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

[Sea of vapours]

That sounds a great deal more pleasant than your ride last year

I agree on the idea of flatlands being hard work. With big ascents there's a period of serious effort lasting tens of minutes and then [you can opt for] a decent rest on the descent. This flat stuff must require constant output, so extra kudos for that.

 

[aferris2]

I was a little concerned that my 2020 target of 60km was too much of a downgrade from 2019 (100km). Having just completed my 3rd lunacy ride for this year, 60km is just about all I can manage to ride here in Oz. The major roads are a complete no-no, and as we prefer to stay outside the towns and cities, many of the remaining roads are just gravel. That is very hard work, assuming they don't turn into 4WD tracks (and the maps don't make it very obvious which is which).
Today's ride was all tarmac for the first time in this years challenge so should have been much easier except for the large hill with a gusting 50kmh headwind for the ascent (in both directions!).
It's going to get more challenging over the next few months as we are crossing over the Nullabor to Perth, then moving up the West coast. Yes, it's much more remote, but there is only one road and that has road trains. You really DO NOT want to get too close to these huge machines! Anyway, 60km is my target, but I do want to get longer rides in if I can. Maybe I will have to put in a last ditch effort to increase my actual distance once I get back to the UK in September.

 

[Bazzer]

That's me off the mark at last. A unexpectedly free day, so I grabbed the opportunity.
At the start, at least relative to the recently experienced winds, it was benign, but the wind picked up after about an hour and from around 40 miles it was a hard slog along roads with little windbreaks. Luckily no rain, but it was chilly.
There were plenty of large puddles on the route and still a few flooded roads around Rostherne and Agden, which, had I not been familiar with the roads, I would have had probably turned back from. But even so, it was still buttock clenching going through the floods because of the unknown depth and the worry of hitting a stray rock etc.

 

[Fiona R]

Another lunacy chalked up, in much better shape than same ride last year.

I enjoyed that. A repeat of last year's GWR Wells Mells and Broader audax which was my toughest 200 last year. Weather was pretty good with a stiff southerly out to Yeovil and a stiffer westerly back. I rode 15km to the start in Whitchurch leaving at 6.15am and met a melee of riders coming out of the garden centre a couple of minutes early. So I was in my correct place from the start, but made sure to eat a banana. Took it easy up the first of the four big hills West Harptree. Whizz down to Wells and a large latte at the market stall control to warm up. I knew the control food offerings didn't really suit me or were likely to be sold out so carried plenty of rolls and graze bars to save faffing time. I got fuelling right, especially keeping it up in the second half.

After Wells the anticipation of King Alfred's Tower, a 2.3km average climb of 6.7% but reaches 20% on the last pull. I've failed it 3 times before. So so pleased to make it without stopping or walking yesterday, although a dry road and no car or bike traffic to consider helped a lot. The highlight of my day, I was really made up as I can do stamina climbing but steep stuff at my weight is a huge challenge. Down to beautiful Stourport and the long lumpy pull to Yeovil, I topped out over 3000m of climbing in total.

The third beastly hill was Batcombe. Walked some of that like last year, I can't really do tight zig zags on tiny lanes with toe overlap on my small frame, well that's my excuse. Gorgeous scenery and the turn for home, with some wind assistance meant the burning thighs got a little bit of rest. But not for long. Sturminster Newton and up to The Red Lion at Kilmington, I've been there 3-4 times before, knew it was around 171km on my Garmin and managed to ride right past. I proceeded to take 15 minutes to lap the village and find it. That was the start of navigational issues that lost me nearly an hour, when avoiding night riding makes a huge difference to finishing time that's important. A quick stop, my aim was to get along the lovely Colliers way bike path into Radstock before dark, otherwise it's a very slow crawl. Luckily I made it without puncturing, the whole path covered in thorns, although it was properly dark at the end. I made an error of staying on the main road out of Radstock and missing where I rejoined the route and I was heading off to Peasdown St John on busy roads with blazing headlights getting no help from my Garmin. Retreated to the hedge and put Google maps on to extricate myself to Woollard, crawling along very black pot holey lanes, no swooping descents to make up time!

