The 2026 Half Century (50km or 50 mile) a month challenge chatzone

[sevenfourate]

I might get a window tomorrow, temperatures look ok but wind will make it feel v cold. Let’s see if we have ice in the morning, fingers crossed!

Got mine crossed for you too !

I’ve have no desire to ‘win’ the first ride of Jan or 26 accolade as such. I just ride early because that’s my enjoyment window / time that suits.

And deep-winter months especially I’m aware how a few weekends in a row can soon get wiped out with foul weather. Which means sweating in terms of this challenge.

I reckon I’ll get up early and take the dog out for a walk - and see what I think then.
Ideally I have a route I’ve not done for ages. To just get a January banker ride across the line - I guess I could do a few laps of the Town sticking to the main / salted roads. Or brave the Traffic later ? 😳 Or just not bother 🤣

 

[ColinJ]

I will be 70 in January so I will try to do a 70+ km (43.5+ mile) ride before the end of the month to celebrate (still being capable of it ). If I am feeling fitter than I do at the moment, and there is a really nice day with ice-free roads, I will make it a hilly route. My definition of 'hilly' is 20+ metres of ascent per km (or 100+ ft per mile), so my target would be 1,400+ m (4,350+ ft) for the ride. (If conditions were not good on the hills, I would do a flattish 70 then, and a hilly one ASAP after that.) Knowing that @13 rider would be on my case if I left it at 43.5 miles, I might do the extra distance, but I wouldn't promise to boost the climbing too!

Later in the year, I will do a hilly imperial equivalent - 70+ miles/7,000+ ft (113+ km/2,250+ m).

I already have routes in mind for the rides and might do both as forum rides.

 

[sevenfourate]

I will be 70 in January so I will try to do a 70+ km (43.5+ mile) ride before the end of the month to celebrate (still being capable of it ). If I am feeling fitter than I do at the moment, and there is a really nice day with ice-free roads, I will make it a hilly route. My definition of 'hilly' is 20+ metres of ascent per km (or 100+ ft per mile), so my target would be 1,400+ m (4,350+ ft) for the ride. (If conditions were not good on the hills, I would do a flattish 70 then, and a hilly one ASAP after that.) Knowing that @13 rider would be on my case if I left it at 43.5 miles, I might do the extra distance, but I wouldn't promise to boost the climbing too!

Later in the year, I will do a hilly imperial equivalent - 70+ miles/7,000+ ft (113+ km/2,250+ m).

I already have routes in mind for the rides and might do both as forum rides.

Sounds a couple of fab goals for the year !

 

[sevenfourate]

Well that was more miserable than even I expected. 23mph cold wind and feels like -7 Strava says 🤦‍♂️

Still. If we have some REALLY bad weather now 🙄 - I’m across the line for January.

Er…..this was the scene outside my front door:

10 miles up the Coast at Pakefield. Still Dark. Anything but salted main roads looked positively lethal !

As I came down Lowestofts sea-front the first time - it was starting to get light at least:

This was the East (Sea) side of Oulton Broad as I passed through:

Resplendent Church at daybreak in Carlton;

OMG ! And I thought I was keen. A whole mass of brave Ladies swimming in the sea 😳

Around Peace Park as I neared home…..

If I said I truly enjoyed it I’d be lying. But I do feel good for doing it now 😁

Good luck all for the Year 🚴🏻‍♂️ - Ride safe 👌

 

[bluenotebob]

Well done @sevenfourate (and congratulations to those swimmers too)

If I've calculated correctly, you've got another 56 days before you have to do another 50+km ride

HNY

 

[sevenfourate]

Well done @sevenfourate (and congratulations to those swimmers too)

If I've calculated correctly, you've got another 56 days before you have to do another 50+km ride

HNY

Thank you. And Happy New Year to you too 🎆

Those Ladies literally blew my mind ! 🙋‍♀️

Ha ! On the possible extended rest period. I think that’s unlikely right now. So here’s to dry roads and bright sunshine ahead 🥂

 

[teeonethousand]

Well that was more miserable than even I expected. 23mph cold wind and feels like -7 Strava says 🤦‍♂️

Still. If we have some REALLY bad weather now 🙄 - I’m across the line for January.

Er…..this was the scene outside my front door:

View attachment 796612

10 miles up the Coast at Pakefield. Still Dark. Anything but salted main roads looked positively lethal !

View attachment 796613

As I came down Lowestofts sea-front the first time - it was starting to get light at least:

View attachment 796614

This was the East (Sea) side of Oulton Broad as I passed through:

View attachment 796615

Resplendent Church at daybreak in Carlton;

View attachment 796616

OMG ! And I thought I was keen. A whole mass of brave Ladies swimming in the sea 😳

View attachment 796617

Around Peace Park as I neared home…..

