Rapha 500. anyone ?

anyone having a bash.?

got a Dales mini tour booked so i shall be having another go this year.

tried 3 times but never cracked it……… this year hopefully.

Successfully completed it the last 2 years, but with a young family, it’s just another chore and sucks the enjoyment out of it.  I’m planning to aim for a 200k target with ALL of it being off-road and about smiles not miles.

Signed up to it again – as usual!

Not sure it’ll work out, I’m with family on 24-26th although I can usually manage to get out for 50km or so at some point each day but it’ll be weather dependent. I’m not slogging through howling gales or horizontal rain!

Last year I was in Gran Canaria for the third time and in spite of being quite ill early on, it was still a breeze to get through it all in the sunshine.

I’ve done it every year since 2012 but a couple of years ago, I failed for the first time. The weather was miserable and I got to NYE needing 150km. Had a route all planned out, was up for it but then the weather on the day was just minging. Not putting myself through that crap again.

The one thing I’d like to have a go at is doing it all in one ride. But I need a flat / flattish circuit of a few miles where I can park a car as a support vehicle with a load of food, spares etc in it.

I’ve signed up but I think it might cause too much grief at home. We have everyone at our house over Christmas and then 3 days at the inlaws. Not sure if I’ll be able to make it work. Might just aim for a certain number of hours of exercise over the period.

Going to pass on the Rapha 500 as Id rather just enjoy some Christmas riding without a target.

Having said that, I have signed up for Restraps Solstice Century Challenge (Pre-Christmas 13th – 22nd):

https://restrap.com/blogs/news/solstice-century-challenge-w24

done it twice but last year was a write off.
indoors and in km is good enough for me

Didn’t know it was still a thing. Did it a few times in the days of the cloth patches, iirc including an imperial 500, and another year squeezing it into the three days I wasn’t travelling. Not gonna bother, but might do one this week as I’m on 300+ km so far in pretty nasty weather, and the next few days are looking to be decent.

I signed up, but I’ve felt like crap for the last month and my RHR is consistently about 8-10bpm up on normal, so I’ll see how I feel and what the weather looks like. I don’t mind deep frozen or mild and dry, but have limited tolerance for that horrible soaking wet, just above freezing stuff that we often get around this time of year.

I might just try to get out on a bike every day and worry about smiles rather than miles.

The one thing I’d like to have a go at is doing it all in one ride. But I need a flat / flattish circuit of a few miles where I can park a car as a support vehicle with a load of food, spares etc in it.

Sounds like hell on earth… but you could go and ride around the reservoirs at Ladybower on a gravel bike and play dodge the Christmas ramblers. I’d potter over and ride a lap or two with you 🙂

Not me – I did it once, the Covid Christmas in 2020, and it legit ruined Christmas haha. I was largely either riding my bike (semi fun sometimes in the cold and wet) or cleaning my bike and doing laundry (not fun), and not seeing my wife very much. Christmas cake slices in the jersey pocket was nice though.

I was talking to a mate about this last night.  I’ve completed it a few times in the past but as my weekly average for this year is under 70 miles I can’t see me having the legs for 312.5 in 7 days.

I’m going snowboarding, so no, won’t have time – which seems to be the case every year even when I’m not going on holiday…

I like to try the Solstice century too, but have got to work this weekend so that’s out as well this year.

edit: Richmond Park is 11 km ish, and takes approx 20-25 mins so just 45 laps, and 15 ish hours…

Signed up again this year but I’ve just come down with a viral chest infection so I might have to give it a miss this year?

Looking mild but maybe quite breezy for the first half of Christmas, 24th up to middle of the 8-day Festive 500 period.

We’ve got family over at the weekend so this year is going to be a bit low key and if the weather plays nicely I might have a go especially if i can get a good start on Christmas Eve.

A few years since I last completed it, might be my year but wife and kids come before Rapha so will see how it plays out.