2023 & 2024 Festive 500

[wolver]

Finished my first Festive 500 this year, was a fun challenge. 
This is how it went…
24th: 0km
25th: 21km Indoor trainer w/ Ramp test
26th: 0km
27th: 44km Gravel bike
28th: 100km Road bike… slow ride with my gf, some wine tasting in the middle and absolutely baked by the sun!
29th: 201km Gravel bike… epic day out on the bike with a mate on an awesome circular route!
30th: 39km e-bike… 50km/h headwinds, not particularly fun!
31st: 100km Road bike… pesky headwind in the last 40km (average speed for the ride dropped from over 30km/h to 26km/h by the end)

Some highlights:

 

[Bike Dewing]

Day one was unfortunately the first and last ride of the festive 500 for me.. this year has kicked my ass something silly.. many goals were not reached.. 

so what do I do.?!🤷🏼‍♂️

double those goals for next year.!! 🥳🤣🤣🤣

[mecheng89]

On 12/29/2024 at 8:32 AM, NotSoBigBen said:

When you have 20-some gears, there's always going to be a certain amount of mental energy spent deciding if you're in the wrong gear for this particular situation. With a single speed, you can rest easy knowing you're always in the wrong gear.

Still on track .... even a few K's in hand 😎

All things being equal ... Tuesday should be a short final spin with coffee and a hearty breakfast at a local establishment me thinks 😁

Actually, a SS has 3 gears - push, sit while pedaling or stand while pedaling! 

[mecheng89]

41 minutes ago, wolver said:

Finished my first Festive 500 this year, was a fun challenge. 
This is how it went…
24th: 0km
25th: 21km Indoor trainer w/ Ramp test
26th: 0km
27th: 44km Gravel bike
28th: 100km Road bike… slow ride with my gf, some wine tasting in the middle and absolutely baked by the sun!
29th: 201km Gravel bike… epic day out on the bike with a mate on an awesome circular route!
30th: 39km e-bike… 50km/h headwinds, not particularly fun!
31st: 100km Road bike… pesky headwind in the last 40km (average speed for the ride dropped from over 30km/h to 26km/h by the end)

Some highlights:

 

Some great snaps mate, well done!

[NotSoBigBen]

11 minutes ago, mecheng89 said:

Actually, a SS has 3 gears - push, sit while pedaling or stand while pedaling! 

Ah my friend the old '3 speed' ... As you say but I heard it as 'sit,stand,walk'

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Bike Dewing said:

Day one was unfortunately the first and last ride of the festive 500 for me.. this year has kicked my ass something silly.. many goals were not reached.. 

so what do I do.?!🤷🏼‍♂️

double those goals for next year.!! 🥳🤣🤣🤣

 

That sucks.  I feel your pain, having been side lined myself this year.

[Bike Dewing]

40 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

That sucks.  I feel your pain, having been side lined myself this year.

Sorry to hear that.. there’s profound lessons or some rubbish in all this, 🤣🤣 I’m yet to see it but I have faith that they are there and will show themselves in due time.! ☠️🤣🤣
 

 

[NotSoBigBen]

@ChrisF @Bike Dewing

 

I know this is one of those cliques but it will pass .... I know from experience that it seems like it doesn't end but when it does it can be great!

I wish both of you a speedy resolution to whatever ails you guys and may you be back to normal as soon as possible. 

[ChrisF]

1 hour ago, Bike Dewing said:

Sorry to hear that.. there’s profound lessons or some rubbish in all this, 🤣🤣 I’m yet to see it but I have faith that they are there and will show themselves in due time.! ☠️🤣🤣
 

 

 

As @NotSoBigBen says, these are just temporary setbacks.

 

The last 2 years I have been working with a biokinetocist to improve my overall health.

 

The irony being that I was progressing very good, then pushed too hard in a park run on 7 December.  Thought I pulled a muscle on the inside of my knee, and thought a bit of rest would do the trick .... took two sessions with a phisio to sort out the issue ... now two weeks of rehab exercises before the next park run.

 

Thankfully I can do a bit of road cycling.

 

 

Lesson .... it is possible to improve overall wellbeing, despite aggresive arthritis and a torn meniscus.  Setbacks is part of the process ... in a few weeks this setback will be a memory.

 

 

Rapha and similar challenges is a test of our will power and our health. 

 

 

Absolute priviledge to be able to complete this.

[NotSoBigBen]

1 hour ago, ChrisF said:

 

As @NotSoBigBen says, these are just temporary setbacks.

 

The last 2 years I have been working with a biokinetocist to improve my overall health.

 

The irony being that I was progressing very good, then pushed too hard in a park run on 7 December.  Thought I pulled a muscle on the inside of my knee, and thought a bit of rest would do the trick .... took two sessions with a phisio to sort out the issue ... now two weeks of rehab exercises before the next park run.

 

Thankfully I can do a bit of road cycling.

