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Metric Century Chat
here's a thread for chat about metric century, so we don't have to post in the competition thread.
First things first. DaSy: not sure why you couldn't edit. posts get locked if someone replies to them, but that shouldn't have happened with yours. I'll see if can work out what's up.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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114 comments
When I left my house this morning the weather was cold-ish but no ice on the cars etc so I didn't expect it to be too bad. I wrapped up well anyway.
After about 25 miles I was on top of the South Downs, and it was like a scene from Narnia! The trees and and fields were all frozen solid and everywhere was white for as far as I could see. The next 25 miles stayed like this, very picturesque but bloody cold.
Still, I did over 70 miles at a reasonable pace, and was still feeling strong by the time I reached home.
The bikes a mess, but still....
I went out briefly yesterday and it was like that around here too when you got up high. It looked amazing, and the roads were dry, but it was like riding through a freezer.
My Christmas day ride managed to happen again this year. I usually take a mountain bike, and am guaranteed a ride in Afan or Glycorrwg when visiting the in-laws in Swansea. This year though I really only wanted to ride the road bike on Christmas day, so took a chance and packed that bike only.
Well the weather was great, cold but dry and calm. The climb up Cimla is always a rude awakening but quiet. As I climbed the start of the Bwlch past Afan visitor centre it was still calm until I got to the climb proper at Blaengwynfi, at which point I rode into the most insane headwind which stayed against me right over the top and down into Treorchy. It nearly blew me to a standstill at one point.
The rest of ride through Treorchy and up and over Rhigos was calm again. I even got a tailwind all the way back down the long straight from Glyn Neath to Neath Abbey which had me keeping up with the cars through Neath at around 25-30mph!
So I at last got a metric century in for December...anyone else managed a Christmas day ride!
... i was pursuing the more traditional christmas goals of sloth and gluttony
was thinkg in might get out today but unfortunately came down with some kind of sick bug last night (me & the wife both) so i'm a bit drained today. and time is running out for my december ride!
happy christmas one and all...
lucky it wasn't cold or anything
i was planning to go out to weston super mare but that starts with a 2 mile descent and i couldn't face it... went the other way where it's flat for a couple of miles so i could get a bit of blood flowing. even so, my feet were pretty numb after about halfway... the computer didn't register a positive temperature till about three hours in.
stayed on the main roads for this one because all the lanes just looked like instant death. but there wasn't any traffic anyway. even on the A roads i could feel the rear wheel slipping when i stood up, was pretty icy on the roads that hadn't been salted, and there were plenty of them. still, had a good run and got to the 100k mark in 4:05 which is quick for a fat lad like me
i got weird wind too, DaSy - calm for ages and then a big blast coming out of wells on the only long climb of the route, i was grovelling up it at a snail's pace. it was windy on the descent too, but then it just stopped. odd
Dave,
How did you find a 100k route with only 1 large climb around Bath? I could do with knowing that route!
...cause it's all pretty major roads. A36 to Warminster, A362 to Frome, A361 to Shepton Mallet, A371 to Wells, A39 back to Bath. The climb out of Wells is the only really long one (not counting the Wellsway back up to your gaff!) though the elevation map is more upsy-downsy than the ride felt. there's the climb on the A36 from brassknocker but that's right at the start so you're fresh, and a couple of other shorter ones.
Picture 1_1.jpg
I'm in!!
After Sundays club ride ended up a lot longer than expected (also with more punctures than expected) I am nervously committing myself - will I regret this millstone on my shoulders?
Only one way to find out!!!!!!
When I left my house it was nice winter sunshine, I was nicely wrapped up but all in black which was okay until about 40 miles out I rode into the densest fog I've seen for a while.
I was glad to get out of that without being mown down!
Still it was a nice ride, and finally tracked down the source of an annoying click on my bike, so I'm a happy boy.
I also got on well with my new low tech saddle, I've swapped from a carbon railed Arione that weighs almost nothing, to a San Marco Regal that weighs about 4 kilo's...it was very comfy though.
sadly the closest i got to wheeled transport was a pushchair round the christmas market, since i'm in charge of the nippers this weekend... especially galling when that titanium charge is knocking about whispering 'test me!'
really cold here today, and looking like it's going to get even colder - metcheck was sugesting that wednesday's ride home from work is going to be through a windchill of -8°. yowch.
anyone got any snow?
