New Metric Century Challenge

Other than Dasy I think I was the only other to complete one every month. (Might have got 7 in September but for an injury at the start of the month meaning I abandoned the sixth and rested thereafter).

For me it was a target to get at least one in each month and going for as many over the year is less of an incentive in the winter months. However, the fact that only two completed shows we should consider doing something different. It would not stop me carrying on a personal target of one a month should I so wish. My last scoring ride saw the others heading back for shopping etc. When we split up I was 16k short and 8k from home so it was a tour of the suburbs to get the distance in.

Prizes wise perhaps you get tattoo like in SSWC and I walk away with an expensive ti frame

[Congratulations Dasy,about one a week is really impressive)

Blackhound - I agree, I too will aim at a minimum one scoring ride a month, and maybe we should look at a separate category for those of us who want to do so.

There were a couple of occasions that I rode off from a group I was with as they wanted to go home, and I had plans for a metric. The vast majority were completed alone though, my favoured riding option normally.

Thanks by the way Blackhound, it's never too much of a bind to get out on my bike though. And well done to you too...

Yeah, I'm hoping the prize is not the hot iron brand that they did at SSWC one year!

My 2p, two categories is maybe the way to go.

One for those who want the challenge of doing at least one metric a month.

One for those who find the site and forum later into the year or don't want to feel pressured that they must do one a month.

I will be looking to complete at least one a month now that its starting again.

Can I play this year? It sounds like a good idea that 1 ride per month is entrance requirement, its not that much of a comitment and is a nice challenge.

J

well im up for the two catagorys, as thats prob. what put me off posting this past 'season' as my rides are all pretty regular irregular..

hey DaSy you can have a Royal Mail 'biddon' if you like, and holder as a prize!

I'm trying to get a new sleeve designed and inked at the mo', so this is very fortuitous...

I'm thinking something along the lines of Pedal Powered 2009 - maybe your distance total? Or do you fancy something a tad more graphical?

Maybe next year we could follow the lead of the SSWC and the winner gets branded… or maybe not

i've put up a new MC post with amended rules - anyone want to make any changes? post here, not there, if you do...

I must admit I was thinking of something a bit more along the lines of a half sleeve of Japanese Art, with obligatory Dragon, or possibly some Tribal Art, as I have an old tat that I would like to cover up (tribal, but not really as dramatic as I want now).

Sounds like it might be a tad tricky to incorporate a Metric Century Challenge 2009 Winner motif into that…

Yeah, maybe a new inner tube or something, may be a little more practical...

Got some Gore Ride-On cables easily to hand if you fancy them… they are supposed to be the best there is… Well according to Gore anyway

yeah we'll throw in our fizik spirit level as well. and a buff.

… and some stickers

...and some bike cleaner.

Nice!

The Ride-On cables would be great...

Spirit Level and Buff are all gravy - and the stickers!

Nice one guys, very generous and very gratefully accepted.

Time to start trying to amass some miles again!

Christ, it never ends!

I am going to have to try harder this year! It will, I expect, be the DaSy show once more but if I can get toward 1 metric a week I will be satisfied.

The rules look fine, hopefully more will take part this year.

Thought I may get DaSy quaking in his Sidi's as I had hoped to finish work in January and become a full time rider. This was changed to April and now I may stay a little longer as there may be an opportunity of redundancy which is financially appealing. Don't want to give up the money on the other hand don't want to stay indefinitely.

My original plan was 4,000k in June / July!

Oi! Blackhound! No!

That is thoroughly unfair, do you have a plan to make money from riding, or just jack in work and ride your bike until you can't open the front door for unpaid bills?

I am in a similar situation, kind of waiting for the axe to fall, and for the payout. I have a plan to get into the bike industry which is sort of almost there, and I think I will be forced into leading lots of rides so may help the mileage, or may hinder, I'm not sure yet.

4K km's, is that per month or over the June and July period. I currently get around 2500km (It's really 1300-1600km per month, but I've left it in as it would look odd otherwise!)per month, and ramps up a bit as the weather turns better in spring and summer.

Good luck with your plans Blackhound, I hope they work out as you intend. Full time cyclist sounds about as good as it gets to me...

hat in ring,

am doing a charity ride in Egpyt starting next week and will get in 3 "metrics" (poss 4) in 7 days, can I include these or is it UK based only?

si

oh -
http://sinaicycle.blogspot.com

they all count

DaSy - plan is to retire. Mortgage paid off, eligible for a pension and only me to fend for financially. Easily enough to live on but would need to find casual work to fund trips to USA or further.

