The Annual Lunacy Climbing Challenge Chatzone

[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

 

[FrothNinja]

Most enjoyable qualifying ride of the year (with the possible exception of Col-derdale). Had an absolute hoot descending Extwistle Moor - even enjoyed saving a turn I was sure I was going to prang on.

 

[ColinJ]

Most enjoyable qualifying ride of the year (with the possible exception of Col-derdale). Had an absolute hoot descending Extwistle Moor - even enjoyed saving a turn I was sure I was going to prang on.
View attachment 686967

I think we talked about that route on my ride? I have never actually ridden that stretch of bridleway. When I used to ride up there it was always between Widdop and Hurstwood & Cant Clough reservoirs. I remember watching them doing the Pennine Bridleway resurfacing down to Thursden from the road. In fact, I may have captured them in one of my old photos...

Yes - it looks like they were doing it then!

 

[FrothNinja]

I think we talked about that route on my ride? I have never actually ridden that stretch of bridleway. When I used to ride up there it was always between Widdop and Hurstwood & Cant Clough reservoirs. I remember watching them doing the Pennine Bridleway resurfacing down to Thursden from the road. In fact, I may have captured them in one of my old photos...

Yes - it looks like they were doing it then!

View attachment 686993

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

 

[Willd]

Joined the challenge with a modest target of 700m (2,297 ft), but round here I'm only averaging 37 feet per mile

This is about the biggest climb, not too far away. Not sure how it's No. 136 in a list of "official" 100 climbs

 

[FrothNinja]

Joined the challenge with a modest target of 700m (2,297 ft), but round here I'm only averaging 37 feet per mile

This is about the biggest climb, not too far away. Not sure how it's No. 136 in a list of "official" 100 climbs

View attachment 688187

One km of constant incline over 8% with no let up would be pretty knackering anywhere, especially if fighting a headwind which looks likely. That said, I reckon an average of about 40 kph on the descent looks eminently possible

 

[Dogtrousers]

This is about the biggest climb, not too far away. Not sure how it's No. 136 in a list of "official" 100 climbs :rolleyes

The list in question will be Simon Warren's Top 100 Climbs in Britain. A little book that sold so well he did a sequel of Another 100 Climbs which explains how its number is over 100.

 

[Ridgeback Roller]

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.