Rapha’s Festive 500
Rapha’s Festive 500 starts up, as it has since 2010, on Christmas Eve day. The challenge, to ride 500 km between (betwixt?) December 24th and New Years Eve, is as much a challenge of time management as it is braving the elements. That translates to 311 miles, an average of about 39 miles a day. Early signs suggest the elements have relented this year, leaving participants merely to schedule time to ride as well as the usual balance of work, life, family, obligations, holidays, travel, and everything else that takes place in one of the busiest weeks of the year. Plus the weather could always turn I suppose. For both reasons, it is in fact, a true challenge.
If you are interested in accepting the challenge, you’ll be rewarded at a minimum with early morning rides, cold temperatures, empty roads, and delightful if topical chit chat with me. If, dare I say when, we complete all 500 kilometers, we’ll each be awarded a “woven roundel” from Rapha headquarters to commemorate the achievement. Should our memories fail, at least we’ll have something to show for the effort. Just what is a woven roundel? A wonderful topic for us to discuss on the first ride.
Details of the rides are being put together (feel free to email ideas if interested) but a few things are clear, weekend morning rides will start early and be longer in length, weekday morning rides will start early and be shorter in length. The only day in which you will be on your own is Christmas day, which requires me to be elsewhere. Rides will be fun in nature, conversational pace, no-drop, with regroups at the top of, gasp, any climbs we encounter. Rides will start at the Coffee Pedaler at 605 East St., in New Haven.
If you are on the fence, I’d encourage you to join in to see how fun an early ride can be, and how rejuvenated you’ll feel afterward. If you are nervous, we can go on a ride prior to the challenge, simulating pace, dressing for success, and early departure to calm your nerves. I’ll draft up a calendar of rides complete with dates, times, cue sheets, and total milage and post it next week.
If you are ready to join in the fun, email me to let me know, and remember to sign up with Strava to make it official: http://www.strava.com/challenges/rapha-festive-500-2015
Looking forward to seeing you out there.