Publow Hill was walked too and once done that's it. Only had half an hour spare but finished happy and not on my last legs back at the garden centre. Very importantly I was not last no lanterne rouge for me this year. I would have happily cycled 15km home if light but couldn't face the South Link bike path in the dark with all the avoidance of street furniture and dazzling lights. Rang the lovely husband who came out to fetch me, he had been out and ridden 100km and cooked us a lovely spag bol too.

 

[lazybloke]

Another lunacy chalked up, in much better shape than same ride last year.

I enjoyed that. A repeat of last year's GWR Wells Mells and Broader audax which was my toughest 200 last year. Weather was pretty good with a stiff southerly out to Yeovil and a stiffer westerly back. I rode 15km to the start in Whitchurch leaving at 6.15am and met a melee of riders coming out of the garden centre a couple of minutes early. So I was in my correct place from the start, but made sure to eat a banana. Took it easy up the first of the four big hills West Harptree. Whizz down to Wells and a large latte at the market stall control to warm up. I knew the control food offerings didn't really suit me or were likely to be sold out so carried plenty of rolls and graze bars to save faffing time. I got fuelling right, especially keeping it up in the second half.

After Wells the anticipation of King Alfred's Tower, a 2.3km average climb of 6.7% but reaches 20% on the last pull. I've failed it 3 times before. So so pleased to make it without stopping or walking yesterday, although a dry road and no car or bike traffic to consider helped a lot. The highlight of my day, I was really made up as I can do stamina climbing but steep stuff at my weight is a huge challenge. Down to beautiful Stourport and the long lumpy pull to Yeovil, I topped out over 3000m of climbing in total.

The third beastly hill was Batcombe. Walked some of that like last year, I can't really do tight zig zags on tiny lanes with toe overlap on my small frame, well that's my excuse. Gorgeous scenery and the turn for home, with some wind assistance meant the burning thighs got a little bit of rest. But not for long. Sturminster Newton and up to The Red Lion at Kilmington, I've been there 3-4 times before, knew it was around 171km on my Garmin and managed to ride right past. I proceeded to take 15 minutes to lap the village and find it. That was the start of navigational issues that lost me nearly an hour, when avoiding night riding makes a huge difference to finishing time that's important. A quick stop, my aim was to get along the lovely Colliers way bike path into Radstock before dark, otherwise it's a very slow crawl. Luckily I made it without puncturing, the whole path covered in thorns, although it was properly dark at the end. I made an error of staying on the main road out of Radstock and missing where I rejoined the route and I was heading off to Peasdown St John on busy roads with blazing headlights getting no help from my Garmin. Retreated to the hedge and put Google maps on to extricate myself to Woollard, crawling along very black pot holey lanes, no swooping descents to make up time!

Publow Hill was walked too and once done that's it. Only had half an hour spare but finished happy and not on my last legs back at the garden centre. Very importantly I was not last no lanterne rouge for me this year. I would have happily cycled 15km home if light but couldn't face the South Link bike path in the dark with all the avoidance of street furniture and dazzling lights. Rang the lovely husband who came out to fetch me, he had been out and ridden 100km and cooked us a lovely spag bol too.

Wow, St Alfred's Tower - was near there last summer but didn't think of attempting it. One hell of a climb. . .

 

[lane]

First ride in this year's challenge yesterday. CTC group ride which went just over 100km by the time I had ridden too and from the the start.

 

[lane]

I have not been paying attention. There are a number of rides posted even before the end of the winter.

 

[ColinJ]

I have not been paying attention. There are a number of rides posted even before the end of the winter.

I have been keeping a watchful eye on the calendar... I am being very careful to not accidentally do an early 161 km ride. In fact, I dropped out of the MCAMC to make sure that I wasn't tempted to extend a metric century!

I think that I may have taken not going a bit too far a bit too far though - I am not riding my bike much at all. A few trips to the shops and the odd 20-50 km ride - that's it.

