More grumpiness from a resident oldgit. I was pointed to this piece of codswallop by fellow club mate.
500km between 23rd and 31st, lovely a nice bit of riding, but why the bells and whistles and the special medal?
And you have to PROVE you managed this minor feat by giving Rapha your Strava details.
C’mon Rapha don’t be a patronising bunch of twonks, a medal for a bicycle wicycle ridey widey.
Every Tom Dick and Harry I know will ride this between the mince pies and special offer Cava.
And while I’m at it. I liked the Icknield Way ride video. Thing is I’m curious about one thing; you seemed to have ridden up Ivinghoe Beacon two different ways. I know the area, and I can tell you rode it because you are all giving it the Rapha hardman grimace. So did you actually ride it? or did you jump in and out of cars? or was it just artistic editing?
Off out after my porridge…..do I get a medal.

you should go back to bed and then get out of it the other side! 😉

People riding their bikes! And bloody enjoying it??

How do they sleep at night?

Here you go, you’ll probably love this.

http://internationale.teamjva.com/

People riding their bikes! And bloody enjoying it??
How do they sleep at night?

I know, how very dare a cycling company encourage people to ride! Shocking. 😉

To many people, whether they intend to ride or not, they’ll never usually get out much over Christmas. 500km in 8 days is pretty easy but throw in Christmas, parties, family, travelling to relatives, rubbish weather etc and loads of people will simply sit on a turbo.

It’s a bit of fun – if you can be bothered to record it nicely there are some pretty decent prizes up for grabs. Personally I haven’t got a hope of winning anything cos I’m not videoing my ride through snowdrifts in arty winter sun or anything but it’s forced me to actually ride and I’ve really enjoyed it. 132km left to go for me. 🙂

Here’s the best of the 2011 entries and the winners:
http://www.rapha.cc/best-of-the-festive-500-2011
http://www.rapha.cc/festive-500-2011–the-winners

I didn even manage to do half the 500k.
Really expected this to be an easy week of riding … then it rained!

Bonus is – i am now like a pro on the new rollers I bought last week ..

I’m not a huge fan of Rapha – mostly because I think blokes wearing clothing with pink accents on bikes are trying a bit too hard (what do you think of pink lycra, Oldgit?), but like James says above, surely it’s basically just a positive thing. For average riders like me, it would be a big challenge, for harder core folk like the OG, maybe not so much, but surely that’s the point. Not doing it myself, but an off-road version would rock – how about a STW Festive 500 on the trails next year?

loads of people will simply sit on a turbo sofa.

Fixed that for ya… 😉

hmm, we managed a whole 3.3 miles in 1 1/2 hours in Woburn on friday. We could have ground out 10 times that chain ganging, but heaps more fun off raod than griding out road miles I reckon.

Thats the thing. What riding I have done besides the rollers has been the mtb variety, and never load them onto Strava anyways.
Its all just a bit of fun & motivation I guess.
Though the top of the leader board does suggest some guys may need to get a grip of themselves ..

He’s gone back to bed or out for a ride so he can collect his medal

Well I think it has been a great challenge, one I have no chance of managing due to the weather. I’ll probably end up about 200k short. However, I’ve ridden more than I would have this week, so for me it has been a good thing.

Managed about a quarter of it due to work and Mrs Spud being laid up for 4 days so far with flu. Nice idea but circumstances dictated otherwise. Maybe next time!

You mean I can get aedal for submitting some easily hacked GPX files to Strava?

Can’t believe people actually get worked up about this, it’s just a bit of fun

He’s gone back to bed or out for a ride so he can collect his medal

Ride.

And anyroadup it’s not a medal, oh no it’s a roundel, see they even have to be total benders about that as well.
Positive? in the same way a porn mag extols the virtues of marriage.

Can’t believe people actually get worked up about this, it’s just a bit of pompous marketing-driven willy waving

FTFY

What happens when we run out of medals/roundels 🙄

I think you’re drastically over-thinking this tbf

I think you’re drastically over-thinking this tbf

I have to have something bike related to be grumpy about at all times. You could come out on a ride with me and turn up without ferrules on the ends of your cables, that would do.

I think you’re drastically over-thinking this tbf

On stw? Never!

What happens when we run out of medals/roundels

Cyclists the world over will take to internet forums demanding that the head of Rapha personally delivers their roundel (preferably one hand stitched from unicorn hide by a tribe of vestal virgins).
Rapha will bear the brunt of a public backlash which will knock Lance off his No1 spot as “worst thing to happen in cycling”
Richmond Park will be deserted as cyclists realise they can no longer wear Rapha in public – there will be ceremonial burnings of Rapha clothing outside the company’s HQ.
Rapha will fold, taking their sponsorship of Team Sky down with them and forcing Sky to ride naked in all their races.

Or alternatively, no-one will really care and we’ll all just carry on riding bikes.

crashtestmonkey wrote

it’s just a bit of pompous marketing-driven willy waving

So basically the same as 90% of the rest of cycling then?

