Author Topic: Festive 500 2020  (Read 9783 times)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #25 on: 14 December, 2020, 06:20:02 pm »

Well after Rutte's latest mixtape, i guess that means a packed lunch and 5 laps of the Ringvaart for me then.

This will probably only make sense to a very small number of you...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #26 on: 14 December, 2020, 06:24:38 pm »

Well after Rutte's latest mixtape, i guess that means a packed lunch and 5 laps of the Ringvaart for me then.

This will probably only make sense to a very small number of you...

J

You’re going into lockdown and you need to stay local?

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #27 on: 14 December, 2020, 06:51:24 pm »


You’re going into lockdown and you need to stay local?

Yup, strictest lockdown so far.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #28 on: 14 December, 2020, 07:21:55 pm »
Will likely give it a whirl.
I did have the germ of an idea to try it in a oner, but Im struggling to get more than 23.5 kph out of my new endurance rig. (or my older legs)
We have just had a night time curfew introduced until the 22nd though. Im hoping that they extend it through Christmas so that a big ride is off the table.
The winter Weather is usually pretty agreeable in these parts, but the 20 square miles to work with is mind numbing.

often lost.

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #29 on: 14 December, 2020, 07:26:12 pm »


You’re going into lockdown and you need to stay local?

Yup, strictest lockdown so far.

J

How is this lockdown stricter? (Disclaimer: I don't visit a lot of shops, apart from the supermarket.) We can still cycle, without doing boring loops of the Ringvaart. Staying local is a very subjective thing ;-)

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #30 on: 14 December, 2020, 07:46:34 pm »
How is this lockdown stricter? (Disclaimer: I don't visit a lot of shops, apart from the supermarket.) We can still cycle, without doing boring loops of the Ringvaart. Staying local is a very subjective thing ;-)

Main thing is that we can't can't do trains any more. Essential travel only. Taking a train to then ride home probably doesn't count.

The "I can't cycle home as I'm exhausted", might count as essential...

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #31 on: 14 December, 2020, 07:49:54 pm »
The "Train Assist" is an essential part of any Festive 500 arsenal, and will be sorely missed if not allowed.

We at least have the option of Tandem Assist to get us upwind for the easier return, but this worked much better when we lived in a region with many fewer contours.


Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #32 on: 14 December, 2020, 10:28:04 pm »
How is this lockdown stricter? (Disclaimer: I don't visit a lot of shops, apart from the supermarket.) We can still cycle, without doing boring loops of the Ringvaart. Staying local is a very subjective thing ;-)

Main thing is that we can't can't do trains any more. Essential travel only. Taking a train to then ride home probably doesn't count.

The "I can't cycle home as I'm exhausted", might count as essential...

J

This time bikes aren't excluded from trains. Last time the NS was criticised by parliament for even banning bikes of essential workers.
Rutte explicitely said that solo cycling is permitted and even encouraged.
No word of cross border cycling
I've done my main loop for the 25th passing near a main railway station just after the 200k mark. It's then still 50k to home. If all goes well I'll cycle that. If there are issues, I can bail out. Bailing out in case of bad weather, I think you'd get away with it. Just to start somewhere to take into account the prevailing winds, not really.

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #33 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:06:56 pm »
We're signed up, but given the terrain, the weather forecast, and my lack of fitness/excess of lard - it's likely to be a mix of indoors and out.

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #34 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:17:26 pm »
The "Train Assist" is an essential part of any Festive 500 arsenal, and will be sorely missed if not allowed.

We at least have the option of Tandem Assist to get us upwind for the easier return, but this worked much better when we lived in a region with many fewer contours.

Train assist for Festive 500? That's a new one on me.

I'm not doing this year as there's no badge, it was bad enough when the roundel wasn't round!  ;)

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #35 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:34:14 pm »
The "Train Assist" is an essential part of any Festive 500 arsenal, and will be sorely missed if not allowed.

We at least have the option of Tandem Assist to get us upwind for the easier return, but this worked much better when we lived in a region with many fewer contours.

Train assist for Festive 500? That's a new one on me.

I'm not doing this year as there's no badge, it was bad enough when the roundel wasn't round!  ;)

Train assist in the sense of taking the train out into the wind and cycling a long stretch with a tailwind.

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #36 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:37:00 pm »
The "Train Assist" is an essential part of any Festive 500 arsenal, and will be sorely missed if not allowed.

We at least have the option of Tandem Assist to get us upwind for the easier return, but this worked much better when we lived in a region with many fewer contours.

Train assist for Festive 500? That's a new one on me.

I'm not doing this year as there's no badge, it was bad enough when the roundel wasn't round!  ;)

Train assist in the sense of taking the train out into the wind and cycling a long stretch with a tailwind.

Yes, this. Sorry - "Train assist" became something of a technical term here; I guess out of context it could sound odd.

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #37 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:49:52 pm »


Yes, this. Sorry - "Train assist" became something of a technical term here; I guess out of context it could sound odd.

Oh, it's a thing, especially in the Netherlands (where Ivo, Quixoticgeek and me live). If it works out, it's glorious. Last year I averaged 33km/h on 180km ride, courtesy of a gale force tailwind. 

