The Annual Lunacy Climbing challenge chatzone

[Dogtrousers]

I've cancelled out my 13th ride, thus upping my lunacy number to 1,288m

I found today's ride (103km/1456m) incredibly tough for what it was. But I struggled round. That last 10km downhill was such a relief.

 

[Willd]

857 m done Might get a couple more longer rides in and try to extend that a bit

 

[Dogtrousers]

857 m done Might get a couple more longer rides in and try to extend that a bit

I have friends who live in your area and sometimes ride to visit them, and occasionally stay there to do pet sitting while they are away. It's definitely hard to rack up metres of ascent round there.

 

[Willd]

I have friends who live in your area and sometimes ride to visit them, and occasionally stay there to do pet sitting while they are away. It's definitely hard to rack up metres of ascent round there.

Going up Edge Hill (first marked climb above 117 m) once is enough for me

 

[Dogtrousers]

Just added a 1,600m ride which spat another one off the bottom of the list. Now upped my 13th ride to 1.291m

Looks like next year's target is going to be 1,300.

I've got a date with Bealach na Ba in August, so I'm not going to be able to neglect my climbing.

 

[bluenotebob]

ust added a 1,600m ride which spat another one off the bottom of the list. Now upped my 13th ride to 1.291m

Looks like next year's target is going to be 1,300.

I've got a date with Bealach na Ba in August, so I'm not going to be able to neglect my climbing.

Congratulations – you had a good climbing year!

Envious about your planned ascent of Bealach na Ba – will that be part of a longer tour? It seems like a long way to go just for that …

You passed through Brasted yesterday. I knew it 50 years ago – there was (and probably still is) a Shepherd Neame pub at the crossroads on the A25 where I often met up with colleagues who were also working in that part of Kent: Maidstone, Tonbridge etc. Decades before the M25 was built. It looks like you probably cycled past that pub yesterday.

Back in the 1980s, a couple of mates and I walked from Gravesend down to Eastbourne – a walk called the “Wealdway” (it took 3 or 4 days – so it was a long weekend walk). I’ve just dug out the guide book for that walk to remind myself of the route and I think we were a bit east of your ride yesterday. Parts of the Weald and particularly Ashdown Forest are stunningly beautiful.

I also walked long stretches of the North Downs Way (as I think you have) but I don’t remember going east of Oxted. I was much more familiar with the NDW (and Pilgrim’s Way) between Farnham and Oxted.

Your routes often bring back happy memories!

 

[Dogtrousers]

Congratulations – you had a good climbing year!

Envious about your planned ascent of Bealach na Ba – will that be part of a longer tour? It seems like a long way to go just for that …

You passed through Brasted yesterday. I knew it 50 years ago – there was (and probably still is) a Shepherd Neame pub at the crossroads on the A25 where I often met up with colleagues who were also working in that part of Kent: Maidstone, Tonbridge etc. Decades before the M25 was built. It looks like you probably cycled past that pub yesterday.

Back in the 1980s, a couple of mates and I walked from Gravesend down to Eastbourne – a walk called the “Wealdway” (it took 3 or 4 days – so it was a long weekend walk). I’ve just dug out the guide book for that walk to remind myself of the route and I think we were a bit east of your ride yesterday. Parts of the Weald and particularly Ashdown Forest are stunningly beautiful.

I also walked long stretches of the North Downs Way (as I think you have) but I don’t remember going east of Oxted. I was much more familiar with the NDW (and Pilgrim’s Way) between Farnham and Oxted.

Your routes often bring back happy memories!

I've walked bits of the Weald Way. I'm certainly familiar with the WW signposts and waymarkers.

There's one pub on the A25 in Brasted called the White Hart (I've never been in), but there are also a couple of very pubby-looking buildings that I suspect are former pubs.
.
An old friend of mine runs a guest house on the West Coast of Scotland. I'll be visiting and facing the logistical challenge of getting my bike up there (I have a cunning plan) just for a single ride to Bealach na Ba. It would be a bit unsociable to visit then disappear off on my bike for the whole time.

 

[Willd]

Increased by a "HUGE" 7m to 864m

 

[bluenotebob]

The thread for the 2026 edition of the challenge has been created. It's here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/2026-annual-lunacy-climbing-challenge.309274/

I've tried to bring it more into line with its sister - the Lunacy Distance challenge.

Would anyone object if I asked the mods to amend the title of this chatzone thread to remove the "Simplified" references?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Would anyone object if I asked the mods to amend the title of this chatzone thread to remove the "Simplified" references?

Not at all. I think that would be a good idea.

If ever we need to refer to the old challenge, then we can specify that we mean the purist version.

For anyone who doesn't remember, the original version required routes to be proper loops, starting and finishing in the same place and using any stretch of road only once (or only once in each direction for the slightly less pure "out and back" version).

 

[ColinJ]

For anyone who doesn't remember, the original version required routes to be proper loops, starting and finishing in the same place and using any stretch of road only once (or only once in each direction for the slightly less pure "out and back" version).

Yes, it was way too complicated. I bet the fool that invented it didn't come close to completing even one year of it...!

PS I was just looking back at it and spotted a couple of very lumpy local routes that I planned at the time, but never got round to tackling. I will try to motivate myself to ride them in 2026.

 

[Dogtrousers]

Yes, it was way too complicated. I bet the fool that invented it didn't come close to completing even one year of it...!

PS I was just looking back at it and spotted a couple of very lumpy local routes that I planned at the time, but never got round to tackling. I will try to motivate myself to ride them in 2026.

I still use those complicated rules sometimes - just for the hell of it.

 

[bluenotebob]

Thread title now changed (thanks to one of the mods).

 

[bluenotebob]

'm in for 13 x 4000 feet rides - Google says this is 1220m - I only do imperial.

Welcome to the challenge @PaulSB - this is the (very recently re-titled) thread for Lunacy Climbing chat.

Good luck with all your various challenges in 2026

 

[bluenotebob]

Like others I’m working out my challenges for 2026. I’ve settled on:
1. 50 miles/50 km each month
2. 100 km each month
3. 13 x 1300m of climbing as per lunacy climbing challenge.

I’m most concerned about doing both the 50s and the 100 km again at the ends of the year, simply because I’ll need enough weekends free from other activities or weather. It was really quite a stretch this year. Adding the lunacy climbing should give me an alternative target if I have to drop out of one of the distances. Thanks to all the organisers!

Welcome to the challenge @geocycle

Don't forget that the Lunacy Distance challenge is another alternative should the unthinkable happen and you have to drop out of one of the monthly distance challenges