The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[Ajax Bay]

Cracked a 400 on Friday (and a bit of Saturday) 9/10 Oct) from Weymouth - this: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/57477028?beta=false
Controls: Dorchester, Studland ferry, Beaulieu, Westbury, Weston-super-Mare, Taunton, Castle Cary
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty/Landscapes: Isle of Purbeck, Poole Harbour, Bournemouth and Boscombe promenade, New Forest, Wylye valley, Mendips, Weston beach, Somerset levels, Cerne valley
Pleased, by design, to keep the climb to a minimum (3000m on RwGPS, 3300+ on Garmin).
Started at 05:02. Finished at 03:43. Misty and cool before dawn. Hours of sunshine on and off throughout the day. The forecast shower came though around midday. Was hard and cold in the wee hours. Bottom (30") gear up all the hills, even gentle ones, after midnight. Resented the climbing a bit, not least because going downhill at speed was really 'cold'. Garmin suggested it never went below 4o, though.
Doubting I can do a 600 (which I 'need' to complete a 2019/20 super randonneur), but know that these doubts will pass once the memory of how my legs felt at the end wears off. I need a two day weather window in the next fortnight ('deadline' is to complete by end October).

 

[Ajax Bay]

Rode a 600 on Thursday/Friday. Started 0551 Thu; Finished 2348 Fri
Exmouth to Brecon and back via Bath and the south coast.
Just under 42 hours: hopefully below the Audax UK DIY time limit (for 605km) @ 14.3kph. Out of Wales on Thursday evening, well before firebreak lock-down at 6pm Friday.
Few people choose to ride a 600 in late October for obvious reasons.
Route plot: https://ridewithgps.com/routes/34499083?beta=false
Shows my intended route (605km), omitting small excursions for sleep stop, breakfast stop and nav errors. Slow puncture (front) at 147km. Pumped (twice, at 2km intervals) to get me to lunch stop. Could not find prick/hole (used sink at lunch stop (qv)) and no trace of cause in tyre itself (GP 4000sII with about 4000km on it. Bought a replacement tube in Abergavenny on basis that: what do you do with a tube with a slow puncture you can't find?
Lots of surprised squirrels by day, disturbed a Somerset Levels heron from its fishing, and a silent owl from its roadside post, approached a road with a long flood with trepidation but fortunately a vehicle came the opposite way and I could see it was not going to be above hub level; super sunset on the second day looking down over Lyme Bay.
Traffic: Not much fun entering Taunton and Bridgwater around rush hour. Very quiet after 10pm both nights. Was starting to get busy around Gloucester even at 6am.
Off road: Beside the River Tone out of Taunton; the Strawberry Line going north from Axbridge towards Yatton; the Avon Bridge and Severn Bridge crossings; a bit getting into Bristol from the north (from Winterborne to Emmerson's Green); Bristol to Bath cycleway, and the Bath twin tunnels 'greenway'; and finally the Exe Estuary trail (both sides).
I needed a window of reasonable weather and boy! was I lucky (days chosen from several forecasts (Ventusky, XC Weather and Met Office) watched over 10 days): brilliant! Caught up a bit of rain around Thu sunrise. Not balmy but not cold either late or pre-dawn (~9 degrees). Winds generally light. All weather as forecast (maybe winds lighter).
Slow up hills - guess I'm way less 'hill fit' than 'normal'. Middle part of Day 1 tough going, and same for Day 2. First 5-6 hours OK (eg first 100 in 4:15, maybe too fast but only stopped to put jacket on) and last 4 hours OK. Moving speed in 'bad' patches down below 18kph (average).
Food: Two bowls of porridge before starting before dawn. Lunch (pasta) at 151km (at sister-in-law's, just NW of Bristol)), snack (milk and sandwich) in Talybont-on-Usk, (230km), fish and chips (poor and spoiled by a local advising me with some persistence where exactly to put my bike) in Hay-on-Wye (265km). Sleep (and shower) stop at other sister-in-law's near Ross-on-Wye (319km). Breakfast (scrambled eggs +) with daughter in Bristol (NE, 395km), snack (poor 'Greggs' and a coke) at Nunney Catch (SW of Frome, 439km), tea, bread and jam with friend at Muchelney (The Priory House (NT), 483km), milk at Sidford (542km), chips (excellent - on home turf, of course) outside Exeter (555km), and home by midnight. Carried a mix of salted (+) cashew nuts, flame raisins and cookie (cut up) for on-the-go, plus bananas and bars (Clif and Vifit).

