The Rapha Festive 500

450km!!! Getting there slowly. Today was brilliant though. Wind on my back down the coast. Nice atmospheric sea scapes. Smooth clean roads with great patient drivers!
Feeling good bar the cough I seem to have developed.

2 Attachments

No riding to day, I was up all night being sick and a dreadful headache, not sure what case that!

I’m going to need 75miles tomorrow, not sure it’s going to happen

Anyone who's done it IN BRITAIN has definitely earnt it this year. I tried to ride down to the Cotswolds and back today, gave up after less than 15 miles due to 20-30mph constant headwind and turned back.

#weakandunstable

Nice and warm but windy today, seemingly a constant headwind.

My bottom bracket has developed a good old creak but hopefully it'll last for another 75 miles tomorrow

Are the trains running? Today you could have clonked a two imperial tons arrow without getting wet.

Just got in from another 100k. East Kent back to London. Head wind. All. Day. Long.

That destroyed me.

Tomorrow’s final 70k will probably spent going round in circles at one of the parks just to get it done. I feel like that’s cheating though.

1 Attachment

Just went to Whitstable. 561km. Done.

Will ride tomorrow though, because I love cycling!

Yeah I probably should have done something like that, it would have been amazing. Could have ridden all the way to King's Lynn with an epic tailwind in theory but I'm not sure trains from there or Peterborough to Leamington exist and if they do they'd be expensive.

It's OK it's not actually like I'm trying to do the Festive 500 ;)

Just back from the isle of sheppey - on 428k. Legs feeling it but optimistic about hitting target tomorrow! The headwinds were grim, halved my speed on the return sections....

100k. Was going to be 80 but once I got on the tailwind I decided to ride it a bit further and suck a bit more headwind back home.

22k left to do tomorrow so will take it easy and just potter around nice coffee shops in the city.

2 hrs 48 mins into 21mph headwind today.
Was warm though.

Pleased with getting to 80%

I reckon so.

Done, curry ordered.

Done and done. Couple of bimbles round home and then rode from Farnborough to Pickering. Some super sketchy times on the ice but somehow managed not to stack it. 566.7km all in unless I get out tomorrow which I won't.

Still can't work out how to link pics but there's some on my insta.

https://www.instagram.com/cambourghinii/

Currently eat breakfast and listening to the wind and rain lashing against the window, 75 miles to go, joy

Feeling pretty rough, cough developed last night moved myself to the sofa so as not to disturb the little one.
Heading off to meet @Pifko to get the last KMs in.
Have the motivational socks on

1 Attachment

84km remaining. currently eating biscuits and drinking coffee on the train to ipswich

aka living the dream

If you got the 500 this year well done - pretty uncharitable weather to say the least.

Easy 36 mile loop in the Surrey Hills to finish off, pretty grim out, the bike is rank.
All done for the first time, makes a change from doing zero riding over the break.

That was horrible, but I’m done, 509kms. All fixed, but I don’t consider that an achievement. given the weather anybody who’s maintained a geared bike in that weather deserves a double award.

Some super sketchy times on the ice but somehow managed not to stack it.

#poloskills

good effort and yup, a bit muddy but also feel I cheated because CX bike with 1x

myfilthydrivetrain.jpg

Short ride around town done. None of the nice coffee shops were open so ended up in Waterstones. Their cafe has been really good since they ended the contract with Costa and went indie. Also the cake slices are massive.

Ride now logged and roundel claimed.

Also, it will be really nice to not stare obsessively at weather maps in the morning and work out when and where to go for the least punishment.

Great ride this morning with @Pifko very nice chap. Gave me a wheel to follow up the climbs. Stopped for a nice coffee and cake.
Legs were a bit dead after that. We took a pretty much gale force wind with some rain which I couldn’t hack on the final bit up the coast.
A befitting final photo, given my very understanding wife is Canadian.

85km today, taking my total to 536km.

1 Attachment

Good work, the wind on the south coast was interesting wasn’t it.