The Annual Lunacy Climbing Challenge Chatzone

[Dogtrousers]

Considering entering this year ,just trying to get my head round how I keep all my challenge rides seperate which is my normal approach or do I make this challenge the exception before I decided on a target

I don't bother keeping climbing and distance rides separate as they are two independent things. The metric challenge encourages me to keep my distance up, the climbing challenge discourages unethically flat routes.

If course if you want to add personal restrictions go ahead. But no one will mind if you don't.

 

[bluenotebob]

I’m still uncertain as to what my ascent target should be for this year. I had thought that 400m would be challenging (even if substantially less than everyone else’s) and I may go with that.

Yesterday’s 86km ride (6.5 hours from leaving the van to returning) only netted 331m total ascent. It was a hard ride – probably because I’m struggling to come out of winter – but I’d hoped for more ascent than that. As I’d suspected, heading south and crossing the Oust, climbing up then dropping into the Claie valley – then climbing up the other side before returning north is the only way I’m going to exceed 400m if following that route.

In contrast, a 25km local ride on one of my mountain bikes (less than 2 hours’ riding) a couple of weeks ago resulted in 200m of ascent. A much better return – if only for half of my target.

Well, I’ll keep plugging away and hopefully I’ll get one or two rides over 400m posted before the end of March.

 

[FrothNinja]

I’m still uncertain as to what my ascent target should be for this year. I had thought that 400m would be challenging (even if substantially less than everyone else’s) and I may go with that.

Yesterday’s 86km ride (6.5 hours from leaving the van to returning) only netted 331m total ascent. It was a hard ride – probably because I’m struggling to come out of winter – but I’d hoped for more ascent than that. As I’d suspected, heading south and crossing the Oust, climbing up then dropping into the Claie valley – then climbing up the other side before returning north is the only way I’m going to exceed 400m if following that route.

In contrast, a 25km local ride on one of my mountain bikes (less than 2 hours’ riding) a couple of weeks ago resulted in 200m of ascent. A much better return – if only for half of my target.

Well, I’ll keep plugging away and hopefully I’ll get one or two rides over 400m posted before the end of March.

305m equates to 1000ft - seems a reasonable target and I can certainly feel it if I do that much ascent in a ride.

 

[13 rider]

I'm in for this year , Got my head round cross posting or not , couldn't really come up with a challenging target which wouldn't involve doing a distance that didn't involve a distance challenge so in this thread I will be mainly cross posting my Imperial centuries. Target is set at 3500ft but I have a more ambitious stretch target of 4500ft

 

[Sea of vapours]

I will be mainly cross posting my Imperial centuries.

Are you aware that you've not posted your February imperial on the thread?

 

[bluenotebob]

Yesterday’s metric century (105km) finally gave me enough ascent to be able to open my account in this year’s challenge.

It was a long day – cycling before 10am and it was after 6pm when I got back to the van. 7 hours 28 mins of cycling made it my longest-ever ride in terms of time.

Every year I get slower and, to make it worse, the surface of a large part of yesterday’s route was sand/grit – and mud where the sand/grit had been washed away. Very slow in places.

Photo below of the VD6 Voie Verte east of Augan. Perfectly OK on my gravel bike as long as I didn’t try and go too fast.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Another ticked off. As mentioned in the MCaM thread I struggled a lot today but all the same I managed to bag another climbing challenge ride.

The last climb was Mote Road near Sevenoaks, which has an amusing sign at the bottom. It warns of a 10% gradient ahead (fair enough) but it's accompanied by a downhill sign. I always laugh bitterly as I pass as I know what's coming. And it isn't downhill.

I didn't stop to take a picture but here it is from Streetview

 

[bluenotebob]

@Pgd .. a little bit of admin ... can you please list all your rides in the Lunacy Climbing challenge thread this year - not just the latest.

Rather than listing them in date order, please sequence them so that the highest ascent is shown first in your list.

A simple copy + paste within the challenge thread will do it.

Thanks

It was good to see three different ascents of Sydenham Hill in order to get to your target height!

 

[Domus]

Finally opened up the caravan after a long winter shutdown. Glorious day in Sunny Grange, mudguards removed, best wheels fitted, lambs in the fields and several hosts of golden daffodils. Has spring finally sprung?

 

[Domus]

Sorry chaps. Wrong challenge

 

[Dogtrousers]

. Has spring finally sprung?

By how many metres (or feet) has spring sprung? Has it met its challenge target?

 

[FrothNinja]

Finally opened up the caravan after a long winter shutdown. Glorious day in Sunny Grange, mudguards removed, best wheels fitted, lambs in the fields and several hosts of golden daffodils. Has spring finally sprung?

Whats the caravan look like with mud guards off?

 

[Dogtrousers]

What's tricky with this challenge is route planning. I chose 1,300 so I could have tough rides, but not too tough as 1,500 defeated me last year.

The RWGPS planner generally comes up short in its estimated altitude gain compared with the actual measured one. Normally it's just a factor of 1.1. So when RWGPS told me yesterday's route was 1201 metres I figured the ride would really be just over 1,300, my target. It turned out to be just over 1,500. That's getting into the realms of too tough.

 

[bluenotebob]

I figured the ride would really be just over 1,300, my target. It turned out to be just over 1,500. That's getting into the realms of too tough.

Well done on doing it. I'm not surprised you were cream-crackered at the end of the ride.

Is there a case for arguing that you've now got a credit of 200m which you could use to off-set against your next ride?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Is there a case for arguing that you've now got a credit of 200m which you could use to off-set against your next ride?

Its tempting but sadly I think that would be ... unethical!