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

[FrothNinja]

Rode into work and back again today but was only there for 3 hours. Didn't change out of my riding kit and spent just over 4 hours on the bike.
My question is lunacy or metric half century?
Off to Shropshire for a long weekend and will do some long rides down there, at least one of which should be 50km+....

 

[ColinJ]

Rode into work and back again today but was only there for 3 hours. Didn't change out of my riding kit and spent just over 4 hours on the bike.
My question is lunacy or metric half century?
Off to Shropshire for a long weekend and will do some long rides down there, at least one of which should be 50km+....

And (given where you are posting...) one or two rides for this challenge?

 

[FrothNinja]

And (given where you are posting...) one or two rides for this challenge?

Just the one when I commute and change so this defo goes as a single.
Likely to get another 3 rides in before the week ends. Car has dies so tomorrow I will be cycling to the nearest van hire place - will probably string it out a bit as I have just put road tyre on the front end of the CX and want to see what it feels like to ride with that on front and a worn CX tyre at the rear.
Suspect I will change the rear too. It has a bigger granny ring, not that I will need it riding in Shropshire.

 

[ColinJ]

Suspect I will change the rear too. It has a bigger granny ring, not that I will need it riding in Shropshire.

I thought that Shropshire has some tough climbs?

I haven't been there, but it is somewhere that I would like to visit one day.

 

[FrothNinja]

I thought that Shropshire has some tough climbs?

I haven't been there, but it is somewhere that I would like to visit one day.

There are a few but very easy to avoid and we will have an inexperienced rider with us

 

[bluenotebob]

My question is lunacy or metric half century?

Pose the question in the 2025 HMCAM challenge chatzone and get a definitive response from @13 rider

 

[13 rider]

Rode into work and back again today but was only there for 3 hours. Didn't change out of my riding kit and spent just over 4 hours on the bike.
My question is lunacy or metric half century?
Off to Shropshire for a long weekend and will do some long rides down there, at least one of which should be 50km+....

It's within the rules for the half century challenge as your allowed 24 hours to complete a ride ,but there always a but personally I would feel this was 2 separate rides and wouldn't post it, you may treat it as 1 ride which is perfectly fine and I be happy for you to post it . The challenge is just to challenge yourself so ultimately it's up to you

 

[FrothNinja]

It's within the rules for the half century challenge as your allowed 24 hours to complete a ride ,but there always a but personally I would feel this was 2 separate rides and wouldn't post it, you may treat it as 1 ride which is perfectly fine and I be happy for you to post it . The challenge is just to challenge yourself so ultimately it's up to you

Ta.
I'll wait and see what happens is Shropshire. I'm not chasing numbers for half century challenge. It's more a way of insuring I do at least one longish ride a month.

 

[FrothNinja]

I haven't been there, but it is somewhere that I would like to visit one day.

Some lovely rides if you can avoid the busy roads.
If you feel homesick there are even some canal rides.

 

[ColinJ]

No cycling for me on Sunday because of a family gathering, so my update is a day early.

Week 14: 4 qualifying rides... 118.5 km, in 6.70 h.

Total qualifying rides: 49. Distance to date: 1,148.6 km (vs 1,540 km; 14 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 61.10 h (vs 98 h; 14 x weekly target of 7 h).

Ride 1 (Mon): 21.5 km. ELLL incl. Ls, Wn, Sl, Ph, Tod. 1.25 h.

Ride 2 (Wed): 25.4 km. Tod to HB (cafe with pal), back to HP, Ms, Ls, Wn + local bonus. 1.45 h.

Ride 3 (Fri): 40.0 km. Lumpy lanes near Crediton. 2.25 h.

Ride 4 (Sat): 31.6 km. Lumpy lanes near Crediton. 1.75 h.

Ride 1 on my 6-er; 2 on my CAAD5; 3 and 4 on my 1x11 Devon bike.

Abbreviated local place names (now sorted alphabetically):

• BE = Blackstone Edge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Bp = Bacup, By = Burnley
• Ce = Cornholme, Cgr = Cliviger, 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
• Ph = Portsmouth
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, Sl = Sourhall, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

Eight qualifying rides this week, I don't know what came over me. Probably the weather helped and not having too many other demands on my time. Cold wind but beautiful in the sunshine so I'm not complaining.

No idea how many miles, not a huge amount per ride, but enough to keep me moving and happy with that.

Funny kind of start to April; yesterday I bought a Brompton C line and today I gave the car its first wash of the year! Who knows what might happen next...

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 14: 8 rides over 30 mins, including one HMCAM ride; distance cycled 203.13km

Week 1(2025) to week 14: total distance cycled 3005.6km

A really difficult week on the bike because of hay-fever. There’s so much pollen around here that you could cut the air into blocks and build a garden wall with them.

Pleased that I’ve got my April HMCAM qualifier out of the way but I have no idea when I’ll get any rides done in any of the other challenges this month. I can cycle in bad weather, or when I’m really tired, or when my legs are almost at the point of falling off – but I find it nigh on impossible to ride a bike when I can’t breathe.

Spring has exploded – butterflies and bumble bees abound, my big oak tree is already in leaf (10/14 days earlier than usual) and my neighbour heard the first cuckoo two days ago. No swallows yet but I guess they’re blocked down in Spain and Portugal, waiting for a southerly wind.

Photo from a couple of weeks ago – on the line of the old railway between Canfroux and Réguiny (that’s quite an incline for a railway).