The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Sbudge]

First metric century in nearly a month (work, cold and weather) and my first one on the new steel bike. The bike is lovely but strewth that was a tough ride! A combination of headwinds, a lingering cold and general lack of fitness meant my average HR for a 5 hour ride was a bit silly. I was a complete zombie the rest of the day. Still, March is done and I'm definitely looking forward to my next ride on 'Aurora'.

 

[Noodle Legs]

Squeezed another point in as part of the last day of my Spanish adventure, this time a ride down to Gibraltar and a climb up the rock.

Pan flat going there, some well made cycle paths too which took us off the busier roads. Had a couple of cheeky coffee stops along the way- both less than 10 euros for six drinks- then made our way over “La Linea” and into the warmest part of the UK!!

We decided to get the rock climb done first before eating and we all set off knowing what was awaiting us!

I can honestly say that is the single handedly most brutal climb I have ever done but somehow I managed to get up it! I was told it got up to 33% in places- all I knew was it was bloody steep!

A steady descent back down ensued as there were a lot of walkers and we stopped off in the main square for nibbles before limbering up for a 30 mile motorway leg stretcher back to the digs in estepona.

It’s been a great adventure out in Spain on my first ever foreign cycling jolly and one I’ll never forget.

https://strava.app.link/PyZOoFXQNU
https://www.relive.cc/view/2188797092

 

[ColinJ]

I left my February metric century very late in the month and was determined not to make the same mistake in March. Unfortunately, the glorious weather that we had at the end of Feb is no more. It has been wet and windy here for a few days and more of the same is due for the next few days too. Still, I have plans for other rides later in the month so I wanted to try to get my metric ton in this week. I had enlisted the support of local riding partner @Littgull.

The weather forecast today was increasingly putting me off, however, and I hinted that I wanted to wimp out, but Brian encouraged me to join him for one of his local routes. We could see how it went, and always turn round if things got too horrid ...

So, having run out of plausible excuses, I cycled from Todmorden to meet him in Littleborough and then we did one of his 'flattish***' urban rides. We headed out on the Rochdale canal towpath as far as Castleton and then did a complicated route which I was slightly confused by, but Brian used to commute out that way by bike so he knows all those towpaths, bridleways, cycleways and quiet urban roads very well. He didn't even bother putting the route on his Garmin.

We got to Greenmount NW of Bury and I decided to buy a Coke and a piece of flapjack from a cafe there. Up until that point the weather had been fine, but exactly as forecast some light drizzle then started and it got heavier and heavier as the ride progressed. I think we actually avoided the worst of it though. The roads were very wet, so it looked like significant rain had fallen ahead of us.

We stuck to plan 'A'. We would still have got wet if we had turned round and gone back, so we thought we might as well get the full distance in.

We continued through Tottington and over to Bolton before looping back round to Greenmount and heading home. Littgull decided to ride part way back towards Todmorden with me so he would get 50 miles in for the day. I was 8 km short of my 100 km when I got back to Tod. By then the drizzle had become rain and I was getting wet, cold, and increasingly miserable. The traffic was bad and I couldn't face it so I went into the park and did a few circuits of that before heading out round Tod's backstreets to do a couple of short loops to bring to me to exactly 100 km.

The first half of the ride was fun but as the weather got worse, I was looking forward to getting home for a hot shower, a pot of coffee, and some snacks.

I was glad to have done the ride, but I was also glad when it was over!

Thanks to Brian for dragging me out on an unpleasant day when I would otherwise have stayed in. (That probably comes across as sarcastic, but I mean it - I needed his encouragement. )



*** Our 1,100 metres of ascent in 100km is 'flattish' compared to our typical average of 2,000 metres.

 

[Littgull]

I haven't been able to log on to CC or use computer/phone since my ride with @ColinJ yesterday as I scratched my eye on the ride foolishly trying to wipe a splash from my right eye with my gloved hand. It got much worse shortly after arriving home and felt like I had a splinter stuck in my eyeball. This happened even though I wear spectacles all the time. It's the third time I've suffered from getting grit or similar in my eye over the last 5 years so I was aware how sore and painful it becomes. It seems I never learn about how delicate the eyes are!
Anyway lots of tlc bathing my eye and applying eye drops from the fantastic Mrs LG has finally eased it somewhat though it's still very bloodshot. I think I'll be restricting my computer and phone screen time for a few days until it has healed completely.

I'm glad, that despite the weather, we managed to get out and complete a good distance together, Colin. Looking forward to better weather and more rides over the coming weeks and months.

