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

[Jon George]

Woe is me! Woe is me! I dare to seek forgiveness from the one known as @13 rider.
Over the last few years, I have been engaged in The Quiz with a drinking & cycling buddy of mine whereby we send each other photos of places in Suffolk that we've seen whilst out cycling by ourselves and ask the other: 'Where was I?'
Well, the other day, I was out in lanes near Framsden and Crettingham I'd never used before, seeking out an answer to his latest teaser, and got home to discover I'd done 47km.
Please forgive me, sire - I'd couldn't be arsed to go around the block a few times to make up the difference.
Here's a picture to off-set my shame.

 

[13 rider]

@Jon George you seem to mistaked me for someone who suffers from cycling OCD and thinks everyone should do the same , but I mean 47Km!!! ,47km!!!!! Bloody Kms ,
I almost feel I should give you a formal warning , but you've caught me in a good mood and the fact you were daft enough to admit when you could have kept it secret let's you off, But I expect an additional ride in the nicer weather to make up for it

 

[ColinJ]

Ah yes, I forgot that a planned '50' never actually happened!

Thursday and Friday look like they will be very soggy here so minimal riding by me. Saturday's forecast is looking good though, so maybe then...?

 

[13 rider]

Ah yes, I forgot that a planned '50' never actually happened!

Thursday and Friday look like they will be very soggy here so minimal riding by me. Saturday's forecast is looking good though, so maybe then...?

Tuesday is the most favourable on my forecast but that's leaving it late

 

[Gibbo9]

I'm in!!!!!

Managed to get a few hours to myself on Tuesday and as the weather was nice (32 degrees in Feb ) I took the opportunity to hop on the bike. Very straight forward and flat loop as most definitely not yet bike fit.

Feb 20 - 50.69km, 205m (https://www.strava.com/activities/10798575839)

 

[Domus]

Out this morning after 11 days of bad weather and life stuff. 63 Kms around the West Pennine Moors with almost 700 metres of upness. Absolutely cream crackered. Baled at the bottom of the Chorley Old Road climb and rode into Bolton on the cycleway alongside Middlebrook.
A serious wake up call as regards my fitness.

 

[ColinJ]

Out this morning after 11 days of bad weather and life stuff. 63 Kms around the West Pennine Moors with almost 700 metres of upness.

I waited until this afternoon to do mine. I managed to catch some sunshine in the first half of the ride but it clouded over later. Dry all day though, thank goodness!

I did precisely 50 km, adding 0.5 km 'round the block' to make that happen. I also (just) managed to get back within my 3 hour target time. I could have done it about 15 minutes faster but I stopped a few times to fiddle with my GPS which was doing some odd things...

I was surprised to discover that the route had 850 m of ascent; my pre-ride guesstimate was for 600-700 m.

Absolutely cream crackered. Baled at the bottom of the Chorley Old Road climb and rode into Bolton on the cycleway alongside Middlebrook.

Sorry to hear that!

I actually arrived home feeling pretty good. My 3+-rides-a-week challenge is clearly helping maintain some fitness. Most of the rides are very short (10-15 km) but they are usually fairly intense because I do the majority of them singlespeed, including the climbs. That is 60 straight weeks now.

Today's ride was a bit too lumpy to stick in 42/15 though so I used that gear where I could, but shifted to 42/29 for the stiffer climbs of Crown Point Rd, and from Bacup to Sharneyford.

A serious wake up call as regards my fitness.

Well, you have about a month to sort that out before I start organising some more local forum rides!

 

[UphillSlowly]

I was surprised to discover that the route had 850 m of ascent; my pre-ride guesstimate was for 600-700 m.

What do you use to plan routes? I use Komoot and find that it consistently underestimates elevation. Something to do with the mapping source data. Strava is more accurate but I don't pay for premium and use intervals.icu for numbers geekery

 

[geocycle]

What do you use to plan routes? I use Komoot and find that it consistently underestimates elevation. Something to do with the mapping source data. Strava is more accurate but I don't pay for premium and use intervals.icu for numbers geekery

It depends on the level of interpolation which is a function of the map resolution. Cycle.travel is typically 20% less than the wahoo actually records. Improving it would slow down processing and require bigger servers.

 

[UphillSlowly]

It depends on the level of interpolation which is a function of the map resolution. Cycle.travel is typically 20% less than the wahoo actually records. Improving it would slow down processing and require bigger servers.

That makes sense. When I built virtual routes for an online platform (just for fun), source data would usually show a high degree of inaccuracy (step changes in elevation). Frustrating if you are doing one of the climbing challenges

 

[ColinJ]

What do you use to plan routes? I use Komoot and find that it consistently underestimates elevation. Something to do with the mapping source data. Strava is more accurate but I don't pay for premium and use intervals.icu for numbers geekery

It depends on the level of interpolation which is a function of the map resolution. Cycle.travel is typically 20% less than the wahoo actually records. Improving it would slow down processing and require bigger servers.

I used to use Memory Map, for which I have full GB OS mapping at 4 scales. Those maps are gradually going out of date though.

As a cycle.travel supporter I now have access to current OS mapping there so I tend to plot my routes there now.

 

[bruce1530]

I'm in! Am I last again??

Pleasant morning today here in Ayrshire. I still have no fitness, so was sloooow.

Saltcoats, along the cycle path to Kilwinning, then farm roads to Dreghorn and Dundonald. Into Troon, coffee and cake, back via cycle route to Irvine, Kilwinning and home. 54k.

 

[13 rider]

I'm in! Am I last again??

Pleasant morning today here in Ayrshire. I still have no fitness, so was sloooow.

Saltcoats, along the cycle path to Kilwinning, then farm roads to Dreghorn and Dundonald. Into Troon, coffee and cake, back via cycle route to Irvine, Kilwinning and home. 54k.

Hopefully your not last several more to post with luck

 

[Slick]

February hasn't been the best here so I hadn't really planned for another ride, but I have plans for the summer and I need to get out more, so decided to take advantage of a reasonable day. The sun was shining but it was bitterly cold as I ventured out rolling down the drive still trying to figure out where to go. I opted for my usual loop despite the road at Glen Fruin still being closed, but I thought I'd venture over to see why its been closed since December. Still not exactly sure what they are doing and got some strange looks passing through the site of heavy machinery on the hill, but nobody said anything to me so I assume that route is now back on as an option for me. I was thinking about heading round the peninsula and dived off when I caught site of a cycle path I had never seen before and immediately regretted it as whilst the surface was in reasonable condition, it looked like, something out of The Last of Us, as it was overgrown and deep with debris which was hardly ideal on short sharp downhill sections. Anyway, spat , me out at Garelochhead, so I decided it was a good stop for tea and cake in the sun, before turning and heading for home. Due to my detour I reckoned I might be a couple of km's short, so took a back road in Helensburgh and came across a boys rugby match. Again, I took the opportunity for a seat and watched that for 15 minutes or so, but it was a hugely one sided affair, although full respect to the wee guy who was more hair than anything else who was really up for the fight and giving it his all.

Only 2 points this month, but hoping for better as we head towards spring.

 

[ColinJ]

Today's ride was a bit too lumpy to stick in 42/15 though so I used that gear where I could, but shifted to 42/29 for the stiffer climbs of Crown Point Rd, and from Bacup to Sharneyford.

I forgot to mention that when I was grunting my way up a tough section of Crown Point Road 2 boys ran alongside me... One waved his hand at me and shouted out "High Five?!" I gasped that if i took my hand off the handlebar I would end up in a crumpled heap in the gutter. The other boy then shouted "Don't give up - we BELIEVE in you!!", which obviously immediately removed the dismount-and-walk option!