My plan was to ride the 2,750 mile Great Divide Route possibly as part of the race or as a tour. Will not be away from work soon enough to train adequately. 2011 the plan is PBP so it may be 2012 before I get to do the GDR.

2,500k is serious amount of riding, I am well of that.

Canyonsi - best of luck for Egypt, enjoy it. Should put you into an early lead.

Cheers, guessing a bit like Hull last year though, so will enjoy the dizzy heights while I can!

Blackhound - that sounds like a good plan, nice that you are financially stable enough to be able to retire, that can be a rare thing in today's world.

I have been in the IT industry for 25 years, and having managed to eke out some sort of career path, I am now in the middle of a slightly late mid-life crisis, and hoping to run screaming from the IT industry, into the waiting arms of my friends bike shop to become a lowly paid bike shop mechanic.

I too have paid up the mortgage, and have a very successful wife, luckily, so I should be able to cope with the financial change.

I have a few plans for rides this coming year, and thought I should make the longest ride with my day ride to Paris, but if you plan PBP, that too is in trouble.

I think my crown is going to change heads this year some how!

Canyonsi, the ride in Egypt sounds great, and 4 metrics in a week at this time of year should give you a good lead for quite some time.

Cheers DaSy, will ensure to Post a pic or two!

si

DaSy Day ride to Paris sounds interesting! For some reason assumed you were younger, I have 33 years in a final salary pension so should be OK. Will see what happens.

Blackhound - The day ride to Paris needs a long summer day, so won't be doing that until June/July. The plan is to leave Reading at about 03:00 and ride down to Portsmouth (about 60ish miles), get the Express ferry to Caen which leaves at 07:00 and arrives in Caen at about 11:00.
It's then 140 miles into Paris, so should get there around 20:00.
200 miles with a break at 60 miles, all pretty do-able. It does depend on who accompanies me, we have some remarkably un-disciplined riders scheduled, so hoping to train them in the art of through and off by then. Should be about 5 of us doing it.
The Cingles de Ventoux is also on the cards, and a Geneva to Venice via the Stelvio, Mortirolo etc. All depends on what I get passes for from the other half. I'm hoping she will provide support for the Ventoux stint.

You wouldn't think I was younger if you saw me! I feel every one of my tender 44 years!

That trip to Paris does sound doable put like that - and a week to get back?

Your other plans sound interesting, a few of us are trying to get ourselves organised but no definite plan as yet.

You'll feel a lot older than 44 the day after your ride to Paris

Okay, so it begins, the first metric of the new challenge year for me.

My trusty run up to Windsor Castle, round to Datchet and back via the Castle and return the way I came.

Thought I might get an early lead, should have known better! Large circuit round the South of the city, 7 of us out but I had to do a short loop to get the required distance in. Try to get another in before Christmas unlike last year.

Blackhound - I just realised that the mileage I claimed to do a month was way off the mark, in fact I seem to have doubled it!

I do 800 to 1000 miles a month depending on time of year, so that's more like 1300 to 1600km a month.

I'm not sure what I was thinking!

Do I get an extra point for my metric today? In the course of 'work' (checking locations for bikeability training) I was asked to haul 30kg of cargo between severn beach and our office in yate...in this wind and rain, surely I deserve some bonus action?!

Back from the Sinai just over a week ago now full of cold and "Cairo Belly". We only managed 2 "metrics" but the day of the 2nd started with alarm call at 1.30am and an ascent of Mt Sinai, back on bikes at 9.00am after chilling legs in the coldest pool in the known universe!, after 102km we had a (very) fast 13km downhill straight into the nights lodge and a beach bar! The day was renamed as quadlathon day, Climb Mt Sinai, Cycle 115km, Sea Swiming, and "one too many Stella"

a great challenge with a great group raising upwards of £50.000 for Heart Charity (BHF, CRY, Tiny Tickers)

a blow by blow account will be on the blog shortly.

si

December starting to look dificult to score a point currently.

First weekend I was ill with a virus and the second had agreed to meet up for a mtb ride.

Yesterday I had a hangover after the works do and it snowed overnight. Decided 100km return to Bakewell on the A6 might be dodgy so went out on mtb for a couple of nice hours on local hills. Away for Christmas and an audax on 2nd January. 28/29th December remain my last hope. I have scored each month since October 2008 and would like to keep up the achievement.

tricky one today, despite icy roads, dropping temperature, nearly last day of Dec. and a puncture, but got it done.

