• Festive 500 in a oner?

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 11:50 am**

i always fancy a go at this, when it comes up each year.
so yesterday i sat and plotted a 500km route from home, using minor roads and cycle route.

firstly. it goes a lot further than i thought, and if i were to do this, it would take me about 30 hours.

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 1:33 pm**

500km in one go sounds... unpleasant.

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 1:52 pm**

500km in one go sounds... unpleasant.

Or the perfect opportunity for a stab at the Big Bear

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 2:23 pm**

That's a hard pass from me. Very much doubt I'll ever be that fit again.

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 5:01 pm**

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

Posted: **Mon Oct 26, 2020 6:33 pm**

jameso wrote: ↑Mon Oct 26, 2020 5:01 pm
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

It does rain and go dark in Zwift

Posted: **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.

Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 1
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-1/
Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 2
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-2/

...and if you are a double hard bastard there is always the double...
Double Creamed Full Fat Festives
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/dou ... ives-1000/

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 3:39 pm**

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

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 4:37 pm**

I did 12 hours+ on a turbo for charity once... completely screwed up both my knee and my undercarriage.

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:09 pm**

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..

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:45 pm**

Really need to get my sub standard in a sock and make it happen, I've not really ridden at all this year..

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 9:24 pm**

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

Posted: **Tue Oct 27, 2020 9:29 pm**

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.

Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 1
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-1/
Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 2
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-2/

...and if you are a double hard bastard there is always the double...
Double Creamed Full Fat Festives
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/dou ... ives-1000/

I'll take a look, enjoyed last year's one

Posted: **Wed Oct 28, 2020 12:08 pm**

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!

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2020 1:08 pm**

i have all the patches, but this year I don't think I can be arsed.
I enjoyed getting something out of Crikey, how much for free, now that has gone

Kudos to them for inspiring people to get away from Xmas excess and outdoors, until now.

Posted: **Thu Oct 29, 2020 1:42 pm**

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.

Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 1
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-1/
Full Fat Festive 500 Pint 2
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/ful ... 00-pint-2/

...and if you are a double hard bastard there is always the double...
Double Creamed Full Fat Festives
https://www.pedalution.co.uk/events/dou ... ives-1000/

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......

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