Festive 500 Fiasco – training week 9/40

total 11 hrs,  190k
1 *  turbo
Commutes – 6 (28-39k)
Long Ride  –  none 😦

Festive 500 failure

4 days off over Xmas, Strava festive 500 challenge accepted… It does not get cold until Jan and Feb.    What could go wrong?

It got cold  –  Oh dear.

I have not seen such heavy frosts in London for 5 years.   When the thermometer (ok the met office app) turns blue below 5 degrees, my appetite for long rides evaporates.     While the garden table outside the conservatory /turbo room still has frost on it I don’t ride.

Hmm…     Am I wussing out?

Why I am happy with my decision

The lanes are soaking from the rain in November.  The run off from the fields is still pouring across the roads in places, normally at the bottom of a hill.  Add hard overnight frosts, and I get unhappy

My tolerance for cold seems to be reducing each year.  Having bought my toasty Rapha gloves, my feet are the only issue.   I have some northwave arctic gotten boots,  In fluoro green.  They are the warmest boots I have.

On a commute, the first 10 minutes is unpleasant –  The cold hits my face and my jaw aches.  The fingers are cold, but this is all temporary – the blood starts to flow and after 10 minutes I am unzipping the jacket a bit.

However, I start to get cold feet at 45 mins (and that’s now into central London where the temperatures are 5 degrees warmer than home)  by the hour, they are cold but not yet hurting.

So cold commutes are fine.  I do find they take a level of mojo that they don’t need at other times of the year.  They are tough.  However I need to get to work, I have the kit…  I commute all year

So my festive 500 attempt in detail…

Day 1 – Xmas eve.  Rode into work, early finish, so add on on my commute home.   However the roads are mad and busy, with lots of crap driving.  Everyone wants to be somewhere in a hurry.

It’s also cold… The temperature drops as I head out through Epping forest.  Daylight also starts to run out so I cut short the planned route 10k early and head home – 80k done

Get my first puncture for 3 months, but easily fixed and home I go.

Day 2 – Xmas morning dawns.  I have been planning on riding every Xmas for the last 25 years but it never seems to happen.  This year was no different – 0k – oh dear

Day 3 – Boxing day    A local cycling group were heading out on boxing day, 8:30 start.  The frost was still heavy, my hangover was not going away.  I stayed in bed  –  0k – oh dear

Day 4 – Saturday.  Needed a 200k ride – weather forecast had it getting to 2 degrees max.  I gave up on the festive 500 and stayed in bed

I have 4 days in a row off over new year.   Let’s see how that goes.

Other
1 run

Summary
Rubbish