Every winter UK cycle lifestyle company Rapha get together with US fitness website Strava to challenge cyclists around the world to ride 500km or more in the 8 days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. I'd had a very half hearted attempt at the same challenge in December 2012 but, with a week off work I decided that I'd have a proper go at it in 2013. I figured that the best way for me to try this was with a lot of understanding from my family and by completing a ride per day averaging 63 or more km each day. How hard could that be?
So I put my
name down, if only I knew what the weather would bring that week.
Here’s my
Festive 500 diary.
Christmas Eve. 52.3 km
Wet and very windy. Chilly.
Leave work
at lunchtime, run a few errands and grab my mountain bike and some lights. Ride
to the edge of Tavistock on Drake’s Trial, the same path I used for the LR 150
challenge in 2012. Wet, there’s a stream replacing the path north of Yelverton,
sections that were hardpack trail in summer are now muddy and covered with lots
of bits of branches, I’m glad I run tubeless tyres as I thump over debris. The
trail nearly blocked in one place by a sizable fallen tree, enough space for me
to get past and continue. Turn around at the end of the cycle path and back past
the tree again
I’m busy
calculating, converting miles into KM as I ride and wondering how I’ll get
enough distance today. Partial solution on the way home in Yelverton doing
circuits of a WWII airfield. Largely out of the wind with a nice tail wind on
the one exposed, straight section. Ride home into the wind, which will become a
feature of the week.
Get home, log
in to Strava and upload my first ride.
Christmas Day. 65.6km
Wetter, windier, colder.
 |
| Christmas morning day break |
Up before
Santa, ‘winter bike’ ready to go. She’s a cyclo cross bike, built up into burly
road bike, fitted with wider tyres than usual, full mudguards, reflectors and a
mount for a big light. This trusty machine was to be my companion for the next
7 days.
 |
| Christmas morning at Burrator |
Leave the
house at 06.04 and see exactly no one on the way out to Burrator Reservoir. This
early on Christmas morning I have the place to myself. Each lap is 6.1km, today
I must do 6. Frost on the tarmac so go carefully, deer watch me from the woods,
their eyes lit up by my lights, no red noses lighting the way. They stare back
at me, unmoved by my presence so early.
There is no
light anywhere other than mine, the sky is pitch black, as are the woods, the
water surface shows no reflections. There is no world outside the pool of light
I create. It starts to rain on lap 2, icy raindrops hitting my face, the rain
is soon replaced by sleet and then hail on lap 3 and for a minute, snow. Briefly
I have a white Christmas.
Lap 4 and
the first sign of dawn, not yet sunrise but the sky showing the first sign of
Christmas Morning.
Each lap different
as nature starts to stir; first owls, then the deer vanished to be replaced by
ponies looking for breakfast, then sheep meandering on the tarmac. Jays screech
a warning as I pass, possibly unaware that I’ve been there many times already
that day and eventually another person, ‘Merry Christmas!’ from me ignored by
him but his dog replied for him with a playful bark.
Head for
home, warmth and food. This is going to be harder than I thought.
Boxing Day. 82.5 km
Sunny, cold, dry. Not so windy.
Whole day
to myself as the rest of the family go to work, no lie in though as the Dad
taxi has a fare booked at 06.15. Start to ride after a good breakfast with no
plan, out to Yelverton and then onto Princetown in the sunshine, glorious views
over the moor. Not too many people about, guess they must be in the sales.
 |
| Busy day on Dartmoor |
Loop
around Princetown and come back the same way, there’s a risk of ice on the
higher moor and I don’t need to fall off. Turn towards Burrator and immediately
wonder why there are cars dumped everywhere turning a single track road into an
obstacle course. At the dam runners block the road, completely. They’re not
interested in letting me pass so I turn the other way and ride back to
Princetown again returning the same way and getting a few laps of the airfield
in before heading home, into the wind.
 |
| Boxing Day above Burrator looking towards Sheepstor |
Realise
that I must change the saddle if I’m to go any further. That evening a narrow
Fizik is brought out of retirement for the rest of the challenge. This violates
Rule #8 but comfort counts more than rules. Rules #5 and #6 adhered to all
week.
 |
| Marriage made in heaven |
27th December. 62.5 km
Cold, wet,
windy.
Early start
to beat the worst of the weather, feel like I’m cheating a little as I drive to
Burrator before dawn. 10 laps this time, surprised on lap1 by frost on one
corner, my light reflecting the only bit of tarmac that’s not black with water.
