The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I may need my head examining... 3rd one this month? 135km this time - and some data is missing. went over to Failsworth and back to see the in-laws.... rain held off, but it did get as black as night at one point and around Tatton Park front and rear lights were needed to be see under those trees. Even cars were disappearing into the gloom. Some idiot of a woman tried to kill me in Tatton Park, my right of way, I'm going straight on, she's at a give way line and almost as late as possible, she pulls out across the front of me. I was in primary, not indicating and had my front (off-road) light on. She had seen and looked me in the eye and pulled out! Even the vehicle behind her didn't move (thankfully) because that was the only place I had left to go to - behind her with a rather violent swerve (not to mention some language that can't be repeated...) thankfully I didn't come off, and my OH who has behind me had enough time to react to avoid her as well... onlookers were left wondering WTF though. Thankfully, the rest of the journey was uneventful and the roads pretty quiet - minor yell at a mtb'er who decided that he was not going to pass me on by sticking to the left on a cycle path (alongside the A556)... Am I the only person who stays left on 2 way cycle paths and expects to pass oncoming bikes in the same manner as a road? (no pedestrian or shared use, just bikes - pedestrians have their own segregated lane).... slowish time, but hey ho... average of 20.6kph but there was a gusty headwind for the last 66km home...knackered now... Got a QOM as well, but curiously whilst strava sees me as having the QOM when I go to the leaderboard I don't feature on it! ... http://www.strava.com/activities/184828906

 

[Fubar]

I may need my head examining... 3rd one this month? 135km this time - and some data is missing. went over to Failsworth and back to see the in-laws.... rain held off, but it did get as black as night at one point and around Tatton Park front and rear lights were needed to be see under those trees. Even cars were disappearing into the gloom. Some idiot of a woman tried to kill me in Tatton Park, my right of way, I'm going straight on, she's at a give way line and almost as late as possible, she pulls out across the front of me. I was in primary, not indicating and had my front (off-road) light on. She had seen and looked me in the eye and pulled out! Even the vehicle behind her didn't move (thankfully) because that was the only place I had left to go to - behind her with a rather violent swerve (not to mention some language that can't be repeated...) thankfully I didn't come off, and my OH who has behind me had enough time to react to avoid her as well... onlookers were left wondering WTF though. Thankfully, the rest of the journey was uneventful and the roads pretty quiet - minor yell at a mtb'er who decided that he was not going to pass me on by sticking to the left on a cycle path (alongside the A556)... Am I the only person who stays left on 2 way cycle paths and expects to pass oncoming bikes in the same manner as a road? (no pedestrian or shared use, just bikes - pedestrians have their own segregated lane).... slowish time, but hey ho... average of 20.6kph but there was a gusty headwind for the last 66km home...knackered now... Got a QOM as well, but curiously whilst strava sees me as having the QOM when I go to the leaderboard I don't feature on it! ... http://www.strava.com/activities/184828906

One thing putting me off sportives now is the amount of cyclists who think it is acceptable to "undertake" on the left, just because it is a closed road event!?! Like you I think rules of the road, no matter where you are actually cycling.

Scary stuff with the driver, even looking them in the eye sometimes has no effects - I think they are programmed to think "cyclist, I've got plenty time..."

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

One thing putting me off sportives now is the amount of cyclists who think it is acceptable to "undertake" on the left, just because it is a closed road event!?! Like you I think rules of the road, no matter where you are actually cycling.

Scary stuff with the driver, even looking them in the eye sometimes has no effects - I think they are programmed to think "cyclist, I've got plenty time..."

glad I am not the only one re: following the rules.

I have no issues with cars undertaking me in one way streets and the likes - we have exactly that situation in Northwich where there is a 'ring road' only rather like the M25 you have to turn off it to stay on it.. only you have to do this on the right, not the left! I can't show you the Google drive by thingy of it because Google still has it as a 2 way road and I have lived here over 2 years and never known it as Google has it.

 

[Brandane]

glad I am not the only one re: following the rules.

I have no issues with cars undertaking me in one way streets and the likes - we have exactly that situation in Northwich where there is a 'ring road' only rather like the M25 you have to turn off it to stay on it.. only you have to do this on the right, not the left! I can't show you the Google drive by thingy of it because Google still has it as a 2 way road and I have lived here over 2 years and never known it as Google has it.

This sounds like a section of the M8 in Glasgow. It's the only motorway I know where you have a slip road coming onto the motorway into the RIGHT hand lane! About a mile further on you have an exit sliproad leaving from the right hand lane . (Eastbound around the Charing cross/Townhead junctions).

Anyway, the reason I came onto this thread was to confess that my 100km a month challenge for 2014 has hit the buffers .
An on-going hip problem has put paid to it. Physio told me I could cycle but to keep it sensible. Turns out my liberal interpretation of "sensible" wasn't quite the same as hers .
I have noticed some improvement recently, now that I have gone truly sensible; so hopefully with a bit of patience I will be back for the 2015 challenge .

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This sounds like a section of the M8 in Glasgow. It's the only motorway I know where you have a slip road coming onto the motorway into the RIGHT hand lane! About a mile further on you have an exit sliproad leaving from the right hand lane . (Eastbound around the Charing cross/Townhead junctions).

Anyway, the reason I came onto this thread was to confess that my 100km a month challenge for 2014 has hit the buffers .
An on-going hip problem has put paid to it. Physio told me I could cycle but to keep it sensible. Turns out my liberal interpretation of "sensible" wasn't quite the same as hers .
I have noticed some improvement recently, now that I have gone truly sensible; so hopefully with a bit of patience I will be back for the 2015 challenge .

