The 2020 Half century (50km or 50m) a month Chatzone

[footloose crow]

1 April : 54K ride (route is on 'Your Ride today thread'). Didn't set out to go that far but not unhappy to know the pressure is off for April.

Truro- Probus - Tregony- Ruan Lanihorne - Treconk- Philleigh - King Harry Ferry - Point - Devoran - Bissoe - Twelveheads - Chacewater - Greenbottom - Threemilestone - Truro.

A list of place names that means little to anyone who doesn't live here, but I like the sounds they make when you say them. Named after characters from a fantasy swords and sorcery novel (there are other explanations).

 

[Slick]

For the time being I reckon I can keep going just by changing the initial direction I head when I leave the house. It does mean heading straight over hills right away which I would prefer to avoid until I was warmed up but I am straight into a maze of single track lanes that zigzag for miles. I'm not on Facebook, but apparently some local farmers are appealing for a bit of common sense from people as fences are being damaged and gates left open. Obviously neither problems caused by cycling, so I will hopefully be able to continue unimpeded for the moment. I'll update the ride thread later today as I'm heading out this morning hoping to get a qualifying ride in for April. 👍

 

[13 rider]

April's done a quick blast round my Wymeswold loop 31.4 miles at 18mph . This may be my only one this month as I am trying to cut my my mileage
Stay safe everyone

 

[gavgav]

I’ve made the decision to stick to rides of about 1 hr in length, whilst we are on lockdown. I’m guessing this will mean me missing out on April, but will have to wait and see.

This is in no way a criticism of anyone who decides to do the longer rides, it’s purely my personal decision.

Stay well everyone.

 

[Noodle Legs]

April Done.

This may or may not be the only ride I get in this month, I shall see how things go beyond Easter Monday. The cabin fever, good weather and general Zwift racing malaise made the decision to venture out very easy. I set off at midday in pleasant sunshine and a gentle breeze, heading west through the south Derbyshire lanes towards Burton.
Before I knew it I was at the old burton bridge, 18 miles in, turning right and immediately up the mile long climb that is Ashby Road. Then after a few miles it was up Greysich Lane, a local climbing “delicacy” in these parts with a 15%ish max gradient. Nabbed a VV square at the top of here before dropping down into Hartshorne.

One more long drag out of Hartshorne and then it was a left turn down heath lane into Smisby and then the ghost town of Ashby. Before long I was back home, the last few miles a blur, 37 miles in just over two hours.

 

[13 rider]

I’ve made the decision to stick to rides of about 1 hr in length, whilst we are on lockdown. I’m guessing this will mean me missing out on April, but will have to wait and see.

This is in no way a criticism of anyone who decides to do the longer rides, it’s purely my personal decision.

Stay well everyone.

I have been wrestling with my conscience on what is an appropriate distance ,to me a 50km seems acceptable but in a quandary as to what to do regarding the century challenges . Its a personal choice as stated in other posts if the UK lockdown continues for the whole if April I think everyone should get a bye and we carry on when we can . I understand everbody makes there own decision as to what is or is not personally acceptable and I do not want to encourage anyone to ride further than they feel comfortable with for the sake of this challenge

 

[steverob]

Went out with the intention of trying to go as far as I could distance-wise without getting far from home. Planned a route that for the most part didn't leave my home town and didn't repeat itself either - this came to about 35km, but I knew there were plenty of opportunities to divert and loop around areas to add on extra distance as I went (and as I felt like it). At no point would I be more than 5km from home and for most of the ride it was more like 2-3km, plus it was all in built-up areas that had footpaths alongside the road meaning that I could still walk back home without too much problem if I did get a mechanical etc.

After adding a number of extra loops, I got back to quite near my start point and checked my GPS - it surprised me to find I was already at 46.5km! Given that I'd done less than 2 hours riding, I thought this was too good an opportunity to miss to do 50km. Decided that I should add on an extra loop and that might just be enough - as it was, I was still 300m short, so had to go up and down my road two more times just to make sure!

