Three 30-minute rides each week of the year Challenge 2025 [NB Starts 30/12/24!]

[FrothNinja]

Week 5: 4 rides over 30 mins, including one MCAM ride; distance cycled 191.26km

Weeks 1 to 5 (2025): total distance cycled 846.20km

It looked like this was going to be my worst week since the COVID lockdowns with no ride possible before Thursday afternoon. But once again Katie-Mae saved the week by helping me do an MCAM ride yesterday.

Route-planning for any distance rides is very difficult at present because of the extensive flooding. The floods are slowly receding but I think it might be mid/late February before any towpath riding becomes realistic (and that will have to be much further up the river Oust).

You can see the damage done to the towpath west of le Pont-des-Deux Rivières in this photo from yesterday. This stretch of towpath was closed for months in 2024 so that the banks could be reinforced and the towpath surface repaired. I don’t believe that they did either (probably ran out of money) so it was a pointless exercise – and one that involved a lengthy diversion to Eurovelo #1. No doubt that diversion will be reinstated very soon.

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Quite a few stretches around here where you have to feet up through the deepest bits and a heck of a lot of gravel wash on the hills. Mudguards essential! Been out with lights on far more than usual of late.

 

[ColinJ]

Another quiet week. Guests mid-week, a jab appointment at the health centre yesterday, followed by a slightly uncomfortable night's sleep which put me off riding today... Those are the official excuses for doing not much more than the minimum!

Week 5: 3 qualifying rides, 60.5 km in 3.10 h.

Total qualifying rides: 15. Distance to date: 368.7 km (vs 550 km; 5 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 19.45 h (vs 35 h; 5 x weekly target of 7 h).

Ride 1 (Tue): 21.1 km. Tod, HC and back, Wn and back. 1.00 h.

Ride 2 (Wed): 24.0 km. ELLL as far as Ck, Cr and back. 1.30 h.

Ride 3 (Fri): 15.4 km. ELLL as far as Wn and back. 0.80 h.

All rides on my 6-er.

Abbreviated local place names (now sorted alphabetically):

• BE = Blackstone Edge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Bp = Bacup, By = Burnley
• Ce = Cornholme, Ck = Calderbrook, Cn = Colden, CP = Crown Point, Cr = Caldermoor, CV = Cragg Vale
• HB = Hebden Bridge, HC = Holme Chapel, HG = Hubberton Green, Hl = Heptonstall, HP = Harvellin Park
• JB = Jack Bridge
• Lh = Littleborough, Ls = Lumbutts
• MR = Manchester, Ms = Mankinholes
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden