Rapha Festive 500 - 2014

Another year, another Rapha Festive 500.

2014 marks my fourth year completing the somewhat insane challenge of riding 500 kilometres between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. I had been off my bike for four weeks after the end of cyclocross season. This was definitely going to be a shock to the system.

I knew from my previous three attempts that consistency is the key. It's easy to fall behind and when you do, it is very hard to make up.

Festive 500 - 2014

Ride #1 - 119.3 km

I managed to switch shifts at work so I could start my Festive 500 in a big way on Christmas Eve. My first ride was out to my parent's in Agassiz. After giving me a two hour head start, my wife and kids jumped in the car and the chase was on! Just outside of Abbotsford they met up with me. I was only at the halfway point, but the hot coffee they brought me gave me the boost I needed to keep going. After a couple more hours I had arrived for an early Christmas dinner.

Ride #2 - 81.3 km

Escaping on Christmas Day is always tricky, but luckily my family is very understanding and I was able to escape for a few hours. It always nice to ride on familiar Fraser Valley roads. Two days in and I had already completed 40% of the challenge.

Ride #3 - 61.6 km

After a break from riding on Boxing Day, this was my first commute of the challenge! I used the now well-traveled South Fraser Perimeter Road to add some extra distance on the way home. I remember back in 2012 when I was one of the first cyclists on the SFPR. It's still a decent road, but the shoulder is clogged with debris and traffic is quite a bit heavier now that it is open all the way through to Delta. Definitely not quite as cycling friendly as I initially thought.

Ride #4 - 101.1 km

No rest from the Festive 500. A Sunday off work meant I could grind out another big chunk of the challenge with an easy flat ride through Richmond. I saw many other cyclists out enjoying the cool and dry winter conditions. I could only assume at least a few of them were out to complete the Festive 500 as well. It has grown to be quite popular thanks to the cycling website Strava. When I first completed the Festive 500 in 2011, only six other Canadians finished it. This year there was 101 finishers from Canada!

I was 73% complete with only three days left and I had to work all of them. This is where the Festive 500 can get you. So close but still 136.7 kilometres to go. No time to slack off.

Ride #5 - 63.1 km

Another commute to work brought me to 85%. Outside washing my bike off in the cold, I was contemplating whether I could knock off the rest of the challenge in one last ride, or play it safe and use both of the remaining days.

Ride #6 - 79.1 km

The average temperature recorded for this ride was 0° Celsius. It was much colder than that when I set out for work at 05:00 in the morning. I was feeling good after work and decided to go all in. I was going to finish this challenge today! I got a flat just as the sun was setting. I could feel it getting colder as I repaired the tire on the side of the road. I arrived home in the cold and in the dark, but I was finished. My fourth straight Festive 500 in the books!

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!

Rapha Festive 500 Planning

Planning is in full swing for the Rapha Festive 500. Only 7 days to go!

I love planning. Luckily I get to do quite a bit of planning as a rail traffic controller. I do enjoy just getting out and going for a ride sometimes, but for these Strava challenges I like to have a pretty good plan in place.

I don't often upload my rides to Garmin Connect, Strava is number one in that department. The best parts of Garmin Connect are the course and workout creation features. You can plan your rides or stationary trainer workouts ahead of time and then upload them to you Garmin device. An average speed or pace can be entered so you'll finish your ride on time and it will tell you if you've strayed off course. 



This 84 kilometre loop covers some of my favourite territory. Lots of opportunities to stop and grab a coffee and warm up.



An expansion of the previous route, this 116 kilometre ride heads further east and down into Glen Valley.

I'm tempted to try out this route. Originally it was my plan for the BMC 79 Mile Challenge, which I had to abandon at the last minute. I'd probaby cut out the little detour over the Alex Fraser bridge which I added to to boost the distance over 79 miles. The route is quite urban in some sections, I'm not sure how much effect that would have on my average speed.

I still have to balance these rides with my work schedule, so more planning is in store!

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...

Rapha Festive 500 - A Review

The Rapha Festive 500 was a perfect conclusion to my first year of road cycling.


500 kilometres in just over one week was a lofty goal, as I had mainly been aiming for 500 km per month since the spring.


It was fun to watch other people attempt the challenge as well. Successful or not, it takes a lot of dedication to get out on your bike, especially in the kind of weather that we often have in BC.


Finally meeting @1luckybiker in person, and establishing connections with Vegan Dave and Peter Eyestone were pretty cool benefits of the challenge.


I would not have been able to complete the Festive 500 without the awsome support from my family. My wife and kids were very accomodating and patient with all the cycling I was doing.


Now that the challenge of the Fesitive 500 is over, another challenge begins. The challenge to build upon the work I did cycling over Christmas and carry my fitness through until the 2012 racing season begins.

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #7

Before I started the Rapha Festive 500, I knew the guys at Fort Langley Cyclery were hosting a New Year's Eve group ride. I wouldn't say I planned my whole Rapha Festive 500 around this ride, but I was counting on getting about 50 kilometres out of it.