4 laps later that I realise it’s not frost but the only bit of dry tarmac on
the entire lap.
 |
| After another 60 km we needed a break |
Use my van
as my support vehicle returning to it after 4 laps for a fresh drink and some
food, again after 8 laps. Glad to see it again after 2 and a bit more, warm
clothes and another drink before driving home.
28th December. 82.2km
Very cold.
Dry.
 |
| North Dartmoor, also busy. |
Joined by
Ian Sutton for an 8.30 start, temperatures near zero in Plymouth the night
before, the moor will have been a lot colder so sticking to major roads that
will have been treated. Our aim is 60km and we decide to go to Tavistock then head
towards Oakhampton and see how it goes.
It goes
well with ice-free tarmac and a largely dry ride. Simple out and back route turning
around at 40 km and stopping in Tavistock for coffee on the way back. Sitting
outside so we don’t overheat, the other customers amused as we sit there gently
steaming while they hug radiators inside. An old man stops for a chat, he used
to ride and we talk bikes and turbo trainers for a bit. He must think we’re
mad. Diversion on the way back, a lap of the airfield to get some extra kms
under my wheels.
29th December. 75.6 km
Sunny,
cold, dry.
 |
| Tamar Bridge and the way to Cornwall |
Again an
early start and an excursion into Cornwall with Ian, feeling the distance now
with heavy legs but they eventually start to warm up. An hour of climbing does
that. Over the Tamar Bridge, through passport control and turn right, ride to
Callington before heading back towards Devon. Detour to the top of Kit Hill and
our first section of properly icy road, a surprise but no drama.
 |
| View from Kit Hill |
Photos at the
top then carefully down the same icy road, back onto the main road and ride to
Gunnislake, drop to cross the River Tamar again through some freezing fog, a
proper shock to the system after an hour of climbing in sunshine.
 |
| Road to Brentor Church |
Out towards
Brentor Church before turning back to Tavistock and stopping at the same café
for coffee and cake.
 |
| Ian at the cafe, ice on the table |
30th December. 54.9km
Gales,
rain, floods, trees, cold.
Gale force
winds lashing the SW making the previous windy week look like nothing. So far
I’ve been lucky and managed to time rides around the worst of the weather but
today I have to ride in the morning and the weather hasn’t moved through
overnight. Leave at 08.00 and drive through the rain towards Burrator aiming to
finish the ride, road flooded at Yelverton but passable however the tree
blocking the road to Burrator stops my progress. Sit in the van in the nearest
car park considering my options. I’m parked in a sheltered spot and the van is
dancing with the wind. Drive home grumpy, knowing I’ve done the right thing but
wanting to get this done.
By the time
I’ve unpacked, the weather front is weakening and slowly moving north so grab
some breakfast and wait it out, watching the clock and working out what distance
I could do, leave and quickly get to Yelverton, wind assisted, use the pavement
to get past the flooded road, the water is only a few inches deep where I ride.
I can get under the tree and find Burrator is deserted, and the road is under
water. Debris has blocked a culvert forcing water from Drake’s Leat to flow
over the road. By lap 2 South West Water have found their way past the tree and
have cleared the blockage, now there’s a high tide mark to follow on the tarmac,
my tyre tracks the only marks on a perfect layer of silt. 6 laps of Burrator is
enough time for workmen to remove the tree and I leave as others arrive. The ride
home is harder, much harder into the wind. Shattered. Too tired for photos.
New Year’s Eve. 19.9 km to go.
Early start
with only 20 km to ride, Yelverton and back. Easy. Notice after about 1 km that
the GPS has registered 13 metres! Work out that the speed/cadence sensor has given
up, change the settings on my Garmin and carry on. Get to Yelverton and have 9
km recorded, short of what I need so lap the airfield one final time, back on
Drake’s Trail to go home, 16, 17, 18, 19… 19.9 km as I get to the main road, No
traffic to see me punch the air. I may have cheered.
25.5 km
when I get home, put the bike in the garage. Other than a hose down every ride
to get rid of the storm debris and a bit of chain lube she’s behaved perfectly.
One saddle swap, no punctures, no faults.
Log into
Strava and upload my last ride, check the total before I get changed just in
case I’m short. I’m not.
In 8 rides I covered 505.7 km and climbed a total of 5,943m, more than I’ve
ever ridden or climbed in that time. It took me 23 hours and 14 minutes and I
burnt 14,498 calories on the way.
I probably won’t try it again…
unless I can find somewhere flat, warm, dry and with a permanent tailwind.