The Rapha Festive 500 – 2012

The time has come again for the Rapha Festive 500.

The challenge is as simple as last year, ride 500 kilometres between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. While the distance isn't much of a problem, it isn't the most convenient time to spend riding your bike. Also the weather is often less than ideal for cycling in the greater Vancouver area.

Last year I clocked a respectable 512.1 kilometres spread over seven rides in just over 21 hours. Throw in 3216 metres of elevation gain and things are looking good. I was one of only nine Canadians to complete the challenge, and ranked 636 worldwide.



Rapha Festive 500 - 2011 Canadian Leaderboard



The top two Canadians were from Quebec and the rest from BC. I guess it was a mild winter back east last year? Strava is even more popular than ever before in the cycling community. I'm expecting a big increase in the number of participants and finishers.

The big personal challenge for me this year is trying to ride 500 kilometres while working my regular swing shift at the railway. Last year I was on holidays over Christmas and this year Christmas and Boxing Day fall on my regular days off. So no extra time is available. Also, my wife is considering taking a crack at the challenge. Time management and planning are going to be key.

I've considered trying to challenge myself while completing the 500 kilometeres. Some things I've thought of;

a) Distance - Ride farther is the simplest way to add difficulty. Aim for 600 km? 750 km?

b) Speed - Complete the 500 km faster. This might be too easy as I'm probably already faster than last year.

c) Elevation Gain - Attempting big climbs in winter could prove too hard. Cypress and Seymour could be treacherous. However a Boxing Day Triple Crown has epic written all over it.

Regardless of the path I take to the finish, I'm excited by the thought of the challenge. Who in there right mind cycles 500 kilometres in about a week over the Christmas holidays?

Stay tuned to find out how it goes...