The Annual Lunacy (aka "I Don't Do Winter") Challenge Chatzone

[Supersuperleeds]

8th one done today, set off to do an imperial but was making good time so extended it to 205km, wouldn't have done that if it wasn't for this blooming challenge

 

[Supersuperleeds]

It's interesting how different people are, @bluenotebob...

I persuaded a colleague to start doing evening rides with me one summer, many years ago. Over a few weeks he built up to doing 2 hour of hilly cycling so I asked if he fancied doing some all-day rides with me. I was quite shocked when his reply was a very blunt 'NO!'. He said that he was already getting bored after 2 hours and "doing 6+ hours would do my head in"!

I don't get bored, even after 12+ hours, I just eventually get tired. I have a very high threshold of boredom. I can spend months doing something, as long as it is something that I like doing.

Mind you, I wouldn't want to spend hours cycling round and round a very short loop. I managed 5 laps of the local park but then had to leave it and take to the roads again.

I seem to get bored on most solo rides, and it always seems to be around 75% of the distance. Doesn't matter if it's a 15 miler or an 100 miler, I always hit the bored spot at the same rough percentage through the ride.

 

[lane]

9th one done yesterday four to go. Target distance 80km but six are 100km or more. All being well I will go for 100km next year which I think is a good distance for me. Thing is what about this year - because I only have three less than 100km already. It's possible but I will have to see how it goes. Shame about the one at 94km - mind you I don't think wild horses would have got the extra 6km out of me that day!

 

[aferris2]

11th ride done today. I had originally intended to do this yesterday as a 60th Birthday ride but the weather didn't look as good so delayed it to today.
Bright sunshine and feeling really warm at 9 am so I set off to fill in some more veloviewer squares and to search out some new roads close to home. My route included one small stretch of wooded path which I hoped was going to be passable on the road bike. Sure enough it turned out to be no problem at all. What I wasn't expecting though was the road leading towards Andrewsfield airfield. On Google it appears to be tarmac, but in reality it was about half a mile of very deep, soft rubble. Almost completely impassable on skinny road tyres.
Arrived back in Chelmsford right in the middle of the afternoon rush so lots of weaving between cars which was fun. Passed my next door neighbour (in his car) on the approach into Chelmsford and I was putting the bins out when he finally made it home (6 miles later!)

 

[Aravis]

Last Saturday I finally managed the elusive thirteenth ride. I'm a bit late with a report - there've been a few things.

To be precise, this was an effort over 200km outside the set of 12 needed for an Audax RRtY in the calendar year. Here is the route, 125.2 miles aniclockwise:

The first part was out to Broadway, which sits underneath the highest part of the Cotswolds. No extravagant climbing this day though; I headed back to Pershore for an almost complete circuit of Bredon Hill, always a popular cycling area especially on a Saturday morning during the Tour de France. A couple of pelotons brushed past with a "Hi" from six inches behing my right shoulder. Next came a section of the course for that afternoon's Upton-upon-Severn triathlon, freshly loose-chippingsed for their pleasure.

I'd realised by this time I had a chance of hitting 100 miles in under 8 hours elapsed, an achievement which is becoming increasingly rare. I passed Upton just before 80 miles, after which came the Castlemorton lanes and then over to Newent via Kempley. The biggest climb of the day was through Kempley, where I found a decent rhythm, giving me a chance if the traffic lights in Newent were reasonably kind. This they were, and I made it with about 100 seconds to spare. As the full route was just over 125 miles, could I now reach the end within 10 hours? Clearing the hill between Hartpury and Maisemore without losing too much time left just a couple of roundabouts to negotiate without being delayed, and I stopped the clock outside my house at 9 hours 58 minutes 35 seconds. It's sobering to reflect that I may never be able to do this again.

Strava's opinion of how long I spent halted tells an interesting story. No time for any photographs I'm afraid!

Ideally I'd wanted the "lunacy" ride to be on an astronomically significant day. I was blissfully unaware of yesterday's lunar eclipse, but I'll settle for the ride being on the 13th of the month.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Arranged to go up to Beverley and see the parents on Wednesday. So rode up to bag my 9th double metric of the year. Didn't do a 10th coming back, setting off later than normal meant I only had time for 100km to Lincoln. A good job as it was headwind and raining most of the way.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I stopped the clock outside my house at 9 hours 58 minutes 35 seconds. It's sobering to reflect that I may never be able to do this again.

