Metric Century chat

No one posted in 6 weeks, well I am getting exited to tackle my first Metric very soon, if the challenge gets laid down next week. I've got a shiny new username and everything.

I see 18 people have completed the challenge already with 4 days left to finish. There are some high scorers who fell out over the summer but I can only see three guys left who could score and complete this month: stofish, squiggle and windy54. Tomorrow Sunday Oct 28th has to be the last best chance.

I only started in July, but I've done at least one a month since.

I've made it!
Thanks to road.cc for the challenge, it really helped as a motivation to get out and ride the whole year round.

Raring to go to do the challenge proper next year btw

Yip, having the monthly challenge always pushed me out the door, especially in the dark cold winter months, cheers.
Was out today, -2 C at the start, but that's the first one for November done, can relax a bit now ha ha.

So is there going to be a new challenge thread? Or is this not an annual event?

Gulp, I have to do it now then. Furthest I've gone so far is 88.7km.

A 63 miler on 30th October and a 60 miler on 4th November. So near and yet so far. Curses.

I am on the board with one point. As I am *not*employed the 13C temperature got me out the door on a Wednesday in my shorts. I've tried a few training runs since the clocks went back in the colder weather but the extra layer just made me feel slow and stiff.
I did 97.3km in 3h28:16 at 28kph. Then had to go around the village to top up to the ton a bit slower. Even so it took over 4 hours with a stop for a mars bar and stretching and some toe wiggling.

So I am wondering what speed some of you can manage the ton at? Just a bit worried it might take 5 hours in freezing January.

I did a flat route today from aberystwyth to aberdovey and back. 100.3km, 3hr 15min, 19mph average.

Off into the hills on sunday so that should slow me down

Mmmpphh, is that the noise you make when you go into a pot hole and your goolies hit the cross bar?
No, but seriously, you are now my next target.

A bad start for my metric century year, an impromptu change of route after being chased by a pack of farm dogs.

Trundled around in the dark before work. Feet numb with cold by the end of it but just sneaked in before the end of the month. Like Captain Beaky, I foolishly rode 60.8 miles earlier in the month without thinking that a few minutes more in the saddle would have qualified me for November. It's all downhill from here.

5 inches of snow over the Chilterns this morning but I stayed upright. My slowest MC ever I should think.

Decided to ride over the night of the Solstice. Set off at 4pm riding to Telford services which is about 100km away. After a longish break I headed towards home looping further south. It started to rain and I had not taken a rain jacket! I ended up getting home at 6am, had an hour in bed and got into some dry clothes and went I did a few chores getting home at 8.30 am. I only counted the mileage to 6am though. Feel I sort of quit on original, mad, idea.

Failure! Did 52.1km today in a last ditch attempt to get my second metric in. It is going to bucket down again tomorrow (31st) so that is right out, got to be rested for party night you know.
I just have to grumble, it has just been wet wet wet. Every time I've gone out on my bike it has started to rain this month. Rain is cold and slows you down, going slow takes extra time, and longer in the saddle means pain, sore feet, sore back, sore legs, sore cooch! Freezing feet.
The irony is there was a lovely day last week, warm, dry and sunny on Sunday 23rd but I had to travel to the relatives and missed it. Sat on the train I knew my best chance was sliding past.

So today I set of on some damp roads but the wind was really in my face. I was fighting the wind and my winter tights, every revolution seemed to take 30% extra effort. After 17km slight uphill I was down to 22kph and at least 10 minutes behind usual. I managed to struggle that back up to 25kph by 90mins but then it started to rain again.
With the prospect of taking half an hour to get home or doing 5 more loops of the by-pass in the rain and the dark to complete the metric I just didn't have the heart.

I may just be unused to winter riding but it is really hard having to fight the road condition, weather and extra layers of clothing. Speed goes so slow that I just can't manage that amount of time it takes to do the distance. I notice nobody says on the challenge page how long it takes them; the info might be helpful.

Moan over, only 10 months before I can try again.

Don't be disheartened. Everyone is slower in the winter thanks to all of the things that you mention. The good news is that any work you put in now will pay you back in the summer when you'll be leaner, stronger and that little bit more inured to bad conditions. You'll appreciate the good days more and be more likely to overcome any reticence to head out if the weather doesn't look too good. We all have to fight the weather and darkness at this time of year. Stick with it.

Can anyone remind me when the metric century starts and finishes? Can I start it this Jan, or am I too late?

January sorted. Why do I only do these in the snow? Only two more to go before the clocks change. In a few weeks time I'll be able to start one of these in daylight. Maybe I'll manage to go a bit quicker too.

...and the theme for this year's MCC is snow. Another freezing MC across the white fields of Beds and Herts.

166km yesterday and my hands and feet never got warm. Snow free at home but Charnwood Hills had quite a bit in the fields and verges.

Nov-Feb, first quarter done,

Been a tale of punctures, snow, ice, punctures, flooding, punctures, going arse-over-tip over the handlebars and getting a puncture. Never mind, on the up-side I have got out on the bike through all weathers and maintained what modicum of fitness I have - and sharpened up my puncture repair technique.

Feb run today was perfect - sunshine, crisp, snow on the moors - soon be spring with daylight and the chance of better weather.

A week ago I was flying throught the Peaks in sunshine, today I was suffering a thorough beasting on the wheel of Old Cranky for the whole of the Phil Cooke Challenge. It didn't stop it being a fine day out on a great route, well organised by some lovely people for a very good cause. Even mashing two chainlinks in my front mech couldn't spoil the day. The moral of the story is...always recycle your KMC Master links. You can't have too many in your EPMS.

Needless to say, both rides were as icy as the ninth circle of hell. Roll on Spring!

Mr B.Clanger,

It was a fine day out, but hardly a beasting and clearly you were at a disadvantage on your steel-is-real (and flexi) Condor.

"EPMS" - excellent acronym for those who are aware of the rules

Coincidentally, another cycling friend arranged a recent pedal taking in a few cemeteries with a bit of a history lesson thrown in. One gravestone en route was that of Maria Rossetti, so your reference to Dante's Inferno is the second I've heard in as many weeks.

Looking forward to the next metric century get-together,
Old Cranky.

That's March sorted already, 5/12 and the darkest months behind us. I've done a couple of early morning slogs down to London this week. The highlight was dropping a large gentleman on his Bianchi TT doing a lap of Regents Park. I am a little worried though, I did so while sporting a large beard and with a full pannier attached to my bike. Does this make me a 'Fred?'

Hopefully the weather can only get better for the remaining duration of the challenge and there are about 23 of us still in the game

Half way there and I'm still in it. No more snow. It's all downhill from here surely.

A few more got shelled out during April