Now that's embarrassing

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

MY employers are running a "cycle to work challenge" and I've completely missed the damned thing! :oops:

I had no idea it was on, and no one mentioned it. This may be due to us all changing our home page away from the Corporate one (we're techies, it's what we do) so we didn't see the message.

I'm doing 10.5 miles in and anything up from that on the way home. I could easily step up to 5 days for the week (now on 4) so 105 miles at a minimum is doable. If I chuck in a few longer rides home I could top 150 miles.

Damn.

I've fired an email off hoping to get on the challenge but entries ended 2 days ago

Damn.

UndercoverElephant · May 2010

*Points and laughs*

spasypaddy · May 2010

that'll teach you to be a cape wearing fool wont it?

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

Ha.

and again... Ha

:P

Managed to get in on it. Also got two other guys (one doing 21 miles each way and the other is doing 16 miles each way)

CiB · May 2010

What a coincidence - my employer is too.

What a ridiculous place to put it, on the home page. Fine if you're a corporate through & through, not if you use Firefox by default and errm fail to use IE for days at a time except to get to the payslips when they come out.

Anyhow KB, you may as well withdraw your entry as I've put meself up for it. The kids can walk to school on their own for a couple of days whilst I clock up some decent miles. No-one will touch my total - I intend to boot some donkey in Green Week.

Thx for the headsup.

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

CiB wrote:

What a coincidence - my employer is too.

What a ridiculous place to put it, on the home page. Fine if you're a corporate through & through, not if you use Firefox by default and errm fail to use IE for days at a time except to get to the payslips when they come out.

Anyhow KB, you may as well withdraw your entry as I've put meself up for it. The kids can walk to school on their own for a couple of days whilst I clock up some decent miles. No-one will touch my total - I intend to boot some donkey in Green Week.

Thx for the headsup.

Shiiit.

(there's one guy aiming for 50 miles a day on site here, so you may pushed to beat him)

I think what I may do is buy a camera and record the country ride in. They may put a link up to it to show how good it can be to cycle. Knowing my luck it'll piddle it down all damn' week. :roll:

SimonLyons · May 2010

What do you get for doing it?

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

A lovely warm glowy feeling I don't doubt.

Knowing our employer, it'll be a gift voucher for something 'green' or a spa bath or something like that

CiB · May 2010

Shame it's only Monday to Friday; that counts out weekend runs.

The Bicester staff won't be an issue - they al llive locally and pootle in on various BSOs, so no compettiton there.

Can't you arrange for your 50-miler bloke to be off / suffer laptop failure / unaccountably go down poorly that week?

I think the lucky winner gets a whole pint of kudos and not much more, apart from having his fizzog on the home page for a day or so. Still. A challenge. A winnable one too.

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

CiB wrote:

Shame it's only Monday to Friday; that counts out weekend runs.

The Bicester staff won't be an issue - they al llive locally and pootle in on various BSOs, so no compettiton there.

Can't you arrange for your 50-miler bloke to be off / suffer laptop failure / unaccountably go down poorly that week?

I think the lucky winner gets a whole pint of kudos and not much more, apart from having his fizzog on the home page for a day or so. Still. A challenge. A winnable one too.

I can't. He followed my advice and is now a Tricross groupie (even if it is the lesser 2010 model

) I can't nobble a fellow cape wearer.

andy83 · May 2010

whats the challenge?

cant you just get up 2 and half hours before you start work to get extra miles in? anyone who does that needs there head testing* but still all miles count :roll:

* I live 4 miles away from work but that involves traffic lights, 21 mile route much nicer

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

andy83 wrote:

whats the challenge?

cant you just get up 2 and half hours before you start work to get extra miles in? anyone who does that needs there head testing* but still all miles count :roll:

* I live 4 miles away from work but that involves traffic lights, 21 mile route much nicer

The challenge is: cycle lots

I start work at 7:30 on that week and I need to be at the office for about 7ish to be ready in time (I faff alot) This means leaving about 6:20 or thereabouts. I'll be buggered if I'm leaving much earlier than that.

andy83 · May 2010

Kieran_Burns wrote:

andy83 wrote:

whats the challenge?

cant you just get up 2 and half hours before you start work to get extra miles in? anyone who does that needs there head testing* but still all miles count :roll:

* I live 4 miles away from work but that involves traffic lights, 21 mile route much nicer

The challenge is: cycle lots

I start work at 7:30 on that week and I need to be at the office for about 7ish to be ready in time (I faff alot) This means leaving about 6:20 or thereabouts. I'll be buggered if I'm leaving much earlier than that.

lol thought as much, think im the only one out of a company of 1500 to take up cycle to work this year (it was me who pushed for it and am on second bike now) so a comp like this will never happen at mine

fair point about the time, im lucky as i officially start at 8:30 but sometimes get there a little before that and am not ready to start til around 8:45, only miss the boring morning meeting

cyberknight · May 2010

TBH...

I think regular nutters like us should not enter such a competition as it should be aimed at encouraging new people to commute rather than awarding those who have already been doing it ,kinda defeats the object.

