Three 30-minute rides each week of the year 2026 challenge

[FrothNinja]

W18R1 - 35 minutes - Mon - Preston & Burnley local miles
W18R2 - 44 minutes - Fri - local miles
W18R3 - 38 minutes - Sun - local miles

From Friday's ride - orchids used to grow here within the last 12 months

 

[bluenotebob]

It started raining here on 2nd May and it hasn’t stopped … rain, thunderstorms, light rain, heavy rain, showers, drizzle, more thunderstorms. It’s going to carry on raining until at least 23rd May (with one exception: Tuesday 12th May – I hope to get a decent ride in then).

No photos this week as I won’t carry my camera when it’s so wet.


Week 19: 3 local rides over 30 mins; 7.52 hours on the bike; distance cycled 110.93km (471m of Ascent)

Ride 1: Thursday 7th May – HMCAM ride on the Crosshill: 63.41km, 4 hrs 11 mins
Ride 2: Friday 8th May (1) – local ride on the MASSI: 18.26km, 1 hr 17 mins
Ride 3: Friday 8th May (2) – VV ride on the Princess: 29.26km, 2 hrs 3 mins

 

[FrothNinja]

W19R1 - 48 minutes - Mon- local miles
W19R2 - 1 hour 10 minutes - Tues - Preston, Colne & Burnley local miles
W19R3 - 46 minutes - Thur- local miles
W19R4 - 35 minutes - Fri - local miles
W19R5 - 33 minutes - Sun - local miles

From Tuesday's ride - Barrowford locks

 

[Jon George]

Week 19
The bare minimum this week. I went down with a cold on Thursday and didn't want to be doing much of anything. Which has continued into today ...

Mon 4th 60 mins Rushmere St Andrew – Westerfield
Tues 5th 50 mins Sainsbury’s via Kesgrave and Foxhall
Weds 6th 50 mins Nacton Via Gainsborough Road and Ravenswood - Sainsbury’s

A field of Lacy Phacelia near Bucklesham. (I had to look this plant up - apparently it's used as a kind of 'green manure' that's ploughed back into the field.)

 

[bluenotebob]

A field of Lacy Phacelia near Bucklesham. (I had to look this plant up - apparently it's used as a kind of 'green manure' that's ploughed back into the field.)

Something like that is grown around here too - a variety of alf-alfa or lucerne.

Photo below from a couple of weeks ago

I hope you shake off your cold soon.

 

[FrothNinja]

Think its my first 7 qualifying rides week of the year. Probably go out for another ride this arvo but doubt it will qualify - wrong! it did just squeek in.
W20R1 - 4 hours 19 minutes - Mon- Brierfield to Clitheroe return then tedious Burnley miles to get the numbers up (total 31.6 miles / 50.9 km, plus 797m / 2,615ft)
W20R2 - 34 minutes - Tues - Preston & Burnley local moist miles
W20R3 - 38 minutes - Weds - soggy times in Maryport
W20R4 - 51 minutes - Thurs - Preston & Colne local miles
W20R5 - 54 minutes - Thurs - Colne, Burnley local, gravel, soggy miles
W20R6 - 46 minutes - Fri - Burnley, Colne local, gravel, miles
W20R7 - 1 hour 1 minutes - Fri - Colne, Foulridge, Barrowford, Blacko, Roughlee, Noggarth, Brierfield, Burnley - reet lumpy miles
W20R8 - 32 minutes - Sun - local miles and dodged a sun shower

My wheels (well not actually mine) for rides 5 and 6

 

[bluenotebob]

I’m bowing out of this year’s challenge: I’ve only done one ride this week – 24km on Tuesday (a long way short of the 92km ride that I’d planned).

A combination of factors has contributed: dreadful weather (incessant rain and wind), other commitments and a deep-rooted tiredness that I’m struggling to overcome.

I doubt that I’ll return to this challenge in future years as I explained last month in the Lunacy Distance Chatzone.

Good luck to both of you for the remainder of 2026 – and beyond.

 

[FrothNinja]

I’m bowing out of this year’s challenge: I’ve only done one ride this week – 24km on Tuesday (a long way short of the 92km ride that I’d planned).

A combination of factors has contributed: dreadful weather (incessant rain and wind), other commitments and a deep-rooted tiredness that I’m struggling to overcome.

I doubt that I’ll return to this challenge in future years as I explained last month in the Lunacy Distance Chatzone.

Good luck to both of you for the remainder of 2026 – and beyond.

