2021 Rapha Festive 500

['Dale]

14 minutes ago, Wayne pudding Mol said:

With 8km to go I took this photo outside my mates farm to let him know he’s lazy

500km in about  26 hours 

90 percent gravel and just over 7500

I’m pleased I did it 

 

You rock, Wayne

 Hope you celebrate and rest up lekka

[Pikey]

Have been following this thread without comment. Well done to all, really planned on giving it a go after @NotSoBigBen told me about it. I a.ways find it easier when I have a target in my mind with a deadline. 

Its only when you can’t do something that you appreciate it more . 

Kudos hubland 💪 👊

[scotty]

Third year doing, unlike 2 previous years where I started getting mileage early and finished with 1 and 2 days to spare , I left it late and had to catch up finishing only on last day. 

Edited January 1, 2022 by scotty

[Spy007]

Also left it late this year. had to chuck in a 220 and 140 to  leave me with 13 on the last day

[mecheng89]

On 12/31/2021 at 4:04 PM, SwissVan said:

Thanks to mecheng89 for starting the thread and all who participated, all providing motivation for myself to actually get out do the miles.

Due to work commitments my longest ride this year was only 63 km and that was back in February, needless to say i broke that record this week.

 

Today was a fittingly beautiful day for riding

 

 

 

I dont plan to do anymore riding for the rest of the year, and thats no bull

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only a pleasure! 

[mecheng89]

[mecheng89]

Congratulations to all that completed the challenge. To those who didn't, don't despair, there's always next time! 

[The Ouzo]

I've got FOMO. But feeling the fatigue from just shy of 400km over the last 2 weeks has me wondering if I could do this.

But I'm going to work towards it for this year. Looking at when that week falls this year, work will still be an issue, but if I plan correctly I'm sure I can make arrangements to work it into things.

[mecheng89]

6 minutes ago, ouzo said:

I've got FOMO. But feeling the fatigue from just shy of 400km over the last 2 weeks has me wondering if I could do this.

But I'm going to work towards it for this year. Looking at when that week falls this year, work will still be an issue, but if I plan correctly I'm sure I can make arrangements to work it into things.

24th is on a Saturday, so will the 31st.  Monday the 26th will be a public holiday. So it may give you 4 non-traditional work days to get in big miles, and sprinkle some more on the week days. But they won't call it a challenge if it isn't, right?!

[mecheng89]

2 hours ago, Spy007 said:

Also left it late this year. had to chuck in a 220 and 140 to  leave me with 13 on the last day

My original hair brain plan was to leave 1.00km for the final day. Safe to say, it didn't work out that way. Maybe this year. 

[The Ouzo]

1 minute ago, mecheng89 said:

24th is on a Saturday, so will the 31st.  Monday the 26th will be a public holiday. So it may give you 4 non-traditional work days to get in big miles, and sprinkle some more on the week days. But they won't call it a challenge if it isn't, right?!

25th is always out , 26th we may or may not work (retail is tricky), but its traditionally a very quiet week at the office, so if I arrange to come in late or leave early that week I can fit in a 2 - 2.5 hour ride a day

[Thomo]

8 minutes ago, ouzo said:

I've got FOMO. But feeling the fatigue from just shy of 400km over the last 2 weeks has me wondering if I could do this.

But I'm going to work towards it for this year. Looking at when that week falls this year, work will still be an issue, but if I plan correctly I'm sure I can make arrangements to work it into things.

Working may actually make it easier. 🤔

Holidays create an expectation of outings, shopping etc.

Add in family vacationing from out of town and you soon find your ride time is even more limited than had you been working. ☹️

[mecheng89]

1 minute ago, ouzo said:

25th is always out , 26th we may or may not work (retail is tricky), but its traditionally a very quiet week at the office, so if I arrange to come in late or leave early that week I can fit in a 2 - 2.5 hour ride a day

herein lies your biggest challenge. Well, you have 50 weeks in which to plan! 

[The Ouzo]

9 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

herein lies your biggest challenge. Well, you have 50 weeks in which to plan! 

actually my mind is working on plans right now. I'd better write them down before I forget. I'm thinking some late afternoons into early evening rides would be nice, with the last bit of the ride in the dark. (although if the weather does what it did this year that wont be so great)

[Frosty]

1 hour ago, ouzo said:

I've got FOMO. But feeling the fatigue from just shy of 400km over the last 2 weeks has me wondering if I could do this.

But I'm going to work towards it for this year. Looking at when that week falls this year, work will still be an issue, but if I plan correctly I'm sure I can make arrangements to work it into things.

If you aren't used to riding for that long, it can be very fatiguing, very quickly, as you ramp up to the hours required to get the 500Km done. If your weekly average is 150Km (example only), it means you have to ramp up by 250Km in the final week (166% increase). To get you ready for that, you need to be doing the extra miles in the 3-4 months prior so your body gets used to the higher load.

The less time you have, the more intensity you need to ride at get the mileage completed. Increasing the intensity will require you to decrease the volume (duration and frequency) otherwise you end up with that fatigue.

I see you averaged 27km/h (for 2021), so you'll need to ride for 18.5 hours (+/-) over the 7 days available to you to tick off the 500Km. Sound easy. For  18.5 hours it means riding 2h40 each day at 27km/h. What makes it easier, is if:
(1) the wind doesn't blow;
(2) you have a group to share the workload, and;
(3) you don't have a trainer to do it indoors, and it rains (like Monday the 27th).

So that means you have to plan for longer rides to get ahead of the daily average. Dropping your speed by 2km/h (less intense) will require that you ride another 13 minutes (longer duration) to get the daily average. So, doing a 100Km ride at 25km/h is 4 hours off the 18.5 required (at the original 27Km/h planned). That leaves 400km, at 27km/h, for 2h04 daily ride time. Do another 100Km ride on 31st in 4 hours, means you need 300Km in 5 days, or 60Km at 27km/h = 2h13 per day, or @25km/h = 2h24 per day.

[The Ouzo]

11 minutes ago, Frosty said:

If you aren't used to riding for that long, it can be very fatiguing, very quickly, as you ramp up to the hours required to get the 500Km done. If your weekly average is 150Km (example only), it means you have to ramp up by 250Km in the final week (166% increase). To get you ready for that, you need to be doing the extra miles in the 3-4 months prior so your body gets used to the higher load.

The less time you have, the more intensity you need to ride at get the mileage completed. Increasing the intensity will require you to decrease the volume (duration and frequency) otherwise you end up with that fatigue.

I see you averaged 27km/h (for 2021), so you'll need to ride for 18.5 hours (+/-) over the 7 days available to you to tick off the 500Km. Sound easy. For  18.5 hours it means riding 2h40 each day at 27km/h. What makes it easier, is if:
(1) the wind doesn't blow;
(2) you have a group to share the workload, and;
(3) you don't have a trainer to do it indoors, and it rains (like Monday the 27th).

So that means you have to plan for longer rides to get ahead of the daily average. Dropping your speed by 2km/h (less intense) will require that you ride another 13 minutes (longer duration) to get the daily average. So, doing a 100Km ride at 25km/h is 4 hours off the 18.5 required (at the original 27Km/h planned). That leaves 400km, at 27km/h, for 2h04 daily ride time. Do another 100Km ride on 31st in 4 hours, means you need 300Km in 5 days, or 60Km at 27km/h = 2h13 per day, or @25km/h = 2h24 per day.

yes all good points. I'll need to ramp up, but also in order to do those distances and remain fresh(er) I'll need to join some group rides.

There is a LBS group close to me that went out and did the mileage every day, so that is an option.