The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[ColinJ]

After a couple of weeks of coughing and spluttering, I had almost run out of time to get my November metric century in - it had to be today! Too bad that today today was the coldest day since last winter ...

I decided to play it safe and keep off the hills***. Not only did I not fancy riding up onto them, I also didn't fancy being out of the (slight) shelter of the valleys and fully exposed to a horrid, bitterly cold northerly wind. Unfortunately, sticking to the valleys not only meant putting up with a lot more traffic, it also meant that I was often looking up at distant hillsides bathed in sunshine while I slogged up and down roads in the chilly shadows of the hills.

Anyway, I completed the ride - 101 km in just under 5 hours. I managed to get 71 km into my ride before I started coughing. I thought that the cold air might start me off straight away, but no - I am clearly on the way to recovering from the chest infection. I'm hoping that I don't have an adverse reaction to my exertions. I feel a bit tired now, but otherwise not too bad.

I'm going to try and get my December ride in as early as I can in the month to avoid having to go through this again after Christmas!




*** The ride took place in lumpy West Yorkshire/Lancashire. Even though it was pretty much the easiest route I could find round here, I still accumulated over 1,000 metres of climbing in my 101 km!

 

[cosmicbike]

Only 1 more to go folks. I have planned mine for tomorrow, but suspect I may wimp out with the cold Northerly wind gusting to 30mph. It went right through me this morning at 0530hrs riding to work, and not sure I can deal with it for 4+ hours. Sunday looks better, so I may have to brave the weekend warriors....

 

[Milkfloat]

Phew, I made November’s on the last day, most unlike me who prefers to get one in early. Unfortunately this month I have been travelling the world, but only to sit in a variety of conference rooms, so opportunities to get out have been few and far between. I had to take a day off work to get November’s ride in, although it will be a day in lieu when I can be bothered to inform my boss.

So onto the ride, bloomin’ cold! Since my ‘off’ in Feb I had decided not to go out when it was below 3 or 4 degrees, well I had no choice to start at -1.5 and decided to stay on the gritted roads for a couple of hours. Unfortunately this took me through morning rush hour, which as well as dicing with far more close passes than my usual commute, meant lots of stop start traffic, so no chance to warm up. After a while I was out of the towns and into the countryside, but still on fast A and B roads, when I much prefer a quiet country road, still better than ice skating on Conti’s. A brutal headwind kept me cursing for an hour or so and the bugger got me later also on the turn home as a bit of an easterly. I was not amused. Some new roads (by bike) for me as I decided to do a big loop around Coventry, somewhere I usually avoid, some ok roads and some not so great, I don’t think I will hurry back. After 40 miles my Garmin gave me a low battery warming, even though it was fully charged when I left. I immediately turned off Bluetooth and my sensors which allowed me to just make it home with 1% remaining. I think I will do a system reset to fix that.

For Decembers ride, I have some time off between Christmas and the New Year, so if I cannot squeeze in a longer ride in the next couple of weeks I should have ample opportunity.

 

[ColinJ]

After 40 miles my Garmin gave me a low battery warming, even though it was fully charged when I left. I immediately turned off Bluetooth and my sensors which allowed me to just make it home with 1% remaining. I think I will do a system reset to fix that.

Maybe the cold got to the battery?

Funnily enough, my Garmin Edge 500 indicated that it had only used 16% of its power in my (approximately) 5 hour ride. I'm fairly sure that it could never last over 30 hours on one charge so I'm not sure what was going on there!

 

[Milkfloat]

Maybe the cold got to the battery?

Funnily enough, my Garmin Edge 500 indicated that it had only used 16% of its power in my (approximately) 5 hour ride. I'm fairly sure that it could never last over 30 hours on one charge so I'm not sure what was going on there!

I always get ‘range anxiety’ after 6 or 7 hours on my long rides and tend to run with the backlight off, but after less than 2.5 hours was a shock. The only thing different was using my watch as a heart rate sensor. Maybe that was it.

 

[ColinJ]

I always get ‘range anxiety’ after 6 or 7 hours on my long rides and tend to run with the backlight off, but after less than 2.5 hours was a shock. The only thing different was using my watch as a heart rate sensor. Maybe that was it.

It doesn't sound long!

One of the things that I like about the old Etrex GPS devices is that run for 24+ hours on one pair of AA batteries. As long as I remember to charge the batteries once a week for normal riding, that is fine. For long rides, I make sure they are freshly charged. One of the things I DON'T like about the Edge 500 is its fixed battery/shortish battery life. I had mine conk out on me in June as we rode back into Manchester at the end of my 200 km Cheshire forum ride.

 

[13 rider]

Completed December's done nice and early . Cold and a windy ride but challenge be done

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Completed December's done nice and early . Cold and a windy ride but challenge be done

Well done. I decided to delay mine a day or two based on the cold and windy forecast. Feeling frustrated now as it isn't actually that bad here.

 

[13 rider]

Well done. I decided to delay mine a day or two based on the cold and windy forecast. Feeling frustrated now as it isn't actually that bad here.

Going for the Imperial tomorrow

 

[cosmicbike]

Completed December's done nice and early . Cold and a windy ride but challenge be done

Well done Afraid I bottled out, and did decorating and cooking instead. It seems I have a pass out Sunday so fingers crossed for less wind.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Going for the Imperial tomorrow

Tomorrow you've got someone to drag you round it though

 

[13 rider]

Tomorrow you've got someone to drag you round it though

I might need it

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I might need it

Need to persuade @Lilliburlero to do the full ride then

 

[GuyBoden]

I've done my easy flat Cheshire ride for Dec today, so I've completed the 100km a month challenge.

I'm lucky that Cheshire is mainly flat and usually has slightly warmer weather than further North. The riders who are further North and ride up hills deserve full praise, my rides are so easy in comparison...........

 

[Sea of vapours]

I'll be leaving mine until it's quite a lot more than the far from toasty minus 3.5C that it was outside my house at ten this morning, though all the whiteness is very pretty :-)