Rapha Women's 100 (cycling challenge)

[Velorider]

Has anyone heard of this or doing it??
It's a worldwide event taking place on the same day (July the 20th) where women will cycle 100km. I've just signed up via strava.

Has anyone else signed up? It would be great to create a support group on here, to swap training tips, snack ideas and just general stuff.

I'm a pretty proficient cyclist but only cycle about 40 miles in one to due to kids etc. So sign in, sign up and let's swap stories!

[Pipkinhartley]

Hello, I'm signed up as well. Finally joined Strava to as need the motivation as also got a couple of other Sportives coming up.

Thanks for starting the thread, great idea!

[Velorider]

Hi Pip! Good to have you on board! We just need a few more now. What other sportives are you doing?

[Pipkinhartley]

Warwickshire Diva challenge (100k) end of April and Tour of the National Forest (100k) early May.
I've also just become a Breeze champ, so will start running ladies rides from May (need to get my first aid qualification to be able to lead) so hopefully may find a couple more willing volunteers!
You signed up for any sportives Velo?

[Velorider]

I was signed up for Cycletta (I am in Scotland) but my lovely MIL booked a holiday and we fly out on that day. I am looking at other sportives now. Breeze is only in England, but I'm helping a friend try to set up something similar in Scotland. You sound like you have your hands full!

How are you training for these? I'm really squeezed for time with kids but longer evenings are helping as I can go out when DP gets home. But would love any tips!

[ssmile]

Not heard of this but one of my goals this year was to do a longish bike ride. I think the most I've done in recent years is 25miles. I'm communting once a week to work which is 9miles each way and now the weather is better I'm hoping to do twice a week but I'm always struggling with childcare! My DH doesn't get home from work till 7pm and I start work at 7am so squeezing in training when I have no kids to care for is a challenge! Just mentioned this to my DH and he just said semi-sseriously we should do our local hospiscare 100k cycle ride in june on a tandem . We dont own a tandem but have hired one in the past pre kids and loved it.

[ssmile]

I've just been looking at training schedules online and it should be possible for me to do 14-15wks training to do one at end June. I think I can do two work commutes a week &a weekend longer training ride. What sort of training are you doing?

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

Oh that sounds right up my street except I'm visiting friends on the IOM just that weekend and as I see them just once a year I think they'd be a bit annoyed if I buggered off on an all day ride (leaving my DC in their care)

But marking my place to follow

[Pipkinhartley]

I've been a bit fair weather over the past few months but started again regularly since the beginning of the month.
I was getting out about three times a week, totalling about 60 miles but am building on that now.
Not following a particular training plan, I tend to work on the theory of building a good base fitness by putting the miles in and build in a few sprints on each ride.
Have just joined strava this week and that's definitely spurring me on! (I'm not usually competitive, but that's changing!)
Also have the benefit of OH being a very good cyclist so lots of advise and help with maintenance.
The commuting rides should help, they'll be a good measure of how you progress.
Ssmile and Velo, take my hat of to you both managing to get the miles in with your child care commitments, I remember my cycling just stopped when I had those issues a few years ago. Now days I guess I'm lucky as child care not really an issue as have been managing week end rides when sons busy with clubs etc and in the week am able to get out for a quick ride two or threes times.
ATB, if you fancy sportives, try the British Cycling website - there are loads listed on there and easily filtered for region.
Just off for a ride now (damn you strava).
Looking forward to hearing how you all get on!

[Velorider]

Hello ssmile, and Americas (shame you can't do it but would be good to have your input too). If anyone wants to swap names on strava for support their too, I am happy to pm.

I'm going out for a ride today if I can. 20 miles if all goes to plan. DP is away with ds, I have dd, but they should be back by early afternoon and the sun is shining and my legs are itching to be out.

Training wise I think I'm a little like pip! I have no actual plan (because in my house plans always end up in the bin). I'm just riding about 50 miles a week now, so 3x10 miles and 1x20 miles. Next week as I have two hours of child free time every day, so will do 3x15 and a longer one of 30miles at the weekend. I'm really constricted for the two hours I have, as I have to be home to collect dd from nursery, so 15 is about my limit. So weekends will be for building my endurance.

Does anyone have any good snack tips? I take homemade flapjacks and bananas. I have high5 tablets in my water bottle for energy boots! Obliviously I stop and have cake and coffee but any savoury snack would be great!

[annieshaf]

Hi all. Not sure if I fit in here as I am a relatively new cyclist. Have just started to take it more seriously as I have had to put a temporary halt to my running due to injury. Have been managing a 21 mile once or twice a week with a 10 miler aswell as an intensive spinning class over the last few weeks.

I am just about to buy a new bike and wondered if you experienced ladies could let me know what you think of this.

this bike

Most of my cycling is on a mixture of Tarmac and gravel paths with a few muddy hills and rough tracks thrown in so a full blown road bike doesn't seem like a good idea. However I would like to join a group/ club and get used to more road cycling. I like the idea of the 100k challenge but would need to increase my distances.

