Anyone going to try the Rapha Festive 500 this year?

[lauda]

After much umming and ahing, I final signed up to this on Strava today. I think I might regret it and my wife will possibly file for divorce when she finds out but I’ve decided to give it a go.

Anyone else having a crack or done it before and have any decent tips? I normally only ride between 100-200km per week...

[lauda]

Thanks for the tips gents.

I’m planning on riding seven of the eight days (maybe eight out of eight if I can manage to nip out for a quick one on Christmas Day after I’ve delivered and consumed lunch...) and plan to cycle to family visits whilst the wife and kids travel in the car so that I can minimise the time away from them.

Certainly no excuses on having the right kit - my Christmas present list was basically the Rapha winter range so I’ll have tights, jerseys and race capes coming out of my ears.

[lauda]

Look like my own attempt may be scuppered early doors. I seem to have developed a ‘posterior condition’ today that may make cycling a bit uncomfortable. Time to break out the cream and keep my fingers crossed that it clears up by the weekend!

[lauda]

I chalked up 111km this morning. I plan on a quick 30km tomorrow before the kids wake up and will cycle to a family event on Boxing Day which should add another 80km.

That will break the back of it so the next five days should be pretty manageable. Weather here is looking reasonably favourable too, so no excuses...

[lauda]

idiotgap said:

Sneaked 50k in this morning. I might actually do this after all.

Good work

I weighed up the chances of divorce and managed to sneak in 29km today before the kids woke up. But my wife has now gone down with d/v bug which may put the kybosh on a good ride tomorrow.

Bloody inconsiderate, really.

[lauda]

I did a brutal 73km today in rain, sleet and snow with a pretty much constant headwind. And when there wasn’t a headwind, there was a crosswind instead. I’m up to 275km now, so over half way, but I hope the weather improves a bit.

Chapeau to everyone else who’s been getting out there and racking up the miles. We can at least feel guilt-free about the amount of food and booze we’re consuming.

[lauda]

Bloody hell zippy, that is a seriously impressive ride. Completely bonkers, but seriously impressive. I have to admit, I’m looking forward to just getting it done now. I enjoy cycling but I’m just grinding out the miles for the sake of it now. It will definitely be nice to leave the bike in the garage on New Year’s Day.

idiotgap - sorry to hear you’ve had to abandon and hope your boy is on the mend.

I can hear the pissing rain outside now and the bike beckons as we’ve got friends coming over for lunch. Glad I got a race cape for Christmas....

[lauda]

A final 113km this morning saw me cross the finish line with 502km total. Glad to have done it but I think it’s safe to say I won’t be signing up again next year. Too much time away from family at the most important time of the year and pretty stty riding conditions as well.

Good luck to anyone still going, not long to go now!

[lauda]

Well done to those who managed it.

Happy 2018 everyone and I think I can safely say that I won’t see you here same time next year!

[lauda]

And my reward for all that effort has arrived. This has made it all worthwhile!

[lauda]

I agree that allowing Zwift mileage to count undermines the whole point of something like the Festive 500. Part of the challenge is pushing yourself to get out and ride in filthy weather when you’d rather be settling down in front of the fire with another piece of Christmas cake.

I personally never give kudos to any of my mates for their Zwift ride on Strava. If you can’t be arsed to walk out your front door, you haven’t been for a bike ride.

[lauda]

lauda said:

Well done to those who managed it.

Happy 2018 everyone and I think I can safely say that I won’t see you here same time next year!

What is it they say about never say never? Having floated the idea of doing it again this year and not immediately having my reproductive organs removed by my wife, I think I’ll be in again.

Anyone else planning to have a crack this year?

[lauda]

yellowjack said:

It might be a bit much for me this year. I've only ridden 5 times since breaking my leg. But on the bright side, I'm up to 33 miles in a ride already, so there may be a small possibility of giving it a crack again this year. But the weather will have to play nice, as I'll not be keen on risking a slip/fall on the road...

...I won't decide until closer to the challenge, though, as I'm knackered after riding right now, so I'll see what kind of endurance I can build in the next month or so.

I’m thinking that I will bin it off if the weather is really bad. I don’t mind a bit of rain, wind and cold, but I don’t want it to be miserable and I’m definitely not risking it if it’s likely to be icy.

Hope the recovery goes well and good luck if you decide to have a crack.

PomBstard said:

So, what’s the preferred way to hit 500 - a couple of bigger rides of 100-150km with a handful of 50km to top up, a steady 65km a day, or two big 250km days? Note, the single 500km bimble is not an option...

Last year I did a big ride (100km plus) on the first and last day and then smaller rides in between. I managed to knock it on the head with a day to spare as we had friends over for new year and I didn’t want to be falling asleep at 10pm!

I also tried to use family visits as a way of racking up the miles. We always visit my sister on Boxing Day and that’s a 150km round trip so the wife and kids went in the car and I went on the bike. Although the ride home the following day through snow, sleet, rain and constant head or crosswinds was one for the worst of my life. I’m hoping for better weather this year...

[lauda]

I've started thinking about how I'm going to tackle this. I really want NYE off so I need to crack it in seven days. This is the plan:

24/12 - 100km solo
25/12 - a quick 30km before the kids get up
26/12 - 75km to my sister's
27/12 - 75km back from my sister's
28/12 - 60km to the in-laws
29/12 - 60km back from the in-laws
30/12 - 100km with a mate

Seem eminently do-able and if the weather forecast is to be believed, I'll be doing it in cool, dry conditions without much in the way of wind.

Dare I say it, I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

[lauda]

The lights and computer are charged, the kit is sorted and a 110km route has been plotted. The alarm has also been set for 5am

The weather tomorrow is chilly and damp but looks by far the worst of the next eight days. And there’s barely a breath of wind forecast.

Good luck everyone who’s giving it a crack. Just think of how many guilt-free beers you can enjoy at new year!

[lauda]

Master Bean said:

4 rides. 522km. Now to chill.

Bloody good work, we have a winner!

I’m 350km in as of today and should be done by mid-morning on Sunday so I’ll have one day to spare.

To everyone else still going, good luck and keep pedalling!

[lauda]

Cracking effort yellowjack, especially considering he year you’ve had.

GOATever, did you manage to knock the distance off over two rides like you’d planned?

[lauda]

Managed to finish it off this morning and even added on an additional 15km for good luck.

It definitely felt a lot easier this year than last. Partly that was my fitness but I think the biggest factor was the weather. It couldn’t really have been any better.

I was particularly surprised to see that my average speed over the whole distance was 28.7kph. I’d have struggled to maintain that speed on a single ride 18 months ago.

Well done to all those who’ve now completed it and good luck to those still going. Not long to go now!

[lauda]

Rapha have confirmed that it’s back on again for 2019. Who’s in?

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/3737/rapha-festive-...

The weather was so good last year that it can only really be worse this year. Still, provided it isn’t icy, I’ll be having another crack in a vain attempt to undo some of the damage from my excessive eating and drinking.

[lauda]

Sign up is now live on the Rapha website:

https://www.rapha.cc/gb/en/stories/festive-500

Go on, you know you want to...