The 2017 Half Century (50 KM or 50 Mile) A Month Challenge - Chatzone

[NorthernDave]

I had contemplated another half this morning, but decided to play it by ear as the forecast was for sub-zero temperatures overnight. Looked out the window to see a hard frost on the cars / pavements so decided to have a walk to the Co-op for a paper and see what it was like underfoot. Too many treacherous spots on ungritted roads and still minus 2 degrees C , so my cycling today has consisted of an hour and 15.87 miles on the indoor bike. Which was blooming hard work given the program I'd set it on, so better than nowt, but it's not like proper cycling is it?
We had a brief flurry of snow too in the middle part of the day, which was nice.

Thumbs up to anyone who did wrap up and get out there today.

 

[ColinJ]

My (non-CC) pals Carrie and Kevin came over with their bikes today. Temperatures had been below zero overnight and not forecast to rise much during the day so I decided that we should be sensible and steer clear of the roads that I normally make a point of heading for - quiet, narrow, hilltop lanes. The kind of roads that often do not get gritted and where black ice patches often lurk in winter!

While we were getting the bikes ready outside my house, a passing cyclist stopped for a chat. He turned out to be from just down the road and round the corner. He asked if we ride together regularly from that spot. It was obvious that he was potentially up for future rides with us. He was on his way to work today, but he said that he might get in touch at a later date. I will tell him about the forum if/when I see him again so he might sign up in weeks to come.

It made a change to stick to main roads. I didn't like the traffic but it was good not having to worry about ice.

I had forgotten that there is a gloriously long downhill from Brittania through Whitworth to Rochdale. It just went on and on ... I couldn't believe how far we had gone when I noticed that we were still at an elevation of 260 metres. That road is mainly downhill for 9 km, a long way by UK standards. There are other descents as long as that in the area, but they are steeper and so they are over much more quickly.

We got very chilled on the descent so after our cafe stop we decided to ride straight back to Todmorden from Littleborough rather than climbing to the chilly murkiness at Blackstone Edge and returning via Cragg Vale and Mytholmroyd.

 

[Renmurew]

I managed to add another point today with a 32 mile cycle around the local area. I had planned to do this yesterday as there was no wind and some pretty clear skies, but I had only put on a pair of half finger mits because I usually find when I wear winter gloves my hands get far too warm, however after about a mile I was trying to work out how to pull my mits down my fingers to try to stop them from freezing completely and falling off and that didnt really make it easy to steer, brake or shift gear. Luckily (!!!!) we live at the top of a big hill and the temperature difference between the top and bottom can be noticable on a cold day and by the time I had reached the bottom of the hill I had thawed out a bit. However, it was enough to put me off so I bailed out and just did a small local 10 mile circuit instead knowing that the drop in temperature going back up the hill would encourage me not to dawdle.

So, today I planned to do the ride that I had intended to do yesterday. After about 7 miles I noticed that it seemed to be a bit harder to peddle than I was used to, especially on hills, and realised that whilst I could and had shifted from the small ring to the big ring up front early on, I couldnt shift back down again. So I got off and tried moving the chain by hand (having nowhere near by to hold the bike up off the ground) but each time I put the chain into the small ring and shifted up to the big ring I couldnt shift back. I took a wee detour to the local Halfords who had a quick look and cleaned some mud off the front derailleur and lubricated it and all seemed good again. However after another few miles it was back to the same issue so I put the chain onto the small ring and just worked with my lower gears for the rest of the ride.

Apart from the slight mechanical issue (hopefully resolved now as the bike has been well cleaned and lubricated since I got home and everything seems to be working properly again) it was a great ride through some lovely Angus countryside and while the sun never quite came out, there was very little wind.

This is likely to be my last cycle for January as I'm away from next weekend for a week so might just give the LBS a call to get the bike in for a service and to check everything is working well for February.

 

[MikeW-71]

I guess a late start would be better than never

I bought a turbo trainer last week, in the hope that it will at least provide some exercise when I don't want to ride outside. I also have this week off work and the weather looks decent.....

 

[Saluki]

Finally got out today. The first week of January, I was not bike fit enough for a 50km, the second week the winds were interesting and last week my knees were not happy. I thought today, it's do or die as, from tomorrow, the high winds are back. 50km off road is much harder work than 50km on road. It was really muddy on the trail and clay mud is just horrible. I'm pleased that I've got the ride done. I was determined to start the challenge again.
We are moving home on the St Patrick's Day weekend, to the flatlands so, I am hoping, that the summer will be so much better for riding that last year.

 

[ColinJ]

Finally got out today. The first week of January, I was not bike fit enough for a 50km, the second week the winds were interesting and last week my knees were not happy. I thought today, it's do or die as, from tomorrow, the high winds are back. 50km off road is much harder work than 50km on road. It was really muddy on the trail and clay mud is just horrible. I'm pleased that I've got the ride done. I was determined to start the challenge again.
We are moving home on the St Patrick's Day weekend, to the flatlands so, I am hoping, that the summer will be so much better for riding that last year.

Off road IS a lot harder than on road - well done!

And you are right about clay. I was telling my stepdaughter about the time that my mountain bike got so clogged with clay that I couldn't get the rear wheel to turn. The bike is quite heavy anyway (about 28 pounds) but it must have weighed more than twice that with the clay stuck to it. I dragged it to a deep puddle and threw it in. It took me over 5 minutes to wash the clay off and make it rideable again!

The challenge is doing the job for me; the job of combatting my natural laziness and getting me to extend my rides. I got nearly home on today's ride and had covered 42 km but I decided that since I had over 30 minutes of daylight left I might as well nip up and down the A646 to get my full 50 km in. (I actually did 51 km in the end.)

