Lilliburlero
Pro sandbagger
- Location
- South Derbyshire
CompletedDecember's done nice and early . Cold and a windy ride but challenge be done
Well done sir
The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone
- Thread starter ColinJ
- Start date
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Well done sir
Lilliburlero
Pro sandbagger
- Location
- South Derbyshire
Need to persuade @Lilliburlero to do the full ride then
That would be around the 130 mile mark..... no problem
I might do a few extra with you though, if the legs feel ok
OP
OP
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
What you say about cycling in Cheshire is true, and if I could ride round there without a major trek before and after the rides I would be doing a lot more long rides, BUT I am fairly sure that I still wouldn't be doing as many as you!
Ajax Bay
Guru
- Location
- East Devon
Seemed there were a fair few of us out yesterday completing the 2017 challenge.
Mine was a 200km audax from Tewkesbury (I'd say there were about 60 at the start). Bit of drizzle right at the start (0730) persuaded me to put my jacket on, but that came off after half an hour (sunrise), and stayed off. Temperature was about +5 rising to maybe +8. Some dry roads, some muddy. Fine views, particularly north after the hill out of Ludlow. Then across the 'Lingen Alps' for a brief excursion into Wales (Presteigne). Info control highlight (@Dogtrousers look away now) was spotting the "Judoes House" mentioned in the brevet ("How many stone pillars?"). Found said stone pillars and assumed 'judoe' was Welsh for 'judge' only reassessing this on the long climb out of Kingston and decided it was most likely a typg! The profile of the route meant we'd done nearly all the 2000m climbing by 116km so the last third was flattish down to and along the River Wye and across to the Severn. Teamed up with a rider (Simon) from Bristol for the final 55km after he'd put his second inner in after his second (slow
) puncture. Company made the miles roll by, as the sun set behind us. His (rather expensive) Hope somethingorother headlight started wobbling: the case seemed to have failed where the fixing is to 'slot' onto the bar fitting; so he was left with (a decent) be seen front flasher on his headtube. My headlight provided enough 'spot the pothole' beam for us both but in the dark, out in the cuds near the M50, with ten km to go he had his third puncture. I (stopped and) provided light to augment his torch, and one of my spare inners, and in minutes few we were on our way to the 'arrivée' at the Royal Hop Pole in Tewkesbury. Many thanks to the organiser: Mark Rigby of Black Sheep Audax for an excellent winter route.
Mine was a 200km audax from Tewkesbury (I'd say there were about 60 at the start). Bit of drizzle right at the start (0730) persuaded me to put my jacket on, but that came off after half an hour (sunrise), and stayed off. Temperature was about +5 rising to maybe +8. Some dry roads, some muddy. Fine views, particularly north after the hill out of Ludlow. Then across the 'Lingen Alps' for a brief excursion into Wales (Presteigne). Info control highlight (@Dogtrousers look away now) was spotting the "Judoes House" mentioned in the brevet ("How many stone pillars?"). Found said stone pillars and assumed 'judoe' was Welsh for 'judge' only reassessing this on the long climb out of Kingston and decided it was most likely a typg! The profile of the route meant we'd done nearly all the 2000m climbing by 116km so the last third was flattish down to and along the River Wye and across to the Severn. Teamed up with a rider (Simon) from Bristol for the final 55km after he'd put his second inner in after his second (slow
) puncture. Company made the miles roll by, as the sun set behind us. His (rather expensive) Hope somethingorother headlight started wobbling: the case seemed to have failed where the fixing is to 'slot' onto the bar fitting; so he was left with (a decent) be seen front flasher on his headtube. My headlight provided enough 'spot the pothole' beam for us both but in the dark, out in the cuds near the M50, with ten km to go he had his third puncture. I (stopped and) provided light to augment his torch, and one of my spare inners, and in minutes few we were on our way to the 'arrivée' at the Royal Hop Pole in Tewkesbury. Many thanks to the organiser: Mark Rigby of Black Sheep Audax for an excellent winter route.
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DUNNIT TODAY!