 

[ColinJ]

I haven't been able to log on to CC or use computer/phone since my ride with @ColinJ yesterday as I scratched my eye on the ride foolishly trying to wipe a splash from my right eye with my gloved hand. It got much worse shortly after arriving home and felt like I had a splinter stuck in my eyeball. This happened even though I wear spectacles all the time. It's the third time I've suffered from getting grit or similar in my eye over the last 5 years so I was aware how sore and painful it becomes. It seems I never learn about how delicate the eyes are!
Anyway lots of tlc bathing my eye and applying eye drops from the fantastic Mrs LG has finally eased it somewhat though it's still very bloodshot. I think I'll be restricting my computer and phone screen time for a few days until it has healed completely.

Ouch - I've done that in the past - it really isn't nice. GWS!

 

[13 rider]

March's done a just enough 62.3 miles . Had plans for more until I turned into the headwind at 17 miles .Nearly aborted a metric century for a 50 miler but thankfully route was a bit zig zagy so kept turned out of the wind so just pushed on and got it done

 

[Supersuperleeds]

March's done a just enough 62.3 miles . Had plans for more until I turned into the headwind at 17 miles .Nearly aborted a metric century for a 50 miler but thankfully route was a bit zig zagy so kept turned out of the wind so just pushed on and got it done

The wind was quite cold as well. Was you on the new steed?

 

[13 rider]

The wind was quite cold as well. Was you on the new steed?

No the trusty Defy thought the roads out Saxileby would have been muddy than they were and also the deeper section rims would have been a bit twitchy

 

[Fiona R]

March finally done, well as separate ride/s to Imperial/lunacy that I had already done. To be sure I did it twice as it's been such a nice weekend. An ethically hilly 106km round the Mendips with my husband yesterday and a sprint 101km out to Wales and back to Clevedon today in glorious sunshine trying to up my speed in a group. Basically I just have stamina and get there!

It is so nice not to be battling a permanent gale, it's all been a bit epic up until this weekend!

Also pleased to have passed 2000km for 2019 so far, above target for 8000km by end of year.

 

[Fiona R]

Nice to remind myself that cycling can be fun and doesn't have to involve miserably grinding up hills until exhausted.

Exactly my thoughts this weekend!

 

[Sbudge]

Lovely ride out on Saturday with @steverob , so much easier than the start of the month. This was my second 100km on the new bike and it's starting to feel really 'dialled in'. Steve had never done Kop Hill (which is practically a crime if you live in the Chilterns) so the plan was to get him up it in under 9 minutes ... I might have accidentally (cough) paced him a little faster than that (he did it in under 7 ).

 

[ColinJ]

Nice to remind myself that cycling can be fun and doesn't have to involve miserably grinding up hills until exhausted.

And what exactly is wrong with "miserably grinding up hills until exhausted"?

Actually, I chose a flat*** route for my imperial century on Saturday but took a wrong turn near the end and that resulted in me miserably grinding up hills until exhausted!



*** Afnug pointed out that my route was not completely flat. True - if I had stuck to the original route it would have had about 700 m (2,300 ft) of ascent in 161 km (100 miles) but that is only 4.35 m per km ridden (23 ft per mile) rather than my local average of 20 m per km (100 ft per mile). It felt pretty flat apart from a few notable little climbs.

 

[Sbudge]

And what exactly is wrong with "miserably grinding up hills until exhausted"?

Actually, I chose a flat*** route for my imperial century on Saturday but took a wrong turn near the end and that resulted in me miserably grinding up hills until exhausted!



*** Afnug pointed out that my route was not completely flat. True - if I had stuck to the original route it would have had about 700 m (2,300 ft) of ascent in 161 km (100 miles) but that is only 4.35 m per km ridden (23 ft per mile) rather than my local average of 20 m per km (100 ft per mile). It felt pretty flat apart from a few notable little climbs.

How about "happily grinding up hills until exhausted" as a compromise?

 

[ColinJ]

How about "happily grinding up hills until exhausted" as a compromise?

That's what I normally do, but this time I was cold, tired, hungry, lost and overgeared!

 

[Fiona R]

And what exactly is wrong with "miserably grinding up hills until exhausted"?

Actually, I chose a flat*** route for my imperial century on Saturday but took a wrong turn near the end and that resulted in me miserably grinding up hills until exhausted!



*** Afnug pointed out that my route was not completely flat. True - if I had stuck to the original route it would have had about 700 m (2,300 ft) of ascent in 161 km (100 miles) but that is only 4.35 m per km ridden (23 ft per mile) rather than my local average of 20 m per km (100 ft per mile). It felt pretty flat apart from a few notable little climbs.

You're admitting to unethically flat here

Isn't "miserably grinding up hills until exhausted" the worst case scenario, and then when it's not actually quite as bad as that it seems like a great day out?