Rapha Festive 500 - 2012

Rapha Festive 500 - Ride Map

This year the Rapha Festive 500 had a bit of an extra challenge for me, I had to manage riding the 500 kilometres along with working six of the eight days. Also, my wife wanted to give the challenge a try. Add in three kids to look after and other holiday requirements, things were looking pretty daunting.

Festive 500 Planning.

I created a planning worksheet that would help us stay organized with cycling, work, and kids activities. Days off cycling would be needed due to visiting relatives and my work schedule. We would need to average 83.3 kilometres per day to complete the challenge.

The first ride of the Festive 500.

I rode my bike to work Sunday night at 11:00 pm in order to kick off the challenge after my graveyard shift on December 24th. I set off shortly after 8:00 am, tired but excited to start the challenge with a short ride home. After a short nap I was up to let my wife head out for her first ride.

The kids were excited to watch Mommy head out for the Festive 500. 

We had no commitments for Christmas Day, so I was allowed free reign for the morning. While most people were opening presents, I was swinging my leg over my bike and heading out into the cold. It turned out to be my longest ride of the challenge, 114 kilometres. The weather was quite cold and I faced some pretty tough headwinds on half the route. Unfortunately the weather got worse in the afternoon when my wife headed out to ride. Freezing rain and a bit of snow had started just after lunch. She had to modify her planned route to a drastically shorter version. Even local hard man Ted Matson was forced to shorten his ride.

The Highway of Headwinds, otherwise known as Zero Avenue. 

Boxing Day was our first day off. After the first three days I had only totaled 141 kilometres and Noriko had 117.6 kilometres. Both of us were way off our expected distances. We both had our doubts about completing the challenge. However, we both wanted to keep going.

Thursday morning Noriko headed out for a ride in the morning and covered an impressive 85 kilometres. It seemed like we did a high-five at the door and I was heading off for a 90 kilometre commute to work. I got to see Burnaby Mountain, Science World, UBC, and, the always interesting, south Vancouver in just one ride.

There was still snow at the top of Burnaby Mountain. 

The volume of riding was taking it's toll on Noriko, but she managed to head over to Pitt Meadows and explore some of that area on Friday morning. My commute to work Friday afternoon was going to be shorter than Thursday's effort, but would include some gravel trails through the Delta's Watershed Park. I had time for a quick loop in Richmond before heading to work. 60 kilometres left me off the pace a little and I was beginning to worry that I wasn't going to finish.

Gravel trails in Delta's Watershed Park

Noriko decide Friday evening that she was going to abandon the challenge. There was simply too much distance to cover in the remaining time and it wasn't going to work with the commitment to the family and letting me finish the challenge. She still managed to cover 251.1 kilometres in four rides including her longest ride ever at 92.5 kilometres. I'm proud she was able to finish 50% of the Festive 500; not bad considering she hadn't been on her bike for about seven years and only started riding again earlier in the year.

I hatched a scheme that might get me back on track Saturday. After getting home from work at 1:00 am I was back up at 5:00 am to cover 50 kilometres on the way to work and then another 27 kilometres on the way home. I think this saved my Festive 500. Without this, I was never going to make it.

Cycling at 5:30 am in the cold rain.

Sunday I had switched to the afternoon shift, so we were able to have a relaxing family breakfast Sunday morning. It wasn't long before it was lunch time and I was on my way to work again. After a dry but cold 76 kilometre loop through Richmond, I only had 34.9 kilometres left to finish the Festive 500.

After 465.1 kilometres of solo riding, I would finally get some shelter on my final ride of the Festive 500. Fort Langley Cyclery traditionally hosts a New Year's Eve ride. They close up shop early and head out for a victory lap of sorts around Fort Langley and Glen Valley. We covered some of my favourite roads - Armstrong hill, Telegraph Trail, Myrtle Avenue, and the cranberry loop. It was the perfect ending to 2012 and a perfect ending to the Festive 500. 

Tail-gunning the Fort Langley Cyclery New Years Eve Ride

Another Festive 500 in the record books!

See you in 2013!