Will people really have a go if they know that someone is prepared to go out of their way to up the mileage?

Kieran_Burns · May 2010

cyberknight wrote:

TBH...

I think regular nutters like us should not enter such a competition as it should be aimed at encouraging new people to commute rather than awarding those who have already been doing it ,kinda defeats the object.

Will people really have a go if they know that someone is prepared to go out of their way to up the mileage?

except the more people that enter, the more popular it appears and therefore DOES encourage new people to commute by bike.

e999sam · May 2010

I suspect you work at the same place as me and I think you can register on line before the end of tomorrow.

snellgrove · May 2010

Where I work they do this every year when it's national bike week.

Our department usually wins it but we had 4 roadies (one an ironman nutter) in our office.. two have left now, so will be more challenging

+1 about using Firefox and not IE :twisted: definitely benefits to working in the ICT department ;-) I hardly ever read our intranet.

CiB · June 2010

And we're off. Bit of a blow this morning on the way in - the rear tube poked its nose out through an unexpected hole in the tyre and that was it - bang followed by the dreaded FISSHHHHHHHHHishuishuishsuishu and I'm reduced to desperately tryiing to fix it with a patch on a patch on the tube and another patch on the tyre (or tire for those who wish to be American). It made it in but that's a new tyre & tube needed.

Grumbles about cost etc.

rjsterry · June 2010

A brilliant source for us pedants:

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=tire

It appears that it was TYRE (from the same root as attire), then TIRE, then we went retro, but the Americans didn't.

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

Zeroed my mileage on the Tricross. 10.55 miles on the way in this morning. Average of 16.5mph. Legs are feeling much better so I'll add a couple on, on the way home. I'll remember to bring a bottle in with me tomorrow (weather permitting, the forecast doesn't look good)

Top speed of 27.9mph on a downhill cruise. If it's quiet tomorrow, I'll make sure I get 30+ just for sh*ts and giggles

Typical though - glorious sunshine for weeks and when they start the challenge, it's going to rain all week. :roll:

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

:oops:

I bottled it this morning. :oops: :oops:

The rain was lashing it down when I got up and didn't let off the whole time I was getting ready. I'd need to wear my full water-proof top (Nightvision) but it'd be too damn' hot.

What's really annoying is that the damn' rain eased off 1/2 hour too late for me to set off and get to work on time

I need a breathable water-proof top to finish off my collection... aaand I now need to chuck in a 25 mile loop on the way home tomorrow to make up the mileage I want to achieve.

Damn'.

amnezia · June 2010

Pretty sure i managed fine in a SS Jersey and shorts. MTFU

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

amnezia wrote:

Pretty sure i managed fine in a SS Jersey and shorts. MTFU

There were 1st born sons hiding, some weird bearded bloke looking for animals and this burning bush that you couldn't put out. It was that bad. :shock:

I gave up when this other weird sod turned up asking if I could look after these stone tablets for him.

Jay dubbleU · June 2010

Kieran_Burns wrote:

amnezia wrote:

Pretty sure i managed fine in a SS Jersey and shorts. MTFU

There were 1st born sons hiding, some weird bearded bloke looking for animals and this burning bush that you couldn't put out. It was that bad. :shock:

I gave up when this other weird sod turned up asking if I could look after these stone tablets for him.

Normal for Derbyshire surely ? 8)

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

Good God. :shock:

The Leader board is up and some nutter did 60 miles on the 1st day!!! :shock: :shock:

My total is a paltry 25.5 for 2 days (due to missing yesterday) so I have to put some longer runs in to move up the board. Damn.

Plus I forgot my bottle so longer than 20 miles out on the way home

...wanders off to find alternate 15 ish mile route home....

CiB · June 2010

I errr... I mean he also knocked out 68 yesterday, but also forgot to take my no his drinks bottle home so had to curtail it a bit on the return leg.

I put it down to a year or so's worth of training in the Stats Board. Knew it would come in useful one day.

Bonkerstastic points system they've got going on there tho. Regardless of the additional miles you only get one additional point for being one place higher. Not sure that's rewarding the additional effort personally. Let's see how it pans out over the week.

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

I've just phoned your Boss.... he's had your bike impounded....

Also just spoken to IS Networks... your password's been reset to Sm4rt4rs3

CiB · June 2010

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I've just phoned your Boss.... he's had your bike impounded....

Also just spoken to IS Networks... your password's been reset to Sm4rt4rs3

You started it - you flagged up your oppo who was planning 50 miles a day. What's a man supposed to do when faced with a challenge like that? Anyway we have the power here so I've wiped Derby off the map.

Out of interest, which one is he? There are 3 on 57 miles after Monday.

Cafewanda · June 2010

Come on KB, get with it man

I could loan you my hybrid if you like :twisted:

Kieran_Burns · June 2010

Cafewanda wrote:

Come on KB, get with it man

I could loan you my hybrid if you like :twisted:

What as? A roller-skate? :P

Cafewanda · June 2010

I'm actually being nice to you

*mutter, mutter something rude* :P

Now that's embarrassing

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