Starting and finishing in the best of the 3 me duck
The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone
- Thread starter Rob S
- Start date
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Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
I did it last year and on course to do it this year, I just never signed up.
I'll sign up for 2024 as long as @13 rider and I eventually sort out a bloody ride.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
If you really wanted to you could probably join now with details of your Jan-Aug rides. I think I've known people do that before. Or perhaps I'm making that up.
I feel a bit of a failure at having wimped out of this but having switched to shorter rides it means I can be back home mid afternoon. That's a real boon, and it means I can do more hills, which I enjoy. And with the magic Eddington 100 out of the way the impetus has gone.
At my pace a century normally means late afternoon to early evening finish. It normally takes me 9+ hours on the road plus travelling time if I ride out and get a train home, which I prefer to do as I can go to more places that way. Also last year i was really suffering at the end of some of them.
The only downside is that when I put Radio 6 on when I have my post ride bath, after a century it's normally the funk and soul show. But after a weedy metric century I get some kind of mellow jazz program which isn't the same.
Supersuperleeds
Legendary Member
- Location
- Leicester
I think you should have to chuck your hat in the ring at the beginning
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
First question is how we draw new people's attention to this thread. Can it, and other annual challenges, be pinned somewhere each January so that people logging on to the site are likely to see them without going and searching?
Secondly, should we allow an 'also-ran' category for people who have missed one or two months in a year but would like to carry on doing and sharing century rides for the rest of the year? It would bring more activity to the thread, and I for one would still be interested in people's rides even if they weren't going to make the full 12/12.
Could you allow upgrades? To be clear I can’t contemplate 100 mile rides at the moment, but some migration through the challenges might be of interest. For example I am signed up to the 50 km or 50 mile challenge yet I find myself doing 100 km most rides. Maybe there are folk reluctant to commit to the larger distances but could do if they find they are going well?
The annual challenges are pinned into the challenges part of the forum and over all the challenges forum does get some good traffic. I'm not worried about that so much as we have had good take up in previous years.
Its attracting those that are doing other challenges or looking to do challenges making the step up.
Upgrades? Sorry I don't understand what you mean.
It's always been fine to post rides in multiple challenges as far as I know.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
I think this might mean someone who decided that the imperial challenge was too hard and so entered the 100k a month challenge. But in April they think "you know, I've actually exceeded my target and done three 100-milers, not just three 100-km rides. Can I upgrade myself to to the Imperial Century a month challenge?
Another idea might be letting people claim a star for, say, May-April instead of it always being Jan-Dec. I'm not so keen on that idea myself, but it's a thought. It might mean that people might enter in the summer, while they are fit and full of enthusiasm, who wouldn't enter in January, and they may keep it up because when they get to the difficult months, Dec-Feb they already have a few under their belt.
As I said, its meant to be a challenge, and that includes the colder, wetter months, so will stick with Jan-Dec as has been since the start of the challenge way back when. The core rules will remain unchanged.
I would be happy for people to join the challenge mid way through year as a good method of impetus to perhaps trying the following full year for a gold star.
Todays cycling shenanigans.
Out of the door at 6.30am in the dark. Bonkers mild morning, temps showing 14degs at that time No need for jackets or arm warmers etc.
A great ride in the Kent Weald down to Appledore via Hollingbourne to Tenterden, then on to Wye via Ashford then back home via the Pilgrim's Way from Hollingbourne, Malling, Wrotham, Brands Hatch and Farningham.
Is it really October? Weather tells me its July or August. I feel a bit sun crisp.
So scores on the doors.
120 of your British miles (so a bonus bagful of Eddingtons)
Imperial Century month 155 in a row. Imperial century #332
Back on the cycle commute tomorrow, the legs had better behave.
Out of the door at 6.30am in the dark. Bonkers mild morning, temps showing 14degs at that time No need for jackets or arm warmers etc.
A great ride in the Kent Weald down to Appledore via Hollingbourne to Tenterden, then on to Wye via Ashford then back home via the Pilgrim's Way from Hollingbourne, Malling, Wrotham, Brands Hatch and Farningham.
Is it really October? Weather tells me its July or August. I feel a bit sun crisp.
So scores on the doors.
120 of your British miles (so a bonus bagful of Eddingtons)
Imperial Century month 155 in a row. Imperial century #332
Back on the cycle commute tomorrow, the legs had better behave.
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
October's ride done yesterday, Saturday 7th.
I did the Richard Ellis Memorial audax, starting and ending at Great Dunmow, and added about 42 miles by riding to and from the start, so made a total of 177 miles for the day. This audax is organised by ACME (Audax Club Mid-Essex) and has more food on offer at start, end and mid-way than any other I have known!
It does a circuit of rural roads of mainly Suffolk and north-east Essex, but with a leg up to the edge of Cambridge, where it actually passed my door. Notwithstanding that, I set out at 6.30 am to ride down to Dunmow for the start. It was an extraordinarily summery day for October and by mid-morning I was in bare arms and a single layer, although the extra clothing did come in useful for the after-dark ride home at the end.
I'm quite enjoying using audaxes for some of my century rides this year - I get to ride different areas and let someone else work out the route, and on the ride itself you're sort of with a group of likeminded people who you see periodically en route and at stops, but most of the time I end up riding on my own, and both of these aspects suit me. It was a great day. I finished the audax at 7.25pm, and after a stop for a chat and some food, got home at 9.40.
Confession time : as I was passing home in the morning at 42 miles I popped in and used the facilities, but since I did another 135 miles after that I reckon this counts as my century for this month.
Consecutive monthly centuries : 58
Century rides ever : 134
I did the Richard Ellis Memorial audax, starting and ending at Great Dunmow, and added about 42 miles by riding to and from the start, so made a total of 177 miles for the day. This audax is organised by ACME (Audax Club Mid-Essex) and has more food on offer at start, end and mid-way than any other I have known!
It does a circuit of rural roads of mainly Suffolk and north-east Essex, but with a leg up to the edge of Cambridge, where it actually passed my door. Notwithstanding that, I set out at 6.30 am to ride down to Dunmow for the start. It was an extraordinarily summery day for October and by mid-morning I was in bare arms and a single layer, although the extra clothing did come in useful for the after-dark ride home at the end.
I'm quite enjoying using audaxes for some of my century rides this year - I get to ride different areas and let someone else work out the route, and on the ride itself you're sort of with a group of likeminded people who you see periodically en route and at stops, but most of the time I end up riding on my own, and both of these aspects suit me. It was a great day. I finished the audax at 7.25pm, and after a stop for a chat and some food, got home at 9.40.
Confession time : as I was passing home in the morning at 42 miles I popped in and used the facilities, but since I did another 135 miles after that I reckon this counts as my century for this month.
Consecutive monthly centuries : 58
Century rides ever : 134
Last edited:
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
Is anybody else still logging all their rides on the 2023 Imperial Century a Month thread? I know there are people on here who are still in for the year but looks like the entries are not complete over in the other place.
October's done having missed last weekends nice weather due to a house move it was out into the cold this morning ,wahoo said zero for the first 2 hours brrr🥶. Thankfully it finally began to warm up and turned into a decent day 🌞 . 102 miles up to Belper via Nottingham and back via Derby so another tour de East Mids , . Belper is just before the peak District so it got pretty lumpy around there but then had a 10 descent back to Derby which gave the legs a rest
