The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[GuyBoden]

My July 100km starts at 1000 tomorrow (Friday) and, legs, body etc willing finishes 1007km completed on Monday lunchtime. Weather much better (as forecast) than last year. Full moon and Friday and Saturday nights are forecast pretty clear. Friday night is cold: 5 degrees at Hawes at 0400 Saturday early so I wonder what it'll be like at the top of Buttertubs at 5?
Mille Pennines
1000km cycling audax
Start: Blackpool (Bispham), Lancashire. Controls at Arnside (59), Whinlatter Pass (130), Seascale (175), Sedbergh (251), Hawes (276), Stanhope (347), Kielder (435), Langholm (475) , Penrith (537), Sedburgh (585), Yarm (681), Robin Hood's Bay (743), Ripon (841), Sedburgh (924) with finish at Bispham (1002).
Fri 7 Jul: Bispham (round Lake District) > Sedburgh 251 km (sunset 2144, moonrise 2008)
Sat 8 Jul: Sedbergh - Sedburgh 334 km (northern Pennines/southern Scotland/A6 to Shap) (sunrise 0446, sunset 2150, moonrise 2101)
Sun 9 Jul: Sedbergh - Sedburgh 339 km (North York Moors) (sunrise 0448, sunset 2133, moonrise 2129 (full!), sunrise (Ripon!) 0444, moonset 0609)
Mon 10 Jul: Sedbergh - Bispham 77 km (Eden Valley/Fylde)

Fantastic..............

 

[ColinJ]

Proper hot out there today. Out with a work colleague to get my ride in this month. I had a nice route planned and it all went very nicely indeed, including the cake At 72.3 miles the longest ride I've ever done, and what a day to do it

Sounds great - well done!

It's depressingly cool and grey up here today. I haven't made the effort to get out so far today, but I am going stir crazy so I think I might just nip out for an hour on my singlespeed bike this evening and try to get a decent longer ride in over the next few days.

 

[GuyBoden]

Proper hot out there today. Out with a work colleague to get my ride in this month. I had a nice route planned and it all went very nicely indeed, including the cake At 72.3 miles the longest ride I've ever done, and what a day to do it

That's great stuff............ well done

 

[graham bowers]

Just uploaded 10 centuries as I didn't have access to this account after passing home on my End to End.

 

[GuyBoden]

Just uploaded 10 centuries as I didn't have access to this account after passing home on my End to End.

Excellent, well done on your LEJOG ride.

 

[graham bowers]

Excellent, well done on your LEJOG ride.

Thanks :-))

 

[tallliman]

Ahem ... @tallliman

Posting a bunch of Strava links just isn't cricket.

will update it when I get some time. I struggle to update it all from my phone and add lots of detail.

 

[Sea of vapours]

7-10 Jul: 1018km + 11915m: Mille Pennines audax - Blackpool, Arnside (59), Whinlatter Pass (130), Seascale (173), Sedbergh (249), Hawes (275), Stanhope (346), Kielder (439), Langholm (479) , Penrith (541), Sedburgh (600), Yarm (694), Robin Hood's Bay (757), Ripon (853), Sedburgh (938), Blackpool (Bispham)

Congratulations on completing that. Quite a serious jaunt! You did the track from Tan Hill towards Barnard Castle then. How was that in terms of surface?

 

[Ajax Bay]

You did the track from Tan Hill towards Barnard Castle then. How was that in terms of surface?

The Sleightholme Moor Road from Tan Hill towards Bowes
As assessed (by others) on the other thread, it was fine. Potholes to negotiate but otherwise firm gravel. All hazards obvious as one approached eg: a few stony bits to slow down for, and one gate, but I would ride it anytime. I was on 26mm wide tyres with a heavyish (17kg with load) bike (74kg rider) and I reckon I averaged ~15kph for the 4 km. From the farm, where the tarmac starts, there's a long section of beautifully metaled road to allow a fast yet gentle descent towards Bowes.
On the linked thread there's a video of a guy doing it uphill on a motorcycle and other images. Also some good pictures of several sections if you search on yacf (author= Deano)

 

[Sea of vapours]

That looks pretty good. In fact - and I've not watched the video - the photos generally look rather better, certainly more consistent, than the easterly of the two roads up Oxnop Scar from Swaledale and that is nominally metalled. (It's a road consisting of tarmac, grass, holes, considerable steepness and seven gates in about 3km which I made the mistake of including in a route once). Thanks - I shall give that a go sometime.

