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

[FrothNinja]

Well done. It's not been an easy week for cycling

It's week 43 by the way

Ta, my weeks are all out of whack - I shall amend. Suspect it is wishful thinking trying to avoid ageing.

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 43: 7 local rides over 30 mins; distance cycled 137.56km (829m of Ascent)

Week 1(2025) to week 43: total distance cycled 9654.75km


It’s that time of year again …

 

[ColinJ]

Grotty weather put me off riding early in the week so I was left with doing my 3 qualifying rides on Fri, Sat & Sun.

Fri & Sat were not really much better than the days that I had wimped out on so I did shortish rides on those days.

Sat was really good though so I said "yes please" when a pal invited me to join him for one of our local favourite routes - the 'extended Trawden loop'. We made a last minute change though when we saw the wind direction, deciding to ride it clockwise instead of our usual preference of anti-clockwise. It made a nice change to do it that way, and the forecast was spot on - a chilly northerly wind, but beautifully sunny conditions. It's a tough loop with around 1,350 m of ascent crammed into the 65 km. We both really enjoyed it.

Week 43: 3 qualifying rides... 111.4 km, in 6.35 h.

Total qualifying rides: 152. Distance to date: 5,019.6 km (vs 4,730 km; 43 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 292.80 h (vs 301 h; 43 x weekly target of 7 h). 1 week with 1 ride short.

Ride 1 (Fri): 18.9 km. ELLL. 0.95 h.

Ride 2 (Sat): 65.8 km. C/W Trawden loop (Tod, SB, OT, Worsthorne, Haggate, Trawden, Laneshaw Bridge, Oakworth, Haworth, Oxen hope Oxenhope!, HB, Tod. 4.00 h.

Ride 3 (Sun): 26.7 km. Tod, 2 local hills, then... HB turning circle, UT, Tod, Knowlwood Rd climb, Wn, Old Toll House, UT, Wn, Tod. 1.40 h.

Rides #1-2 on CAAD5; ride #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
• ELLL = Extended Lumpy Local Loop
• 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, LLL = Lumpy Local Loop, 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
• UT = u-turn
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[FrothNinja]

Week 43: 7 local rides over 30 mins; distance cycled 137.56km (829m of Ascent)

Week 1(2025) to week 43: total distance cycled 9654.75km


It’s that time of year again …

View attachment 791200

Nice to come back to after a wet ride

 

[ColinJ]

I just spotted what auto-correct had made of the details of my ride on Saturday... I definitely was not looking forward to encountering large animals en route!

 

[FrothNinja]

Each time I set out on the bike today it rains - and the bloody sun stays out laughing!!!!

 

[ColinJ]

Each time I set out on the bike today it rains - and the bloody sun stays out laughing!!!!

I am playing dodge-the-showers today. It has now stopped raining here and the roads are drying out. I will go out for a ride after I finish my mug of tea.

I am waiting for my winter bike to be sorted out at my LBS. That has excellent mudguards. Until then I am riding my 6-speed bike. That not only has no mudguards, it also has very little clearance between the tyres and the brakes so it has been getting clogged up with leaf mulch and grit on recent rides. Apart from the resulting rubbing sounding annoying, it is also a risk to the tyres. I wore a tyre out in a single ride once when I ignored the abrasive effects of clogging grit. For now, I am carrying a big cable tie to slide in and poke out any blockages.

 

[FrothNinja]

I am playing dodge-the-showers today. It has now stopped raining here and the roads are drying out. I will go out for a ride after I finish my mug of tea.

I am waiting for my winter bike to be sorted out at my LBS. That has excellent mudguards. Until then I am riding my 6-speed bike. That not only has no mudguards, it also has very little clearance between the tyres and the brakes so it has been getting clogged up with leaf mulch and grit on recent rides. Apart from the resulting rubbing sounding annoying, it is also a risk to the tyres. I wore a tyre out in a single ride once when I ignored the abrasive effects of clogging grit. For now, I am carrying a big cable tie to slide in and poke out any blockages.

I did get to find a dry spell - warmer than I was expecting.
Not looking forward to Monday's ride back from Ashton in the rain. Was going to use public transport but it is longer than 3 hours 40 mins to do the journey that way. Longest I've taken on bike (including rests) was the 3 hours 40 it took me in April with the wrong shoes, an en-route pedal purchase & change, plus pretty much bonking 10 miles from home having taken insufficient food and drink.
Should give a decent qualifier for the half-century challenge.

 

[bluenotebob]

Week 44: 12 local rides over 30 mins; distance cycled 246.06km (1437m of Ascent)

Week 1(2025) to week 44: total distance cycled 9900.81km

I now need just under 100km to get to 10,000km in 2025 – the chocolate cake is in the freezer on stand-by. I’d reached 10,000km in mid-September last year – so I’m way behind where I was in 2024 … but I shall enjoy the chocolate cake anyway.

 

[FrothNinja]

W44R2 - 4 hours 1 mins - Burnley to Preston return. (total 47.7 miles / 76.8 km, plus 815 m / 2,675 ft ascent)
W44R2 - 5 hours 11 mins - - Brierfield, Rawtenstall, Edenfield, Middleton, Oldham, Ashton under Lyne, Shaw, Hollingworth Lake, Walsden, Todmorden, Cliviger, Brierfield (total 65.2 miles / 104.9 km, plus 1103m / 3619ft)
W44R3 - 38 mins - local miles
W44R4 - 38 mins - soggy local miles
W44R5 - 1 hour 9 mins - darkening local miles

 

[ColinJ]

Once again, I was left with doing my 3 qualifying rides on Fri, Sat & Sun...

Week 44: 3 qualifying rides... 113.7 km, in 6.65 h.

Total qualifying rides: 155. Distance to date: 5,133.3 km (vs 4,840 km; 44 x weekly target of 110 km). Time to date: 299.45 h (vs 308 h; 44 x weekly target of 7 h). 1 week with 1 ride short.

Ride 1 (Fri): 34.4 km. ELLL followed by A646 to WM, Lancs Cycleway up to Bp Rd, down to A646, WM, OT, SBm, Tod, bonus hill, Knowlwood Rd climb, Wn, Tod. 1.95 h.

Ride 2 (Sat): 14.6 km. ELLL to Wn and back. 0.80 h.

Ride 3 (Sun): 64.7 km. 'Reverse' (anti-clockwise) Trawden loop - same as last weekend's route except for a quick shortcut at the end. 3.90 h.

Rides #1-2 on 6-er; ride #3 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
• ELLL = Extended Lumpy Local Loop
• 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, LLL = Lumpy Local Loop, Ls = Lumbutts
• MR = Manchester, Ms = Mankinholes
• OT = Overtown
• Ph = Portsmouth
• Re = Rochdale, Royd = Mytholmroyd
• SB = Sowerby Bridge, SBm = Southward Bottom, Sd = Sharneyford, Sl = Sourhall, St = Summit
• Tod = Todmorden
• UT = u-turn
• WM = Walk Mill, Wn = Walsden

 

[FrothNinja]

Doing the ride back from Ashton U L in an hour or so. Hopefully the wind will be behind me. Allowing myself the eBike & liberal use of its assistance to minimise exposure to this horrid weather

 

[FrothNinja]

About 25 miles left & just joined the towpath as I left key for changing battery behind & I may just have enough juice to get home if I stay low & use me-power rather than e-power

 

[bluenotebob]

use me-power rather than e-power

That would give you a better sense of accomplishment, I think.

 

[FrothNinja]

Back, changed out of muddy kit, hot coffee, bikkies, armchair and now time to listen to some music.
2 hours 40 mins rolling time, time elapsed 3h 4m.