#Festive 500

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  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368

    Apparently this is the last year of the cloth badges

    Sad, but then again... if they allow anyone around the world to claim the badge... it will get costly. Imagine sending stuff to Australia...
    Maybe keep the badge for UK only? :D

    theyve got clubhouses round the world I thought,shirley it cant be that difficult to send them stuff ;)
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    Same again. I'll join in but fully expect the weather and family to get in the way.
    The one year that I completed it made a big difference to my fitness going into spring.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • pblakeney said:

    Same again. I'll join in but fully expect the weather and family to get in the way.
    The one year that I completed it made a big difference to my fitness going into spring.

    True, Last year I didn't put on any weight over Christmas for the first time ever...
    Bring on the mild weather
    left the forum March 2023
  • awavey said:

    Apparently this is the last year of the cloth badges

    Sad, but then again... if they allow anyone around the world to claim the badge... it will get costly. Imagine sending stuff to Australia...
    Maybe keep the badge for UK only? :D

    theyve got clubhouses round the world I thought,shirley it cant be that difficult to send them stuff ;)
    Could also be the admin involved... they might have to employ people specifically for the task.
    Badge per se are inexpensive. I pay £ 1.20 each for my BRUM 200 ones, but mine are bigger and I only order 100 of them, if I ordered a thousand the price would drop considerably.
    I would be surprised if they pay more than 50 p each.

    left the forum March 2023
  • Apparently this is the last year of the cloth badges

    Sad, but then again... if they allow anyone around the world to claim the badge... it will get costly. Imagine sending stuff to Australia...
    Maybe keep the badge for UK only? :D

    Let's be honest, isn't part of the challenge doing 500km in crap weather?
    Those Aussies should never have got badges, it's cheating to get a badge after doing some rides in summer!
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    I'm going to sign up this year, not sure if I'll complete it this time.

    Last year there was a delay with the badges, they said they were having problems with the supplier (I asked because I'd requested the badge but didn't get any confirmation or updates). Apparently they had issues the year before too so maybe the hassle has put them off doing it.

    I would have thought there would be another solution, maybe just add the badges to their web store and people pay for them if they want them (which would be fine by me).
  • Apparently this is the last year of the cloth badges

    Sad, but then again... if they allow anyone around the world to claim the badge... it will get costly. Imagine sending stuff to Australia...
    Maybe keep the badge for UK only? :D

    Let's be honest, isn't part of the challenge doing 500km in censored weather?
    Those Aussies should never have got badges, it's cheating to get a badge after doing some rides in summer!
    I agree, but it's difficult to draw a line... how about the USA? half of the nation is under half a metre of snow, the other half has tropical climate. Italy? The south is always mild, the north can be cold...
    I think the solution is above... if you want the badge, you pay for delivery, although it still leave with the cost of admin... someone needs to check entitlement... although maybe that can be done electronically
    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    I was thinking of requesting a badge and making a charitable contribution.
    Win - win?
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    pblakeney said:

    I was thinking of requesting a badge and making a charitable contribution.
    Win - win?

    That's what I did last year.

    Just giving wouldn't let me gift aid it through - I put "fundraising for Rapha festive 500" in the message and they said I'd received something in return so it wasn't eligible. I didn't even mention a badge or "entry".
  • Interesting how someone based in Germany could do 514 km in less than 16 hours... unless he is not based in Germany after all...
    left the forum March 2023
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218

    Interesting how someone based in Germany could do 514 km in less than 16 hours... unless he is not based in Germany after all...

    Some guy in NZ seems to have started at 1 minute past midnight and done the whole thing in a day.
    The top two, something odd going on there - says they haven't recorded anything yet.


  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368

    Interesting how someone based in Germany could do 514 km in less than 16 hours... unless he is not based in Germany after all...

    Some guy in NZ seems to have started at 1 minute past midnight and done the whole thing in a day.
    The top two, something odd going on there - says they haven't recorded anything yet.