 

[Saluki]

Off road IS a lot harder than on road - well done!

And you are right about clay. I was telling my stepdaughter about the time that my mountain bike got so clogged with clay that I couldn't get the rear wheel to turn. The bike is quite heavy anyway (about 28 pounds) but it must have weighed more than twice that with the clay stuck to it. I dragged it to a deep puddle and threw it in. It took me over 5 minutes to wash the clay off and make it rideable again!

The challenge is doing the job for me; the job of combatting my natural laziness and getting me to extend my rides. I got nearly home on today's ride and had covered 42 km but I decided that since I had over 30 minutes of daylight left I might as well nip up and down the A646 to get my full 50 km in. (I actually did 51 km in the end.)

Moving here might have been a mistake. The hills are killing my knees. One of them is not entirely natural - the knee not the hill. We did sacrifice a lot to come here and I adore my job, but it is just a job and I can get another I should think. Much of my riding has been up and down the Camel Trail in 2016 and very little on the roads. The walls topped by hedges don't make for good viewing of the oncoming road. The huge hills are not helpful and the driving standards on the narrow, singletrack roads leave a little to be desired. More than once, I've leaped for a hedge and hoped to God that there isn't a wall 2" into it. In the end, we have decided that we love our cycling more than we love Cornwall and the associated hills. After a long ride, if hills are involved, I've got gel packs on my knees and they are stiff for a couple of days. I have osteo-arthritis and can't take anti-inflams so need to be sensible about this now.

A couple of my 50km rides, last year were a case of "oh, I've done 45k I might as well carry on for the extra. Rude not to really.

 

[ColinJ]

Moving here might have been a mistake. The hills are killing my knees. One of them is not entirely natural - the knee not the hill. We did sacrifice a lot to come here and I adore my job, but it is just a job and I can get another I should think. Much of my riding has been up and down the Camel Trail in 2016 and very little on the roads. The walls topped by hedges don't make for good viewing of the oncoming road. The huge hills are not helpful and the driving standards on the narrow, singletrack roads leave a little to be desired. More than once, I've leaped for a hedge and hoped to God that there isn't a wall 2" into it. In the end, we have decided that we love our cycling more than we love Cornwall and the associated hills. After a long ride, if hills are involved, I've got gel packs on my knees and they are stiff for a couple of days. I have osteo-arthritis and can't take anti-inflams so need to be sensible about this now.

A couple of my 50km rides, last year were a case of "oh, I've done 45k I might as well carry on for the extra. Rude not to really.

Not much you can do about bad drivers!

Have you got low enough gears for the climbs though? I gave up struggling with high gears on steep hills. I now have a luxury 28/30 bottom gear on my mult-geared road bike and a 34/36 bottom gear on my cyclocross bike.

 

[Saluki]

Not much you can do about bad drivers!

Have you got low enough gears for the climbs though? I gave up struggling with high gears on steep hills. I now have a luxury 28/30 bottom gear on my mult-geared road bike and a 34/36 bottom gear on my cyclocross bike.

Wow. 28 is my biggest cog on the roadie and a 30 on the CX, of course the CX has a smaller compact on than the compact on the roadie. Just bought a 12-30 cassette for the roadie and a longer derailleur.
Having paid out that, we were then contacted by the Lincolnshire people about the exchange. We'd seen their place and thought "that looks lovely" but dismissed it as it's for over 55s only. Turns out that Hubster's renal failure and need to be nearer a hospital and need for a shower room rather than a bath means that we can have the bungalow.

How long is your derailleur on your CX, mine has a medium on it. I'd need a longer one to fit a 34 toother on, I would imagine.

 

[ColinJ]

How long is your derailleur on your CX, mine has a medium on it. I'd need a longer one to fit a 34 toother on, I would imagine.

Somebody told me that 9-speed Shimano mountain bike rear mechs work with 10 speed road shifters. (They have compatible 'pull ratios'). I put one on the bike and it works really well.

DETAILS

 

[13 rider]

Welcome back @Saluki . I agree with you about riding in Cornwall I love my 2 weeks a year but the hills really would really knock my milage down if I lived there . Good luck on the move and thanks for finding snails pace cafe for me

 

[Saluki]

Welcome back @Saluki . I agree with you about riding in Cornwall I love my 2 weeks a year but the hills really would really knock my milage down if I lived there . Good luck on the move and thanks for finding snails pace cafe for me

Glad you enjoyed it. Shut until 18th March if you are popping down in the next couple of months.

 

[Domus]

Only just found this page. Up to 171 miles for the month today. Went out in the freezing cold and bitter wind to visit my mum in Chorley.
36.34 miles or 58.48 Km.

Looks like I'm in

 

[13 rider]

Only just found this page. Up to 171 miles for the month today. Went out in the freezing cold and bitter wind to visit my mum in Chorley.
36.34 miles or 58.48 Km.

Looks like I'm in

Welcome and good luck for the year. Don't forget to post your ride in the challenge thread

 

[steverob]

Went out to do a short, hilly ride today - about time really, considering I set myself an elevation goal for the year, and apart from one long ride that was more rolling hills than anything, I've barely done any climbing at all in January!

And I'm glad to say it didn't go horribly! Now I'll admit I'm clearly nowhere near as fit as I need to be to do any sustained climbing right now, but at no point today did I feel like I was struggling so badly that I wanted to just turn round and go back down the hill (which has happened many a time previously). I even set a PR on one 10% section of a climb, although I have a feeling that had more to do with the road having been resurfaced since the last time I tackled it and now it's smooth instead of like riding over a cheese-grater as it was before. However, with pretty much every other uphill segment I was way down on my normal times, so I know I've got a long way to go yet. Still, onwards and hopefully upwards!