Three 30-minute rides each week of the year Challenge 2023

[FrothNinja]

W43R1 - Centurion 5 speed 31 mins - local miles
W43R2 - Hybrid 1 hour 3 mins - Out to LBS the very long way round (ie via Foulridge and Laneshaw Bridge)
W43R3 - Centurion 5 speed 30 mins - local miles
W43R4 - CX 1 hour 2 mins - Burnley, Brierfield, Nelson, Barrowford, Wheatley Lane, Fence, Quaker Bridge, Burnley
W43R5 - Centurion 5 speed 35 mins - local miles
W43R6 - Hybrid 46 mins - More or less direct return from LBS into a soggy wind
W43R7 - Hybrid 1 hour 22 mins - Extended Clarion run - over 500m of ascent!!

 

[ColinJ]

The first time that I had to do 2 rides on a Sunday to hit my target! I would have done one of them yesterday but a friend turned up and distracted me.

I feel like I need to squeeze some longer rides in before the weather turns really nasty and we have even shorter hours of daylight. It would be nice to boost my distance up to over 4,000 km by the end of the year, but I will have to make more effort than usual to achieve that.

Week 43: 3 qualifying rides, 30 km, 1.5 hrs.

• Ride 1 (Wed): 9 km. Lumpy local loop. 0.5 hr.
• Ride 2 (Sun): 12 km. A646 to Cliviger Gorge and back. 0.5 hr.
• Ride 3 (Sun): 9 km. Lumpy local loop. 0.5 hr.

Success rate: 43 weeks out of 43.

144 qualifying rides so far this year, totalling 3,153 km, and taking approximately 198.25 hrs.

*** All rides done in 42/15 on 6-er ***

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 44 (30th October to 5th November)

Week 44 – ride 1 (Mon) – 1 hr 7 mins – Devison, Plaisance, SBdM and Mainguy: on the Urban Shaper
Week 44 – ride 2 (Tues) – 1 hr 12 mins – SBdM, Kerminy, Evriguet and Plaisance: on La Rossa
Week 44 – ride 3 (Tues) – 49 mins – a Devison loop: on the RAID
Week 44 – ride 4 (Wed) – 45 mins – a very windy Pontmenard loop, ahead of Storm Ciaran: on the MASSI
Week 44 – ride 5 (Wed) – 37 mins – local lanes – even windier: on the RAID
Week 44 – ride 6 (Thurs) – 44 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the MASSI

 

[FrothNinja]

W44R1 - Centurion 5 speed 31 mins - local miles
W44R2 - Centurion 5 speed 2 hour 18 mins - loads and loads of local laps but less than 100m ascent (total 60.7 km / 37.7 miles plus bugger all ascent)
W44R3 - CX 1 hour 10 mins - Clarion run

 

[ColinJ]

Week 44: 3 qualifying rides, 39km, 2 hrs.

• Ride 1 (Wed): 11 km. Extended lumpy local loop. 0.5 hr.
• Ride 2 (Fri): 12 km. Extended lumpy local loop. 0.5 hr.
• Ride 3 (Sun): 16 km. Extended and much lumpier local loop via Mankinholes/Lumbutts. (Nearly 300 m of ascent.) 1.0 hr.

Success rate: 44 weeks out of 44.

147 qualifying rides so far this year, totalling 3,192 km, and taking approximately 200.25 hrs.

*** All rides done in 42/15 on 6-er except for 42/23 and 42/29 on steep M/L climb on Sunday ***

 

[ColinJ]

Week 45: 3 qualifying rides, 33km, 2 hrs.

• Ride 1 (Wed): 12 km. Extended lumpy local loop. 0.75 hr.
• Ride 2 (Fri): 11 km. Extended lumpy local loop. 0.75 hr.
• Ride 3 (Sat): 10 km. Lumpier local loop. 0.5 hr.

Success rate: 45 weeks out of 45.

150 qualifying rides so far this year, totalling 3,225 km, and taking approximately 202.25 hrs.

*** All rides done in 42/15 on 6-er ***

 

[FrothNinja]

W45R1 - CX 56 mins - Belle Vue, Monkmoor, Ditherington, tow path to Uffington then back to Ditherington, south along the west bank of the Severn, Cherry Orchard, Underdale, Belle Vue, Meole Brace
W45R2 - CX 1 hour 12 mins - Meole Brace, Belle Vue, Abbey Foregate, The Quarry (swarms of rude jogging idiots not looking where they were going), Berwick, Leaton, Berwick, Shrewsbury, Monkmoor, Abbey Foregate, Belle Vue, Meole Brace
W45R3 - Centurion 32 mins - local miles

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 45 (6th November to 12th November)

Week 45 – ride 1 (Mon) – 1 hr 1 min – SBdM, Mainguy, Devison and SBdM: on the RAID
Week 45 – ride 2 (Tues) – 1 hr 42 mins – SBdM, Evriguet, la Corbinais, la Riaye, Brignac, SBdM and la Plaisance: on La Rossa
Week 45 – ride 3 (Thurs) – 40 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the RAID
Week 45 – ride 4 (Fri) – 1 hr 11 mins – Devison, Geffray, SBdM and la Justice: on the MASSI
Week 45 – ride 6 (Sat) – 2 hrs 6 mins – SBdM, Evriguet, la Corbinais, la Ville Jallu, Ménéac, la Cotinaie, Brignac and SBdM: on La Rossa
Week 45 – ride 7 (Sun) – 1 hr 11 mins – Devison, SBdM, la Plaisance and Pontmenard: on the Princess

 

[ColinJ]

I don’t understand why you aren’t on the local canal more often .. is that because your MTB is out of action again? Is that the CAADX you refer to above?