My support team, consisting of my wife and three kids were kind enough to drive me out to Fort Langley for the start of the ride. I was on my own to get home :)


A group of eight of us set off under cool but dry conditions. It was pretty cool to ride in a group to take advantage of some drafting. We had some spirited sprints and uphill bursts. I think everyone was enjoying the dry weather. We even tackled the fearsome Armstrong Hill, which I had been avoiding all year, never really feeling up to the challenge. I don't know if it was the 450 kilometres I had in my legs, but it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.


@1luckybiker even made it through an entire ride without a flat!


I easily knocked out the remaining 51 kilometres I needed for the Rapha Festive 500. It was a nice way to wrap up my first year of serious cycling.

Rapha Festive 500 complete!

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #6

I had ridden 195 kilometres in two days, so I took a day off before tackling the final two days of the Rapha Festive 500. I had 124 kilometres left to finish, so I knew I would be able to make it.

I agonized all Thursday about where to go cycling, a lot of my routes where working out to be too long. I was trying to fit a ride into a three hour window. I couldn't neglect the family for too long :)

I decided to try to leave my mark on some Strava segments, so I head south down to the border and back up through Fort Langley. I never did really well on the Strava mission, but I knocked out a good chunk of kilometres, leaving me with a very manageable final day.

After five rides where I ended up soaking wet, it was a nice change to be able to complete this ride without a drop of rain.

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #5

My wife and kids were heading to a friends house for a get together, so I had most of the day to fit another big ride in.

@1luckybiker had been suffering with a lot of flats in Glen Valley, my usual riding area. I decided to head out to Iona Beach in Richmond hoping to bag another 100km.

The ride started off dry for the first 30 kilometres before the rain and wind began. Iona Beach is a popular riding area for Vancouver cyclists, and I was glad to see a few other cyclists out despite the terrible conditions.

Are beaches supposed to be wet?

I rode into a strong headwind and driving rain the whole way back from Richmond. I was riding in the dark by the time I arrived at home.

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #4

After spending a relaxing Boxing Day at Harrison Hot Springs and in Agassiz at my parent's house it was time for the journey back to Surrey.

This time I was going to stay south of the Fraser River, and expected a much flatter route. My wife and three kids would be leaving two hours after me in the car and we were hoping to meet up in Abbotsford for lunch.

As expected the rain was back as a set off from Agassiz. However, it only lasted about an hour and the sun even made a brief effort to break through the clouds.

An early nature break.

I had learned from the ride out that it is nearly impossible to remember all the key directions. So I made a route card, put it in a ziploc bag and stapled it in a loop around my handle bars.

Directions!

I was making good time on the flats through Chilliwack heading towards Abbotsford. Things were looking good to meet up for a lunch break. A coffee and a sandwich were waiting for me at Whatcom Road.

Lunch!

Clayburn Interlocking

I stopped at the Clayburn Interlocking, where the Southern Railway of BC and the Canadian Pacific Railway cross. I worked several years as a Conductor for the Southern Railway of BC, so I've been inside the shed many a time to operate the levers which change the signals. Although no longer operational, I believe it was the last operating interlockings of its type in North America.






The rain began again with about 20km left to go. I had taken off my rain pants and changed jackets already so I got soaked quickly. The conditions were absolutely atrocious and I decided to stop to warm up and eat. Luckily a Starbucks was conveniently located on my route through Langley :)

Starbucks to the rescue!

I arrived home in Surrey about 30 minutes ahead of schedule after four hours and sixteen minutes on the bike.

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #3

After riding a little harder than I would have like the previous two days, I decided to take it easy. Plus it was Christmas Day, you can't exactly spend all Christmas Day riding your bike, leaving your wife and three kids at the grandparent's.

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #2

My first big ride of the Rapha Festive 500. I had only ridden over 100km once before, so this was a big challenge, and it was on Christmas Eve!

I had asked around for some information about cycling routes out to Agassiz and was given some great information by @alexpope_rando including a Garmin course and route card from a BC Randonneur event. Needless to say, it was very helpful.

I left early in the morning, hopefully arriving in Agassiz around lunch to meet my wife and kids at my parent's house.

Less than ideal conditions met me as I pulled my bike out from the garage. This was the scene early on as I approached the Golden Ears Bridge

Approaching the Golden Ears Bridge

The rain was relentless, as I slogged over the seemingly endless hills between Maple Ridge and Mission.

Ruskin Dam

I took shelter in a doorway to stay dry while eating.

I had pre-arranged with my wife to stop by with the kids so they could see me riding. We met up with about 30km to go. She had thoughtfully brought me a coffee and I took the opportunity to grab a dry jacket and my spare gloves out of the car.

The rain managed to let up after I descended from Mount Woodside into the flats on the outskirts of Agassiz. The last few kilometres would have been more pleasant if I wasn't soaked to the bone, but I had made it!

Rapha Festive 500 Ride #1

I teamed up with @1LuckyBiker for the first ride of the Rapha Festive 500. I had been following @1LuckyBiker for some time on Twitter, but our paths never seemed to cross. After assuring my wife it was not dangerous to meet up with a person I met over the internet, I was off.

Despite a couple flat tires, and some assistance from the guys at Fort Langley Cyclery we managed to get in a good ride. I was on the rivet a lot, I think I may have held @1LuckyBiker back a little :)