I was going to be doing a 100km+ ride on Sunday. As of today I am coughing up lumps of lung butter, so I'm almost certainly not going to be able to
After spending so long on the turbo trainer, it was nice to actually clock up some proper road miles today.
I tried some Mule bars today, as my mate owns a bike shop and likes me to test everything that comes in (it's a tough job!), they were really nice. I started out loving Torq bars, but find them a bit on the chewy side when it's cold. I then switched allegiance to Clif bars, but they make me cough (don't ask, I'm strangely easy to make cough?).
Mule bar in Chocolatey Fig was great, tasted nice, easy to eat even when cold, and a consistency that avoided the almost inevitable coughing fit.
So that was Saturday, lots of climbing, a metric century and something chocolatey to eat....sort of a kinder egg of a day.
Set off on Saturday and thought this is hard - maybe I had better drop to the middle ring. Then realised I was in the middle ring:-( One mile in I went over a small road bridge - it felt like The Galibier!
Met up with Alan and Richie and was dropped on the first minor climb big time and offered to leave them to it. Calimed theywere happy to pootle after an epic ;ast week so we continued. So we soldiered on and the first 50k were just the same. After a black coffee and a nice danish pastry at Breedon on the Hill I felt much better. And got my point - thanks to them really.
And it looks like my APril point may be the Ronde Flanders sportif:-)
And I should rack up a few in June, in fact I should get 6 centuries in in 6 days. Doing a coast to coast across the Pyrenees, the third day goes over the Peyresourde, Aspin and the Tourmalet, that should be a well earned point in the MCC!
Blackhound - are you doing the long or short route? That 270km route sounds like hell on earth!
Doing the shorter one which I think is 140km. The long one has a lot of flat miles and that distance is a long way in April. Will head straight for the Kemmelberg!
Stayed in Luchon the other year and did Peyresourde / Aspin / Peyresourde - it'll be a nice day oif weather holds. Doing thr Pyrennean Raid?
No, but the route is very similar. It's a supported tour/holiday, all hotels etc are provided. I land in San Sebastian, then coach all riders and bikes across to Argeles sur Mer on the opposite coast, then ride back to San Sebastian across the Pyrenees. The Plat D'Atet looks like it might be a bit of a handful, and Tourmalet is never easy.
I've always fancied giving it a go
...though as a fat lad i rather think it'd be beyond me. one tour climb in a day is enough for me
anyone thinking of doing the ardechoise next year? i've been twice and i can't recommend it highly enough. thinking of sneaking back next year if i've amassed enough parenting points come june...
to get a scoring ride in for the first month... which has been 2 months
do you reckon we'll get any more takers for a full year of centuries?
when planning a century loop, don't pass within 4 miles of your house after 40 miles
Just couldn't be arsed to haul myself out on the last loop. Was out lights testing, pitting the L&M Stella 120 against the WF606A. It's better, but not £80 better 
what is good is having them both on together though! 
Thanks Dave, the ride from hell needs to be logged!
i did my first today
it's going to take all month for my legs to recover. i think i prefer the short sprints
ride from hell? i'm intrigued...
I cheated by waiting till i was visiting my folks in (flattish) Ipswich instead of biting the bullet and doing it in (far from flat) Bath. Nice ride, I was testing some Gipiemme wheels too and forgot to check the tyres, so didn't notice the bead wasn't in properly and the rear wheel blew out right by the valve at about 6.30am in the wastelands outside Lavenham. Took me three goes to patch it with my fat, frozen fingers...
As I still couldn't edit my old one, could you delete the old one Dave when you get a chance.
Well this weeks ride was in pouring rain and gale force headwinds, but still felt better than last weeks.
I've been suffereing with a virus for a few weeks, and instead of resting properly I've carried on training as before.
3 weeks ago my Saturday ride was what really brought it on, I was feeling iffy in the morning, and after my 70 mile ride I came down with it properly. I was off work for a few days but by the weekend was feeling okay so went out on the same route and after about 60 miles I suddenly felt awful and made it home feeling exhausted. I laid off the bike for the rest of the week and tried again last weekend, but this time I decided to do a hilly 90 miles. I was flying for the first 70 miles and then died on my arse again, the last 20 miles although done quick enough really were purgatory (my HTFU wristband was all that kept me going!).
This week I've done lots of tempo and interval rides, and this weekends longer ride was a 3 hour zone 3 affair that was wet cold and uncomfortable, but felt better than last week. Still not feeling on form but such is life.
So there is my diatribe about my ride from hell.
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