The 2024 Half Century (50km or 50 mile) Challenge Chatzone

[Cathryn]

Did my March ride today! My son needed dropping off at Bibury in Gloucestershire for his D of E practice expedition so the husband and I put the bikes on the car and headed out.

Lovely loop on quiet, glorious lanes. Not too cold and even some sunshine! We diverted via Down Ampney to see a stained glass window in the village church as I’m getting into stained glass apparently! Utterly beautiful! Lots of gorgeous villages along the route. No lambs but a tiny little foal. Excellent coffee and posh sandwiches at the Twig Cafe in Bibury at the end!

Third month completed!

 

[Spartak]

Yesterday I took advantage of a dry day and cycled to Temple Meads to get the train to Yatton, as I was visiting my Aunt in a care home in Clevedon, from there I headed through the Gordano Valley to Portishead and then onto work for a couple of brief meetings. Over the Avonmouth bridge and along the A4 into Bristol, before the gentle ride up the very busy Bristol to Bath cycle track.

A very enjoyable day on the bike, no rain but a few flooded lanes.

 

[gbs]

I am very pleased: the challenge is manageable in spite of lung surgery and regular rides are beginning to restore self-confidence in my stamina. I have set myself the objective of at least 500m of vertical gain on each 50k ride.

Although I have doubts about being able to achieve it, would a 100kride count as 2 separate 50's?

 

[bluenotebob]

Looking at the weather forecast – rain from tomorrow every day until 3rd April – it looked like today might be my last chance of a 50+km ride this month. Did a Trémorel loop for the first time in a couple of years .. it’s a good ride to do in a NE wind. A bit of a struggle on the outward leg but coming home is usually a doddle with the wind behind me. Remarkably warm for mid-March – the temperature peaked around 23.5C. Even so, that NE wind was chilly and it was only halfway through the ride before I started taking off some of my many layers of clothing.

Here's the road bike in the centre of a very quiet Trémorel

 

[13 rider]

I am very pleased: the challenge is manageable in spite of lung surgery and regular rides are beginning to restore self-confidence in my stamina. I have set myself the objective of at least 500m of vertical gain on each 50k ride.

Although I have doubts about being able to achieve it, would a 100kride count as 2 separate 50's?

In a word No it's just 1 ride over 50km, however if your keeping track of a points total it would count as 3 points compared to 1 for a 50km ride (2 for a 50 miler).
Good luck on your personal elevation challenge

 

[ColinJ]

I am very pleased: the challenge is manageable in spite of lung surgery and regular rides are beginning to restore self-confidence in my stamina. I have set myself the objective of at least 500m of vertical gain on each 50k ride.

Go for it!

Although I have doubts about being able to achieve it, would a 100kride count as 2 separate 50's?

I agree with @13 rider - I would count that as one of my 'Lunacy' 100 km rides, and do 50-80 km rides for this one.

Remarkably warm for mid-March – the temperature peaked around 23.5C.

You are lucky - the forecast for my forum ride on Saturday is 6-7C, or 1-3C with wind-chill! I will be wearing something that fully covers my legs.

 

[13 rider]

Early monthly round up and 1 week to go warning .We have 28 riders fully posted up leaving 6 riders with Jan and Feb rides posted yet to post son the gentlest of nudges for @slow scot ,@Chap sur le velo ,@Ridgeback Roller ,@Slick ,@Aravis and @Gibbo9 ,
Well done everyone here's hoping for some lovely spring weather 🌞, looking forward to shorts and short sleeves and not 4 layers
Edit up to 29 now after a late Feb ,Mar post see below

 

[Sbudge]

Early monthly round up and 1 week to go warning .We have 28 riders fully posted up leaving 6 riders with Jan and Feb rides posted yet to post son the gentlest of nudges for @slow scot ,@Chap sur le velo ,@Ridgeback Roller ,@Slick ,@Aravis and @Gibbo9 ,
Well done everyone here's hoping for some lovely spring weather 🌞, looking forward to shorts and short sleeves and not 4 layers

Back on track, February was really tough this year with lots of travel and illness. Still in there! :-)

 

[Slick]

Early monthly round up and 1 week to go warning .We have 28 riders fully posted up leaving 6 riders with Jan and Feb rides posted yet to post son the gentlest of nudges for @slow scot ,@Chap sur le velo ,@Ridgeback Roller ,@Slick ,@Aravis and @Gibbo9 ,
Well done everyone here's hoping for some lovely spring weather 🌞, looking forward to shorts and short sleeves and not 4 layers
Edit up to 29 now after a late Feb ,Mar post see below

I'm leaving it super late as I'm currently in Weston-super-Mare for the remainder of the week so this is going to the wire.

 

[13 rider]

I'm leaving it super late as I'm currently in Weston-super-Mare for the remainder of the week so this is going to the wire.

I do like a bit of jeopardy,will he won't he

 

[UphillSlowly]

All done for March, due to a combination of work and family holidays without the bike. Been mostly concentrating on 100km+ rides as training for the Etape Caledonia with GLW.

On Sunday I was asked to co-lead a small group of riders on a rural ride from south Birmingham before a protest ride in Birmingham City Centre.

Had an amazing weather window for the whole day. The rural ride split into two groups as one rider had cycled up from London for the event, which was a precursor to the Annual Conference of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and didn't quite have the legs for out local hills and headwind.

Short vid of our rural ride here

Our group got home in time for coffee and cake then I dashed home and collected my 11 year old daughter and cycled into the City Centre to join a short protest ride on closed roads, finishing in Centenary Square. We were campaigning for "Clean, Green cities so our children can thrive".

 

[13 rider]

Out for a 50km this morning , Just long sleeved jersey and gillet , The gillet had to come off halfway round due to the 🌞, Oh I've missed sunny rides ,Just when you think everything getting better you look at the forecast for the week 💦😕

 

[bluenotebob]

Just when you think everything getting better you look at the forecast for the week

Exactly.

I was talking to an old guy yesterday - a countryman - and he said that the 'old ones' will tell you that the week preceding Easter is always bad weather. I asked him what "they" said about the week after Easter .. "oh, the weather should start to improve", he replied.

Well, not this year it isn't .. rain forecast every day until 8 April - which is as far out as my forecast goes.

Thursday this week looks particularly nasty with a currently un-named storm due to arrive .. 100+kph winds forecast for the coast.

I think I'll spend the morning in bed - then light the fire, have plenty of candles ready for the inevitable power cut, sleep in the afternoon (if the noise of the wind rattling my shutters doesn't keep me awake) - and wait until early evening before venturing out on one of my mountain bikes. Maybe...

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

Early monthly round up and 1 week to go warning .We have 28 riders fully posted up leaving 6 riders with Jan and Feb rides posted yet to post son the gentlest of nudges for @slow scot ,@Chap sur le velo ,@Ridgeback Roller ,@Slick ,@Aravis and @Gibbo9 ,
Well done everyone here's hoping for some lovely spring weather 🌞, looking forward to shorts and short sleeves and not 4 layers
Edit up to 29 now after a late Feb ,Mar post see below

Unfortunately I'm out of this challenge - I under went a minor surgical procedure end of February and perhaps slightly optimistically was hoping to be fit and healed sufficiently to slot a qualifying ride in before Easter. Afraid it's not going to happen.

 

[13 rider]

That's a shame @Ridgeback Roller , wishing you well on your recovery , obviously your out for the bronze star but feel free to keeping posting in the challenge for future months as you regain your fitness