I forgot to reply to that!

Actually, the MTB IS out of action, awaiting a couple of new chainrings. I thought that I had spares for all 3 but could only find a spare middle ring. I will have to have another search or just buy new ones.

I am hoping that the Canals & Rivers Trust upgrade the unrideable bridges over the weirs on the Rochdale canal to make the towpath better for cycling. I really don't like cycling over the cobbled weirs themselves except when they are very dry because hazardous defects in the cobbles are hidden and they can be slippery.

Thinking about it... I could use the MTB to get up some of the horribly steep roads that put me off the road bikes. The MTB has such low gearing that 20% gradients are not much of a problem. It is also very comfortable to ride on rough surfaces.

The CAADX is my Cannondale CX/adventure/gravel bike...

Unfortunately, that is out of action too and has been for over 3 years. I saw a recall notice from Cannondale admitting that there have been catastrophic fork failures with this model leading to at least 9 or 10 life-changing injuries and 1 fatality! Cannondale say that a dealer will replace the fork but I haven't been able to find a bike shop anywhere in the area who can/will do the job. I gave up during the Covid lockdowns but I will have to try again. If necessary I will see if Cannondale will supply me with a fork if I sign a disclaimer saying that I fit it at my own risk.

 

[ColinJ]

Week 46: 3 qualifying rides, 31 km, 1.75 hrs.

• Ride 1 (Thu): 9km. Lumpy local loop. 0.5 hr.
• Ride 2 (Fri): 11 km. Extended lumpy local loop. 0.75 hr.
• Ride 3 (Sun): 11 km. Flat local loop on main valley roads in miserably wet conditions just to get my 3rd ride in! 0.5 hr.

Success rate: 46 weeks out of 46.

153 qualifying rides so far this year, totalling 3,256 km, and taking approximately 204 hrs.

*** All rides done in 42/15 on 6-er ***

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 46 (13th November to 19th November)

Week 46 – ride 1 (Tues) – 1 hr 4 mins – Devison and SBdM: on the MASSI
Week 46 – ride 2 (Thurs) – 1 hr 10 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the MASSI. I cycled while my nephew walked – a breathtaking average speed of 6.09 kph !
Week 46 – ride 3 (Fri) – 2 hrs 28 mins – off-roading in the Forêt de Paimpont: on the MASSI

I fell off the bike coming down a steep and slippery slope just before the end of this ride. No way I could have ridden on Saturday but, even though I’m battered and bruised, I managed a couple of rides on Sunday….despite the occasional 40+mph gusts of wind.

Week 46 – ride 4 (Sun) – 1 hr 17 mins – Devison, SBdM and la Justice: on the MASSI.
Week 46 – ride 5 (Sun) – 47 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the RAID

 

[FrothNinja]

W46R1 - Centurion 32 mins - local miles
W46R2 - CX 33 mins - in and around Maryport and coast.
W46R3 - CX 3 hours 10 mins - over the hills and up the corkscrew to Coalburn, West Toun, over Poniel Water past power station then along the old railway through Douglas West then eventually back to Douglas, Happendon, Lesmahagow, Boghead, Deadwaters, then long way round to my starting point. ( 59.9 km / 37.2 miles plus 1,842 ft / 561 m ascent) Piddled down the whole 3 + hours we were out

 

[FrothNinja]

Week 46 (13th November to 19th November)

Week 46 – ride 1 (Tues) – 1 hr 4 mins – Devison and SBdM: on the MASSI
Week 46 – ride 2 (Thurs) – 1 hr 10 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the MASSI. I cycled while my nephew walked – a breathtaking average speed of 6.09 kph !
Week 46 – ride 3 (Fri) – 2 hrs 28 mins – off-roading in the Forêt de Paimpont: on the MASSI

I fell off the bike coming down a steep and slippery slope just before the end of this ride. No way I could have ridden on Saturday but, even though I’m battered and bruised, I managed a couple of rides on Sunday….despite the occasional 40+mph gusts of wind.

Week 46 – ride 4 (Sun) – 1 hr 17 mins – Devison, SBdM and la Justice: on the MASSI.
Week 46 – ride 5 (Sun) – 47 mins – a Pontmenard loop: on the RAID

Hope the battering and bruising abates soon.

 

[ColinJ]

Hope the battering and bruising abates soon.

Agreed!

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 47 (20th November to 26th November)

Week 47 – ride 1 (Mon) – 1 hr 27 mins – Esquiniac, Raserais, le Faux, Geffray, la Plaisance and SBdM: on the Princess
Week 47 – ride 2 (Tues) – 45 mins – a cold and windy Pontmenard loop: on the MASSI
Week 47 – ride 3 (Tues) – 40 mins – a twilight ride on local lanes: on the RAID
Week 47 – ride 4 (Wed) – 1 hr 38 mins – Evriguet, la Corbinais, la Ville Jallu, la Cotinaie, Brignac and SBdM: on La Rossa
Week 47 – ride 5 (Thurs) – 3 hrs 21 mins – Mauron, Ploërmel, la Touche Carné, Ploërmel and Mauron: on La Rossa
Week 47 – ride 6 (Fri) – 54 mins – Devison and SBdM: on the Princess

I’m going out again on one of the bikes this afternoon – and hopefully I’ll have more rides this weekend – but that’s more than enough reporting for this week.