Three 30-minute rides each week of the year Challenge 2025 [NB Starts 30/12/24!]

[ColinJ]

Week 34: 4 qualifying rides... 123.1 km, in 6.70 h.

Total qualifying rides: 126. Distance to date: 3,953.0 km (vs 3,740 km; 34 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 231.40 h (vs 238 h; 34 x weekly target of 7 h). 1 week with 1 ride short.

Ride 1 (Tue): 22.3 km. ELLL then Wn, Ck, Cr, St, Wn, Tod. 1.05 h.

Ride 2 (Wed): 21.8 km. ELLL then Ls, Ms, Tod incl. blackberrying. 1.10 h.

Ride 3 (Fri): 23.4 km. Tod, By Rd as far as Bp Rd, u-turn, climb to Sl, Bp Rd, Wn, Ls, Tod incl. blackberrying. 1.25 h.

Ride 4 (Sun): 55.6 km. Tod, HB, Royd, Scout Rd, Sowerby village, Mill Bank, Blue Ball, HG, BE, Lh, Wn, Ls, Tod incl. blackberrying. 3.25 h.

All rides on CAAD5.

Abbreviated local place names (now sorted alphabetically):

• BE = Blackstone Edge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Bp = Bacup, By = Burnley
• Ce = Cornholme, Cgr = Cliviger, Ck = Calderbrook, Cn = Colden, CP = Crown Point, Cr = Caldermoor, CSR=Cross Stone Rd, CV = Cragg Vale
• GR = Great Rock
• HB = Hebden Bridge, HC = Holme Chapel, HG = Hubberton Green, Hl = Heptonstall, HP = Harvellin Park
• JB = Jack Bridge
• LC = Long Causeway, Lh = Littleborough, Ls = Lumbutts
• MR = Manchester, Ms = Mankinholes
• OT = Over Town
• Ph = Portsmouth
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, Sl = Sourhall, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[FrothNinja]

Aye – nearly finished, just the two VTTs (Mountain bikes) to go – then all six bikes will have both a SIGMA odometer and GPS capability, plus two front lights and a bell.

Final job before the winter is to get decent mudguards fitted to the two VTTs and (possibly) 5L sacoches. I don’t think there’s enough room on either VTT for a decent sacoche but I’m going to have a chat with Tony at the LBS this afternoon and we’ll see what’s possible. I really like the barrel bag you’ve got fitted on one of your bikes but again, I don’t think I’ll have enough room if I’m also carrying two bidons on the bike. We’ll see .. anything that avoids having to carry a day bag on my back on long rides will be an improvement.

I really prefer not to ride with anything on my back - it raises your core body temp

 

[FrothNinja]

W34R1 - 4 hour 35 mins - Pendle to Preston and back (total 46.9 miles / 75.5 km, plus 823 m / 2,601 ft ascent)
W34R2 - 1 hour 11 mins - local miles
W34R3 - 39 mins - local miles
W34R4 - 32 mins - local miles

W35R1 - 2 hour 20 mins - Burnley to Clitheroe and back
W35R2 - 45 mins - local miles
W35R3 - 54 mins - local miles (avg speed 17.2 mph trying to stay in zone 2 & 3)

 

[ColinJ]

I have just noticed that I have cocked up my ride reporting - I think I have missed a week out and then mis-numbered the following weeks. It is getting a bit late now. I will look back through my records and sort it out tomorrow (Sunday)!

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 35: 6 local rides over 30 mins; distance cycled 111.19km (723m of Ascent)

All six bikes have now got a GPS handlebar mount fitted.

Week 36: 6 rides over 30 mins, including 1 HMCAM ride; distance cycled 167.67km (917m of Ascent)

Crammed all my week 36 rides into Fri/Sun as prior to that it was full-on gales, thunderstorms and even tornadoes (a bit south of here)

Week 1(2025) to week 36: total distance cycled 8128.12km

 

[ColinJ]

I have just noticed that I have cocked up my ride reporting - I think I have missed a week out and then mis-numbered the following weeks. It is getting a bit late now. I will look back through my records and sort it out tomorrow (Sunday)!

What I had actually done is to forget to post week 35, so here it is, and then I will do week 36!

Week 35: 4 qualifying rides... 119.9 km, in 6.40 h.

Total qualifying rides: 130. Distance to date: 4,072.9 km (vs 3,850 km; 35 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 237.80 h (vs 245 h; 35 x weekly target of 7 h). 1 week with 1 ride short.

