It’s the festive season! Woohoo!
This year, I‘ve signed up to ride the #Festive500.
The #Festive500 is an international annual bike riding challenge that takes place over the Christmas-New Year period.
The premise is simple: registrants ride 500 kilometers over the eight days from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.
Where I live and ride (Brisbane, AUST) it is summertime – with endless warm days that are perfect for long early morning/late afternoon (and night) rides. But, elsewhere in the world, (like the US and UK) it is peak Winter – freezing cold and snowing. I spare a thought for these riders and the extra seasonal challenges they face.
This event is the brainchild of former cycling clothing company Rapha designer Graeme Raeburn, who in 2010 rode 1,000kms on his own.
Considering the festive time is often one of excess, overeating and recreation, this event is a genuine challenge for those who want to try something a little different.
It’s the first time I’ve done this event. Each year, I have a different festive focus: one year we indulged, another we retreated like hermits to a bush hideaway, another we used bikes to visit family and friends in another city. Given its still COVID-ish, this year we are staying close to home and minimising social contact. Instead, we are spending our time together riding bikes around our local area – so the Festive500 fits perfectly with our plans.
It also conveniently overlaps with our riding a century (100kms) each full moon for a year (13). We started riding full moon centuries in November 2020. On Tuesday, Dec 29th there will be a Gemini Wolf full moon (which we would be doing anyway), so that will count towards our Festive500. That, plus riding every day and cycling to-and-from the one and only Christmas dinner party we are going to (the long way round) will definitely clock up the kilometers needed. No worries here!
Each rider needs to consider how they want to achieve the 500. Some, (like Beloved) will go all out and smash themselves and do a few super long days in the saddle, others will pace themselves and work on an average of 63kms per day, and others will mix up days and distances depending on time, energy, weather and family commitments.
The Rapha website has heaps of content, stories and inspiration for those interested in finding out more about the #Festive500.
So whatever you do this holiday period, I hope it serves you well.
Have fun, ride bikes, do good!
Happy holidays all!
All images sourced from Rapha.