2016 was my first 100km challenge so I thought I should up the ante a bit for 2017. Hence I did every ride this year in shorts. Which is a problem as I start to think about 2018. I do think this may be a wee bit too challenging in January (though obviously I would have very little to hide :-). Any ideas?
2016 was my first 100km challenge so I thought I should up the ante a bit for 2017. Hence I did every ride this year in shorts. Which is a problem as I start to think about 2018. I do think this may be a wee bit too challenging in January (though obviously I would have very little to hide :-). Any ideas?
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Only the 12 qualifying rides, but I'll set out to improve on that next year.
- Location
- Egham
I had my ride planned an in the Garmin ready for Friday, but chose decorating instead, opting to do the last challenge ride today as the weather man said dry and not windy.
I woke to wet roads, and after a mooch in the garden decided the dry bike would be okay. Bib longs and jacket were the order of the day, along with woolly hat. After 4 miles it started raining, that horrible fine stuff which covers your glasses, and both the BBC & the Met Office were cursed under my breath. Really struggled this morning, every hill seemed hard work, and if it weren't for this challenge I probably would have gone home.
New territory for me from Ascot as I followed a very convoluted route towards Maidenhead, the plan being to stop at Velolife after 31 miles for coffee and cake. Upon arrival it was rammed, so I opted to continue onwards and survive on the museli bar I had packed. A brief struggle up Honey Lane (and back down again, I only did it to nab an Explorer square before heading North of Maidenhead around residential streets. Couple of very odd routing choices as I went along, one path best suited to MTB's, and the other took me over the M4 via a pedestrian footbridge, made the ride a bit more interesting.
After 45 miles or so the rain stopped, and with the wind behind me the pace picked up. I had to pass my front door to get the miles done, and the last few were tough. But, 64.1 miles done, and very pleased to have completed the MCaM challenge this year
Now, the next logical step is the Imperial a month....
I woke to wet roads, and after a mooch in the garden decided the dry bike would be okay. Bib longs and jacket were the order of the day, along with woolly hat. After 4 miles it started raining, that horrible fine stuff which covers your glasses, and both the BBC & the Met Office were cursed under my breath. Really struggled this morning, every hill seemed hard work, and if it weren't for this challenge I probably would have gone home.
New territory for me from Ascot as I followed a very convoluted route towards Maidenhead, the plan being to stop at Velolife after 31 miles for coffee and cake. Upon arrival it was rammed, so I opted to continue onwards and survive on the museli bar I had packed. A brief struggle up Honey Lane (and back down again, I only did it to nab an Explorer square before heading North of Maidenhead around residential streets. Couple of very odd routing choices as I went along, one path best suited to MTB's, and the other took me over the M4 via a pedestrian footbridge, made the ride a bit more interesting.
After 45 miles or so the rain stopped, and with the wind behind me the pace picked up. I had to pass my front door to get the miles done, and the last few were tough. But, 64.1 miles done, and very pleased to have completed the MCaM challenge this year
Now, the next logical step is the Imperial a month....
OP
OP
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
A misty/drizzly metric century, testing a new route of mine.
There is now a direct rail connection between Todmorden and Blackburn since 'Todmorden Curve' has been reinstated (a short length of railway track removed years ago for some reason - Beeching?). My route involves a return rail ticket from Tod to Blackburn, but only travelling the first half of the outward rail journey. That means that I can avoid riding the over-familiar/over-busy A646 to Rose Grove and can start from Rose Grove instead, giving me an extra 16 km to ride in the Forest of Bowland instead. Amazingly, the return ticket is only 5p more than the cost of a single so 'wasting' half of the outward ticket is not an issue!
The forecast told me that I would not be freezing on this ride, and there would not be any risk of ice, in contrast with last Thursday's bitterly cold metric century. That was true. The only snow/ice I saw was in a sheltered corner of the platform at Rose Grove station and even that was almost melted. Unfortunately, the forecast for dry conditions turned out to be hopelessly optimistic! I spent 2/3 of the ride in heavy mist, drizzle, or light rain. At least it never really poured, but it was damp enough to eventually penetrate my cycling kit. There was a blustery wind, but at least it wasn't a cold one. I enjoyed a few brief spells of sunshine, but they just reminded me how unpleasant conditions were the rest of the time ...