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #38 on: 23 December, 2020, 09:57:19 pm »


Yes, this. Sorry - "Train assist" became something of a technical term here; I guess out of context it could sound odd.

Oh, it's a thing, especially in the Netherlands (where Ivo, Quixoticgeek and me live). If it works out, it's glorious. Last year I averaged 33km/h on 180km ride, courtesy of a gale force tailwind.

Aye, that it is. I did Groningen to Amsterdam in under 8 hours moving due to a stonking tail wind. It was heavenly.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #39 on: 23 December, 2020, 10:44:27 pm »
I know it as a Dirty Downwind Dash.

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #40 on: 23 December, 2020, 10:49:38 pm »
I know it as a Dirty Downwind Dash.

 :thumbsup:

Pedal Castro

  • so talented I can run with scissors - ouch!
    • Two beers or not two beers...
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #41 on: 24 December, 2020, 08:22:22 am »
The "Train Assist" is an essential part of any Festive 500 arsenal, and will be sorely missed if not allowed.

We at least have the option of Tandem Assist to get us upwind for the easier return, but this worked much better when we lived in a region with many fewer contours.

Train assist for Festive 500? That's a new one on me.

I'm not doing this year as there's no badge, it was bad enough when the roundel wasn't round!  ;)

Train assist in the sense of taking the train out into the wind and cycling a long stretch with a tailwind.

Yes, this. Sorry - "Train assist" became something of a technical term here; I guess out of context it could sound odd.

Oh, I know what train assist implies, I just was surprised it was used for the Festive 500.  ;)

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #42 on: 24 December, 2020, 05:41:35 pm »
Well, we've made a start. Indoors of course - and looking at how sparkly the road is after today's snow showers, that'll have to do.

Tomorrow: Might do a Zwift ride before the festivities begin.
Boxing Day: Storm Bella - definitely an indoor riding day
Sunday: Might get to add some outdoor kms.
Monday onwards: Increasing risk of wintriness outside.

Zed43

  • prefers UK hills over Dutch mountains
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #43 on: 24 December, 2020, 08:18:38 pm »
Oh, it's a thing, especially in the Netherlands (where Ivo, Quixoticgeek and me live). If it works out, it's glorious. Last year I averaged 33km/h on 180km ride, courtesy of a gale force tailwind.
Grab you chance this Sunday: gale force from the SSW. Regarding trains, my experience in the past months is that the first train out on Saturday or Sunday has very very few people in it. Breaks the letter of "essential travel only" of course, up to you if it's within the spirit  :)

Clocked 216km today  ;D It would be my first festive if I complete the 500

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #44 on: 24 December, 2020, 09:13:26 pm »


Did 100km today. Forgot overshoes, and got very very very very cold feet. Slowly defrosting now.

Seems this year there's no league table on the challenge :(

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #45 on: 24 December, 2020, 11:39:50 pm »
I'm more bothered about getting to 10k before the end of the year.
Indoor feels like cheating.

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #46 on: 24 December, 2020, 11:47:47 pm »
I passed 10,000 miles for the year in the cold, wet, sleety, snowy, icy 20 miles I managed today. Which was nice.

As ever, it'll depend on weather and mood, but I'm not working, and since tomorrow will be an ice rink, I had a quick spin round on the Surly with 3" tyres and I'll hopefully have some fun on the icy tracks in the morning.

Chris S

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #47 on: 24 December, 2020, 11:51:03 pm »
No roundel, no leaderboard.

It's like they know folks will be doing it indoors, so it doesn't really count.

Indoors, you still do the watts, but you don't do the bone numbing cold, the visit to the fracture clinic when you come off on ice (seriously, our road was properly sparkly with ice at 4pm. If we'd chosen to ride a 200 to "get some headway" into the event, we'd likely have come a cropper), and the interminable hours in darkness among drunk idiots in cars.

I won't take any personal kudos for riding 500km indoors over Christmas, other than - it's further than I've ridden a bike (indoors or out), in even any month this year.

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #48 on: 24 December, 2020, 11:54:41 pm »
Oh, it's a thing, especially in the Netherlands (where Ivo, Quixoticgeek and me live). If it works out, it's glorious. Last year I averaged 33km/h on 180km ride, courtesy of a gale force tailwind.
Grab you chance this Sunday: gale force from the SSW. Regarding trains, my experience in the past months is that the first train out on Saturday or Sunday has very very few people in it. Breaks the letter of "essential travel only" of course, up to you if it's within the spirit  :)

Clocked 216km today  ;D It would be my first festive if I complete the 500

Today I cycled to my parents with a nice tailwind (only 115km, unfortunately). Tomorrow I'll have to pay for it: looks like a headwind, maybe some hail and sleet as well. Day after boxing day looks horrible, even if I take train south.

Re: Festive 500 2020
« Reply #49 on: 25 December, 2020, 02:33:41 am »
Pushed out a 350km on the heavy, but super comfortable bike packing rig today.
We have curfew from 11pm to 5am over here so thats pretty much all I can manage at the sedate 23.5 kph that the loaded bike trucks along at.
Weather was fairly agreeable. Long sleeves, a few spots of rain here and there. A bugger of a sea breeze after dusk though . 25+ knots on the nose was a bit of a ball breaker.
Family ride and gentle miles tomorrow so no plans to wrap it up.
often lost.