The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone

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sittingbull

Veteran
Location
South Liverpool
Good luck. Think I'd rather do today rather than Sunday!

Thanks :okay:

I had the opportunity today so took it, Weather was perfect ^_^

110 miles duly completed, Been back about an hour now. Will post a few pix and the route in due course.

4 days left. The weather forecasts aren't great but they can be wrong. Good luck guys,
 
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Dave 123

Legendary Member
I'm just sat here thinking.......
Would it be possible to arrange a ride that is central to us all.
Alternatively @ColinJ is organising a 200K ride in June in Cheshire that I'm doing.

Would anyone else be up for some such escapade?
 

sittingbull

Veteran
Location
South Liverpool
Yesterday's ride, like many, set off across the Runcorn Bridge, not my favourite part of the route but the only real alternative to the Mersey Ferry. Whether I cross by the main carriage way or take the pedestrian footpath depends on a variety of factors, not least of which being the traffic intensity. On this occasion it was the footpath:

runcorn_bridge.jpg


The bike is on a slight incline towards the half-way point of the bridge, fortunately it stayed-put, I did wonder as the vibrations from the trucks and lorries thundering by just feet to my right were not insignificant.

I took my now familiar route into Chester, then into North Wales, I was heading towards St. Asaph, following a route I'd planned mainly avoiding the lumpy bits. Conditions were perfect, dry, bright and still, I was a little overdressed on the way out but glad of the extra layers on my return.

On reaching Bodfari, about 5 miles before St.Asaph, my mileage was comfortably over 50 so I decided to turn around, I just love those Welsh roads :smile:

bodfari.jpg


Another qualifier in the bank :biggrin:
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
 

sittingbull

Veteran
Location
South Liverpool
Well done matey. I'm sat in my lounge admiring the rain and looking at the forecast.

Time to Rule 5 :smile:
Good luck if you're out now. It's tough setting off knowing you'll be soaked within the first mile. With the distance involved I think it will be hard to avoid the rain today, somewhere. Stating the obvious, it's not so bad if it rains on the homeward leg.
 
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Norry1

Legendary Member
Location
Warwick
Back safe and sound. Hard ride today - straight into the strong wind for the first 50 miles. Some stiff hills - mainly on narrow, twisty lanes - so spent a lot of time on the brakes on the downhills which is always annoying. Rained for the first 62 miles - then just a few spits afterwards. Still, quite a rewarding ride - bit nackered now. Time to update the Main Thread.

https://www.strava.com/activities/275945070
 
On Friday a colleague up from London asked how far it was from Dundee to Aberdeen, I said "I think it's about 100 miles". On finding out that the weather was set to be a hideous westerly a plan was hatched. A slightly cheaty plan. If I'd had to do an out-and-back into that wind I would have failed before the turn.

As it transpires, it is closer to 75-80 miles from Dundee to Aberdeen. So a secondary plot was hatched; to pass Aberdeen to the west, circle round and arrive from the north.
The day started very well, albeit very late (didn't turn a pedal until 1:30pm) mostly calm at first, then with a slight crosswind once I turned past Arbroath.

A couple of hours later the hail came, and the farm road I was on got flooded, the combination of which meant that I got utterly soaked and frozen, having found out that my gloves had fallen out of my back pocket somewhere along the route.

Riding along in gathering gloom my Garmin sent me down a road that didn't really have any right to be called a road at all, and then another one which suddenly terminated in a farm yard. I gave up the ghost and headed straight for the main road, bombing the last 14 miles in complete darkness and driving rain along the A947.

One of those rides which will be fun to look back on (once the feeling comes back into my fingers) but which was not at all fun at the time.

(And the 10 mile ride home from Dundee into the teeth of the howling wind at 22:45 wasn't much fun either.)
 

sittingbull

Veteran
Location
South Liverpool
Well I did it today & it didn't feel like cheating at all, especially when I was on top of the wolds with cross wind (forecast 50mph) & hail coming down & no shelter :wacko:........
Superb effort! That must be one of the (if not THE) latest qualifier(s) :biggrin:

I didn't think we'd all get through this month (and I include myself in that).

14 runners and riders going forwards to April.

Well done guys :okay:
 
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