I have less than 3 weeks to get ready for my first Lunatic ride of the year, my flat imperial century ride from Garforth. I could probably do that distance without any training, given the lack of hills, but I would suffer in the second half of it.

Repeat to oneself: Must Ride Bike, Must Ride Bike, Must Ride Bike, Must Ride Bike, Mu...

 

[Bazzer]

One more done. Slowly, slowly.
I knew I was going for a minimum 50k, anticipated an 80k and hoped for a 100k for the MCAM challenge. The latter though fell out of reach as rain from around 65k and an increasingly sore backside from around 55k combined against me. I am hoping the latter was due to the first time wearing my shorts for about 4 months.
Lovely cycling weather to begin with, but dark clouds marshaled after a couple of hours. The highlight was after Tatton Park, watching an adult buzzard, flanked by a couple of magpies, tearing at a small carcass. Although on the ground the buzzard was bigger than the magpies, when it took off with some food, the magpies chased it, trying to mug the food. They failed 👍 but it was interesting to watch the agility of the magpies as they tried to disrupt the more ponderous wing beats of the buzzard.

 

[Fiona R]

One more done. Slowly, slowly.
I knew I was going for a minimum 50k, anticipated an 80k and hoped for a 100k for the MCAM challenge. The latter though fell out of reach as rain from around 65k and an increasingly sore backside from around 55k combined against me. I am hoping the latter was due to the first time wearing my shorts for about 4 months.
Lovely cycling weather to begin with, but dark clouds marshaled after a couple of hours. The highlight was after Tatton Park, watching an adult buzzard, flanked by a couple of magpies, tearing at a small carcass. Although on the ground the buzzard was bigger than the magpies, when it took off with some food, the magpies chased it, trying to mug the food. They failed 👍 but it was interesting to watch the agility of the magpies as they tried to disrupt the more ponderous wing beats of the buzzard.

That's the point I get distracted and ride into a lampost/ditch/pothole/insert hazard of choice. well done for not getting distracted too. Great tenacity.

 

[Fiona R]

I quite like Efengyl/Gospel Pass, although it was far far harder than I remembered. Dry on the pass but strong head/cross wind, wet early and very wet after Abergavenney. Made it back over the bridge to Bristol with just 30 mins of night riding. Think that may be mylast calendar audax for a while 😥

 

[Dogtrousers]

How would the great and the good feel about inclusion of turbo rides in the lunacy challenge?

My longest ride last month lasted 92 km before I nutted the road and knackered my bike so I'm out of the metric and imperial challenges.

I've just done a 107 km ride on my turbo*. I was thinking of setting myself a 90km lunacy target, but I would have to use turbo rides so it would look like this:
1. Jan 4 170 km
2. Feb 1 161 km
3. Apr 18 107 km (Turbo)
4. Mar 14 92 km

Now, doing a distance ride on the turbo would be really easy to cheat and make it pan flat (or even downhill!) all the way. My ride today had 1600m* of climbing, so it does require honesty.

Allowable, given the circs?

* Yes I know, the turbo didn't move at all, so it was actually 0 km and 0m of elevation. Very funny.

 

[ColinJ]

I intend to just wait, get fit on local rides and the turbo, then blitz longer rides in the autumn for this challenge if things have eased by then. Nothing to stop you doing one or two long road rides a week then?

 

[Dogtrousers]

I intend to just wait, get fit on local rides and the turbo, then blitz longer rides in the autumn for this challenge if things have eased by then. Nothing to stop you doing one or two long road rides a week then?

Doing more than 2 long rides in a month wouldn't be possible for me. I had to cut it down to one this year - personal/family reasons.

 

[ColinJ]

Doing more than 2 long rides in a month wouldn't be possible for me. I had to cut it down to one this year - personal/family reasons.

Hmm, that would make things 'somewhat difficult'...

The challenges are only a bit of motivational fun anyway and these are exceptional circumstances, so let's just call this a special year which (hopefully!) won't be repeated and do whatever we can, however we can?