Chapeau!

I've never done that yet (200k in 10 hr). I came close a couple of years ago on the "Great Escape" a quite flat Audax out to Essex. Unfortunately, while I was on target for much of the way, the finish was in central London, and the last few km put paid to my hopes, and I finished a few minutes over IIRC.

 

[lane]

Oh well took me nearly ten hours to do a 100 mile - 160km - on Saturday and I was trying to minimise stopped time. My moving average was 20km which isn't too bad for me. Quite a few passed me more than once after a cafe stop while I was going for a quick stop at the co-op. Still had over an hour stopped time - think about one hour twenty minutes.

Anyway a great ride the Suffolk Lanes audax and my longest ride so far this year and extremely enjoyable. Really lovely part of the country. And another one for this challenge.

 

[Aravis]

Chapeau!

I've never done that yet (200k in 10 hr). I came close a couple of years ago on the "Great Escape" a quite flat Audax out to Essex. Unfortunately, while I was on target for much of the way, the finish was in central London, and the last few km put paid to my hopes, and I finished a few minutes over IIRC.

But it would be well nigh impossible to be stopped for only 7 minutes on a calendar Audax. I'm still feeling like the slowest!

 

[aferris2]

Phew, that was a little bit warm! Left the garmin out in the sun on one of the stops and the temperature hit 44. Maximum while on the move was 34 which is probably close to what it really was.
Headed out towards Southend because I've never ridden down there before and it was a good chance to get some new VeloViewer squares. Traffic was completely stationary on the road into Raleigh and I scared the living daylights out of one driver on his phone. I think it ended up in the passenger footwell in his panic to put it down.
Anyway, just one more ride to do, but I think I will wait for the temperature to go down a bit first.

 

[Fiona R]

But it would be well nigh impossible to be stopped for only 7 minutes on a calendar Audax. I'm still feeling like the slowest!

Speed does not matter, as long as you're within audaxtime if that matters to you, then all is good.

I say that and get all antsy about being the slowest!

Although this challenge isn't monthly i feel like yelling "I'm in" well I am for July RRtY and imperial and lunatic ride number 9.

I had my biggest mileage month ever in June, and smallest ever (since I started in June 2015) in July. Other (nice) commitments this month meant having to leave my 200 until this weekend. a good friend invited (more like I gatecrashed) me to join him on his DIY 200 to a totally new area for me, an out and back to the New Forest. I haven't ridden my bike more than 22km in 4 weeks,but that last weekend of June I rode over 400km. Managed it very easily, but talk about full value. It was a gastronomic day out, coffee and cake at Boyton (Ginny's Cafe is wonderful) a thai sit down lunch at Brockenhurst half way and then tea and cake at 150km in Salisbury. I like full value, good scenery, great company and plenty to eat day's out on my bike!

Glad the mental stress of the "one I had to leave until late in the month" is over.

After a 50km recovery ride on Sunday (for half metric challenge) my only moral stress now is a separate 100km for metric century challenge tomorrow or Weds. tomorrow is thunderstorms. I know technically I can double/triple count my 200 for 100, imperial and lunacy but I set out that the 200 could only count as imperial and lunacy as back up each month.

 

[bluenotebob]

I missed out on most of the second half of July – I lost 11 days with ‘probable tendonitis’ (according to the doctor) then I started cycling again last weekend, then lost two more days with a calf muscle problem. I sorted out a couple of ‘technicals’ at the LBS this morning – took the bike for a quick spin before lunch. She was happy and I felt good – so I went for a much longer ride this afternoon.

I’m looking forward to an injury-free August !

 

[aferris2]

13th ride done so the challenge is complete. Or is it? It's very tempting to say that's it, but there's still almost 6 months left in the year to push things a bit further. Legs say stop right now but that's because they have just done 35 miles into a headwind. That's the problem when the wind is blowing from the north and you're starting from the north Norfolk coast. Ride into Gear Yarmouth was great with the wind behind me. Returned a bit more inland hoping for some shelter but very little to be found.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Congratulations

May I query the 'still almost 6 months left in the year' assertion though? I'll give you 'almsot 5' !

 

[ColinJ]

Congratulations

May I query the 'still almost 6 months left in the year' assertion though? I'll give you 'almsot 5' !

I was going to point that out ... Obviously a "That glass is nearly full" kind of person!

(I'm the kind of person who sees a glass with one molecule of water missing as being nearly empty... )