Piemonster wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:27 pm
I’ve used Zwift in the past, I think you’re looking at 13-15hrs riding to cover 500km
The weathers and roads are perfect every day, and there’s usually someone to draft even if you don’t join a group ride.
No 'winter lanes' setting? No gritty brakes, potholes hidden by puddles and a grey dark feel to a day that never gets above 5 degrees?
The programmers at Zwift do lack imagination
Piemonster wrote: ↑Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:27 pm
I’ve used Zwift in the past, I think you’re looking at 13-15hrs riding to cover 500km
The weathers and roads are perfect every day, and there’s usually someone to draft even if you don’t join a group ride.
No 'winter lanes' setting? No gritty brakes, potholes hidden by puddles and a grey dark feel to a day that never gets above 5 degrees?
The programmers at Zwift do lack imagination
I was thinking of doing it as a oner this year between Christmas and New Year. Not sure yet if that is my own route as a DIY Audax or doing one of the GWR Festive500 Audax events. I think maybe something similar to the "Pint 2" route but starting/ending in Birmingham.
Will has arranged 3 different routes this year with differing climbing depending on your preference. I think this might be the 2nd year that he has run an event like this. There are groups planned to be going both directions around the routes.
I've done one 500km from Newcastle to London in a oner for charity, that took me 19 1/2 hours... now if you can sit on a turbo trainer saddle for that length of time then all power to you, i had to fit a Brooks B17 to turbo for rides over 2 hours when having to isolate twice!
I think they have had to add Zwift purely because it is a worldwide event and many countries are tighter in their lockdown controls than us
Got to say, very tempted this year to give it a go.
Outside, mind, on my winter roadbike.
Really need to get my sh i t in a sock and make it happen, I've not really ridden at all this year..
Last edited by Teetosugars on Wed Oct 28, 2020 7:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I've considered this for the past 3 years or so and never even made a start to it on account of the generally shitty weather at that time of year, but compounded by the lack of daylight. For example, on Dec 26th, local sunrise is supposedly about 9:00 (but is actually more like 9:30 on account of the mountains) and sunset is at 15:30 (again it's actually 30-45mins earlier as the hills block the late sun).
And if it's not wet, it's very cold and very probably icy. Ice & dark? Nah - I'll pass
composite wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 10:16 am
I was thinking of doing it as a oner this year between Christmas and New Year. Not sure yet if that is my own route as a DIY Audax or doing one of the GWR Festive500 Audax events. I think maybe something similar to the "Pint 2" route but starting/ending in Birmingham.
Will has arranged 3 different routes this year with differing climbing depending on your preference. I think this might be the 2nd year that he has run an event like this. There are groups planned to be going both directions around the routes.
I'd always written this off, as I'd feel bad being away from the kids for long enough to get the miles. However I did manage it a couple of years back when I had to work the days between Christmas and New Year, meaning I could get a lot of miles by adding to my commute in the morning and evening, plus a 100 mile bivy ride overnight at the weekend to get me over the line. I think only about 3 hours of the total ride time was spent in daylight!
I love the idea of doing it in a oner, though as Colin says, it's very dependent on road conditions at that time of year and I would probably not have the legs to do that distance on ice tyres!
composite wrote: ↑Tue Oct 27, 2020 10:16 am
I was thinking of doing it as a oner this year between Christmas and New Year. Not sure yet if that is my own route as a DIY Audax or doing one of the GWR Festive500 Audax events. I think maybe something similar to the "Pint 2" route but starting/ending in Birmingham.
Will has arranged 3 different routes this year with differing climbing depending on your preference. I think this might be the 2nd year that he has run an event like this. There are groups planned to be going both directions around the routes.
I am considering doing a circuit of Warwickshire - there are 7 counties bordering Warwickshire and I think a half decent route could be to ride through all of them - need to get route planning but there must be 500km in there somewhere......