The Annual Lunacy Climbing Challenge Chatzone

[ColinJ]

I think I am going to have to simplify my cycling challenges this year! Maybe something like 'I will try to do at at least 100 km before Bonfire Night'...

It could called The Annual Pre-5th November 100 km Total Distance Challenge. I reckon that I might finish this one - I have already knocked out 72% of the required total and it is only mid-February!

 

[ColinJ]

I'm not trying to resurrect this challenge (@FrothNinja's update on the concept makes more sense!) but I thought this would be a good place to post a video that I have just watched on YouTube. This looks like an absolutely BEASTLY Welsh route!! 100 km with about 3,500 m of ascent...

I very much doubt that I will ever be fit enough to tackle something like that now unless I took 10+ hours to do it, and even then it would probably half kill me! (The riders in the video did it in 4 hours 43 minutes (presumably moving time?), and looked fresh at the finish...)

Go on, @Sea of vapours - nip over there and give it a go!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I've got a 2,400m 100k route on ice (with no repetition of roads, but out-n-back allowed). Not bad for that flat South East.

I did try it once but bailed out when I wilted and overheated. Will try a cooler day next time.

Edit. I've just watched the whole video. Fantastic. Now, I've never made a video of any sort but I can imagine it adds a huge load to the amount of faffing and things to think about, remember to do, and then actually do, so big kudos to him for being able to do that.

I see their rules are the toughest, most hair-shirt rules possible. No using the same road twice even in the other direction. That makes things very difficult. My hardest loop route is actually saved under the name "stickman" because it does nothing but out-and-back and looks a bit like a stick man. I'd have trouble getting more than 2,000 metres under those rules.

Now, where is that route, and when are you going to organise a forum ride, @ColinJ?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Afficionados of hilly route planning with routing constraints will appreciate the beauty of the route. (Screenshot from Strava)
There are not even any places where the route crosses itself. If you zoom in you see that it never even touches or crosses itself.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8896616442 (NB this link may not work. I had to request to follow Ed to be able to see it)

Hold on a minute! What's this I see after 1.5 km? An out and back!

I think it was probably a navigational slip up and by my calculation it cost them 223m in distance and gained them only 2m in elevation, so it wasn't even to their advantage.

Still, I don't make the rules. Sorry lads, you'll have to do it again

 

[Sea of vapours]

Go on, @Sea of vapours - nip over there and give it a go!

That is a most impressive rate of climb. It's tempting, but not entirely convenient [for me] to get to.

Still, I don't make the rules. Sorry lads, you'll have to do it again

Quite right: that's a fail and they do need to do it again :-)
I shall watch the video later as I can't right now.

 

[Dogtrousers]

That is a most impressive rate of climb. It's tempting, but not entirely convenient [for me] to get to.

Scarily, I see that I can get from London Euston to Chirk, which is not far off the route, in only 3.5 hours. So I could make it there and back in a day, provided I could do the route in under 10 hours. (Leaving Euston at 6am, arriving back at midnight).

Actually, I think "provided I could do the route" full stop, is a more important condition.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Actually, I think "provided I could do the route" full stop, is a more important condition.

Hmm..... I think my hilliest hundred (in the North Pennines) was just under 3,000m and 117km (EDIT: actually, just *over* 3,000m and 118km), so notably 'easier' than this, and that was definitely close to the, or rather my, limit on a hot day. I suppose, on this, the actual ascents are short and quickly walkable in extremis, so your ten hours is probably adequate ;-)

Running the gpx through the Audax AAA analyser gives an ascent of 3,325m, so a bit less than Strava claims, but still hideous.

 

[Ajax Bay]

It's the descents and the road surface on some which will kill your arms and help you look forward to the climbs. I was faced with that terrain at 440km into a 600km and wimped out via Oswestry, Welshpool and Bishop's Castle to the start/finish at Knighton.

 

[FrothNinja]

I've posted the first part of the Col-derdale route that netted me over a 1000m. No where near as exciting & some nurk seem to be talking all the time (to be fair I think the camera's waterproof case blocked all other voices)

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa69FjXUgZE

 

[Dogtrousers]

Here's a little cautionary tale about getting elevations (and distances) from GPS tracks and using different websites.

I recorded my last ride in two parts. I didn't move my bike between stopping one part and starting the next.

Garmin connect tells me they are 82.6 km/1081m and 35.8km/533 m. That makes a total of 118.4km / 1614m

I use RideWithGPS as my main system of reference, and when transferred and added together (I don't have the individual rides any more) they totalled 118.4km / 1586m

So RWGPS had stolen a few (33) metres from me. No surprise there, it does that. I always add a contingency when riding to avoid being caught out.

But then I used the RWGPS edit feature to join the two together. And my new totals are 119.7 km / 1505m.

So it's stolen even more altitude from me (but thankfully still just over my target of 1500m) and it's added 1.5 km to the ride. WTF? Where on earth did it find the extra 1.5 km? If I examine the route I can't see anything.

I'll dig deeper into this maybe. I don't have time at the moment.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Another hilly ride done. The North downs are a typical chalk escarpment: One steep side (facing south) and one gentle side that is cut through with deep river valleys. There are four well knowm steep hills that run parallel to each other up the steep side: Hogtrough, Brasted, Sundridge and Starhill. I rode out to the ridge bagged all four of them this morning. Tough but everything went well and legs held up well. Got a bit rained on near home.

 

[Willd]

Actually found one that's on Strava No idea how many watts I was generating though

 

[Willd]

Back to the Cotswolds today Managed 43.1 mph @ 47 miles down Sunrising Hill, could have gone faster, but had to keep braking so I didn't run into the back of a Transit van

 

[FrothNinja]

@Mods - could we please have the 2024 Climbing Lunacy Challenge pinned - thanks