    I know, I mean I struggle to do 500km in a month let alone 8 days across Christmas, so I always approach it as a just see how far I get, but when you upload your data and see people have done 500km in one day already it seems a bit odd even at a 20mph constant average it would still take 15hours
  • It's not impossible and I expected a few to finish early, but someone in Germany finishing at 4 PM CET seems a bit odd...
    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    It's Strava, innit.
    We are only 1-1/2 days in, just wait to see the final results! 😱🤔
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435

    Interesting how someone based in Germany could do 514 km in less than 16 hours... unless he is not based in Germany after all...

    Some guy in NZ seems to have started at 1 minute past midnight and done the whole thing in a day.
    The top two, something odd going on there - says they haven't recorded anything yet.


    The actual rides could be private?

    I'll give it a go for the first time. I'm behind pace though already, got a late start yesterday.
  • bobmcstuff
    bobmcstuff Posts: 11,435
    In any case it's a challenge not a competition so who gives a crap if someone cheated.
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    There are prizes awarded though so for some it is a competition.
    The competition for me is the weather and motivation, not others.
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218

    Interesting how someone based in Germany could do 514 km in less than 16 hours... unless he is not based in Germany after all...

    Some guy in NZ seems to have started at 1 minute past midnight and done the whole thing in a day.
    The top two, something odd going on there - says they haven't recorded anything yet.


    The actual rides could be private?
    It doesn't count if the ride isn't public. I've had to change mine to "everyone" for it to get counted.
    Glitch in the Strava matrix maybe.
  • 217 km to go... been out all days bar yesterday, which was too dismal.
    Turns out the current UK leader is actually riding in short sleeves in Thailand... :(
    left the forum March 2023
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218

    217 km to go... been out all days bar yesterday, which was too dismal.
    Turns out the current UK leader is actually riding in short sleeves in Thailand... :(

    When I last looked the top guy who was actually riding in the UK was doing a decent effort to be fair - 100+ mile rides in the bristol area and I think one of them was over 10 hrs long?
  • Ah, good to see a Bristol Audax club guy taking the lead!
    left the forum March 2023
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    322km done. Just the 178km to go over 2 rides.
    On target with extra in the bank. 😎
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • awavey
    awavey Posts: 2,368

    In any case it's a challenge not a competition so who gives a censored if someone cheated.

    I dont understand what people get from it by cheating thats all, and not just cheating alittle but seemingly blatantly cheating it, but Ive never completed it and not likely to, might just scrape half way if I pull my finger out, so my motivation towards it is completely different I guess
  • I had a 220 km ride planned for tomorrow to wrap it up, but there are a few question marks on some lanes... will they be passable? So I will do a "safer" 180 km route instead... that should leave me with 2 days to complete 37 km.
    Hope the temperature will be in double digit... now it seems it will be rather cloudy and dull again
    left the forum March 2023
  • carbonclem
    carbonclem Posts: 1,784
    Third ride today and the first I didn’t get soaked on. Just over 300km banked now and weather ahead looks decent. It’s been a tough start this year but not too bad. Good luck everyone.
    2020/2021/2022 Metric Century Challenge Winner

  • Hope the temperature will be in double digit... now it seems it will be rather cloudy and dull again

    It was fuXXing cold!

    left the forum March 2023
  • The body reacts oddly to repeated long distance rides, I've found. Did about 1300km last year (over 100 miles each day was my goal) and found I was very tired after day 1, even more tired after day 2, and so on, until day six, when it all began to feel easier. This year I'm doing less overall, but have found days 1 and 2 really tough; sore all over, even my arms, weirdly; almost too tired to stand etc. Day 3 felt much more comfortable, despite the rain. Day 4 was comfortable too, day 5 I was struggling again. Today (day 6) felt really good; really felt like I was flying along for the last 20 miles. Not sure what to expect tomorrow…
  • thistle_
    thistle_ Posts: 7,218
    That's me done.

    I've found it's been getting easier after day 3 but that's because the weather's been getting better and I've been going slower :D
  • pblakeney
    pblakeney Posts: 27,344
    440km done. Only an easy 60km to go tomorrow.
    Even easier if I think of it as 38 miles. 😎😀
    The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
    I am not sure. You have no chance.
    Veronese68 wrote:
    PB is the most sensible person on here.
  • Done...

    It's been relatively easy, with no ice to contend and only one wet day... although the forecasted spring-like temperatures never materialised round here... 7.5 degrees is as high as it got yesterday and today
    left the forum March 2023