View attachment 796618

If I said I truly enjoyed it I’d be lying. But I do feel good for doing it now 😁

View attachment 796619


Good luck all for the Year 🚴🏻‍♂️ - Ride safe 👌

Well that was more miserable than even I expected. 23mph cold wind and feels like -7 Strava says 🤦‍♂️

Still. If we have some REALLY bad weather now 🙄 - I’m across the line for January.

Er…..this was the scene outside my front door:

View attachment 796612

10 miles up the Coast at Pakefield. Still Dark. Anything but salted main roads looked positively lethal !

View attachment 796613

As I came down Lowestofts sea-front the first time - it was starting to get light at least:

View attachment 796614

This was the East (Sea) side of Oulton Broad as I passed through:

View attachment 796615

Resplendent Church at daybreak in Carlton;

View attachment 796616

OMG ! And I thought I was keen. A whole mass of brave Ladies swimming in the sea 😳

View attachment 796617

Around Peace Park as I neared home…..

View attachment 796618

If I said I truly enjoyed it I’d be lying. But I do feel good for doing it now 😁

View attachment 796619


Good luck all for the Year 🚴🏻‍♂️ - Ride safe 👌

Ye Gods...well done that man .....way way way braver than me 😂😂

 

[sevenfourate]

Ye Gods...well done that man .....way way way braver than me 😂😂

Thanks !

A modicum of bravery 🤷‍♂️ But more truthfully; blissful ignorance and a very short memory 😂

 

[13 rider]

Bang the starting pistol was fired at 5.59am 😮 this morning . Well done @sevenfourate for getting the challenge up and running . Like all good leaders I let the lower ranks go over the top first before doing so myself 😁. Out the door at 10.47 ,which still seemed early after a late night / early morning celebrations ,but I'm of the mark with a standard loop out to Odstone and back . Didn't feel as cold as yesterday

 

[sevenfourate]

Bang the starting pistol was fired at 5.59am 😮 this morning . Well done @sevenfourate for getting the challenge up and running . Like all good leaders I let the lower ranks go over the top first before doing so myself 😁

Alternative view is you snoozed you losed 😉

Points on the board on a miserable (?) day though. Congrats on getting a start to a very considerable 2026 haul I’m sure 😁

 

[Jenkins]

I wasn't going to go out today as it was a bit grey and quite breezy down here, but I had to pop out for some milk and ended up with the 50k.

Tomorrow will have to be a quiet day as that's the third 50k of the week and I had Monday off the bike.

 

[geocycle]

Well done everyone who got out today. I got very lucky with the weather and managed to sneak in a 100 km and as a bonus without realising, a 1300 m lunacy climbing target. All very unexpected. With the 100 in the bag I feel more hopeful I’ll get the chance to do a 50 later this month. January is such a lottery with the weather, when it’s dry and not icy you just have to go for it! But it was very cold and I feel disproportionately exhausted, partly as I didn’t carry enough snacks and also the temperature takes it out of you.

 

[Domus]

Very windy ride to Mobberley for a nice pub lunch. The ride back home to Sunny Radcliffe was rather unpleasant, up hill through Prestwich against a strong headwind did for me. Still, l starting with a 2 pointer helps make up for it. 84 Kms and 600 metres of upness.

 

[Jon George]

There will be a slight delay to this year's tilt at this challenge - I am carrying a rather painful and irritating area in a certain region (I'd not be shy in telling you all about it, but I suspect it might fall into No-Over-Sharing-Jon-Please) that is hampering any rides much over ten miles. I've ordered a new saddle for my winter bike and will, hopefully be in the game soon!

 

[ColinJ]

There will be a slight delay to this year's tilt at this challenge - I am carrying a rather painful and irritating area in a certain region (I'd not be shy in telling you all about it, but I suspect it might fall into No-Over-Sharing-Jon-Please) that is hampering any rides much over ten miles. I've ordered a new saddle for my winter bike and will, hopefully be in the game soon!

I used to ride 1,200 hilly km in my 2 week annual Spanish cycling holiday.

One year, my undercarriage started to pay a heavy price at the end of the first week so I thought that the second week of my holiday was going to be wasted.

In desperation I hobbled down to the nearest supermercado and bought a tub of Sudocrem. I slathered it on back at my hotel room and took the next day off the bike.

That helped a lot so I was able to start riding again the following day. It didn't completely fix the problem but using it before and after every ride stopped things getting worse.