The steep little lane I had discovered from Mire Fold to Top of Ramsgreave north of Blackburn is a gem! Unfortunately, to get to it involves 1 km on the very busy A59 from the traffic lights with the B6245 up from Ribchester.
The run down to Blackburn station was straightforward because I had planned it well to take into account one-way systems etc. OS maps, the cycle.travel website, and Google Street View are your friends - use them!
The Beatles reckoned there were "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire"*** but I didn't see many of them. It seems like the council finally got round to filling them. Or maybe Lennon meant 4,000 hills? It certainly is a lumpy town so I wouldn't be in a hurry to start a ride from Blackburn station. The gloriously easy run down the hill would become a nightmare slog up in traffic - no thanks!
104 km with about 1,500 metres of climbing so a bit more than 'undulating', but not monstrously hard - 'fairly hilly'? I would call 2,000 metres in 100 kms 'hilly' and anything over 2,500 metres 'extremely, very, bloody, stupidly, f*****g hilly'!
*** #1 For Beatles fans or youngsters who don't have a clue what I am going on about there, here is 'A Day in the Life' .... (at 3 mins 24 secs).
*** #2 I discovered THIS fascinating insight into just how humourless and out-of-touch some people in authority were in the 1960s - ha ha ha!
So, that's another year of metric centuries completed. I feel slightly tempted to have a go at the imperial century challenge, but I know that I would always be battling the weather on the hills between November and February and I don't have a great selection of flat routes to choose from. Maybe I will have a go at @Littgull's more humane version - 12+ imperial centuries in the year, not including the winter months?
PS Oh, oh, oh - I nearly forgot ... I must tell you about witnessing one of the most amazingly bad driving errors that I have ever seen! I can assure you that if I give you a lead up to it, you are not going to guess what happened next!
So there I was, early in my ride, heading along a fairly busy B road. I noticed a driver ahead of me on my left wanting to turn right from a minor side road. He looked straight at me and ...
What happened next?
Yes - he floored the throttle and shot out in front of me.
No - that isn't it ... I half expected him to do it and was already braking so he didn't hit me.
Any ideas ...?
Ok, I'll put you out of your misery! The driver had been totally focussed on pulling out in front of me rather than waiting a few seconds for me to go by. So focussed in fact that he totally forgot to look left before pulling out ... If he had looked then he would have seen that there was a tractor towing a large trailer into the space that he would soon be occupying! Even worse, the tractor had created a tailback of 8 or 9 vehicles. The tractor driver was close enough that I could see the look on his face as this unfolded. He screamed and blasted the errant driver with a VERY loud blast on the tractor's horn, quickly followed by horn blasts from the other 8 or 9 drivers who could see what was happening. F**kw*t driver swerved right, out of the way of the tractor, which meant that he was now heading straight for me so he swerved back left again to avoid me and almost hit the trailer, swerved back right and almost got my back wheel, swerved back left and almost hit the car following the trailer, swerved right again and almost hit the car behind me ...! All the while, every other driver on that stretch of road was honking away at him and waving fists. Mad driver somehow managed to fishtail between the 2 streams of traffic and actually get past the tractor without killing anybody. Somebody should track him down and give him an award of some sort. If 100 drivers attempted that manoeuvre, there would probably have been 99 collisions!
There is now a direct rail connection between Todmorden and Blackburn since 'Todmorden Curve' has been reinstated (a short length of railway track removed years ago for some reason - Beeching?). My route involves a return rail ticket from Tod to Blackburn, but only travelling the first half of the outward rail journey. That means that I can avoid riding the over-familiar/over-busy A646 to Rose Grove and can start from Rose Grove instead, giving me an extra 16 km to ride in the Forest of Bowland instead. Amazingly, the return ticket is only 5p more than the cost of a single so 'wasting' half of the outward ticket is not an issue!
