The Festive 500 challenge

“A widely respected and tough Strava challenge; 500 km from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.”

The Festive 500 was my last adventure for 2018 and what a year it had been: Lands’ End to John O’ Groats, cycling to Skegness and back in a day and a 24hr gravel ride in Wales. 

24th December - Ride number 1 (To Castleton and back)

Statistics

Distance: 68.5 miles (110km)

Elevation: 3320ft

‘The Winnats leg burner.’

Ride number 1 was a there and back ride that went through Matlock, Rowsley, Chatsworth,  Baslow and finally to Castleton. It was the only ‘flat’ route in the Peak District, but for the added challenge I rode up Winnats pass. This pass winds through a cleft, surrounded by towering limestone pinnacles. It has an average of 11.7%, but in parts, it is a staggering 28%.  After this breath-taking climb, I encountered an additional ascent up Mam Tor, but I was soon rewarded with my favourite descent in the Peak District-Mam Nick. Unfortunately, I couldn’t let loose and hammer the decent; I had to keep my hands on the brake levers and carefully descend the twisty road towards Edale as the fog was thick with many sheets of ice all over the roads.

It was an excellent start to the challenge; it was most certainly festive weather at -3 degrees; my derailleur even froze as I began to climb higher into the Peaks.

25th December - rest day 

Statistics

Calories consumed: too many to count 

‘The Christmas consumer.’

The only contribution towards the Festive 500 on Christmas day was filling myself with an abundance of food to fuel me for the remainder of a tough week of riding ahead. 

26th December - Ride number 2 (To Alton)

Statistics

Distance: 70.6 miles (113.6km)  

Elevation: 5203ft

‘A rollercoaster of a ride to Alton’ 

Riding to Alton was a change of scenery as initially, I didn’t ride towards the Peak District. It was pleasant to re-orientate and experience some new villages and places for the first time, but I had withdrawal symptoms from the tough climbs of the Peaks. 

 

The standard views for the ride; lights on full during the day!

This route was surprisingly fast that went through quiet roads through to Alton

27th December - Ride number 3 (To Willington)

Statistics

Distance: 61 miles (98.17km)

Elevation: 3121ft

‘Exploring the forbidden South Derbyshire.’

This was a South Derbyshire ride going through Elvaston Castle, Weston on Trent, Willington, Sutton On The Hill and Kedleston Park.

I soon began to realise that this challenge didn’t have brilliant views because of the fog forecasted for the week; consequently, I chose to make the routes easier for my legs and pick flatter routes compared to normal.

After riding around South Derbyshire, it became apparent how rides can sustain 20mph as I rarely found a hill that was longer than a few pedal strokes. But it was still great fun; I will return in the summer on my road bike and test the theory and see how my legs perform at top speeds.

28th December - Ride number 4 (Trail ride to Rowsley Bar)

Rowsley Bar climb

Statistics

Distance: 30 miles (48.28km)

Elevation: 1621ft

'Up the heartpumping Rowlsey Bar'

A nice gently recover ride with dad along the trails through Cromford all the way to Rowsley. However, to spice this route up a little and t the heart pumping we went up Rowsley Bar which is one of the toughest hills in the area with a max gradient of 20%! Once we tackled this climb, we steadily pedalled over the moors towards Crich. This ride was more of a recovery ride due the limited elevation and distance; it was what my legs needed during this challenge and crucial that I still rode on the day so the miles required didn’t stack up too high that I would need to have a long day in the saddle. 

   

29th December - Ride number 5 (South Derbyshire riding to Melbourne)

Statistics 

Distance: 57.8 miles (93km)

Elevation: 3005ft

“A pancake ride to Melbourne.”

This was the second time I had rode in South Derbyshire; both of them were during this challenge. The main reason for this was my local routes always go into the hilly peak district which burns out the legs too quickly.

The route was not as scenic as my regular rides, but it was lovely to explore a few more areas for the first time. I passed a few marinas, drafted a few cyclists (there seemed to be a lot more cyclists in South Derbyshire than the Peak District), and I cautiously rode my bicycle trying to avoid the ice.

30th December (Rest day)

My legs were feeling slightly fatigued and due to the planned ride with a cycling club for the last day of the challenge I took the sensible decision of resting up and enduring some pain on the foam roller (It was almost as painful as the cycling).

31st December - Ride number 6 (Trail riding to Tissington)

Statistics

Distance: 40 miles (64.37km)

Elevation: 2864ft

‘Tissington’s Gravel Express’ 

 

Tissington trail social 'chaingang'

For the final ride of my festive 500 challenge, I decided to join Belper Bicycle Club. This was a lovely steady ride along many trails, bridleways and byways. 

I had not ridden with a cycling club before but being with likeminded people, talking about: routes, equipment and cafes was a great way to spend a New Year’s Eve. 

Belper BC riding a Byeway; some on MTB, gravel and cx bikes

Festive 500 summary

To conclude, the festive 500 was more challenging than I expected; the winter conditions of icy roads, cold winds and a muddy bike after every ride added another dimension to the cycling trip. I didn’t feel as fit compared to the summer of 2018 where I did LEJOG, but I comfortably completed the challenge and rode over 5900 miles for the year. Hopefully, the challenge has got my legs back into shape for the new year where I have more adventures planned.