Rapha Festive 500 returns for 12th year – are you up for the challenge?

It’s December, and besides the usual seasonal shenanigans, for thousands of cyclists around the world – including many road.cc readers – that means one thing, the Rapha Festive 500 is coming.

Now in its 12th year, the challenge is simply to ride 500 kilometres (311 miles in old money) over eight days from 24-31 December, although you can do it in less time if you want – Matt Page, for example, knocked it off in just 19 hours on Christmas Eve last year.

> Matt Page smashes the Rapha Festive 500... in one day, on Christmas Eve

More than 65,000 cyclists globally completed the challenge, which is hosted on Strava, during 2020 – and for those who finish, you’ll get the prized Festive 500 finisher’s roundel for your trophy cabinet.

You can sign up for the challenge here, and as ever entrants are encouraged to share their adventures on Instagram using the hashtag #RaphaFestive500.

There are also prizes for the most inventive submissions from the likes of Wahoo, POC and Whoop, and all finishers are eligible to enter a draw to win a Cannondale bike, provided they complete the appropriate form and their entries are in by 9 January.

As with last year, if the elements, or the situation with the pandemic, means you can’t venture outside, you can also take part virtually via Zwift.

And as in previous editions, Rapha has also launched its Festive 500 collection of clothing and accessories, with this year’s theme being calendar chaos – full details of the range can be found here.

Finally, whether you’re a first-time participant or a returning rider, be sure to check out our tips on how to best prepare for the challenge and ensure you complete it.

> 15 tips to complete the Rapha Festive 500 and knock off the kilometres with ease