- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
New Metric Century Challenge
We have completed the first years Metric Century Challenge, and I have a few suggestions.
Should we start a new thread for this years challenge to keep it neat and tidy. Also start a new metric century chat thread too.
I think we should not worry about getting in one scoring ride every month, that way it is a bit more inclusive, and people won't feel like they can't join in if they either miss a month or don't see it until later in the year.
Lastly, can I claim longest ride - 225.3km
Highest score in a month - June, 7 points
Highest total score - 54 points
That was a good year, and the challenge meant there were times when I used it as a good excuse to put in more miles, and times when it forced me to stay out when I really fancied going home...
I have a few challenges this coming year that require me to get some good miles in, so will be in again this year.
What did I win Tony and Dave?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- The Larger Cyclist 11 min 40 sec ago
loads of parking
- Rendel Harris 25 min 8 sec ago
I agree, intuitively one would assume that spending eight or more hours a day on the road would make them better drivers but it's not like sport...
- Rendel Harris 30 min 9 sec ago
San Francisco: it was actually approved and they were going to go ahead with it until public outcry forced them to back down.
- brooksby 55 min 53 sec ago
I hate it when I can't find the obvious source of a puncture.
- brooksby 1 hour 3 min ago
Similar to how apparently there's nothing wrong with cyclists sharing a road with cars and SUVs and HGVs and yet shared use infrastructure...
- Dnnnnnn 2 hours 39 min ago
Well, yes, that's kinda my point. I think stating that "Norway is socialist" is a questionable perspective. I'd say it was a Nordic social...
- don simon fbpe 3 hours 3 sec ago
Now, if we're talking gravel bikes, that's a whole different story. Gimme, gimme, gimme! Apologies for the Facebook link....
- wtjs 3 hours 2 min ago
The police are operationally independent, in fact the regional Police and Crime Commissioners have to swear in their oath of office that they will...
- brooksby 3 hours 7 min ago
"'Right", said Fred, "we'll 'ave to get a move on…"
- JohnnyEnglish 4 hours 51 min ago
Thanks for the review. I like that Orbea have included aero extras and wish more manufacturers would stick two fingers up at the UCI - at least in...
Add new comment
139 comments
who is the mysterious peter s?
Fringe, I'm pretending I can't see him and his insane amount of rides. 66 years old so I reckon this is a retirement present to himself, luckily, I'm inn no way jealous of having enough time to put that many miles in.
The bitterness comes from having just crawled off the turbo after a 2x20 session at just over 300W that crucified me! I've been pushing quite hard this last couple of weeks, trying to make up for some lost training time, and only 8 weeks left, which includes some tapering time, to get ready!
DaSy, 8 weeks left till what?, retirement!!
I'm booked up and doing the Club des Cingles du Mont-Ventoux ride.
I've done all three road climbs of Ventoux, but not all on the same day, so I aim to rectify that in about 8 weeks time.
good luck, sounds like immense fun to be had on two wheels (of the masochistic sort of course). closest i can get to that round here is up and over the mendips 5 or 6 times.. but still not quite the same
A lovely day for a 100 miles, with a stop at Zappi's in Oxford for a Brie and Bacon Paninni after 50ish miles.
I felt great, held a good pace despite this ridiculously persistent cough, and enjoyed the great weather.
The joy of hours of solitude, and no time restriction on when I needed to be back made it a very mentally relaxing ride.
I never seem to make this easy on myself. April done while returning from camping, on a fully loaded touring bike in hilly country, mostly into a strong headwind. Managed to plan it well enough that i crossed 100k as i rolled down my street. Ouch.
Saturday was a lovely day for a ride in the Brecon Beacons. All in, it was 85 miles going out via Swansea and over the Black Mountain via Brynamman. This was followed by a long fast descent that had he drafting a Transit van which couldn't lose me for about 4 miles.
The ride up to Llangadog and then onto Llandovery was undulating and windy, but the beautiful landscape takes your mind off the toil.
It's then a long uphill drag to Trecastle and onto Sennybridge via the A40, this is at about 3% for about 15km, it's hard work, as it doesn't feel like a climb but is always requiring effort.
A short sharp climb of up to 17% takes you out of Sennybridge along to Heol Senni and the joy of The Devils Elbow climb. This is so quiet and the stunning scenery makes the tough 2km climb more pleasant.
The drop down the secluded valley to Ystradfellte is stunning, then just the long quiet drag back up to Neath and on home for a bath and a welcome roast dinner...a perfect way to spend a Saturday!
Was out with Peter S yesterday as we clocked up another metric as we went over the Trough of Bowland for the third time in a week followed by the joy that is Marl Hill.
This challenge is really working for me - I've found myself extending rides so I can notch up another one, and I'm sure every extra mile I can get under my belt now will make my LEJOG easier in June.
Yesterday was a perfect example - I'd finished a lovely ride from Brighton to Horsham and back but found myself a few kms short of the magic ton, so I followed the A23 from the seafront to Mill Road, a mile-long climb at the edge of town, and hit that with as much gusto as I could (not very much as I'd done a 108-miler on Saturday) before heading home. There's no way I would have done that if I'd not signed up to this challenge.
