2010 Metric Century Challenge

pdstsp

Thanks as usual Velo - had a disastrous September - only one decent ride due to some illness, weekend entertaining etc - aiming at 25 now which would be one more than 2008, I think, when it was the fourth best total!! May see me sprinting for 15th this time.

timmyflash

Haha, i'm in the grupetto.

Still, almost lost it this month. Ran out of weekends in Sep, then had to run a half marathon on the final weekend, so did my ride after work in the final week, finishing back at work at 10:15pm. I felt pretty heroic. It aint 70, but it kept me alive to finish the challenge

velocitizen

Timmyflash
Great stuff, just the sort of story I like to hear.
Don't think about 70, it's the next 3 that count!
Best of luck.

bikergirl17

disaster of a september as well -- lowest mileage since december, when i rode 3 times the entire month! but three months to go, fingers crossed -- this challenge has been one of the major things getting me out to do longer rides! so thank you all.

and it is great when people put in details about their ride; find it fascinating to read (esp the guy who did about 3 rides > 100 km and then rocks the marmotte. amazing!).

pollys_bott

What is it with September? I only managed to get out twice which made it my worst month of the year - following the best, ironically. Lack of riding in the last five / six weeks probably goes a long way to explaining the relative struggle around Rutland yesterday; although the headwind for the last 30k, diversion around Nether Broughton and short sharp climb back up onto the Leicestershire Wolds all contributed to the grind. Glad I had a couple of gels in the saddle bag. I really need to map some routes south/west of home so I can have a tail-wind helping me finish, or ask the local butcher to source me some special Spanish beef...

gbs

Grrrh! I am out; pothole induced mutibike pileup ealier this month leaves me with broken ulna and fractured thumb.

Good luck to all.

Fuji Mackers

Been a great challenge this. But going pear-shaped for me. I now have a 2 day window in November to get my month's ride in, and then December I'm travelling in South America, so only a freewheel down the Worlds Most Dangerous Road will be my only cycling, but that may fall short of 100km's. It will be the easiest miles of the year nevertheless 8)

timmyflash

Just bought a fixed gear bike. Might have a go at this month's on that. Been on in twice. Bit of a thrill. Pan-flat required.

velocitizen

Timmy
Most of my winter rides are done on fixed, usually plan a nice route with a cafe half way.
Good luck all those still in.

batch78

Brrrr, that was a chilly one!

RedGreenBaron

Hi Velo,
I'm afraid I've been shocking at updating my post. I thought I was a month behind but have just realised it was actually two. Fully understand if I'm dumped for hopeless admin, but I did manage a couple in each of Sep and Oct including a stunning Picos (northern Spain) ride and a less adventurous but equally sunny ride to and through the gorgeous autumnal Windsor great park.
FWIW I'm up to 30 so my target of 40 is looking impossible but I've still got a chance of matching last year despite doing more running [last year I was at 31 at end Oct].

Really sorry to hear about gbs' mishap. Hope the healing is superfast.

Nick

gbs

RedGreenBaron wrote:

Hi Velo,

Really sorry to hear about gbs' mishap. Hope the healing is superfast.

Nick

Nick, Thanks for yr interest; broken on 07/10, pinned and wired up on 09/10, plaster off on 26/10. "Clean break, good bones and a good fixation" said the Registrar. Excellent service at yr local - CX Hospital. Now the hard grind of physio.

I may be able to sneak in an easy century ride in January; so if you wish to repeat yr ride to WGP let me know.

RedGreenBaron

gbs wrote:

I may be able to sneak in an easy century ride in January; so if you wish to repeat yr ride to WGP let me know.

That is a fast mend.
I'll be in the UK first couple of weeks of Jan then away for a month. I'll PM you,
Nick

velocitizen

Sorry the November update is a bit late, PC problems.
Rider Points
Airwave 78
toontra 54
daibhi 50
lucky paddy 45
bikergirl17 37
Big Ted 36
genki 36
threelionsbrian 36
redgreenbaron 30
in-gearjohn 27
Fuji Mackers 26
Mad One 24
pdstsp 24
pneumatic 16
velocitizen 15
leedsmjh 14
Batch78 13
MikeEye 13
timmyflash 13
Pollys Bott 11

Got my November ride in today, great weekend for it.
December will be a club 'Mince pie run'
Best of luck to those still in.

batch78

Cheers Velo, good luck everyone only a couple left now!

timmyflash

Oh dear, continue to tumble down the table!

Hmm, do i don't i try to 'do better' next year...

batch78

Well only you can answer that.

Just remember its a challenge, to yourself, nobody wins nobody loses, so long as you complete one a month you've succeeded.

If your priority next year is miles in the legs then yes I'd suggest you challenge yourself to try to do better. Personally I'll probably not enter next year as short distance TT's are gonna be my main aim and struggling to fit a century in just to complete isn't helpful.

pollys_bott

timmyflash wrote:

Oh dear, continue to tumble down the table!

