The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone
- Thread starter Rob S
- Start date
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footloose crow
Veteran
- Location
- Cornwall. UK
So that's myself, 13Rider, Rob and Phil all done and dusted for 2025..
Just waiting for Footloose Crow. Can you update the log with your rides if you don't mind. Only a half gold star if you don't
Now done! Apologies for being so inefficient.
footloose crow
Veteran
- Location
- Cornwall. UK
22 Dec
Final ride done! It was a bit harder than I would have liked. I have been waiting for good weather but if you watch the TV weather they either stand in front of Cornwall or show it raining. Today it didn't rain. Instead it was very windy. As in cycling very hard just to do 10mph on the flat. All the way from Penzance to Roche - simply horrid. The last thirty km going the other way (downwind) at least confirmed that I can ride a bike at a reasonable speed. Glad to get it done.
Next year...Audax UK are doing 50 points for the 50th anniversary which would be a good challenge. I have been playing with the idea of still doing a ride a month but mixing it up with a range of 100, 150 and 200km rides. eg. 4 x 100, 4 x 150, 4 x 200. Makes the winter rides easier.
Or just carry on doing 160km a month.......
Final ride done! It was a bit harder than I would have liked. I have been waiting for good weather but if you watch the TV weather they either stand in front of Cornwall or show it raining. Today it didn't rain. Instead it was very windy. As in cycling very hard just to do 10mph on the flat. All the way from Penzance to Roche - simply horrid. The last thirty km going the other way (downwind) at least confirmed that I can ride a bike at a reasonable speed. Glad to get it done.
Next year...Audax UK are doing 50 points for the 50th anniversary which would be a good challenge. I have been playing with the idea of still doing a ride a month but mixing it up with a range of 100, 150 and 200km rides. eg. 4 x 100, 4 x 150, 4 x 200. Makes the winter rides easier.
Or just carry on doing 160km a month.......
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
Looks like I may be the first one in 2026 :
I did January's on Wednesday 7th, on Lanzarote where I had come for a few days mainly for some warm(er) weather cycling. I had three full days here and my plan was to do a full-ish tour of the island on day 1, thus getting my first imperial century in, then spend the next two days revisiting interesting-looking parts at a more leisurely pace, and I kept to this plan despite the fearsome winds on the day of my island tour.
And those winds really were something, blowing at 40-50kph from the north all day with stronger gusts. As it was a circular ride I can only have spent 50% of the route riding into the wind, but with my slow speeds it meant much more than 50% of my time, a good part of it uphill, and it ended up as a much longer day than I'd imagined! I set out at 7.45, before sunrise, and didn't get back until nearly 8.30 pm, riding the last two hours in the dark.
Still, it was a great day and I was very impressed with Lanzarote's variety of landscapes, from white villages and tiny wind-sheltered fields through stark, shattered lava debris to windswept coasts and great sea-cliffs, and everywhere conical volcanic hills. I switched the last part of my route to go through the sprawling resort of Puerto del Carmen, for some streetlights and cycle paths but mainly just to escape from the relentless wind.
Having gravel tyres on the bike certainly hadn't helped my speed today, but I made excellent use of them in the following days, though that's another story...
Distance 101.9 miles / 164 km. My 180th imperial century ever, and 85th month in a row.
I did January's on Wednesday 7th, on Lanzarote where I had come for a few days mainly for some warm(er) weather cycling. I had three full days here and my plan was to do a full-ish tour of the island on day 1, thus getting my first imperial century in, then spend the next two days revisiting interesting-looking parts at a more leisurely pace, and I kept to this plan despite the fearsome winds on the day of my island tour.
And those winds really were something, blowing at 40-50kph from the north all day with stronger gusts. As it was a circular ride I can only have spent 50% of the route riding into the wind, but with my slow speeds it meant much more than 50% of my time, a good part of it uphill, and it ended up as a much longer day than I'd imagined! I set out at 7.45, before sunrise, and didn't get back until nearly 8.30 pm, riding the last two hours in the dark.
Still, it was a great day and I was very impressed with Lanzarote's variety of landscapes, from white villages and tiny wind-sheltered fields through stark, shattered lava debris to windswept coasts and great sea-cliffs, and everywhere conical volcanic hills. I switched the last part of my route to go through the sprawling resort of Puerto del Carmen, for some streetlights and cycle paths but mainly just to escape from the relentless wind.
Having gravel tyres on the bike certainly hadn't helped my speed today, but I made excellent use of them in the following days, though that's another story...
Distance 101.9 miles / 164 km. My 180th imperial century ever, and 85th month in a row.
Well done @robjh , very sensible decision to do it in Lanzarote 🌞 while the rest of us sit waiting for a weather window in the UK winter ❄️ ☔☔❄️. Today is the 12th and I've only ridden outdoor 3 times . I'm away without the bike 1 of the remaining weekends and the forecast isn't great as far as I can see it's going to be touch and go this month
robjh
Legendary Member
- Location
- Cambridgeshire - almost Essex
Pure chance that my short trip to the Canaries coincided with such a cold and sh*tty spell of UK weather, but yes it worked out very well. Quite a late decision too, I only booked just before Christmas.
A Kent ride down to Ashford for brekkie. Then onwards to Wye and the Pilgrims Way home.
Dark at 7am when I left home and the temps were showing only 5°, with temperatures never reaching above 10's, but it didn't feel cold. Probrably due to the lack of wind. It seems that most of Kent has suffered from flooding which meant a grubby bike and a grubby human.
So 2026 and I'm back on it. The 16th year.
100 miles for the day.
Imperial Century #362
Imperial Century Month #182
Dark at 7am when I left home and the temps were showing only 5°, with temperatures never reaching above 10's, but it didn't feel cold. Probrably due to the lack of wind. It seems that most of Kent has suffered from flooding which meant a grubby bike and a grubby human.
So 2026 and I'm back on it. The 16th year.
100 miles for the day.
Imperial Century #362
Imperial Century Month #182
Back for another go 😁. I was begining to think I wouldn't get a ride in this month since retiring I am definitely a fair weather cyclist which has certainly limited my opportunities this month . Forecast for today wasn't terrible so I manned up doned my waterproof and overshoes and set of in the dark . No particular destination or route in mine just rode kept fairly close to home incase the weather turn really bad . Got rained on a bit but it wasn't terrible and many not to get cold . In total 109 miles ( 105 on Strava due to an early GPS failure )
Lots of local loops and road closure diversions . Will update the challenge later after food
Lots of local loops and road closure diversions . Will update the challenge later after food
Sea of vapours
Guru
- Location
- Clapham, Yorkshire Dales
I seem to have ridden an imperial century in January, so I'm in.
This is my first attempt at the imperial century a month challenge. I don't normally do rides much over 100km from November to February, but for various reasons - mostly weather opportunism really - I did imperial centuries in both November and December, as well as every month from March last year, so completing at least twelve, consecutive months of imperials seems a most worthwhile objective. And if I manage February then carrying on for a gold star surely 'makes sense' :-)
This is my first attempt at the imperial century a month challenge. I don't normally do rides much over 100km from November to February, but for various reasons - mostly weather opportunism really - I did imperial centuries in both November and December, as well as every month from March last year, so completing at least twelve, consecutive months of imperials seems a most worthwhile objective. And if I manage February then carrying on for a gold star surely 'makes sense' :-)