 

[13 rider]

October's done 80 imperial miles around the rolling terrain of South West Leicestershire

 

[gbs]

Have updated my log for October. Still in the challenge but November is looking difficult; in this cold, overcast, sometimes windy weather a 4-5 hour stint without a brief indoors respite is not appealing. I have already exceeded 10,000k this year so I will not accept any cries of "slacker" but I will admit to being wimpy, sudddenly.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Have updated my log for October. Still in the challenge but November is looking difficult; in this cold, overcast, sometimes windy weather a 4-5 hour stint without a brief indoors respite is not appealing. I have already exceeded 10,000k this year so I will not accept any cries of "slacker" but I will admit to being wimpy, sudddenly.

Well done on passing the 10k mark: any assessments of wimpiness are solely in your own mind: harness that to refute your own inner voice whispering 'slacker'. The next week does look pretty poor: wind, cold, rain choose any two. I'm sure a window of 6 hours will open before Advent though I expect you'll need lights.
I (for one and I expect most) have not been able to review your 100km+ rides you've logged as you are 'just' updating a single post somewhere in the 'log my ride' thread. @Brandane 's OP says:

Please post your rides each month by adding an entire new post to the thread on each occasion.

I find the easiest way to do this is to click/quote my last entry, quote it in a new post, delete the super and sub-script (eg [ /QUOTE]) and then add this month's ride.

 

[gbs]

@Ajax: I don't think that yr analysis is right but many thanks for yr interest. FWIW, I think I have recently over-emphasised the numbers - solo riding to achieve a numerical target rather than for enjoyment. So, two changes forthwith: 1) I will arrange covid compliant rides with singleton others whilst awaiting the revival of my local grupretto 2) I have ordered a gravel bike to give me another perspective on solo riding.

As for the log: I am on p 1or 2 of the relevant subforum and every month I edit my entry with an update. This, I think, complies with the instruction that you quote but I can accept that my method is somewhat obscure. I will try yr alternative at the end of November.

 

[13 rider]

November's done . Set off this morning hoping to get 100 km in but planned a loop with plenty of bail outs if the forecast rain arrived . Got to 32 miles before the rain jacket was required only rained for 45 mins and got home in glorious . 62.6 miles in the bag and another month down .

 

[Ajax Bay]

Well done indeedy, @13 rider . Bit windy, I take it.

 

[13 rider]

Well done indeedy, @13 rider . Bit windy, I take it.

Yes . Did my usual non conventional tailwind out ,loop round and headwind home .Last 18 miles up the Wreake valley block headwind . If I done it the other way I would have bailed early but doing my way you have to force yourself home

 

[Jenkins]

I was hoping to complete this month's challenge tomorrow with a ride up to Lowestoft assisted by a predicted southerly breeze, but thanks to a lousy night's sleep I was up and about early today so got it done a day early. Somehow managed the ride in 3hr40mins, but it was only 1.5hrs quicker coming home by train!

 

[Ajax Bay]

@Sea of vapours, post: 6186895, member: 40301"]
@KingswayRider, post: 6192811, member: 100615"]
@Goonerobes, post: 6195890, member: 30410"]
@13 rider, post: 6197811, member: 39142"]
@Jenkins, post: 6200510, member: 13703"]
All above complete with November's ride - where is @cosmicbike when needed?
Who else needs encouragement to get out there for a swift 100 in the next seven days?
@Sbudge @gbs

 

[gbs]

Ajax, thanks for the timely reminder. I took my eye off the ball yesterday. A ride to Brighton covered 93k but I stopped early to see the Wales v England match on TV. Can't ride today but will try on Monday.

 

[gbs]

A 101k ride in the Thames Valley was completed in v gloomy conditions today, 30.11. Skin of teeth and all that.

 

[cyberknight]

I doubt i shall get a 100 k in for the rest of the year
Mrs ck rota at work has gone tits up since it went computerized and shes working most weekends, add on that the lockdown means unless you like takeaway cafes theres not many facilities open on top of the weather

 

[Ajax Bay]

Who else needs encouragement to get out there for a swift 100 in the next seven days?
@Sbudge @gbs

Well done, both @Sbudge @gbs last gasping.
I, too, truncated my ride on Saturday to get back for the rugby . My procrastinating fault: I should have set out an hour earlier.