So basically the same as 90% of the rest of cycling then?

Eh? I ride my bike whenever I can because I enjoy it, not to banish insecurities, feel part of some exclusive clique or to impress strangers on the internet. I reckon I’m the same as 90% of cycling, then.

Eh? I ride my bike whenever I can because I enjoy it, not to banish insecurities, feel part of some exclusive clique or to impress strangers on the internet. I reckon I’m the same as 90% of cycling, then.

I’m not actually taking part in this Rapha thing btw. I just really don’t see why anyone would object to it.

The 90% comment is clearly tongue in cheek. You think the Rapha thing is ‘pompous’- the OP in this thread comes across way more pompous than the Rapha thing in my opinion.

‘Marketing driven’? Yes, of course it is. But then every race that is organised that I’ve been in, and every other race I’ve ever spectated has been marketing driven- the whole of cycling is, and always has been. I could go on here but I’m sure I don’t need to expand.

‘Willy waving’- anybody who has ever raced, in even the most amateur, sunday afternoon events right up to the top must be guilty of this then? Or anybody who has ever discussed their weekly mileage with a friend, or a passing rider at the pub or cake-stop?

Where has anybody said they feel part of an exclusive clique? The whole idea is it’s meant to be inclusive? 10000’s of people are taking part, you only have to register on Strava to do it, that’s why it’s just a bit of harmless fun.

Ditto re: the ‘banishing insecurities’ comment- you are the one who seems quite insecure as an event you are not even participating in bothers you so much?

I do come across as pompous, total opposite in real life.
I thought about what I was about to write and then thought **** me you pompous git. But hey ho it’s just a view.
Riding a bike is simple.
This sort of thing IMO isn’t a challenge.
How I see it. You’ve bought the bike, you’ve bought the Garmin, you’ve signed up to Strava, you’re wearing the Rapha. Tell me do you really now need a medal as an incentive to use all that lot?

I went out for a bit with our clubs intermediate group. There were people there today that have done that distance over the holiday that, and I kid you not couldn’t manage ten miles this summer. They’ve gone out in all weathers even when they really didn’t want to, but when their riding mates turned up at the door to drag each other out, and they did go out..well that deserves a medal IMO

Seemed a fun concept so I thought I’d have a go but without Strava/computer/GPS I went with a written record.

It’s not exactly going to plan……… http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=235554

This sort of thing IMO isn’t a challenge.

To some people no.
But to some people – those relatively new to cycling, those not used to going out in these conditions (wettest year on record and generally minging so far…), those who maybe can’t rely on clubmates at this time of year or have family commitments for any number of Christmas-related reasons – they might need or want a bit of incentive.

It’s no different to any of the other exercise/publicity related “challenges” out there – let them have their harmless fun.

It’s just encouraging people to ride bikes, that’s surely got to be a good thing?

Riding a bike is simple.
This sort of thing IMO isn’t a challenge.

So set your own challenge, go off and do it and leave the Raphalites to it why don’t ya?

The only really bad things I can think of in connection with the Festive 500 stuff is that it encourages kit with pink trimmings on, which is clearly wrong and for some reason I keep misreading it as ‘Festive 50’, which oddly makes me think of Cliff Richard singing Mistletoe and Wine, which is also clearly very wrong.

Yeah okay’ish. I still reckon that if you’re into bikes, Strava, Garmin and Rapha you should probably be stepping away from this sort of Tomfoolery and just get on with it.

BWD

Way I see it, just ride 500km and don’t refer to it as a challenge.

Way I see it, just ride 500km and don’t refer to it as a challenge.

What would you refer to it as? Anyway, you only think it’s easy cos you have no proper hills round Milton Keynes or Boredford or wherever it is that you live… 😉

Not sure if I want to sew my “Festive five Hundred” roundel onto my £400 Rapha jersey with pink accents.

If I do see someone with this sewn onto their jersey I may have to kick them in their Chammy!

BTW Strava is harmless good fun, I use it and I DO push myself more because of it!

How vary dare you….though my next post won’t help 😳

Way I see it, just ride 500km and STFU.

😉

Or if you do want a challenge, do the 500 in one ride.

Like any old Audax.

500 was done in one….

http://app.strava.com/activities/33907295

However that was a 22hr ride :-/

Ah, but Audax don’t run 500s in December AFAIK, because it’s bloody silly. 500 in 22 hours in December is proper bloody good going, especially if it’s solo, chapeau to that.

even have to be total benders

I thought I was the last person left still saying ‘benders’. 😀

Just like to point out that the festive 500 is nothing to do with me (FAT TYRE 500)

crashtestmonkey wrote
it’s just a bit of pompous marketing-driven willy waving
So basically the same as 90% of the rest of cycling then?

And the rest of this forum 😉

I did the F500 last year and doing this one too, but then you’d expect me too.

I’m happy to ride it and record it and keep me motivated whilst my mates are all blobbing on the sofas of this world whilst listening to endless drivel their partners expunge.

It’s just a bit of fun man. 😉