I know that section of Motorway well...

Unfortunately our version of easy and sensible never, ever ties in with what a physio thinks of as sensible or 'take it easy', but your hip is more important than 2014's challenge... best wishes and please look after it, says the person not very good at looking after her wrists...

 

[Fubar]

This sounds like a section of the M8 in Glasgow. It's the only motorway I know where you have a slip road coming onto the motorway into the RIGHT hand lane! About a mile further on you have an exit sliproad leaving from the right hand lane . (Eastbound around the Charing cross/Townhead junctions).

Anyway, the reason I came onto this thread was to confess that my 100km a month challenge for 2014 has hit the buffers .
An on-going hip problem has put paid to it. Physio told me I could cycle but to keep it sensible. Turns out my liberal interpretation of "sensible" wasn't quite the same as hers .
I have noticed some improvement recently, now that I have gone truly sensible; so hopefully with a bit of patience I will be back for the 2015 challenge .

I echo @SatNavSaysStraightOn comments, take it easy and hopefully you'll be back better than ever for next year!

I also know that slip lane at Charing Cross on the M8 well, used to travel from Fife to Glasgow every day - joining the 5 lanes of wall-to-wall traffic from the left then nudging your way to the right was interesting, along with watching out for those in the right lane using it to jump further into the queue on the left! Compared to that cycle commuting is a breeze...

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

This sounds like a section of the M8 in Glasgow. It's the only motorway I know where you have a slip road coming onto the motorway into the RIGHT hand lane! About a mile further on you have an exit sliproad leaving from the right hand lane . (Eastbound around the Charing cross/Townhead junctions).

<snip>.

Just remembered that they have now done the same with the M60. J25 around Stockport

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

This sounds like a section of the M8 in Glasgow. It's the only motorway I know where you have a slip road coming onto the motorway into the RIGHT hand lane! About a mile further on you have an exit sliproad leaving from the right hand lane . (Eastbound around the Charing cross/Townhead junctions).

Anyway, the reason I came onto this thread was to confess that my 100km a month challenge for 2014 has hit the buffers .
An on-going hip problem has put paid to it. Physio told me I could cycle but to keep it sensible. Turns out my liberal interpretation of "sensible" wasn't quite the same as hers .
I have noticed some improvement recently, now that I have gone truly sensible; so hopefully with a bit of patience I will be back for the 2015 challenge .

Sorry you've had to drop out. I hope the hip problem does get sorted and you can bounce back stronger for the coming year.

 

[Fubar]

Pleased with my effort today - 200k solo riding to Perth for the Highland Perthshire Challenge sportive (50 mile route) then riding back home again. My first 200k and longest ride, obviously. Headwind was sapping my energy near the end, but made it! Also fitting in at least 1 100k every week in August (5 in total) so I can rest easy tonight - hard work starts again next weekend!

 

[jayonabike]

Well thats me out.
Towards the end of July I put my back out which brought on sciatica. The Doc said the knot in my muscle was pushing on one of my vertebrae which was pushing on to my sciatic nerve.
The back sorted it self out weeks ago but I'm still getting pains in my leg. I was prescribed strong anti-inflammatory drugs as well as strong pain killers. Ive been off the bike for weeks (long rides) just cycling a couple of miles a day to work. I drive a lorry which probably doesn't help the healing process and by the end of my shift I'm limping and the pain is worse.
I went out yesterday with @toptom on a short loop of 28 miles, to see how I'd be and if I could bang out a 100km ride today. At first I felt good, nice to be out on the bike again but after 15 miles or so I was getting pains in my leg and having to slow down a bit. I still wasn't sure what to do about today so decided to sleep on it and see how I felt this morning. I woke up and knew straight away that I shouldn't of gone out yesterday as the pains were still fairly strong so no ride for me.
Fed up and really pi$$ed off with it all and can't see when I'll be banging out long sunday rides anytime soon.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Sorry you're out too @jayonabike. The same thought applies to you too - rest, recover and I hope you come back stronger for next year.

 

[Supersuperleeds]

Septembers done - a 250km one, completely knackered (took me three times to spell completely correctly, that is how knackered I am!) Fuller details will appear in the my ride today thread (Thank God for spellchecker)

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Not sure what day I did September's metric ride but it is also done and dusted. Am also sitting at the end of hadrians cycle way having just completed that as well... The 100 km was part of that. Probably have another 3 * 100 km days coming up in the next week as well

edit: too knackered today for another. 8 straight days of touring... 96.5 km including rather a lot off road... Somehow I feel like I haven't tried hard enough. WHY?

 

[Fubar]

Septembers' 100k and 100miler done in a oner (169k) on Saturday - wee ride up to Loch Earn and the Trossachs then loop back via Callendar and Stirling, last time I did this ride was in a group and it was snowing! Nicer weather this time but all solo, roughly the same time/speed so not too shabby. Still trying to figure out if 100-mile rides are for me, feels like a long day on the bike and not looking forward to winter!

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

Well September looks like it is going to be a good month for 100km rides for me

Did another one today 109km with large portion off road and tomorrow we do even more...

Today was from just outside of York to somewhere west of Barnsley via the trans pennine trail. Tomorrow it is up and over the woodhead pass following the TPT back to Warrington and then down the A49 to home...

We also passed the 1,000km mark for this holiday a touch earlier than expected due to having to find a supermarket... So the 1,000 km mark happened on day 12 just as we where cycling over the M1 of all places! not the most scenic of places but given some areas of Hull that we cycled through infinitely preferable