Rapha rising challenge on strava out of the question for me

sigorman85

Climb 8,800 meters (28,871ft) in nine days! Wow erm I have a job and I live in the uk so think il give this one a miss I live in Dorset and yes it's hilly but is really achievable with working 12 hr shift Monday to Friday and with our weather ?
Anyone else feeling my problem With some of the strava challenges ?

I no strava can't please everyone but at least let the average joe have a go

Mikey23

I did a john mcenroe you cannot be serious take on this when i saw it.

Quite a few of my cornwall and devon buds have signed up for it ... Pity it wasnt before the dartmoor classic, could nearly have got it in one ride! Isnt it something like 3000ft a day?

dilatory

A lot of people don't like Strava and think the challenges are stupid but they're nice to try and treat as goals. I just finished the Battle of June one and am trying to figure out how to do this one. If it forces me to only ride some hills every day and do 100 miles around Snowdonia at the weekend it can only make me stronger!

sloppyschleckonds

Pretty dull but you could do repetitive hill repeats on the weekends

sigorman85

Steepest hill near me is Portland from the Olympic village to the top at the hotel is 556ft at 1.1 miles some bits are 6% and to the top it's nearly 15% in parts vern hill is pretty much the limit basicly poping wheelies at 4mph

marcusjb

what is the point of having challenges that are so easy that anyone can do them?

Climbing challenges are always going to be hard for some due to geographical location, however, I am sorry, someone from Dorset complaining about it! I've done the best part of the 8800m of ascent needed within a weekend in Dorset, some great climbing to be done down there.

borisface

I thought that some of the strava challenges have got significantly easier compared to last year particularly as the reward was the opportunity to buy a jersey.

Iamnot Wiggins

sigorman85 wrote:

Climb 8,800 meters (28,871ft) in nine days! Wow erm I have a job and I live in the uk so think il give this one a miss I live in Dorset and yes it's hilly but is really achievable with working 12 hr shift Monday to Friday and with our weather ?
Anyone else feeling my problem With some of the strava challenges ?

I no strava can't please everyone but at least let the average joe have a go

Sounds like you're just looking for excuses.

Flâneur

I like the fact it is a challenge to complete, the 500 was a challenge with the weather but it was achievable and required some dedication rather than hoping for a break like a grand fondo can be

Use it as the chance to go ride somewhere different at the weekend, I just planned two rides, one in Snowdonia and one in the peaks which will give me near 6000m, should allow for 2 rest nights/weather days and ensure the last 3000m can be done in the immediate area.

If i fail I fail, hardly the end of the world as long as I tried

sigorman85

marcusjb wrote:

what is the point of having challenges that are so easy that anyone can do them?

Climbing challenges are always going to be hard for some due to geographical location, however, I am sorry, someone from Dorset complaining about it! I've done the best part of the 8800m of ascent needed within a weekend in Dorset, some great climbing to be done down there.

Do you work do you have a family? That's a lot of riding if your telling the truth but then who does on strava

marcusjb

sigorman85 wrote:

marcusjb wrote:

what is the point of having challenges that are so easy that anyone can do them?

Climbing challenges are always going to be hard for some due to geographical location, however, I am sorry, someone from Dorset complaining about it! I've done the best part of the 8800m of ascent needed within a weekend in Dorset, some great climbing to be done down there.

Do you work do you have a family? That's a lot of riding if your telling the truth but then who does on strava

Yes, I work. Bloody hard, as many small business owners have to.

No family though.

Not too much riding this year as business is hectic.

I certainly don't make every strava challenge. I've not even made the 1250km ones some months this year. But as I said, what is the point of a challenge if they are easy?

Depending on where I am on a training/riding calendar, the rapha rising one could be impossible for me to complete (as strava challenges are hardly my main motivation). I wouldn't alter anything to achieve a strava challenge. However, I will probably do alright in that particular challenge this time due to participation in a long ride in Northern Scotland.

As for anyone who doesn't tell the truth on strava? Well, they really are quite pathetic and should be banned for sure.

Mikey23

I wont be signing up for this as it looks pretty much impossible for me to complete and i will knacker myself trying like i always do!

dilatory

I reckon half of you lot would love a badge just for logging into Strava.

If you don't want to do a challenge, don't sign up to it.

stueys

dilatory wrote:

I reckon half of you lot would love a badge just for logging into Strava.

If you don't want to do a challenge, don't sign up to it.

This. Would much rather have a tough challenge that generates a sense of achievement than the pointless Grand fondo ride 130km that everyone hits on the first Sunday.

pedalbasher

dilatory wrote:

I reckon half of you lot would love a badge just for logging into Strava.

If you don't want to do a challenge, don't sign up to it.

Well said. This might be a bit tough if you're working 12 hour shifts that particular week, but it's achievable. Some of Strava's challenges are an absolute doddle - horses for courses, just sign up to the ones that will push you but are feasible.

cougie

What would you prefer the challenge to be ? Ride 25 miles in a week ?

