, full length bib tights and a hat that comes down over my ears under my helmet. And this was on the Sunday which was a good 4 degrees C warmer than the Saturday, which I wimped out of cycling on (yes, I'm a soft southerner!)

However the ride was not easy. Nothing to do with the route, which was one of the many I'd planned ages ago and was just finally getting round to ticking off - a slightly lumpy trip out to Harpenden, then following the rather pleasant NCN 6 Greenway up to almost as far as Luton Airport, before turning around and doing some new (to me) country lanes to Whipsnade before heading home on more familiar roads from there - that part was all fine.

No, my problem was just that my legs were not wanting to co-operate with me. It's one thing to be struggling towards the end of the ride, when you know that either you've pushed too hard or the distance was too long, but my legs were starting to ache halfway up the first real climb of the day! I decided to take it as easy as I could, but aware that I couldn't slack off completely as sunset was only five hours away - thanks GMT! Now that I look back at Strava, I can see that on pretty much all the climbs, my segment times were my slowest ever and usually by some margin. Not quite sure what's up with me, but I have lost almost 1 mph from my typical average speeds since this time last year, with most of that decrease being in the last few months. Still, I'll carry on plowing along and hopefully will get back to normal fairly soon.

 

[Fiona R]

Eventhough I'm out (Feb crash) because I've carried on posting I still made myself scrape in a metric 100 on Saturday. Darned hard work with the very bracing strong northerly and legs that haven't done a 100 in nearly 2 months. club ride was 60km and making myself pass home and do another 45km knowing I was heading back into that northerly home was quite tough. My back is playing up so miserable off the bike but relatively ok on. At least that should motivate me to keep the momentum up for an earlier November one.

 

[Sea of vapours]

November done.

Always pleasing to get that one out of the way early as it seems to me that November overall has a higher probability of being obliterated by the sort of weather I very rarely choose to cycle in (wet). December and January both feel much more likely to have a few fine, clear, dry days, even if they're a bit colder and feature even earlier sunsets.

And, for consistency and entertainment value, I did exactly the same route as on 2nd November last year to see if I was faster or slower (not trying as such on either occasion, just rolling along at a 'stay warm' pace). Faster is the answer: I knocked one whole second off. Fantastic :-) Real progress there then ....

 

[ColinJ]

I have equipped my CX bike with very effective mudguards (SKS Longboards) ready for my winter metric centuries. I went out on a test ride today (71 km/44 miles) but I was a bit late setting off and didn't fancy extending the ride with sunset approaching so I didn't do my November 'ton' today. I will try to get that done sooner, rather than later. Early next week would be good, assuming that the weather is acceptable.

I did some serious offroad today, including riding through quite a lot of puddles and some gloopy mud. The Longboards kept me and the bike free from filth. A quick blast under the guards with the hose in my back yard and the bike was clean again. Excellent!

 

[Donger]

I might be out of the challenge
I was meant to be leading a ride today that I could have rounded up for my October century.
After my accident on Wednesday , I fear that I will be off the bike for a while. - I can't ride if my thumb doesn't work.

Oh no! Just seen that post. Awful news, after putting in a near year-long effort. Get well soon.

 

[Donger]

Another of these to add to my collection:

That's November taken care of, then. And another, Eddington (now 60). Did the same audax last year and it was the slowest of all the ones I've done. Today I took exactly the same time as last year! Also came back with the biggest saddle sore I've ever had. With about 35 miles to go, I desperately shuffled about trying to find a comfortable riding position that didn't involve sitting on the sore bit .... the result? Cramped up every time. Ended up just having to grin and bear it. My mate @jembullo and his friend Jez and a clubmate of mine got me round today. Might take a week or so to recover though. Some great scenery on our 72.5 mile way across the Forest of Dean and back .... along with over 1,200 metres of climbing. That's 47 months of this challenge for me now. It's got so that I don't dare stop .... If I regretted it, I would have to take 4 years to get back to the same point. Compulsive stuff, this.
Cheers, Donger.

 

[Lilliburlero]

November done today.

One more to go

 

[gbs]

112k on Saturday; not v far or fast or hilly BUT knackering. I was dropped frequently by my club B group - for the first time this year. Normally I am one of the quicker uphill and easily hold the pace on the flat.

I was well fed and watered. The only possible negative factors were limted sleep on two previous nights (average 4'30") and carry over from another C ride on Tuesday.

Next month we are committed to a holiday which precludes riding until the15th. After 3 weeks of sightseeing, limited walking and beach I anticipate that a 5 hr ride will be struggle unless the weather is benign on a day that does not coincide with family and other events.

 

[Katherine]

Well done and good luck with your December ride.

 

[Sbudge]

I might be out of the challenge
I was meant to be leading a ride today that I could have rounded up for my October century.
After my accident on Wednesday , I fear that I will be off the bike for a while. - I can't ride if my thumb doesn't work.

Oh no! I'm so sorry, look after it, health has to come first.

 

[Sbudge]

November out of the way, just one more left... it's certainly been more of a struggle this year (too much business travel and some sickness) but we're nearly there.

Saturday's ride was pretty uneventful, plenty of hills and headwind on the way out but much friendlier return leg. :-)

 

[Sea of vapours]

Another long term objective ticked off today. I've been meaning to do a route taking in every road on and around Fountains Fell and Kirkby Fell (the two fells to the north and east of Settle) for a couple of years but it's always seemed rather intimidating. The 100km was incidental as I'd planned the route to be as short as possible. Still, a second November 100km is pleasing :-)

Unfortunately the whole 'design a short route taking in all the roads' thing lead to a bit of a major fail on working out how long it would take. I just thought "about a hundred K and a couple of thousand metres of up, so about five hours, give or take a bit". It's actually much nearer 110km and 2,500m of up, so took six hours, not five. Not a problem in itself, but I left at my normal earliest start time of just after eleven. Oops. I didn't notice the inevitable and wholly-predictable-from-the-start darkness issue until the half way point, at which time I was rather committed to covering another 55 hilly kilometres with only two hours to go 'til sunset. Oddly enough, I didn't make it, and, whilst I had thoroughly adequate rear lighting, the last half hour ended with my 'be seen by' emergency front light singularly failing to illuminate the road (fair enough). The only lesson to be learnt there is to be a bit more rigorous about timing estimates at this time of year and to habitually take a more substantial front light. Still, the failing light did create a good incentive for trying quite hard for the last 50km.

Nonetheless: great ride

 

[ColinJ]

Ha ha - I got caught out with @Littgull a couple of months ago. I too had been optimistic with my numbers, didn't bother taking lights, and ended up chasing him in the dark!

We plan to get a moderately hilly metric century in on Thursday (1,600 - 1,700 m of ascent) and will have 7 hours of daylight so we should be fine, but we do have the habit of meandering along chatting on our rides so time just drifts away. I have already put lights on the bike, just in case.

 

[GuyBoden]

I've had no rides since 10th Oct, because I've been struggling with a sprained ankle since Aug, I thought it had healed, but the pain came back. I have been avoiding this forum, so I would't be tempted to ride too soon.

I am very optimistic that I will be back in the saddle by the end of Nov.