I have made a plan and joined the challenge on Strava, organised some companions for two planned 100km rides, any other hints and tips?

Closest I came without focusing on it was 320km 2 years ago and haven’t attempted it since. I have a dog that needs walking 2 hours a day now and have two 10 hour work shifts on 24th and 30th which will hinder my attempt!

Go big early if you can. Doing a metric ton on Xmas eve puts you right on track. A cheeky 2 or 3 hours on Xmas morning makes the turkey taste good and means you can be on 200km before most people have started.

Bar that, just make sure you have a plan as to when your big rides will be and how you’re going to fit them around the usual Xmas fun and games.

tricky with no ride time on the 24th, i try to get as much done on the 24th as i can, last year was tough because it got real icey and i came off twice in one ride. two rides a day is sometimes a good plan to fit alongside family plans, but its meant to be fun 😆

I’ll be getting my excuses in early this year, especially as I’m going in for my knee op on the 29th!

Don’t be tempted to ‘ride’ over Cut Gate in snow drift conditions when you could have simply ridden the Strines Road instead given that your mountain bike has studded ice tyres on. And try not to run out of lighting power on the far side of Holme Moss in the pitch black so that you have to descend it using an old Joystick on medium.

Oh, and if you have the opportunity to polish it off early, then do it. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as sitting in front of an open fire on New Year’s Eve with the rain sheeting down outside knowing that you ticked off the last few kms the day before…

Can you commute by bike on the days you’re working and add some miles that way maybe?

Agree with @lunge.
Start off with the biggest ride you can, get some mileage in the bank early on. It gives you a little bit of leeway later on, useful if you need to miss a day for family/weather etc.

lunge – Member
Go big early if you can.

This +1

Get out, do loads in the first few days and try to break 250k within 3 days, the rest do at your leasure or when the weather breaks..

+1 lunge.

Don’t do what I did 2 years ago and have to ride 220km on the last day in the rain/sleet 🙂

xmas day riding is ace. No cars and you can avoid the post lunch telly horrific-ness.

Or just do what I did last year and ignore it most of the week and then feel the need to bash out 220km on New Year’s Eve to make the target.

M25 ride on Christmas Eve, then a few 100km loops to fill in and a 75km on Christmas Day when the dinner is cooking.

Pick a route and ride it every day, much easier than planning every ride.

TWO loops of the M25 and you are done.

Do you get an actual badge?

Do you get an actual badge?

Far more classy, you get a woven roundel. 🙂
Makes the 500km totally worthwhile!

xmas day riding is ace. No cars and you can avoid the post lunch telly horrific-ness.

Really?! I’ve found Xmas Day riding to be largely horrific on account of everyone driving to relatives – car full of screaming hyper kids, windows steamed up, driving to a place they only go to once a year so they’re lost, running late and then later on you get the same in reverse only this time they’re slightly drunk…

I can commute by bike on the working days, it’s a 6am start and only 8km away but I can extend it on the way home, not keen on extending the commute on the way in!

@chilled76 You get a roundel!!

Do Strava know my address to send it to then?

You fill out a form when you have completed the challenge with your details!

Ran out last year 🙁 . I bought the jersey afterwards in the sale half price instead 😉

The only time I managed it I basically got up silly early and rode 50 – 70km for 5 days (this minimised the impact on family stuff). This got me to within striking distance and then I did one big point to point ride (no chance of giving up!) to get over the 500.

The weather that year was wet and a bit cold, but nothing horrendous. Also where I lived the road riding was very good with loads of options, so it wasn’t totally soul destroying. Without both of these factors I doubt I’d have managed it!

So if you’ve got 2x100km rides planned if you can drag yourself out for 2 or 3 other on the other days you’ll make it.

Tips… don’t have small kids. Holiday and Xmas does not make it easy to find lots of riding hours.

I work really long hours prior to Christmas so need to get out and breath again, it’s my Christmas present to me. Quiet roads and big appetite. Mostly Cambs and Suffolk roads but bit of off roading in Surrey when I see sister. Agree with getting the big miles in early and don’t neglect the family even if it means a couple of early starts. Another one is to ride to relatives and meet the family there. Shower drink and eat.
Good kick start to base miles and keeps fitness up for winter mtb series.

Or just do what I did last year and ignore it most of the week and then feel the need to bash out 220km on New Year’s Eve to make the target.

Indeed , i think ill have to give it a miss.

Restricted to the turbo trainer for the 25-28th flying home over night on the 28th – get in at 11am on the 29th.

think the wife might divorce me if i then hopped on the bike and knocked out 500km over 3 days !

