The 2016 Festive 500

At this time of year there is the Festive 500 challenge  - to ride 500km between Christmas eve and New Year. Every year I think, 'that'd be great to do' and I never do.

Here's cycling magazine recommendations for completion of the Festive 500. http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/five-tips-to-nail-the-rapha-festive-500-202959?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social

So this year I said I would and then it dawned on me that in the 8 days of the Festive500 I have 2 hardcore cyclo cross races which, although they tire me out only count for 12km and leave me without the time or inclination to do anything else.

I also like to go out for a mountain bike ride with Glyn and TSK and this year we combine with the extra pleasure of meeting Glyn's new laydee. So I won't be missing out on that. Mountain bike rides are, by their nature, shorter and mostly harder than road rides.

Cycling Weekly recommends that I avoid hilly rides to churn out the kms. Fortunately I live in Sheffield so avoiding climbs isn't a thing. Apart from being pretty bad at climbing, I actually really like it. The challenge, the warm, the rhythm, the change of position on the bike, the focus.

Thanks to my japanther boots, the cold is no longer an issue. I am hoping that yesterday's wind fest was the worst of it so I have already ridden through the toughest, riskiest day of the 8.

When there's cyclo cross on the cards though, pacing myself isn't going to help. When I was passed yesterday by Sheffrec's 22mph pace group there was nothing I could have done to jump on the back for a lift due to being half way through a strength training regimen that leaves me a little more tense and more exhausted everytime I do it so I will have to settle for what pace I get and with my legs and the storm, yesterday's was 10.5mph.

A day off. Well. Based on doing reasonably well in one of those cross races, a day off is essential but does reduce the number of days available to ride kms.

So how do I do the Festive 500 then? Well, I don't. With maths though, I will find a way. Whether I double my off road miles as 2 wheeled chick suggested or multiply my miles by their training zones or count every 100metres elevation as 1km (giving me an extra 24km yesterday). I might somehow achieve my own Festive500. Whether Rapha send me a cloth badge through the post or not is not something that I will not lose sleep over in 2017. Will I have had more fun on a bike than someone ploughing through Cambridgeshire lanes in he dark and pissing rain? Maybe so.  All we can be sure of is I will have ridden more different bikes in more varied conditions with a wider selection of friends from Britain's quiet cycling elite to work colleagues who go back 20 years.

I am happy that's going to fulfil my Christmas wishes.

Kielder Ironman Reccee - Celebrating what you came to do then running away - Part II

The rain that was promised didn't seem to materialize on Saturday. Overnight some rain fell and the change in weather was marked by winds and elevated temperatures in the morning. We didn't need the stove, just coffee and porride off the gas to get us moving on stiff legs.

Our walk on Friday night was good info on getting to the lakeshore path and we got talking about how the lack of very hot water and feeble pressure at the showerblock on the campsite means it won't be suitable ironman accommodation even in the best conditions... no matter how beautiful the surroundings.

Vibrant colours

There were a few people on the trail but not many and mostly we entertained ourselves with things I will have neither opportunity nor inclination to do on race day.

TSK being tongue

Picking my nose... or someone's

Janus Chairs

TSK turned around after 5km to make it a 10k run. I kept going to Jannus Chairs to make it the 11miles run that I missed through racing last weekend.  When I turned around at mile 5.6, I slowed right down. It took me a while to realise it wasn't over and I was the only way I was going to get back.


It helped watching the ospreys circle overhead.

Back at base I had caught up TSK and we showered and headed to the Kielder Castle café to watch the osprey up close and personal from the comfort of a big screen webcam served with quiche salad and great coffee.

Lurching from one meal to the next we took an overly long drive to get some dinner. By which time we were also running out of fuel.

You know that person who turns up in the wilderness on minimal petrol with no food and nothing to pay with except plastic? I never wanted to be that person... but modern life (this weekend) made me that guy.

Worse still, we got back to the campsite to find that our tent was completely surrounded by water.

After a brief panic about it being Sunday and no petrol and being too tired to drive home I had the brain wave of checking to see if there was a pod. Much to our relief and luck there had been a cancellation and the warden let us take the pod at no extra cost.

We set about transferring all our stuff from one end of the site to the other. Thankfully our bedding was still dry. I stubbornly soldiered on to cook steak, potatoes and kale on a single ring stove then we slithered exhausted into our chilly sleeping bags, missing the stoov immensely.

By Sunday we had had enough of Northumberland. We achieved what we came to achieve. The drive home through the wilderness in sunshine and showers was beautiful and powerful but we didn't have the inclination to clamber out of the warm car into squally rain showers and do anything with it.

It was a crying shame but I was content that next time I come I will be rested and ready to race here and I still haven't seen everything that the area has to offer.  For that reason, I am very much looking forward to returning in June