The forecast told me that I would not be freezing on this ride, and there would not be any risk of ice, in contrast with last Thursday's bitterly cold metric century. That was true. The only snow/ice I saw was in a sheltered corner of the platform at Rose Grove station and even that was almost melted. Unfortunately, the forecast for dry conditions turned out to be hopelessly optimistic! I spent 2/3 of the ride in heavy mist, drizzle, or light rain. At least it never really poured, but it was damp enough to eventually penetrate my cycling kit. There was a blustery wind, but at least it wasn't a cold one. I enjoyed a few brief spells of sunshine, but they just reminded me how unpleasant conditions were the rest of the time ...
The steep little lane I had discovered from Mire Fold to Top of Ramsgreave north of Blackburn is a gem! Unfortunately, to get to it involves 1 km on the very busy A59 from the traffic lights with the B6245 up from Ribchester.
The run down to Blackburn station was straightforward because I had planned it well to take into account one-way systems etc. OS maps, the cycle.travel website, and Google Street View are your friends - use them!
The Beatles reckoned there were "4,000 holes in Blackburn, Lancashire"*** but I didn't see many of them. It seems like the council finally got round to filling them. Or maybe Lennon meant 4,000 hills? It certainly is a lumpy town so I wouldn't be in a hurry to start a ride from Blackburn station. The gloriously easy run down the hill would become a nightmare slog up in traffic - no thanks!
104 km with about 1,500 metres of climbing so a bit more than 'undulating', but not monstrously hard - 'fairly hilly'? I would call 2,000 metres in 100 kms 'hilly' and anything over 2,500 metres 'extremely, very, bloody, stupidly, f*****g hilly'!
*** #1 For Beatles fans or youngsters who don't have a clue what I am going on about there, here is 'A Day in the Life' .... (at 3 mins 24 secs).
*** #2 I discovered THIS fascinating insight into just how humourless and out-of-touch some people in authority were in the 1960s - ha ha ha!
So, that's another year of metric centuries completed. I feel slightly tempted to have a go at the imperial century challenge, but I know that I would always be battling the weather on the hills between November and February and I don't have a great selection of flat routes to choose from. Maybe I will have a go at @Littgull's more humane version - 12+ imperial centuries in the year, not including the winter months?
PS Oh, oh, oh - I nearly forgot ... I must tell you about witnessing one of the most amazingly bad driving errors that I have ever seen! I can assure you that if I give you a lead up to it, you are not going to guess what happened next!
So there I was, early in my ride, heading along a fairly busy B road. I noticed a driver ahead of me on my left wanting to turn right from a minor side road. He looked straight at me and ...
What happened next?
Yes - he floored the throttle and shot out in front of me.
No - that isn't it ... I half expected him to do it and was already braking so he didn't hit me.
Any ideas ...?
Ok, I'll put you out of your misery! The driver had been totally focussed on pulling out in front of me rather than waiting a few seconds for me to go by. So focussed in fact that he totally forgot to look left before pulling out ... If he had looked then he would have seen that there was a tractor towing a large trailer into the space that he would soon be occupying! Even worse, the tractor had created a tailback of 8 or 9 vehicles. The tractor driver was close enough that I could see the look on his face as this unfolded. He screamed and blasted the errant driver with a VERY loud blast on the tractor's horn, quickly followed by horn blasts from the other 8 or 9 drivers who could see what was happening. F**kw*t driver swerved right, out of the way of the tractor, which meant that he was now heading straight for me so he swerved back left again to avoid me and almost hit the trailer, swerved back right and almost got my back wheel, swerved back left and almost hit the car following the trailer, swerved right again and almost hit the car behind me ...! All the while, every other driver on that stretch of road was honking away at him and waving fists. Mad driver somehow managed to fishtail between the 2 streams of traffic and actually get past the tractor without killing anybody. Somebody should track him down and give him an award of some sort. If 100 drivers attempted that manoeuvre, there would probably have been 99 collisions!