Got a pass from the Mrs this year to have a go at this for the 1st time… then I did this yesterday…

Balls!

I’ll echo the ‘go bigger earlier’ suggestions- last year I got enough mileage in on Christmas Eve to almost make up for Christmas day, but after that I generally aimed for 40miles a day (I did all bar one of the rides on MTB or cross bike). That combined with a steady build up of late nights meant I was getting pretty tired and seriously losing the will by the end.

Getting a few extra miles in when I was out would have given me more of a chance for a ‘rest/lie in day’ somewhere if needed.

Also, don’t make the new year’s Day ride a very muddy singlespeed loop where you have to take the long way home to hit mileage. Really depressing, that!

Really?! I’ve found Xmas Day riding to be largely horrific on account of everyone driving to relatives – car full of screaming hyper kids, windows steamed up, driving to a place they only go to once a year so they’re lost, running late and then later on you get the same in reverse only this time they’re slightly drunk…

Round here it’s mostly fewer cars, but with a high level of randomness. A good day to be out on the mountain bike. It’s also nice to mix things up between road, cross and mountain bike if you have the time and inclination. If nothing else, it makes the road miles feel easier 🙂

Also, don’t make the new year’s Day ride

surely it’s all over by then?!

I really fancy thus as a bit if incentive but the weather doesn’t really play ball here. It’ll be a combination of rain, ice, snow and high winds.

And the slopes might be open!!!

A lot of your riding will depend on your other commitments obviously. Last year I was lucky that I had very little to do as my parents were away and my daughter was with her mum. I cracked out a 100 miles on Christmas Eve and then 150 miles commuting on the three days between Christmas and New Year. I did a gentle few miles on Christmas Day and Boxing Day to rack up the rest. It’s not that difficult if you have time.

The previous year I ended up needing 80 miles on New Year’s Eve which was not great. I did it but it wasn’t enjoyable. Like others have said, go big at the start purely for the psychological advantage.

Erm… lots of chat about MILES..

It’s in Km’s. 😉

Does Zwift count for the Festive 310.686?

Does Zwift count for the Festive 310.686?

No! 🙂

Actually, honestly, I don’t know. I don’t think it has in previous years but with Zwift maybe it does as it counts towards other challenges.

Edit.. comments on F500 page on stava states trainer/zwift rides do not count.

Have craftily found slots for three different biggish rides over the hols, unfortunately one is on the 22nd, one is on the 27th (loop of Glen Coe from Oban, hopefully another snowy wilderness across Rannoch this year!) and one is on the 2nd, since 2 out of 3 won’t count for the Festive 500, I’m out!

What grade separation is that Rob?

Erm… lots of chat about MILES..

It’s in Km’s.

😆 😆 Yeah,that was my first thought,lightweights 😉

Rule #24 Speeds and distances shall be referred to and measured in kilometres

😆

Of course if it’s all done offroad..RESPECT 😉

comments on F500 page on stava states trainer/zwift rides do not count.

doesn’t say anything about no ebikes though…

Another one is to ride to relatives and meet the family there

I did that last year.
Got the train down to my Dad’s in Dorset, had dinner, stayed overnight and then early next morning I set out on the CX bike for a 120 mile ride back to my Mum’s in south London. Annoyingly the strong SW winds from the previous 3 days had turned to be a very slight easterly but it was enough to knock 2-3mph off my average speed. That combined with some navigational issues on unfamiliar roads meant I actually bailed at the 97 mile mark by Godalming Station.

But it was still a pretty easy and enjoyable way of notching up a fair chunk of mileage.

As above go big on Xmas Eve, then do a few Km on Xmas day, you should be over a 1/3 of the way then.

Oh, and Minipips says go somewhere warm. 🙂

https://pages.rapha.cc/feature/how-to-finish-the-festive-500

We’re off to Mallorca!

And we’re off 🙂

Or maybe not in my case, already running into time pressures. Xmas week with small kids home, relatives to visit, work, jobs, etc. About the hardest week of the year to find riding hours!

Just been looking at the Festive 500 Strava page and I noticed that there’s a guy who’s completed it already in one ride. Fair play to him I thought and had a look at his ride.
he’s done it by spending 14 hours riding round a 0.7 mile circuit in a park. IS there a more pointless way of doing the challenge?

https://www.strava.com/activities/1325097864

Ach well, had plans and high hopes. Was planning 160km today but high winds in sw Scotland have stopped me.

Doubt I’ll claw it back now, with the usual family commitments and weather