The Annual Lunacy Climbing Challenge Chatzone

[Dogtrousers]

Like @Ridgeback Roller I had elevation recording problems. I'm pretty sure due to the pressure changing during the day.

I had a good ride on Saturday, dropped off by car in Hemel Hempstead and rode up to visit friends near Rugby, through the Cotswolds. Weather was very rainy. Whether it was the wet or the variable pressure but my Garmin went somewhat bonkers regarding elevation. At one point I noticed it was registering negative gradient as I went up hill!

I've checked local weather station records on wunderground.com and the pressure dropped sharply during the ride. I compared the recorded profile with the planned profile and the recording was clearly wrong. The amount of climb registered on my Garmin at the end of the ride was only 1,200m but I knew from planning the route that it was over my 1,500m target, so I did a re-fetch of elevation and it gave me over 1,600. A bit generous, maybe - but I'm claiming it.

Just a lesson in how tricky measuring total elevation gain can be.

 

[FrothNinja]

Thought it was about time I did another qualifying ride - most of my cycling this year has been rides with the Sunday social group which tends not to search out the hills too much or faster local 2-2.5hr rides not giving me enough time to get up into the South Downs and beyond. Checking my Garmin Edge Explore towards the end of yesterday's cycle it was registering just over 1880m ascent for the day, so plenty even allowing that GPS elevation gain totals are usually hopelessly optimistic. True to form, uploading into Garmin Connect corrected it down to 1110m, just under 60% of the Garmin unit final tally. I expect to lose 25% in correction but haven't noticed such a big difference before. I'll ride the same route again just to see what numbers I get this time.

I also run Komoot, Ride With GPS, & Strava so I can compare with my Garmin. I have noticed the Garmin isn't too hot at picking up satellites at times (eg earlier this week when I as struggling up Jinny Lane - titter ye not)

 

[Willd]

791m today, which the the most I've done this year

Spot the Cotswolds

To make up for going up I even set off a speed limit warning sign @ 32 mph and managed 40.2 mph down Edge Hill

 

[FrothNinja]

791m today, which the the most I've done this year

Spot the Cotswolds

View attachment 690469
To make up for going up I even set of a speed limit warning sign @ 32 mph and managed 40.2 mph down Edge Hill

I also think I have done my longest & highest ride of the year today

 

[FrothNinja]

I also think I have done my longest & highest ride of the year today

Longest yes, highest no.
Only the third most ascent.

 

[UphillSlowly]

@FrothNinja can I ask some advice about joining this challenge part way through the year. Only just discovered CycleChat. If I join this challenge now, can I only use rides from today onwards towards the 2023 challenge or can I retrospectively use rides from earlier in the year?

I was thinking of using an elevation target for rides that I only managed to achieve once last year, but have managed three times already this year. Got some big days planned for the next month so should hit 7 rides by beginning of July.

Apologies for tagging you in a post in the wrong thread - will delete

Thanks

 

[FrothNinja]

@FrothNinja can I ask some advice about joining this challenge part way through the year. Only just discovered CycleChat. If I join this challenge now, can I only use rides from today onwards towards the 2023 challenge or can I retrospectively use rides from earlier in the year?

I was thinking of using an elevation target for rides that I only managed to achieve once last year, but have managed three times already this year. Got some big days planned for the next month so should hit 7 rides by beginning of July.

Apologies for tagging you in a post in the wrong thread - will delete

Thanks

No probs.
Your plan sounds good so go for it - only 10 more rides to go

 

[ColinJ]

I came up past the grey vehicle from the dirt twisty then up the bridlepath at the white one. Since I last went up they have replaced - this is the scene today
View attachment 686997

I did the other route to Widdop with a couple of pals on Monday. I hadn't done it for many years. I didn't really enjoy the rockiness of the ascent towards Widdop, and was pretty shocked by the steep final descent... There has been an awful lot of erosion in the decade or so since my last ride there and a lot of stone has been dumped on the trail to protect it and patch it up. Maybe good for people with full suspension, great skillz, and dropper posts, but for tallish wimps like me towering over the handlebar without a reassuring dropper post to use to get lower... er, no thanks!!!

I am going to try the Pennine Bridleway variant next time.

I remember you posting about riding up and down Shore Road, but wondered whether you know the off-road way up there? One pal took us the other way on our ride. I'd never been that way before. Check it out on the map below...

The section along Black Scout would almost certainly be swampy in normal Pennine conditions but because of this long dry spell the bridleway is currently in very good shape. If you are going to ride it and don't looooooooooooooooooooooooove gloopy mud, do it sooner rather than later!

 

[FrothNinja]

I did the other route to Widdop with a couple of pals on Monday. I hadn't done it for many years. I didn't really enjoy the rockiness of the ascent towards Widdop, and was pretty shocked by the steep final descent... There has been an awful lot of erosion in the decade or so since my last ride there and a lot of stone has been dumped on the trail to protect it and patch it up. Maybe good for people with full suspension, great skillz, and dropper posts, but for tallish wimps like me towering over the handlebar without a reassuring dropper post to use to get lower... er, no thanks!!!

I am going to try the Pennine Bridleway variant next time.

I remember you posting about riding up and down Shore Road, but wondered whether you know the off-road way up there? One pal took us the other way on our ride. I'd never been that way before. Check it out on the map below...

View attachment 692338
The section along Black Scout would almost certainly be swampy in normal Pennine conditions but because of this long dry spell the bridleway is currently in very good shape. If you are going to ride it and don't looooooooooooooooooooooooove gloopy mud, do it sooner rather than later!

Bored with cleaning my bikes at the mo so will have a crack at it if I can before the weather breaks

 

[Dogtrousers]

For todays ride I decided to do complicated. I dusted off and extended a route from the Old Regime when @ColinJ ruled with a fist of iron. 70km that wiggled around South East London using every inch of available climbing from Sydenham Hill and surrounding hills while remaining compliant with the old rules. Started early to avoid the heat. Got some great views from the high points.

And a crazy profile

 

[Sea of vapours]

That was and is a classic of the genre :-)

 

[Willd]

Well, didn't die from the amber heat warning Most elevation of the year to date

 

[Willd]

Actually had a marked "climb" today. Without going long distances this challenge is hard work, the ride below was 45 ft per mile, the most I've ever found was 48 and I've averaged 37 over 8,000 miles.

By contrast I did a test route on MapMyRide of 25 miles where we're going on holiday in the Brecon Beacons and that was 133 ft / mile, with 5 marked climbs, including a cat 3. Still I don't think I'd cope doing that with a lowest gear of 34/25

 

[FrothNinja]

Actually had a marked "climb" today. Without going long distances this challenge is hard work, the ride below was 45 ft per mile, the most I've ever found was 48 and I've averaged 37 over 8,000 miles.

By contrast I did a test route on MapMyRide of 25 miles where we're going on holiday in the Brecon Beacons and that was 133 ft / mile, with 5 marked climbs, including a cat 3. Still I don't think I'd cope doing that with a lowest gear of 34/25


View attachment 696280

Round here, I tend to average over 70 ft per mile trying to avoid ascent. It is quite lumpy

 

[UphillSlowly]

Round here, I tend to average over 70 ft per mile trying to avoid ascent. It is quite lumpy

Similar round here if you head out Birmingham to the south west, which is the quickest way to the countryside for me