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OP
OP
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
D'oh - the Albert Hall article was dated 1st April!
Sea of vapours
Guru
- Location
- Clapham, Yorkshire Dales
That's a like for generally having a hard time and the fortitude, rather than the strange keeling over aspect.
Fiona R
Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
- Location
- N Somerset
Well I did do it on Monday with what was intended to be a reserve ride, a flat one round the Somerset levels because a friend only had that day to ride his Gran Fondo so I worked Sunday to go out Monday (and I met a friend in Wilts on Tues/Weds for a spot of rogue mountain biking but that's another story!) but yet again I've been foiled with a planned event.
This month's ride was supposed to be yesterday's Abbeys and Minor Roads Audax from Bristol. I ummed, ahhed, decided on Tuesday that it wasn't on for OH to ride due to temps forecast (medical grounds not because he is a wimp!) Weds I decided that it wasn't sensible for me to ride, temps a degree or two lower over Malmesbury way and almost certainly some ice. I broke ribs a few years ago, my bike handling skills are not the best. I had managed to skid on Monday and somehow stayed upright, it was dry and certainly not freezing, just a bend got bendier. It turned out to be the right decision, for me, as it was icier than forecast and those that did go out were heroic.
You never know I may fit in another 100km at the end of the month but catering for a houseful for a ten day period makes a Rapha Festive 500 completion very unlikely. if relatives all lived close by and you could just tour people's houses for food every day post ride except the one day at yours, it would be doable. Never mind a few days at work.
So I'm pleased to have completed a second year of metric centuries/Strava Gran Fondos but I am quite annoyed that there should be several most months and there are actually not that many multiples. Quite a few went to pot due to weather, illness in family and other unavoidable distractions. Proud of a 200km audax in July, no tours this year. Just shows that it is much less nerve wracking to get the ride in as early in the month as possible!
This month's ride was supposed to be yesterday's Abbeys and Minor Roads Audax from Bristol. I ummed, ahhed, decided on Tuesday that it wasn't on for OH to ride due to temps forecast (medical grounds not because he is a wimp!) Weds I decided that it wasn't sensible for me to ride, temps a degree or two lower over Malmesbury way and almost certainly some ice. I broke ribs a few years ago, my bike handling skills are not the best. I had managed to skid on Monday and somehow stayed upright, it was dry and certainly not freezing, just a bend got bendier. It turned out to be the right decision, for me, as it was icier than forecast and those that did go out were heroic.
You never know I may fit in another 100km at the end of the month but catering for a houseful for a ten day period makes a Rapha Festive 500 completion very unlikely. if relatives all lived close by and you could just tour people's houses for food every day post ride except the one day at yours, it would be doable. Never mind a few days at work.
So I'm pleased to have completed a second year of metric centuries/Strava Gran Fondos but I am quite annoyed that there should be several most months and there are actually not that many multiples. Quite a few went to pot due to weather, illness in family and other unavoidable distractions. Proud of a 200km audax in July, no tours this year. Just shows that it is much less nerve wracking to get the ride in as early in the month as possible!
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OP
OP
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Well done!
Having left my November ride until the last day of the month, I made damn sure to get the December ride in early, before this winter weather arrived!
I was not quite so clever, at this rate it could be a New Year’s Eve ride for me.
Fiona R
Formerly known as Cranky Knee Girl
- Location
- N Somerset
I had a couple of very close shaves last year, a 130km August Gran Fondo done on the very last day, very hot, got very lost and ended up ringing the husband to pick me up 30 km from home, fortunately I had planned 100 miles and had scraped over the 130km before phoning, it was dusk! Usually when you do a reserve ride the real one goes to plan!
Sbudge
Cyclist
- Location
- NW London & The Chilterns
Challenged completed for the year. Yesterday was extremely grim, 2 degrees and heavy rain the whole time. Sheer stubbornness got me round but it was tough, by the end of it my 'clever' waterproof socks were just two bags of cold water. Thanks for everyone on the challenge this year, the support really helped. Good luck in 2018 everyone! 