 

 

Lesson .... it is possible to improve overall wellbeing, despite aggresive arthritis and a torn meniscus.  Setbacks is part of the process ... in a few weeks this setback will be a memory.

 

 

Rapha and similar challenges is a test of our will power and our health. 

 

 

Absolute priviledge to be able to complete this.

The lesson my friend .... Running is for prey 🤪

[Bike Dewing]

11 hours ago, NotSoBigBen said:

@ChrisF @Bike Dewing

 

I know this is one of those cliques but it will pass .... I know from experience that it seems like it doesn't end but when it does it can be great!

I wish both of you a speedy resolution to whatever ails you guys and may you be back to normal as soon as possible. 

you are right and appreciate you saying so.. it will pass and is passing thanks to help from my family and the most vicious lawyer I have ever encountered is luckily on my side.. he is referred to as the Rottweiler of Sandton in his lawyers circle. hahaha

I unfortunately did have a bad slip on Boxing Day, "how much more of this $h1t must i take.?" moment and just threw 8 years of sobriety down the toilet.. but we pick ourselves up and recovery is always possible thanks to my current support system..

the business partner who stole my entire estate is now a guest  in the infamous "Sun City hotel".. 

so it could be worse, I could be him.! 

11 hours ago, ChrisF said:

 

As @NotSoBigBen says, these are just temporary setbacks.

 

The last 2 years I have been working with a biokinetocist to improve my overall health.

 

The irony being that I was progressing very good, then pushed too hard in a park run on 7 December.  Thought I pulled a muscle on the inside of my knee, and thought a bit of rest would do the trick .... took two sessions with a phisio to sort out the issue ... now two weeks of rehab exercises before the next park run.

 

Thankfully I can do a bit of road cycling.

 

 

Lesson .... it is possible to improve overall wellbeing, despite aggresive arthritis and a torn meniscus.  Setbacks is part of the process ... in a few weeks this setback will be a memory.

 

 

Rapha and similar challenges is a test of our will power and our health. 

 

 

Absolute priviledge to be able to complete this.

absolutely right.! respect to you for doing what needs to be done.. please look after yourself. but it sounds like you are.!

[justinafrika]

59 minutes ago, Bike Dewing said:

you are right and appreciate you saying so.. it will pass and is passing thanks to help from my family and the most vicious lawyer I have ever encountered is luckily on my side.. he is referred to as the Rottweiler of Sandton in his lawyers circle. hahaha

the business partner who stole my entire estate is now a guest  in the infamous "Sun City hotel".. 

so it could be worse, I could be him.! 

 

Sounds like you're bouncing back already, good on you.  You took quick action against the perp and one sincerely hopes that your assets can be fully recovered. 

Very disappointing when a business partner schnaais one.  One such forged my signature to sell a high end clothing store and ran off to join her fiancé in Germany.  A regional manager from one of SA's largest health groups defrauded loads of potential students by "impersonating" my EMS college.  I had employed him as an ad hoc examiner-assessor.  Scuttled to Dubai before he could be arrested.

You were put through the wringer in 2024, 2025 must surely be better.  Reading your words, and between the lines, it's already shaping that way.  Respect.

Time for that year's first ride...

Edited Wednesday at 07:06 AM by justinafrika

[Bike Dewing]

9 minutes ago, justinafrika said:

Sounds like you're bouncing back already, good on you.  You took quick action against the perp and one sincerely hopes that your assets can be fully recovered. 

Very disappointing when a business partner schnaais one.  One such forged my signature to sell a high end clothing store and ran off to join her fiancé in Germany.  A regional manager from one of SA's largest health groups defrauded loads of potential students by "impersonating" my EMS college.  I had employed him as an ad hoc examiner-assessor.  Scuttled to Dubai before he could be arrested.

You were put through the wringer in 2024, 2025 must surely be better.  Reading your words, and between the lines, it's already shaping that way.  Respect.

Time for that year's first ride...

I am learning that this is happening to people all the time.. its heart breaking.

stealing from myself and other hard working individuals is one thing but thinking you can also defraud some of the biggest car companies in the world and get away with it is just frightening.. stupidity or arrogance.? I just don't know..

I found myself in the perfect storm of a fraudulent business partner and then another business partner who is just a selfish scumbag that I believe is in the edge of being fraudulent himself, I have also told to go F&^K himself and have walked away from..

resulting in me having to voluntarily liquidate to satisfy creditors, moved into the in laws and must start all over again.. 

ive done it before, ill do it again..

I just hope everyone gets what they deserve, nothing more, nothing less..

[justinafrika]

Faaarrrrk.  That IS properly hard, so sorry.

[Bike Dewing]

2 hours ago, justinafrika said:

Faaarrrrk.  That IS properly hard, so sorry.

Yeah so my slip Boxing Day put my immune system in the toilet and I immediately have some kind of flu.. first ride of the year will be next week.. can not wait.!