 

[Slick]

I have been wrestling with my conscience on what is an appropriate distance ,to me a 50km seems acceptable but in a quandary as to what to do regarding the century challenges . Its a personal choice as stated in other posts if the UK lockdown continues for the whole if April I think everyone should get a bye and we carry on when we can . I understand everys makes there own decision as to what is or is not personally acceptable and I do not want to encourage anyone to ride further than they feel comfortable with for the sake of this challenge

I think we are all sensible enough to make our own decisions depending upon our own circumstances. I feel reasonably lucky to live in the foothills and be immediately in the middle of nowhere as soon as I leave the house. I also have to go to the sorting office to pick up post and feel using my bike to do that is not so indefensible. As for the challenge, it has got me out more than once but for now it's not so much the challenge that is getting me out but the long ours of doing very little inbetween rides that ensures I get out as much as I can within the current guidance about staying healthy and keeping others safe.

 

[Noodle Legs]

I have been wrestling with my conscience on what is an appropriate distance ,to me a 50km seems acceptable but in a quandary as to what to do regarding the century challenges . Its a personal choice as stated in other posts if the UK lockdown continues for the whole if April I think everyone should get a bye and we carry on when we can . I understand everys makes there own decision as to what is or is not personally acceptable and I do not want to encourage anyone to ride further than they feel comfortable with for the sake of this challenge

Agreed.

 

[tallliman]

I have been wrestling with my conscience on what is an appropriate distance ,to me a 50km seems acceptable but in a quandary as to what to do regarding the century challenges . Its a personal choice as stated in other posts if the UK lockdown continues for the whole if April I think everyone should get a bye and we carry on when we can . I understand everbody makes there own decision as to what is or is not personally acceptable and I do not want to encourage anyone to ride further than they feel comfortable with for the sake of this challenge

Completely agree, I'm limiting myself to about 50km for rides as feel that for me that is about right. Everyone else's view may be different here. I would add that, from my perspective, for those who don't feel they can/should go outside for that duration should feel free to qualify a ride indoors.

 

[aferris2]

Ride done for April. We are just moving in to a warmer spell, so now that the temperature has reached the 20's its warm enough to venture out! I'm not happy riding on the main road (the A1!) here even though there is almost no traffic. Just about the only things using the road are (small) road trains - they only have two trailers instead of three or four. Kept to the tourist loop around the knoll and up to the top of the hill on the road out to mount Franklin.

 

[Jon George]

Acquired a daft injury a week ago - I reached over the back of the sofa to retrieve something and jammed a corner into my ribs. I don't think any ribs are cracked (hopefully just internal bruising), but it means I've had to semi-isolate as I don't want to risk getting a chest infection, let alone Covid-19. (This also means, reluctantly, I have had to take time off from my part-time job in the NHS - which is about as painful a thing to do as my ribs! Hopefully, I'll have recovered enough to get a 50 k in for April.)

 

[Domus]

Re traced my steps from Friday as far as Owd Betts, then explored the Ashworth Valley, one car and two bikes before I hit the main road at Heywood. Halfway down the valley I hit a short, sharp shower just as the hill turned very steep, combined with a strong side wind it was a slow and twitchy descent . Much quieter than Norden though. Few bikes, one jogger two dog walkers.
I suspect the Mercedes Sport, with his mate on his bumper in an SUV, at warp speed on the Rochdale to Edenfield Road was not going shopping.
Although they might have had frozen food on board and were desparate to get it in the freezer.............It's true officer

 

[13 rider]

Acquired a daft injury a week ago - I reached over the back of the sofa to retrieve something and jammed a corner into my ribs. I don't think any ribs are cracked (hopefully just internal bruising), but it means I've had to semi-isolate as I don't want to risk getting a chest infection, let alone Covid-19. (This also means, reluctantly, I have had to take time off from my part-time job in the NHS - which is about as painful a thing to do as my ribs! Hopefully, I'll have recovered enough to get a 50 k in for April.)

Get well soon

 

[ColinJ]

I suspect the Mercedes Sport, with his mate on his bumper in an SUV, at warp speed on the Rochdale to Edenfield Road was not going shopping.
Although they might have had frozen food on board and were desparate to get it in the freezer.............It's true officer

Sounds horribly familiar...!

I nearly got squelched up there*** riding back towards Rochdale on the North West Passage in the dark in Feb 2007. Jenson Button #1 was being chased by Jenson Button #2 at extreme speed. The first car passed within about 2 feet of me. His rival was so tight up his *rse that I don't think he even saw me and passed within a few inches of me. The shockwave blew me sideways off the road. It was a very near miss and it really put me off night riding.

*** Actually, it might have been the hill before, between Blackburn and Haslingden