Sorry to hear that. Always miss peoples input and support when they leave the challenge.
I begin to suspect that this challenge is a lot tougher than it looks like on the surface.
If we included the rides were people don't step into the fresh air, it would probably have masses of followers.
The last few weeks are the wettest I have been in the years I have been doing the challenge.
I have now been without a car for just shy of six months so I have had little choice. I haven't ridden the full way into the office lately, but even commuting by train I have a smidge over half an hour of pedaling (unless I go stupidly fast which would be dangerous in Preston). The train/bike combo is my wet weather alternative and I have used it most weeks recently.
No direct train to Clitheroe, so if I am working out around there, it's often faster on two wheels - especially if I go on the eBike for the climbs.
Have you ever contemplated going electric? There are a few ex-pro riders (in their 70s and 80s now) round here who have started using them and the ones I have heard comment on it say they are grateful for the ability to get out again without crippling themselves. Not sure one of them actually needs it, he's still climbs better than I do when riding without e-assistance. None of them would be riding eBikes if they had an alternative on long rides or rides with a lot of busy roads.
Hope you keep an eye on our progress even if you can't participate. Can be a hard decision to put your health first.
Good luck with the Lunacy challenge.

 

[FrothNinja]

Week 19
The bare minimum this week. I went down with a cold on Thursday and didn't want to be doing much of anything. Which has continued into today ...

Mon 4th 60 mins Rushmere St Andrew – Westerfield
Tues 5th 50 mins Sainsbury’s via Kesgrave and Foxhall
Weds 6th 50 mins Nacton Via Gainsborough Road and Ravenswood - Sainsbury’s

A field of Lacy Phacelia near Bucklesham. (I had to look this plant up - apparently it's used as a kind of 'green manure' that's ploughed back into the field.)

View attachment 807784

Nearly twice as much time rolling than my bare minimum, which is usually sub 2 hours.

 

[bluenotebob]

Hope you keep an eye on our progress even if you can't participate. Can be a hard decision to put your health first.

Thanks for the thoughts.

Yes: I'll keep watching this thread.

About an eBike ... I'm often asked that. It really doesn't appeal (for lots of reasons) but perhaps that will change in future years.

 

[Jon George]

Week 20
11th 50 mins Nacton Via Gainsborough Road and Ravenswood (egg run) - Sainsbury’s
12th 80 mins Woodbridge – Hasketon – Woodbridge
16th 60 mins Quizzing around town

Not a top week this week, as well, but recovery from cold seems just about there.

No photo from my rides, but I thought you wouldn't all mind a selfie. The Ipswich Art Society has it's 147th Open Art Exhibition on and I'm really pleased to have had my two abstract impressionism paintings - Kirton Bridleway 2024 and By Sproughton Lock (both initially inspired by photos I've taken whilst out my bike) - selected for this year.

 

[FrothNinja]

The Ipswich Art Society has it's 147th Open Art Exhibition on and I'm really pleased to have had my two abstract impressionism paintings - Kirton Bridleway 2024 and By Sproughton Lock (both initially inspired by photos I've taken whilst out my bike) - selected for this year.

Congratulations!

 

[Jon George]

Week 21
Mon 18th 60mins Off-road around Ravenswood
Tues 19th 100mins Off-road around Ravenswood and Nacton
Weds 20th 40mins Kesgrave
Fri 22nd 45mins Off-road around Ravenswood
Sat 23rd 50mins Off-road around Ravenswood and Nacton
Sun 24th 105mins Quizzing around town

The rhododendrons were well and truly out at Nacton on Saturday.

 

[FrothNinja]

W21R1 - 37 minutes - Tues- local miles
W21R2 - 40 minutes - Weds - local miles
W21R3 - 46 minutes - Thurs - local miles
W21R4 - 2 hours 33 minutes - Fri - Brierfield, Fence, Ridge, Sabden, Whalley, Langho, Whalley, Sabden, Ridge, Fence, Brierfield, Haggate, Thursden Valley etc off road, Nelson, Burnley (total 37.7 miles / 62.1 km, plus 1,095 m / 3,593 ft ascent)
W21R5 - 37 minutes - Sat - local miles
W21R6 - 2 hours 4 minutes - Sun - Clarion Thursden figure of 8 - topped up Friday's sunburn

 

[sevenfourate]

I begin to suspect that this challenge is a lot tougher than it looks like on the surface.

This thread sparked my train of thought / interest quite some time ago. And I’m under no illusion how difficult this would be. For me. And many others by so few takers ?

On paper: 3 qualifying rides a week seems an achievable; almost trivial task. And in decent weather and months of long daylight days that would be straightforward. And a lot of fun.

But - I typically work 50+ hours a week. (at work 6am until 4.30pm). Throw in travel, eating, a bath now and again, an early daily dog-walk - and maybe even some food and sleep….where would I fit in a couple of weekday rides semi-easily ? It would likely have to be 7pm+ at night. In February when it’s pitch black, freezing cold and lashing it down ? Sounds lush.

And if these cold, wet conditions were to be my rides: then there would certainly be cleaning, lubrication and maintenance to be done around those. So a ‘simple’ 1/2 hour ride could be as much as 1.5 hours (?) time invested with changing, riding, cleaning etc, a shower if wet and soaked ,changing back again blah blah.

Where in the heck am I going to fit that into a day that’s already got perhaps 16 hours accounted for………without killing myself ? *That’s what weekends are for ?

Slightly easier for retired folk of course. But still no small task - and anyone who manages this for a full year has gone to Herculean effort and given up plenty of other things at some point. Kudos say i 💪