The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Donger]

March done. Woke up feeling that my bad back was a thing of the past, and got out early for an impromptu 100km ride with absolutely no plan beyond "go to Stroud, climb something, and turn left .... or right". In the end, I carried on through Stroud on the A419 to Chalford. There were enough big trucks around for me to want to get off the main road before Cowcombe Hill so as not to hold too many of them up. (I can always feel their searing resentment burning through the back of my head).

Climbed a steeper, but very, very quiet little lane that started with Chalford High Street and carried on through Frampton Mansell to Sapperton. Not wanting to ride through any towns on a week day, I turned right just before Cirencester and had some more lovely narrow little lanes to myself for the next 20 miles or so, eventually turning for home at Upper Minety in Wiltshire and heading back through Malmesbury and Tetbury. Like @Sea of vapours, it was a beautiful sunny ride on mostly dry roads, but with the occasional surprisingly deep snow at the side of the road:

Other than a ten mile stretch between mile 40 and mile 50, I enjoyed this ride as much as any in this country that I can think of. That ten mile stretch from Tetbury to the top of Frocester Hill did rather suck the fun out of it a bit as I encountered a stiff head wind that wasn't supposed to be there. Back home and hosed now. 100.6 km done, with an economy of effort helped by a hundred tiny calculations as I went. Not bad judgment in the end, considering I'd had no idea where I was going to go. Strangely, if I hadn't deliberately changed my mind a couple of times, I might have done the entire ride without ever covering an inch of road I'd not ridden before .... and I don't go out that way very often.

 

[ColinJ]

I got an imperial century in yesterday with rusty bearing plus 4 non-CycleChat riders.

I was just quietly celebrating BST and the final arrival of Spring, when my sister called and told me that Winter is supposedly coming back next week. Surely, that must be some kind of sick joke - aaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

Anyway ... @Littgull and I plan to get another imperial century in before the end of the month, subject to him recovering from his (minor) injuries from a taxi-induced off AND the weather not turning evil on us again. I have devised an off-road route to Mirfield (south of Bradford) taking us to and from a hilly road metric century loop from Mirfield via Stocksbridge, Penistone, and Meltham. It is getting harder to find places in this area that I haven't been to before but this ride will visit several. It should be fun. I think the offroad sections would probably be ok on a standard road bike, but I'll ride my cyclocross bike just in case.

 

[13 rider]

Marchs finally done 50 km CC forum ride with 20 miles before and after ,76 miles in total in lovely sunshine for once in great company

 

[ColinJ]

Marchs finally done 50 km CC forum ride with 20 miles before and after ,76 miles in total in lovely sunshine for once in great company

So, the company is normally not so good ...?

 

[13 rider]

So, the company is normally not so good ...?

Yes couple regulars away today just saying don't tell @Supersuperleeds or @tallliman .Funny what missing a comma out makes something read differently to what was intended .

 

[Lilliburlero]

March`s ride done with another Imperial. 167 km`s in the fantastic company of @13 rider, @Chris Doyle, @cyberknight and a couple of my buddies.

Great route from Bosworth @13 rider, really enjoyed the new roads

https://www.relive.cc/view/1471154543

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Yes couple regulars away today just saying don't tell @Supersuperleeds or @tallliman .Funny what missing a comma out makes something read differently to what was intended .

And all this time I thought you liked us

 

[tallliman]

And all this time I thought you liked us

Guess it explains why he kept riding away from us the other week I'm just annoyed I missed getting those squares!

 

[Lilliburlero]

And all this time I thought you liked us

Guess it explains why he kept riding away from us the other week I'm just annoyed I missed getting those squares!

He was moaning about you two all the way round.... he just wouldn`t shut up

 

[13 rider]

Love you both really I think love might be a bit strong

 

[steverob]

I'm guessing much like at least half the people in this challenge, March has proved up until now a rather difficult month for me to complete, mainly due to the weather. And with next weekend also looking decidedly iffy, despite having done less than 100km TOTAL outdoor riding all month (I do have access to Zwift admittedly), I felt that today was probably my only chance to keep myself in the challenge.

And as it turned out, it was a fairly uneventful ride - although that was a little by design, as I'd set myself as flat a route as the (lumpy) terrain of Aylesbury Vale would allow, with 90% of it on quiet roads that I'd used numerous times before. Did expand my horizons slightly by heading a bit further towards Oxford than I'd done previously, but this really was a low risk, high reward ride.

 

[Sea of vapours]

This fine weather on a 'first day of XXXXX' thing is becoming a pattern. At least, the first day of spring and the first day of BST have now both been very fine indeed (here in the Dales at least). It gave me another metric century for March anyway, and an awful lot of ascent. I'd not been on the roads round the south side of Pendle Hill before and they seem to be inordinately, and in many cases gratuitously, crinkled. Annoyingly it fell just short of 2,500m for the 101km so I'll have to put that objective back on the 'nice to do sometime' list.

Overall, that was a really excellent route, taking in large chunks of the Forest of Bowland, including the two best climbs, and both shoulders of Pendle Hill and the 'witch country' between. I'll do that again sometime with some kind of minor tweak to get the extra few metres ascent.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1471798697

 

[ColinJ]

This fine weather on a 'first day of XXXXX' thing is becoming a pattern. At least, the first day of spring and the first day of BST have now both been very fine indeed (here in the Dales at least). It gave me another metric century for March anyway, and an awful lot of ascent. I'd not been on the roads round the south side of Pendle Hill before and they seem to be inordinately, and in many cases gratuitously, crinkled. Annoyingly it fell just short of 2,500m for the 101km so I'll have to put that objective back on the 'nice to do sometime' list.

Overall, that was a really excellent route, taking in large chunks of the Forest of Bowland, including the two best climbs, and both shoulders of Pendle Hill and the 'witch country' between. I'll do that again sometime with some kind of minor tweak to get the extra few metres ascent.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1471798697

I'm surprised that you haven't done the south side of Pendle Hill before ... I really like those roads. And yes - they are VERY lumpy!

If you mean that you have never done a metric century ride with 2,500+ metres of ascent before then I am surprised at that too, given how many metric centuries you ride and where you do them! I could have sworn that you did 3,000+ metres on one ride, but maybe I am mixing you up with someone else?

I don't know if you ever drive out to do rides but if you do, then you should consider doing the Season of Mists audax from Mytholmroyd in early October. It takes in many of those roads. It is an excellent route, 105 km in length, and officially 2,555 metres of ascent. There are a few km of busier roads, but 90-95 km are on fantastic quieter, hilly roads.

Lumpy enough for you?

In the past 10 years, the weather has been about a 50-50 split between glorious and terrible. In the good years it is a great ride. You don't want to do it on one of the bad years!

I rode the route as a forum ride once in one of those bad years (I was very disappointed to abandon the event after virtually being washed off my bike in torrential rain, so we did it a week later in fabulous conditions.)

 

[Sea of vapours]

I've not done 'drive to ride'; not to say that I wouldn't ever, and I did note the Season of Mists audax last year as it does look good. As you say, that is very much subject to weather of course. I meant that I've not done 2,500m when the ride is barely over 100km, within a couple of per cent of the right distance. So it's the rate of climb, not just the absolute number, which matters (in as much as any of this 'matters' of course, which is clearly 'not a lot' ;-) I've done over 3,000m a few times, but those were all over 130km I think. Anyway, thanks for the pointer and I'll have another look at the Season of Mists this year.

 

[GuyBoden]

Another March 100km today, nice dry blue(ish) sky weather, but I felt I was lacking in energy on the way home, which was a bit strange considering it's a very slow easy flat ride.