Hmm, do i don't i try to 'do better' next year...

Have no fear, you'll tumble no further...

velocitizen

November update on the Challenge.
Glad to see so many people stil in?
Bikergirl17 Did you finish the ride pushing the bike or with it in the car or on the train?
Those names in red still need to post a November ride.
December ride for me should be on the 'Mince Pie run' to Belton, or earlier if we get a nice day.

Rider Points
Airwave 85
toontra 57
daibhi 52
lucky paddy 45
bikergirl17 37
Big Ted 36
genki 38
threelionsbrian 39
redgreenbaron 31
in-gearjohn 29
Fuji Mackers 26
Mad One 24
pdstsp 25
pneumatic 17
velocitizen 16
leedsmjh 15
Batch78 13
MikeEye 14
timmyflash 14
Pollys Bott 12


Good luck in December everyone.
Who would be interested in a 2011 chalenge? Same format?
If there is interest I'll post one up Mid-December, any volunteers to do the monthly updates?

pdstsp

Cheers Velo. I'll be in for 2011 - great motivator. I'll even volunteer to do the updates as you seem to have been stitched up for years!!

Good luck to everyone this month - looking crap at the moment!

Paul

Mad One

velocitizen wrote:

Those names in red still need to post a November ride.
Mad One 24

Done a couple - will get on it, sorry :oops:

pneumatic

Just to show what a great motivator this has been, it is December 1st and I am already very concerned about how I am going to get to finish the challenge for this year. Two feet of snow out there right now. Just in case, I've already plotted a 20k circuit right on the coast that I can do five times over as soon as the thaw sets in.

Airwave

Cough,cough.Still in,here at the back,sir

velocitizen

Airwave wrote:

Cough,cough.Still in,here at the back,sir

Sorry Airwave must have missed you off, edited to include you now.
Good effort this year!

genki

velocitizen wrote:

Good luck in December everyone.
Who would be interested in a 2011 chalenge? Same format?
If there is interest I'll post one up Mid-December, any volunteers to do the monthly updates?

December could be interesting. It might have to be done on a MTB at this rate :?

Definitely we need the same sort of challenge in 2011. This one has had me extending many rides just to make it up to 100km.

It would be too hard to calculate, but anyone heard of, or calculated, their Eddington Number? I suppose it could be applied to a single year as well as over a lifetime.

Wikipdia wrote:

Eddington number (cycling)
Eddington is credited with devising a measure of a cyclist's long distance riding achievements. The Eddington Number in this context is defined as E, the number of days a cyclist has cycled more than E miles.[5][6] For example an Eddington Number of 70 would imply that a cyclist has cycled more than 70 miles in a day on 70 occasions. Achieving a high Eddington number is difficult since moving from, say, 70 to 75 will probably require more than five new long distance rides since any rides shorter than 75 miles will no longer be included in the reckoning.

velocitizen

Genki

Mine must be 62.18.
December should be OK, we won't have a month of this will we?

Airwave

After the weather's tried to freeze us this past week or so it looks as though next week it will be trying to drown us.But it's looking like it's going to hot,so shorts&tee shirts

pneumatic

genki wrote:

It would be too hard to calculate, but anyone heard of, or calculated, their Eddington Number? I suppose it could be applied to a single year as well as over a lifetime.

Wikipdia wrote:

Eddington number (cycling)
Eddington is credited with devising a measure of a cyclist's long distance riding achievements. The Eddington Number in this context is defined as E, the number of days a cyclist has cycled more than E miles.[5][6] For example an Eddington Number of 70 would imply that a cyclist has cycled more than 70 miles in a day on 70 occasions. Achieving a high Eddington number is difficult since moving from, say, 70 to 75 will probably require more than five new long distance rides since any rides shorter than 75 miles will no longer be included in the reckoning.

Never heard of this one, but just done an estimate of mine and I reckon I'm looking at about 80 in kilometres (i.e 80 x 80+km rides) over ten years!!! To start with, it is actually quite easy to raise your number; you just have to knock off the shortest one on your list and replace it with two rides longer than your target number. I guess I will start getting stuck at 100k, because of all the rides I have just done for the metric century challenge.

batch78

Hate to say it but I'm out.

Not putting a computer on the winter bike until the last weekend of the month, then it failing to work was an error evidently! :roll:

Good luck everyone still in, I'll keep an eye on next years even if I don't partake myself.

Airwave

That was the hardest one of the year,may be bacuase as it was a bit dodgy going into the interior i stayed on the coast&ended up doing laps around town.But i did go past Harry Redknapp's house/mansion 11 times.Hope when i wake up in the morning i have'nt become a spurs fan :roll: