Weather looks set fair, for Wales, at the weekend and so all being well I will be getting mine in at the last moment!
The 2019 Half Century a month Challenge chatzone
- Thread starter 13 rider
- Start date
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Good news on the recovery, and well done for the '50'.
Bad luck with the stinking cold though - I had one a few weeks back and it did the same to me.
It sounds like you will probably be out of action for my Conder Green ride but if you have recovered enough it would nice to see you.
Domus
Guru
- Location
- Sunny Radcliffe
I fully intend turning up but won't be disappointed to be dropped and make my own way back. Any miles are better than none.
Second 50 km ride for March done. Thought I needed to get some exercise before the commute next week after 2 weeks off. Riding in the middle of the day during the week is a completely different experience compared to the weekends. Much less traffic and, with one exception, happy to wait for a gap before passing.
bluenotebob
Veteran
- Location
- France
Another from me today - very similar to the ride I did on 19th March … a couple of slight changes, including an unplanned section of 2km off-road – dust was the problem, rather than mud (it’s very dry here). One kilometre shorter, and 3 minutes longer .. I blame the NE wind for me being slower today.
I wanted 6 points in March – this is my fourth. But .. still 3 days to go ..
I wanted 6 points in March – this is my fourth. But .. still 3 days to go ..
Noodle Legs
Winging it
- Location
- Coalville, Leicestershire
The bib shorts made their full debut in the UK for 2019 today with a nice tootle around the lanes of NW Leicestershire and S Notts in this glorious early spring sunshine!
Set off around 10am when the roads eased off after the morning rush hour and I was leisurely paced throughout as I made my way towards East Midlands Airport, turning off at Diseworth and heading down towards Hathern.
After crossing the busy A6 here it was back to quieter roads and taking in the villages that skirt around the top of Loughborough on the Notts side of the river Soar.
Crossing the A60 at Cotes I made my way towards Barrow upon Soar where I encountered a couple of other cyclists looking to get to the race hub at Six Hills. Once I did my Good Samaritan bit I set off through Barrow and turned off for Quorn, passing under the A6 and through the village where I stopped at the cafe of the Great Central Railway.
Had about 20 mins here, then set off up Beacon Hill and headed back towards home via Copt Oak, downhill through Stanton under Bardon and Ellistown before the last tiny slog uphill towards home.
The bright sunshine made for beautiful riding throughout and there was hardly a breath of wind. It wasn’t too hot either so it was just perfect.
33 dead in 1:56.
https://strava.app.link/QzcSwtAcsV
https://www.relive.cc/view/2249117688
Set off around 10am when the roads eased off after the morning rush hour and I was leisurely paced throughout as I made my way towards East Midlands Airport, turning off at Diseworth and heading down towards Hathern.
After crossing the busy A6 here it was back to quieter roads and taking in the villages that skirt around the top of Loughborough on the Notts side of the river Soar.
Crossing the A60 at Cotes I made my way towards Barrow upon Soar where I encountered a couple of other cyclists looking to get to the race hub at Six Hills. Once I did my Good Samaritan bit I set off through Barrow and turned off for Quorn, passing under the A6 and through the village where I stopped at the cafe of the Great Central Railway.
Had about 20 mins here, then set off up Beacon Hill and headed back towards home via Copt Oak, downhill through Stanton under Bardon and Ellistown before the last tiny slog uphill towards home.
The bright sunshine made for beautiful riding throughout and there was hardly a breath of wind. It wasn’t too hot either so it was just perfect.
33 dead in 1:56.
https://strava.app.link/QzcSwtAcsV
https://www.relive.cc/view/2249117688
Slick
Guru
I said back in January that the above would be my go to ride if I was struggling for my qualifying ride and so it had turned out as I've done very little this month outside commute rides. I may have an opportunity on Sunday for a sneaky couple of hours on my own, but MIL is here this weekend so it will depend on how that pans out.
The ride itself was all good, if surprisingly chilly this afternoon. For some strange reason I always consider going over the Erskine Bridge as heading for home despite living on this side for over 2 years now. I did quite enjoy some sections of the cycle path from there to Dumbarton, more so for the sheer relief to get away from the traffic for a bit. I did make a bit of an error on the way home that could have been costly, not quite sure who was most at fault but I could have and probably should have seen it coming and I did get an acknowledgement from the van driver. Pretty much just a normal commute home from there although I was taken by surprise once or twice by how difficult the headwind made certain stretches.
Legs are feeling it this week, 3 commute rides and 84k today adds up to a pretty good week for me at this time of year.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
It was a lovely day here so I decided to get out and chalk up my '50' for the month. (I am doing more long rides this year so some months I may just do the one half century ride.)
I did think about wearing shorts but I would be going up to an elevation of 430 metres a couple of times and it was quite breezy so I decided to keep my legs covered for now. When I was riding with a tailwind, conditions actually did feel warm enough for shorts, but it felt a bit chilly when I turned into the wind later on.
I saw my first spring lambs of the year. Flowers starting to appear on verges too. I felt more cheerful in the sunshine than I have in my usual hibernation. Everybody I encountered seemed more cheerful too. Some motorists were considerate to me and I gave them a wave. I paid it forward later in some narrow hilltop lanes by making an effort to get out of the way of drivers whenever possible - nipping off the road onto driveways/farm tracks to let them pass.
Lots of good long rides are planned for this year but these shorter rides are what give me the fitness to undertake the harder ones and I enjoy them just as much, just for a shorter period of time! And, of course, they are easier to find the time for.