My first ride in the outside world for about 6 weeks!

A straight out and back, up the A4 through Hungerford and back. I couldn't believe how hard I was finding it on the way out, and by 20 miles I was not feeling very happy. I turned round at 31 miles, and realised that I had been riding into a reasonable headwind for an hour and three quarters!

My return journey was a lot better, and ended up getting the 63 miles done in about 3 hours 25 mins.

Still, I have leathered it on the turbo over the last few weeks, two hours of tempo last night alone, so I hope to get a bit of speed back over the next few weeks.

averaging 19mph or thereabouts for a 'swine flu survivor' whose not been out aint bad..good going.

gotta try and get my Jan metric in tomorrow i suspect.

Cheers Fringe - I have been training fairly well indoors for the last 3 or 4 weeks, averaging about 9 - 10 hours a week on the turbo, lots of that has been intervals and tempo work, so I have no real excuse!

The swine flu was actually fairly mild form of flu to be honest, if I had to have flu, that was about the best one to have...

I really need to make sure I improve on my last years fitness, as I have some fairly tough challenges planned for the year, but I'm pretty motivated at the mo' so I think it should be good.

Good luck with the weather tomorrow, hopefully it'll be a nice day for it...

Hi Guys, ive not posted on here before but been lurking for a while. Decided this is the year to attempt some big things so have taken up your 100k challenge to start things off (tho 2 months too late).

First big ride of the year should always be one to remember so I dragged a mate out and we took the MTB's on a loop of the local bridleways and disused railways. Despite being fantastic weather (for January) there was still a lot of ice on the tracks which forced us, willing or not, into the muddy verge for most of the first 40k. Thankfully the ice relented and we settled into a nice casual pace for the rest of the ride, quite a change from the manic pace of our usual MTB rides. With dark coming too soon this time of year the last 15k was done with the aid of lights and we were soon home after a re-fuel of several more choclate bars. Total ride, 114km - 70% bridleways, 20% tarmac cyclepath, 10% road. 10hrs door-to-door, 7hrs riding time.

Next 100k is going to be on the road bike!! and i think my mate might invest in some less draggy tyres :0)

Cheers,
Rich.

Was lovely to get out at the weekend, a nice training ride.
Feels good to be back out around the lakes and hills of north somerset

100k off road is a fearsome ride rich, nice one

that was the hardest metric c. ive done so far. had to get it done today as no other available days left in Jan,and other normal work/family/school run related stuff. anyhow picked a 15mile-ish loop about 12 miles away and battered myself round it 3 and a half times and managed my best time so far - 3hr.46, at an average of spot on 17mph. (on a single speed too, mind.)

"still gives you somefing to do dunit" as someonce once said to me.

that doesn't sound like much fun fringe

i haven't managed one for either december or january. plenty of shorter rides but nowt long. hoping to do the chippenham flapjack in feb though...

yeah by mile 47 i did think i should have stayed home and done some hoovering, but most of it was okay. chippenham flapjack sounds interesting, my march metric will be the LVIS Audax (28th march).

http://www.lvis.org.uk/news.htm

and there ya go, theres a post about it from yesterday..they get about them LVIS lot.

I've entered the flapjack as well to get some more easy pre season miles in. going to ride from Westbury to the start and then back again at the finish to bring it up to 100 miles

STATO - that sounds like a tough day in the saddle, a cold, icy off-road metric is pretty epic.

Fringe - well done on getting it done!

Everyone seems to be making their life tough here, I do mine on road with a bike brimming with gears...

I have a metric planned in Feb for a circuit, maybe two, round the Isle of Arran...I think I may have to hollow out a bear to cycle in for warmth though, I'm a soft suvvener you know!

maybe next years MCC rules should include at least one off-road jaunt, or maybe a double point score..

or fixed, or a tricycle, or a, or a, or a..etc etc.

alright maybe not eh.

(good luck with the Arran metric btw DaSy, i once spent a week in Orkney and by day 2 i'd been up and down the same three roads twice)

cheers guys, it wasnt too hard really, think i was hyped up on adrenalin. Will be doing a proper offroad one in August as im entered for the Kielder100 (www.sip-events.co.uk/kielder-home.html), thats 100 MILES offroad! ouch!

Keep up the chat, its good for motivation when im sat in the office looking out at the wind and rain

Stato - The Kielder race is 4th September - unless you are after an early start;-)

Thinking of doing it myself if I an the UK at the time which is probable.

Got my January counter in last Saturday after an aborted audax on the 2nd (heavy snow in peak district).