The Imperial Century A Month Challenge Chatzone

[Sea of vapours]

Ahhh.... but it's all relative, isn't it. That is the deliberately flattest 100 miles ride I can do here without going around in circles on the only local flat bit, that being the Wyre; and even then it would be a few hundred metres of ascent to get there and back

 

[ianrauk]

This is my first attempt at the imperial century a month challenge.

Welcome to the challenge. Great we have a new rider joining us.
Good luck for your 2026 rides and I really hope I get to award you one of those very prestigious gold stars at the end of the year.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I regret to report that I'm going to be a non-starter for '26. I was ill over Christmas and the New Year and it's pretty much wiped out my fitness so I'm having to build back from what feels like scratch. I did a relaxed ride out to a cafe with @gavgav at the weekend and couldn't keep up with the pace towards the end of 29 miles. Not a happy bunny.

Good luck to everyone who is having a go.

 

[ianrauk]

Sorry to hear that @Rickshaw Phil
Hopefully see you back to full fitness and riding back with us next year.
It also doesn't help that the weather so far for January has been absolutely vile. My qualifying ride for this month seemed to have been done on the only dry weekend day of the month.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Thanks for that @ianrauk

You're right about the weather. Wet, windy and a good dump of snow earlier in the month. I'd have had to pick my moment if I had been fit enough.

 

[footloose crow]

It's the 29th January and I can see I am not going to taking part in the challenge this year. We are on our fourth named storm this month right now which continues into tomorrow. It seems to have rained every day, the roads are still blocked with fallen trees from Storm Goretti, the lanes are flooded, its windy and cold all the time and we have lost power at the house on three occasions already this month for a total of six days (out of 29). The longest outage was four days. It took a long time to clear the lane to the house. The south west of England is not going to suffer from water shortages in the summer. Or a lack of firewood.

I have managed to ride but only up to 100k. Snatching opportunities in weather windows.

My new plan - which means I will be leaving this board until January 2027 - is to do the following over 12 months, one of them each month:

2 x 100Km
8 x 150/160km
2 x 200km
(Maybe a 300km)

Audax UK's 50th birthday this year so aiming at one audax ride each month essentially.

I will miss your (electronic and virtual) company and wish you all every success over the next eleven months. It has to stop raining eventually?

I believe this is called "S**t- laning"

Not the first, second or even the third tree I climbed through on this ride....I lost count. At least the sun came out

Sometimes you have to give up and go another way......

 

[13 rider]

It's the 29th January and I can see I am not going to taking part in the challenge this year. We are on our fourth named storm this month right now which continues into tomorrow. It seems to have rained every day, the roads are still blocked with fallen trees from Storm Goretti, the lanes are flooded, its windy and cold all the time and we have lost power at the house on three occasions already this month for a total of six days (out of 29). The longest outage was four days. It took a long time to clear the lane to the house. The south west of England is not going to suffer from water shortages in the summer. Or a lack of firewood.

I have managed to ride but only up to 100k. Snatching opportunities in weather windows.

My new plan - which means I will be leaving this board until January 2027 - is to do the following over 12 months, one of them each month:

2 x 100Km
8 x 150/160km
2 x 200km
(Maybe a 300km)

Audax UK's 50th birthday this year so aiming at one audax ride each month essentially.

I will miss your (electronic and virtual) company and wish you all every success over the next eleven months. It has to stop raining eventually?

View attachment 798874
I believe this is called "S**t- laning"

View attachment 798875
Not the first, second or even the third tree I climbed through on this ride....I lost count. At least the sun came out

View attachment 798876
Sometimes you have to give up and go another way......

That's a shame but understandable I was speaking to my cousin the other day who lives in Holywell bay and he did say what a rough month it had been

 

[ianrauk]

It's the 29th January and I can see I am not going to taking part in the challenge this year

Really sorry to hear this. But as Mr 13 has said, it's understandable. We've had insesent rain and floods for most of January too, but no where near what you've been experiencing.
I'll miss your riding reports, but look forward to hopefully welcoming you back in 2027.

 

[steverob]

I have managed to ride but only up to 100k. Snatching opportunities in weather windows.
My new plan - which means I will be leaving this board until January 2027 - is to do the following over 12 months, one of them each month:

Are you definitely leaving the board for a whole year? We can't tempt you to join the Metric Century challenge (as you've already done January's) or even the Lunacy challenge (where you can still set a target of 100 miles but you can do 13 rides at any time during the year, it's not month dependent)?

 

[footloose crow]

Are you definitely leaving the board for a whole year? We can't tempt you to join the Metric Century challenge (as you've already done January's) or even the Lunacy challenge (where you can still set a target of 100 miles but you can do 13 rides at any time during the year, it's not month dependent)?

Thats a good idea. Lunacy challenge would work well.

 

[Sea of vapours]

February's imperial century done: phew!

The weather was, and still is, looking bleak for the remainder of the month, with the only day forecast not to have rain in the next two weeks being also forecast to be 2C at my starting altitude. Given how wet everything is, that day is probably no good due to ice risk higher up. So, today was the least wet looking and I thought it best to get out there rather than hope for something better in the last week. I'm pleased to have done it with only two or three hours of light rain. My head unit was showing a relatively comfortable 5C a good deal of the time, though dropped to 2-3C higher up a few times. That was a very enjoyable tour of a good proportion of the Dales and much better than anticipated last night when I planned it :-)

I've ridden at least one imperial century every month for twelve months now, which is novel. Still ten to go in this challenge, though January and February feel like the most likely months to fail to me, so I'm glad they're out of the way!

 

[ianrauk]

So who's idea was it to cycle to and along the coast when there's a hoolie blowing. Oh yes it was me. That north wind was strong and it was cold. The temperature gauge not getting higher then 7. Luckily there was no frost or ice just that wind. It made for tough riding at times, especially along the sea wall. The waves breaking over the concrete path at times. But pushed through and got February's qualifying ride done.
100 miles for the day to Manston Airport and back. Didn't see any planes though.
Imperial Century #363 Imperial Century Month #183

 

[13 rider]

Februarys done 103 cold chilly miles around Leicestershire and South Derbyshire pretty similar route to Januarys ride . Like everywhere the weather's been awful here either raining or too Icy but thankfully a weather window open today and thankfully it was dry overnight so minimum ice to deal with and the sun was in the sky but it was cold and the wind was chiilier . Wahoo had minimum temp -3 and a lovely average of 1°C . Hopefully the weather should now improve and I might get to enjoy doing a ton the last 2 have felt a slog

 

[ianrauk]

last 2 have felt a slog

Feel the same. Not sure if it's because I'm getting older or the challenge is getting boring or because my 2 mile eater cycling chums gave up on the challenge or the weather. Perhaps it's a bit of all of them.
Roll on the warmer months, getting up in warm sunshine, shorts and short sleeves and sun on your back.