I was toiling up one of the steepest climbs of my ride when my phone started ringing in my backpack. And it carried on ringing. For way too long ... It was starting to irritate me but I wasn't going to stop halfway up a hill to answer it. I checked when I got home and it was just a friend wanting a general chat. I never ring other people for long - I assume that if someone can answer the phone and wants to then they will, otherwise I try again later. HINT!
I am now relaxing with a pot o... What the heck was that!! Hmm, an update to Spider Solitaire on my phone seems to have given it permission to send me unusual notifications ... 'Play Spider Solitaire to exercise your brain'. [Sarcasm mode] Er, right - I wouldn't have thought of that one. I installed the game because I liked the icon, not because I actually wanted to play it! [/Sarcasm mode]
... a pot of coffee, and feeling gooooooood! It's amazing how a few hours of cycling up on sunny hilltop roads can lift one's spirits.
I did think about wearing shorts but I would be going up to an elevation of 430 metres a couple of times and it was quite breezy so I decided to keep my legs covered for now. When I was riding with a tailwind, conditions actually did feel warm enough for shorts, but it felt a bit chilly when I turned into the wind later on.
I saw my first spring lambs of the year. Flowers starting to appear on verges too. I felt more cheerful in the sunshine than I have in my usual hibernation. Everybody I encountered seemed more cheerful too. Some motorists were considerate to me and I gave them a wave. I paid it forward later in some narrow hilltop lanes by making an effort to get out of the way of drivers whenever possible - nipping off the road onto driveways/farm tracks to let them pass.
Lots of good long rides are planned for this year but these shorter rides are what give me the fitness to undertake the harder ones and I enjoy them just as much, just for a shorter period of time! And, of course, they are easier to find the time for.
I was toiling up one of the steepest climbs of my ride when my phone started ringing in my backpack. And it carried on ringing. For way too long ... It was starting to irritate me but I wasn't going to stop halfway up a hill to answer it. I checked when I got home and it was just a friend wanting a general chat. I never ring other people for long - I assume that if someone can answer the phone and wants to then they will, otherwise I try again later. HINT!
I am now relaxing with a pot o... What the heck was that!! Hmm, an update to Spider Solitaire on my phone seems to have given it permission to send me unusual notifications ... 'Play Spider Solitaire to exercise your brain'. [Sarcasm mode] Er, right - I wouldn't have thought of that one. I installed the game because I liked the icon, not because I actually wanted to play it! [/Sarcasm mode]
... a pot of coffee, and feeling gooooooood! It's amazing how a few hours of cycling up on sunny hilltop roads can lift one's spirits.
NorthernDave
Never used Über Member
- Location
- The real Northern Powerhouse
Out this morning with no plan other than to go for a ride - last weekend was the first rides in 3 weeks and I was done in at half the distance I'd need for a qualifying ride so I just decided to see how it went today.
"Slowly" would be a good way to describe it, but I kept going and keeping to a familiar and not too taxing route managed to grind out a metric half in the (eventual) sunshine. Pleased to get another and almost certainly last entry in this month, but my fitness needs an awful lot of work.
Spring has definitely arrived - flowers on the verges, lambs in the fields, even sun in the sky. Not quite shorts weather yet here, but it's not far off.
"Slowly" would be a good way to describe it, but I kept going and keeping to a familiar and not too taxing route managed to grind out a metric half in the (eventual) sunshine. Pleased to get another and almost certainly last entry in this month, but my fitness needs an awful lot of work.
Spring has definitely arrived - flowers on the verges, lambs in the fields, even sun in the sky. Not quite shorts weather yet here, but it's not far off.
With a day to spare as well ,loads of timeI’m still inGlorious sunny day up in Wales for my favourite ride to Cregennan Lakes.
. Well done the 5 originals are still in . Try not to leave so late next month my nerves can't stand the suspenseGot a week off, in April, for my Birthday and therefore should get a couple in by mid monthWith a day to spare as well ,loads of time
bluenotebob
Veteran
- Location
- France
Yesterday was my best day out on the bike this year. A long and slightly arduous loop heading N then E of here, in perfect conditions through a beautiful Spring landscape. Out for 5 hours, I covered just over 81km of mostly quiet and often hilly roads, returning through parts of the Forêt de Paimpont, and with some stunning views occasionally.
One of the things that I really like about this Challenge is that it’s making me think much more about finding new routes, particularly in the 60 to 80km range.
A more detailed account of my ride yesterday is here :
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/t...winter-challenge-chatzone.241349/post-5586043
One of the things that I really like about this Challenge is that it’s making me think much more about finding new routes, particularly in the 60 to 80km range.
A more detailed account of my ride yesterday is here :
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/t...winter-challenge-chatzone.241349/post-5586043
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iandg
Legendary Member
- Location
- Dumfries and Galloway
Sun was shining and a little less wind. Grabbed another 50km using the usual Stornoway-Breascleate-Callanish-Achmore-Stornoway loop. Head wind out (about 22kph average to half way) but a flyer back, 25.7kph the fastest average speed for a ride since buying the Long Haul Trucker. Did change the tyres though on Friday. Now running a fast rolling 35c Vittoria Voyager Hyper instead of the sluggish Vittoria Randonneurs.
full house of riders everyone who hadn't posted now has so we have 41 of us still in and a quarter of the way through the year already . Well done everyone 
