It was the beginning of December again and I'm looking at my distance for the year and the target which I had left the same as 2016, and I know I'm working between Christmas and New Year so putting in hours on the was going to be difficult but after the 2016 #Festive500, which was pretty much rain every day, I've realised that the only real hurdle I had to overcome was the one in my mind, each time I accomplish this challenge that hurdle seems to get lower and lower.
This was my fifth #Festive500 I've done every one since 2013 when I first heard about it. It's never easy as I always try to fit in maintenance at work that can't be done when staff are around, then there are the 'obligatory' family days, and being a leader in my church also means I must work around the various services too. Never mind bikes breaking, tummy bugs and other illnesses and unexpected spanners thrown in the works.
The three loops all have the long back stretch (RH sides on map) being the whole extent of a road (although they don't keep the same name all the way through) the intention was to ride each one end to end.
The Outer Purple route estimated 151Km, Inner Green at 100Km and the Orange 50Km, it sounded half like a plan, I knew I could make up the remaining rides in commutes, and other shorter rides. The problem in my head was both the purple and green loops contained a fair amount of climbing up the back stretches and I'm not the best climber (actually I'm just not all that fast full stop) but weighing in at 105Kg climbing is never easy on me, even in the lowest gear anything above 4% becomes a long slow grind.
However I did have a new weapon in my arsenal and was fairly certain the new Diverge would help me up those climbs easier, if not faster.
Oh one other little thing needed to happen... 7000Km for the year target was looming and at the end of November I had been at 5762Km so needed 1238Km to get there, so there was going to be no slacking and 'tapering' for the festive challenge.
So much for the background.... here the ride summaries, if you want to see routes etc, see it on #Strava (dates are links):
Day #1 Dec 24: It's Sunday which means Church in the AM, I wanted to get up early but noisy neighbours and hot evening meant I didn't get much sleep, so pushed the ride into the afternoon. 13h30 I climb on and head west, it's not long before I realise this one is going to be tough with high temp and strong North Easter blowing, downhill straight into the wind where I'm normally hitting the 40-50Km/h mark I struggled to find 25Km/h, Then when I turned out of the wind I needed to find trees for shade. 71Km later, 2 liquid refuelling stops totalling 5L drunk (quite a bit more than the usual 750ml needed), I get home wondering why I do this to myself, but it's done.
Day #2 Dec 25: Christmas Service early in the morning and lunch with family and friends, became a no pedaling rest day.
Day #3 Dec 26: I woke up at 03h30, I hadn't decided which ride I was going to do, I still felt a bit raw from Sunday's ride, but it would be one of the three loops so I head off down the hill in the dark, I feel OK at the Sterkfontein Caves rd so I carry straight on, up the Kromdraai hill where I decide to do a little hike to get some photos of the sunrise that had been slowly starting to light the way. (whilst I'm thinking of it, there are photos in the below video slideshow) At Haartebeespoort I decide to take a bit of a detour to the dam wall, knowing that from that point on it's going to be pretty much uphill all the way back. A quick M&B breakfast and coffee at 75Km in and then the trek up the mountain(s?), I had thought, having never cycled this way, that some of the sections were flat/downhill but nope it just kept going up, sometimes less steep than others but up I went. 52Km later found the T junction of Senior and Cedar in Northcliff, it doesn't make sense to me that it's only 465m of climbing but since nobody has ever attempted this before (AFAICS) I guess I earned the KOM :-p I know a lot of friends who will easily steal that away from me, if they feel like the trip.
I took another little detour towards Randfontein near the end, there was no way I was going to do 150Km and not turn it into an Imperial Century so finished with 163Km. The only rain that caught me this year started plonking 2Km from home and turned to hail a Km later, but I managed to get home with a few small stings and mostly dry.
Day #4 Dec 27: Well I needed to work so trundled off to work on the bike, and trundled back home again (via the 'scenic' route) 9 hours later to accumulate another 50Km.
Day #5 Dec 28: I had planned to work but the rides needed to get done so I decided that since I'm the only one at work flexi time will do and swopped the day with the Jan 1 so I could do the next longer ride of my loops, joined by Bruce who suffered a fall at beginning of year and hadn't really done any long rides off we went to do a route I had sort of done a couple of times before, from the T junction in the Cradle of Humankind down (and up) Beyers Naude till we reached Cul de Sac in Brixton, then a short sharp climb to the top of the hill and back home. Nearly home I had done 90Km so again a short detour to make it a century. I've gotten used to riding these things solo over the years, the other cyclists I know that attempt the challenge are a fair bit faster than me or live a bit far away to make joint rides feasible, so it was good to have company.
Day #6 Dec 29: I had to work again but since no physical access was required I could remote in, and do what was required from home, so I snuck in a quick early 45Km frightening the Ostriches and Springboks, and climbing past the smelliest place in the dorp (sewerage works).
Day #7 Dec 30: I needed 69Km for #Festive500 and 86Km for the 7000Km, plus there was a chance of a planned club ride of ~50Km, I hadn't done the third (and easiest) planned loop, so I woke early enough to do the loop and meet the other guys for the club ride as continuation, somehow on the days I finish the challenge I have managed to get a crowd a few times. So the ride ended up being 102Km achieving the 2 goals a day early.
Thanks to Velo for the lovely tool to summarise these rides here is a little graphic for the #Festive500 rides.
Having reached the targets and also having put off the other annual event (Star Wars Movie) in order to find the +1200Km in Dec, decided to go do dinner and the show. Sunday 31'st became a rest day with no pedaling, I did toy with the idea of going out and doing a ride to push past some of the others in Strava Clubs/following and get a first position somewhere, but the temperature and the wind where too closely reminiscent of the previous Sunday so in the end I just chilled. Monday would be a fresh year and though I'm not one for resolutions, I have set myself a few tentative goals for the year, I'll see how it goes but if I can shed a few Kg and get my sleeping patterns right that elusive 10K goal I tried a few years go may go down. (It will help if I can avoid the April-July flu/cold season too)
Herewith promised photo slideshow video.
Ciao for now!!!
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