Another gruelling cycle ride in the local paper

[deptfordmarmoset]

no, we really shouldn't take the pee...
People who do these rides are not usually experienced cyclists and massive mile munchers.
So 50 miles is a long ride for most of them.
So more power to their elbows.
At least they are getting off their arses and doing some good for someone.

Yes, your distances, Ian, are not gruelling, they're poraging. Unless there's something higher up the scale, of course. Personally, I just did a rather brothing 36 miles. A 10 mile commute should be described as mere souping.

My spell checker doesn't like this post....

 

[tadpole]

I drive to my local Aldi, and that is only ten minutes walk away. I do it for a good reason, there is not way I can carry a weeks worth of heavy shopping, not on foot and not on a bike. It is the only time I use the car, and personally anyone who wants to mock can once they've carried 60lb of shopping in hand, for a mile.

 

[Arch]

no, we really shouldn't take the pee...
People who do these rides are not usually experienced cyclists and massive mile munchers.
So 50 miles is a long ride for most of them.
So more power to their elbows.
At least they are getting off their arses and doing some good for someone.

Also, just as we were all learner drivers once, very few of us were born able to ride long distances, and a fair few of us wouldn't have contemplated it a few years ago.

 

[Arch]

I drive to my local Aldi, and that is only ten minutes walk away. I do it for a good reason, there is not way I can carry a weeks worth of heavy shopping, not on foot and not on a bike. It is the only time I use the car, and personally anyone who wants to mock can once they've carried 60lb of shopping in hand, for a mile.

Get a bike trailer?

Nothing wrong with using a car when it's valid. I think ttcycle was probably referring to people who drive everywhere, to pick up not much more than a newspaper.

 

[ttcycle]

I drive to my local Aldi, and that is only ten minutes walk away. I do it for a good reason, there is not way I can carry a weeks worth of heavy shopping, not on foot and not on a bike. It is the only time I use the car, and personally anyone who wants to mock can once they've carried 60lb of shopping in hand, for a mile.

The person I'm referring to is in my immediate family- I can understand if you've got loads of shopping as that makes sense (however I would be inclined to use a trailer), but for less than a bag's worth? Insanity, just walk, the exercise will do you good.

However, I used to do my weekly shop sans trailer and walk two/three miles home with it strapped to my back in a big back pack. Sometimes it would be the bus home if it was very heavy ie two bags of cat litter plus food etc. But I don't own a car.

 

[musa]

During my job interview i told the chap I rode to Guildford and back

Guy: oh wow I wouldn't try that myself

NB: he rides a motorbike. It's the mentality. I have uncles who are shocked from Brixton to hackney I mean come on

 

[Rob3rt]

That Cragg Vale stuff you just quoted

Classic, Cragg Vale, lol! The pro's probably wouldn't even realise they were going uphill. It might be the longest continuous incline in England but come on, the average gradient is very low (3% or so).

Note: I haven't cycled it, so might be talking utter tripe!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I have been guilty of this sort of thing before.

You see, I used to be involved with The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust, and they do a bike ride from Glasgow to Balloch every year and is 22 miles, or 44 if you decide to do it both ways. Annyway, I did it one year and because I had Leukaemia, the charity thought that it would be good publicity to get me into some of the papers. I was really embarrassed by the fuss because I knew fine well I could do it, the 44 miler without breaking into a sweat in fact, but it was made out that it was some sort of epic struggle for me

'Brave Douglas will cycle 22 miles from Glasgow to Balloch....'.

That said, I did raise a stupid amount of money in sponsorship because of it, but, really, what a massive fuss over nothing, honestly!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

In other words, all of the publicity about me doing a mere 22 miles was completely out of my control, and these people you see in the papers doing 'Gruelling' 50 milers and so on will probably be in the same boat.
Actually, I've done the charity ride mentioned in the post above, but I kept quiet after that
In fact, the most annoying thing of all was being called 'Brave' FFS!

 

[ColinJ]

Classic, Cragg Vale, lol! The pro's probably wouldn't even realise they were going uphill. It might be the longest continuous incline in England but come on, the average gradient is very low (3% or so).

Note: I haven't cycled it, so might be talking utter tripe!

You are correct - it's a pussycat of a climb apart from a bit of a steeper section just before the open moorland! The biggest problem is usually a cross-headwind from the right once you get to the exposed upper part of the climb. Definitely a big ring ascent for fit riders.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

You are correct - it's a pussycat of a climb apart from a bit of a steeper section just before the open moorland! The biggest problem is usually a cross-headwind from the right once you get to the exposed upper part of the climb. Definitely a big ring ascent for fit riders.

I don't know the incline, but still, I bet it's hardly the Col Du Tourmalet!

 

[ColinJ]

I don't know the incline, but still, I bet it's hardly the Col Du Tourmalet!

If you follow the link I posted, you'll see that the climb is 5.5 miles in length and gains 968 ft, so an average of 3.33%.

 

[middleagecyclist]

After cycling the Pennine Cycleway a few yrs ago and raising money for a small charity - The Marfan Trust (my cousin died unexpectedly from Marfan Syndrome at an early age), I have steered well clear from raising money for cycling distances I do purely for pleasure.

The thing is most people can ride a bike but just don't do so anymore. Riding xx miles is therefore an acheivement for them although most end up doing so without much training or idea IMHO. They can do this because cycling is so inherently easy when you have the basic balance/pedal act worked out. Never the less it is impressive to those who don't cycle at all and so worth sponsoring. Actually, I have recently been berated for riding a 52 miler which happened to be be a charity ride recently and not slogging my guts out raising sponsorship (the BHF Manchester to Blackpool Night ride). I might as well have raised sponsorship for having a dump! I did the ride for fun only and then cycled back.

I am though considering opening a just giving page for cycling the LEL. For me, that will be a challenge.

 

[Fnaar]

Reading my local paper invariably makes me want to gruel. It's so asinine and jejune.

I love that word

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Half of our local paper is full of people getting mugged etc, and the other is just vomit inducing drivel.