Like Martin I have often extended rides to achieve a metric century. Last weekend did the tour of the peak sportive. Was going ok to Glossop where we stopped at a cafè. Struggled up snake pass & headwind all the way home. Glad to finish...
Back to my home ground in the Chilterns for a nice hilly, midweek 70 miles. The sun was shining, the roads were quiet and the world was a good place (plus, not being at work just made it that much better!).
My last one was the Mayhem sportive recce - see the home page for more details of that! who's coming?
Not coming Dave, I will be flying back from the Alps that day. Will have to make do with a quick blast up Alpe d' Huez in the morning instead.
Next week I should be earning 3 points on Saturday with a bit of luck. Alfreton to Skegness and back.... A lot further than I have ridden before!
hard life...
you got a 300k on the boil then? i was thinking of doing one this year. like you, it'll be a big leap...
Yes, a 300k audax. Its a few years since I did a 200 but this should be reasonably flat so hoping it is just a case of turning pedals. What can possible go wrong?
what indeed.
did the forest of dean spring classic today. turns out there's quite a lot of climbing in the forest of dean, if you look in right places...
Saturdays 100k was intended to see how my FTP work was coming on, and was my usual flat-ish route out and back round Windsor Castle.
Pleased to see that it was completed in under 3 hours total ride time, including traffic lights etc, of which there are quite a few on the route (I don't much believe in setting my computer to auto-pause, as that is an easy way to keep grabbing rests and pretend to have a good ride in my eyes).
So training may be starting to come together...I bloody hope so anyway, as I now have around 4 weeks of training time left before I have to taper ready for Ventoux.
Torture in the Chilterns again. This is a ride I haven't done for a while, and clocks up 100 miles and over 2000 metres of ascent.
It takes you into the Hambledon valley, then climbs every road out of either side of the valley, and weaves a convoluted course to take you back up any that you came down previously. There are some pretty tough little climbs, with the steepest hitting 27%, and most of them going over 16%.
I have been making a concious effort to start eating earlier in the ride, starting within the first 30 mins, and having a bite of something every 20 minutes, and am finishing these kind of rides so much stronger and fresher.
300k this weekend. It was the Alfreton to Skegness audax and we started at 0600 in light rain although we did have a heavy shower mid morning. the first 160k was into a headwind and was really tough up by the coast. The group I was in suffered 7 punctures of which I had the first - all causing delay.
Wind behind on the return leg and I suffered a couple of bad patches, also a clumsy fall on street furniture 2km from the end due to tiredness. Finished just after midnight.
A great experience - would be nice to do one again in milder conditions.
blackhound - was that your first 300km, not done one myself but aim to start that kind of thing next year (more time etc etc).
good effort, what with the headwind and all.
Yes, it was my first. Have done 3 200's but not for a couple of years.
Just a matter of perserverance really - eating and drinking etc. It was a fairly flat course but the wind was tough.
I heard that the first finisher took 1.5 hours longer than usual.....
Wow - well done Blackhound, that's very impressive. Not sure I could do that.
I had to stop 16km short of a double on Saturday - just ran out of time. Grrr.
Nice work Blackhound, that is a lot of pedalling in a day!
Todays mid-week ride was a windy 85 miles across the Downs and into Oxford for a pit-stop at Zappi's for a chat, bacon and brie pannini and a Team Casquette, cafe's don't get better than Zappi's.
a very wet and windy imperial 100miles, or 162km on the 'Blackratcycle' sportive..but a great route..all the steep hills up and over the mendips, lovely..seem to spend quite a bit of time overtaking people on the hills only to be overtaken by them on the flats..got a respectable time of 6hrs 13.
Havnt commented here for a while..
April century - 100+km ride in Krabi, Thailand from our hotel in Ao Nang with a local guide on mountain bikes down tracks, trails, through rivers etc, along beaches. Was easily the nicest (and toughest) metric century Ive done due to the 37degree heat and crazy levels of humidity.
May century - 101km mtb ride through the peak district on saturday. I dont own a mountain bike but the nice guys at Paliap loaned me a Hei Hei Supreme full susser xc bike to see me through, it did more than that, it was fantastic and I want one. Thanks for that. The rides were gorgeous, busy in places due to the weather but very testing in the heat. Loved it.
hey Jon forget the MTB, get a cross bike for the winter and blast round Ashton court/Leigh Woods and scare the MTB'rs..
(thats my plan, if i can raise enough cash on ebay for a crosser that is)
Its amazing what peoplen will buy on ebay, Im finding out now! Raising money for a deposit on a house.
I am hoping that I can buy an ex demo mtb or kona crosser from paligap.....
Wednesdays ride was a bit different...
95 miles and around 4700m of ascent that saw me climb Mont Ventoux from all three sides in a day.
All went well, and recorded some pretty reasonable times; Bedoin climb in 1hr 30, Maulacene in 1hr 40 and finally Sault in 1hr 30.
Also got to record my first ever 100km/h descent on both Maulacene and Bedoin. My wife even managed a picture of me in front of the car with the car speedo showing 58mph.
I am now an official member of the Club des Cingles du Mont Ventoux...happy days.
hey DaSy good going. do you get a certificate?
its now on my 'to do list', although i might just shy away from the 100km downhill bit as im a bit sketchy on the descents..
Pages