Its meant to be a challenge. Not easy to do and if it doesnt suit you - dont do their free challenge. Whats the loss to you ?

caedev

cougie wrote:

What would you prefer the challenge to be ? Ride 25 miles in a week ?

Its meant to be a challenge. Not easy to do and if it doesnt suit you - dont do their free challenge. Whats the loss to you ?

Exactly mate.

sigorman85

That even attempting it I would t get no where near

jack_flap

dilatory wrote:

I reckon half of you lot would love a badge just for logging into Strava.

If you don't want to do a challenge, don't sign up to it.

+1

rolf_f

I might sign on but I won't complete it. Even if I try, to achieve the 28,000 feet of a Garmin user, I would have to climb at least 34,000 feet. :roll:

sungod

tbh you could do 8800m in a few days in london, swain's lane is quiet enough (though you need to watch it coming back down the top bit as it's one-way there)

depending on where you start/stop it's about 13-14 repeats per km, though if you do it from the roundabout to the junction at the very top it's just 12 i think, handy cafes at top and bottom for food/water, and if it all gets too much the cemetery is right there

it's not the climbing that's the issue, it's the mind-numbing boredom, i used to do 1km of repeats there a couple of times a week, but there's a limit to how many times you can see the same speed bumps, so i'm having a break from it at the moment

sbbefc

If you have the strava app on your phone use that rather than a gps unit. Magically gets you far more elevation!

8000m is a lot of climbing for anyone in the uk but thats the point of a challenge isnt it?

Two long rides and a couple of shorter ones specifically targeting hills should do it though. Set aside one week to do it and it should be achievable for anyone really.

robbo2011

Sadly, the challenge starts just after I come back from a week's holiday in the Dolomites. I reckon I could nail it in three rides over there.

I'm not that sad really, though.

matt-h

sigorman85 wrote:

Climb 8,800 meters (28,871ft) in nine days! Wow erm I have a job and I live in the uk so think il give this one a miss I live in Dorset and yes it's hilly but is really achievable with working 12 hr shift Monday to Friday and with our weather ?
Anyone else feeling my problem With some of the strava challenges ?

I no strava can't please everyone but at least let the average joe have a go

Head to the Purbecks, Corfe etc.

Matt

Omar Little

If its easy to do its not much of a challenge.
Im not bothered with alot of the strava challenges, i enter most of them but cant say they dominate my life, some i complete from my regular riding some i dont. The Rapha Rising one though is a bit different - its a difficult one for me to achieve but because of that finishing it gives a certain sense of accomplishment. Plus its good training and forces me to do hill repeats which i know i will get the benefit of despite usually avoiding!

Miles253

I was in the Alps for this challenge last year

MountainMonster

If I didn't live in Cambridgeshire I would attempt this. I could have easily done it back in Austria, but alas, i'm here for work.

Don't worry about not competing if you don't have the time. It isn't compulsory!

markhewitt1978

sigorman85 wrote:

Climb 8,800 meters (28,871ft) in nine days! Wow erm I have a job and I live in the uk so think il give this one a miss I live in Dorset and yes it's hilly but is really achievable with working 12 hr shift Monday to Friday and with our weather ?
Anyone else feeling my problem With some of the strava challenges ?

I no strava can't please everyone but at least let the average joe have a go

Agreed, means you would have to do 3207ft per day! Even though I live in a hilly area that would take at least 40 miles of riding, every day for 9 days. As it happens I'm off work for 9 days, but the week after it finishes!

If they had the same thing over a month with the same climbing, then those of us who work for a living might stand a chance. As it is I probably won't even try, what's the point?

Omar Little

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Agreed, means you would have to do 3207ft per day! Even though I live in a hilly area that would take at least 40 miles of riding, every day for 9 days. As it happens I'm off work for 9 days, but the week after it finishes!

If they had the same thing over a month with the same climbing, then those of us who work for a living might stand a chance. As it is I probably won't even try, what's the point?

For most people finding a couple of hours each day - or doing a couple of big rides spread over the two weekends and therefore less time required during the week is achievable if they have the motivation to do so.

If you dont want to find the time to do that then fair enough - it is after all just a daft challenge on a website and doesnt mean anything - but that doesnt mean those who do have the motivation to extend the commute or drag their body out of bed an hour early or not bother watching tv so they can do hill repeats are workshy layabouts!

ManOfKent

I'll be able to ride four (at most) of those days, and probably no more than 10-12 hours in total. So I'll skip the challenge and not feel guilty in the slightest.

964cup

It's the date-specificity that annoys me. I'm going to the Alps for four days in a week's time. We'll easily do more than 8,800 metres climbing on that trip, but that's no use for the challenge. Climb 8.8km in fewer than 10 consecutive days would be easier to build a life around.

What I can't get my head around with Strava is the time/distance put in by the challenge winners. I'll end up around 1,200km for June MTS, representing 46.5hrs of riding for the month. That's my commute plus at least three decent leisure rides per week. So how the hell did the challenge leaders get to 7,000km+? The leaders are doing, respectively, 90 and 60 hours per *week* of riding. Don't these people have jobs, families, lives?