Ride 1 (Tue): 25.6 km. Tod, WM, Lancs Cycleway to Bp Rd, WM, OT, SB, Tod. 1.20 h.

Ride 2 (Wed): 25.5 km. Tod, A646 towards HB, u-turn, HP, Ms, L, W, steep dead-end climb of Allescholes Rd, then back... W, Tod, bonus hill. 1.45 h.

Ride 3 (Fri): 26.5 km. LLL, steep Ewood climb at back of park, Sl, down to Bp Rd, dead-end climb to Gorpley Resr, back Bp Rd, W, L, Tod incl. blackberrying. 1.60 h.

Ride 4 (Sun): 42.3 km. Tod, WM, Lancs Cycleway to Bp Rd, WM, OT, SB, Tod., A646 towards HB, u-turn, Ms, Ls, Tod. 2.15 h.

All rides on CAAD5.

Abbreviated local place names (now sorted alphabetically):

• BE = Blackstone Edge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Bp = Bacup, By = Burnley
• Ce = Cornholme, Cgr = Cliviger, Ck = Calderbrook, Cn = Colden, CP = Crown Point, Cr = Caldermoor, CSR=Cross Stone Rd, CV = Cragg Vale
• GR = Great Rock
• HB = Hebden Bridge, HC = Holme Chapel, HG = Hubberton Green, Hl = Heptonstall, HP = Harvellin Park
• JB = Jack Bridge
• LC = Long Causeway, Lh = Littleborough, Ls = Lumbutts
• MR = Manchester, Ms = Mankinholes
• OT = Over Town
• Ph = Portsmouth
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, Sl = Sourhall, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[ColinJ]

Week 36: 3 qualifying rides... 121.0 km, in 6.40 h.

Total qualifying rides: 133. Distance to date: 4,193.9 km (vs 3,960 km; 36 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 244.20 h (vs 252 h; 36 x weekly target of 7 h). 1 week with 1 ride short.

Ride 1 (Tue): 14.5 km. Tod, Ce, Tod twice (visits to LBS). 0.75 h.

Ride 2 (Sat): 56.4 km. Tod, Ls, W, Ck, Cr, Lh, BE Old Rd, BE, HG, Steep Ln etc back to BE, Lh, W, Ls, Tod incl. blackberrying. 3.20 h.

Ride 3 (Sun): 50.1 km. Tod, u-turn at HB turning circle, L, W, Ck, Cr, Lh, St, W, Tod, By Rd nearly to Ram Inn, u-turn, Tod, bonus hill. 2.45 h.

Rides #1-2 on CAAD5; #3 on 6-er.

Abbreviated local place names (now sorted alphabetically):

• BE = Blackstone Edge, BH = Blackshaw Head, Bp = Bacup, By = Burnley
• Ce = Cornholme, Cgr = Cliviger, Ck = Calderbrook, Cn = Colden, CP = Crown Point, Cr = Caldermoor, CSR=Cross Stone Rd, CV = Cragg Vale
• GR = Great Rock
• HB = Hebden Bridge, HC = Holme Chapel, HG = Hubberton Green, Hl = Heptonstall, HP = Harvellin Park
• JB = Jack Bridge
• LC = Long Causeway, Lh = Littleborough, Ls = Lumbutts
• MR = Manchester, Ms = Mankinholes
• OT = Over Town
• Ph = Portsmouth
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, Sl = Sourhall, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[PaulSB]

@ColinJ where you in the Ribble Valley today?

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ where you in the Ribble Valley today?

No - I wimped out because of rain! I have only been out of the house as far as my back yard to put food waste in the recycling bin...

Perhaps I should check the weather again now...?

 

[PaulSB]

No - I wimped out because of rain! I have only been out of the house as far as my back yard to put food waste in the recycling bin...

Perhaps I should check the weather again now...?

We were out for five hours. One short sharp shower as we arrived at the cafe and that was it.

 

[ColinJ]

We were out for five hours. One short sharp shower as we arrived at the cafe and that was it.

The sun started shining here just after I posted so I quickly got ready and headed out. I didn't have a lot of time before sunset so I decided to just whiz up and down the valley roads. I got 25 minutes of sunshine as far as Walk Mill then the sky suddenly went dark and I got caught in a heavy shower. I turned round and headed back towards Todmorden and soon the roads were dry again. I decided to head towards Littleborough instead. By the time I approached Summit it was dusk so I turned my lights on and headed for home.

It was a quick 35 km which got me to just over my (very modest) weekly target of 110 km. If I find another break in the rain tomorrow any distance that I do will be a bonus.