 

[Fiona R]

July 100km done but I should have done another 100 solo on 29th June from Penrith to Settle by bike and back by train, but the weather was so atrocious I didn't dare risk flooded potholes. Had a great route planned thanks to @Sea of vapours help on killer A roads of the truck variety not hill variety.

Then there was the planned Tour de Lakes on 1/2nd July from Penrith that should have been two more substantial metrics. Totally unforecast weather inc strong headwind all day (southerly through Shap to Kendal then westerly to Windermere and Broughton), and then the heavens opening later on on the wild tops of the Furness peninsula means we only made Broughton in Furness and 93km and 1500m It was 5.30 and we were supposed to be in Wasdale but still had 30km and 800m to go with hypothermia (almost) A farce ensued of getting hold of my dad in Wasdale at a hut with no mobile signal from Broughton with no mobile signal. Borrowing landline from a pub, who would not serve any food as fully booked, as was everywhere else so we were starving too! Never had to be rescued before and the rest of the loop on Sunday from Wasdale to Cockermouth and back to Penrith was abandoned as we all just went back to mum and dad's in Penrith and got fish and chips.

Been reading @ColinJ epic report of the same day in N Yorks. I thought ours was bad, he surpassed it big time! However the wait for the fish was so long we thought they had sent a trawler out but it was well worth waiting for.

 

[ColinJ]

July 100km done but I should have done another 100 solo on 29th June from Penrith to Settle by bike and back by train, but the weather was so atrocious I didn't dare risk flooded potholes. Had a great route planned thanks to @Sea of vapours help on killer A roads of the truck variety not hill variety.

Then there was the planned Tour de Lakes on 1/2nd July from Penrith that should have been two more substantial metrics. Totally unforecast weather inc strong headwind all day (southerly through Shap to Kendal then westerly to Windermere and Broughton), and then the heavens opening later on on the wild tops of the Furness peninsula means we only made Broughton in Furness and 93km and 1500m It was 5.30 and we were supposed to be in Wasdale but still had 30km and 800m to go with hypothermia (almost) A farce ensued of getting hold of my dad in Wasdale at a hut with no mobile signal from Broughton with no mobile signal. Borrowing landline from a pub, who would not serve any food as fully booked, as was everywhere else so we were starving too! Never had to be rescued before and the rest of the loop on Sunday from Wasdale to Cockermouth and back to Penrith was abandoned as we all just went back to mum and dad's in Penrith and got fish and chips.

Been reading @ColinJ epic report of the same day in N Yorks. I thought ours was bad, he surpassed it big time! However the wait for the fish was so long we thought they had sent a trawler out but it was well worth waiting for.

Ha ha ... but it is fun looking back on it once clean, dry, fed and rested!

 

[Fiona R]

Ha ha ... but it is fun looking back on it once clean, dry, fed and rested!

The ones to recount once the second bottle of wine has been opened!

I have been giggling like a teenager recounting your tale to OH, like a parallel universe going on that evening!

 

[Fiona R]

Surprised myself by managing the planned 200km Plains Trains and no more Automobiles audax yesterday, (a sqaure route from Bristol (Warmley) Steonhenge Radstock Bristol) given my awful preparation. Rode most of it on my own, as slow, heck of a headwind westbound from Stonehenge. Can highly recomend this one for scenery. I did really well on the drinking constantly, fuelling regularly except I made the mistake of pushing on with 20km to go and hitting the wall 5km from the end. My legs were ok, my brain would not connect with my legs and I walked a tiny incline actually in Warmley Parish after standing on the pavement eating a Nakd bar and drinking the last of my electrolyte solution looking at the little slope having no idea how I would get back! But I did. My first 200km audax

 

[steverob]

So I reckon on this being the current 'still in' list, let me know if you're not...

@cosmicbike
@Sea of vapours
@Dogtrousers
@ColinJ
@Donger
@Milkfloat
@Lilliburlero
@steverob
@Rickshaw Phil
@Osprey
@GuyBoden
@Goonerobes
@Ajax Bay
@tallliman
@Sbudge
@StuartG
@13 rider
@Cranky Knee Girl

I'm out - no May or June rides due to my injuries.

However, as I am considering doing a 100km ride this weekend (first since my crash, have already managed a few 50 milers this month) if I do, I might post it in the Metric Century thread anyway. Yes, I know I'm not eligible for the challenge now, but it'll be motivation to keep me going for the rest of the year - would be interesting to see if I could have managed all 12 months if I hadn't crashed.