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

I'm based in LA now but am back in the UK for 5 weeks in the summer so might look up some rides I can do when I'm home as I can use my Dad's lovely Giant bike.

I did AIDS/LifeCycle last year and doing it again this year - 545miles from San Fran to LA in a week, so my training at the moment consists of a decent 45-60mile ride every other weekend and a mid week ride of around 25miles when I can fit it in. I go to yoga once a week and swim once a week too and as it gets closer (and hopefully slepe training works on DD) will do Shred for a few mornings a week - last year I found strengthening my core and doing any sort of exercise to up my fitness and increase stamina really helped.

Snacks on the road, I make up trail mix of almonds, cashews and cranberries, but almond butter and honey sandwiches are great too

[Velorider]

Annie, you sound a bit like me. I only started in September last year really getting into it. So it would be great to share experiences. That bike looks amazing!

America, almond butter and honey sandwiches sound great! I'm off to see if I can buy the butter. 545 miles! Wow! Well done the beauty of this ride is you can do it anywhere in the world. Are you from the UK originally?

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

Yup! We moved here 2yrs ago and I signed up for ALC shortly after we got here. Had 5month old DD and an allergy to exercise but was a commuter cyclist in London for years so it was a massive achievement last year and honestly one of the best weeks of my life!

If it's ok I'll hang around the thread as it would be nice to swap training tips and have a mutual support group. My ride is beginning of June and mentally I'm finding it tougher than last year so far

[Velorider]

I'd love to do something like that. It must have been once of those things you will never forget. Please do hang around, the more the merrier. We can all spur each other on,we write what we have ridden when we ride, I think seeing it and sharing it will help us all keep going.

[Pipkinhartley]

Fantastic achievement ATB! That's some going and your current training sounds pretty full on! Hope you can still take part in the Rapha 100, as Velo says, it's an international event and already a lot of American participants on the event Facebook page ( I've joined that too, anyone else doing so?)
Welcome Annie, just being up for the challenge and loving cycling sounds like you do fit! And that Giant looks great, as you say, no point in getting a full road bike if you want to keep mixing it with off road and trails. Also like you, I used to be a runner, but my injury (PF with other complications) has put paid to that. Take comfort though, I now love cycling more than I did running!
Fueling wise, I'm rubbish, find it difficult to take on anything other than sweets like high five candies and isotonic drinks but love a big ice cream based milkshake at the end of a longer ride! Although almond butter sounds good! Never mind as a riding snack, just sounds good in general!
Would love to swap strava details with others on the thread, I'll pm you Velo, likewise anyone feel free to do so with me.

[annieshaf]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. Hope some support will help inspire me to build up to higher mileage.
I have joined strava but don't currently have any data on there. I will try to download from my garmin account so I can build up some history.

I am stuck to one route at the moment mainly because it is so convenient as it's a circular route going virtually from my front door and it's mainly off road.

Would like to vary this a bit when I get my new bike but am nervous of road riding and would feel more comfortable with a club. Not sure how to go about this as don't think I am quite fit enough yet. Feels like a vicious circle!

My favourite snack at the moment (other than chocolate) is dried figs wrapped in a slice of emmental cheese.

Pipkin - I also have PF and am hoping it will heal soon so I can get back to running but not making much progress yet and haven't run properly since Xmas. Am now thinking that I will never get back to running as much as I was and will have to mix it up a bit even when the PF is cured. Are you hoping to get back to running soon?

Thanks for looking at the bike, I think I'm going to go for it soon.

[ssmile]

I think the full moon gave me an energy boost today as was cleaning out the oven at 7am then went off for my normal 1hr bike ride but came back 2hrs later and had done 26miles felt tired but pleased with myself as that was the furthest I've ridden in the last few months. It will make a good training run as it had longish hill in it which I had to walk part off. I hadn't had breakfast or taken any snacks (most unlike me!) but managed to buy a flap jack and text DH to say I'd be late back . I've just signed up to our local charity 55mile ride at end of June.
Velourider you sound like me with your child care restrictions it's really frustrating but I really make the most of the slices of "me time" that cycling gives me but it does mean I have to leave for work at 6am to squeeze in the commute.
Torturedbrow that week long ride sounds amazing.

[Velorider]

Hi everyone! Ssmile well done! I love rides like that. They take you by surprise. Yep I'm setting my alarm clock to get up earlier do do a ride before DP goes to work, come home, take kids to school then I can go back out! Can't wait for much longer evenings as I won't be so restricted.

Annie, if you workout how to cross strava and garmin I would love to know! I've been using my edge instead of strava, although am back on strava for this gp challenge.

Has anyone been out today?

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

aw I would love to get out first thing in the morning but have a sleepless toddler and it's impossible to do anything first thing with the sleep deprivation. I am trying to get into running though as I can fit in a 20min run the odd morning before school and work

so...what is strava?

I can't do the Rapha 100 sadly because I'm visiting friends that weekend but might do a search and see if there are similar rides.

And if anyone is based in Sussex and fancies a ride in June or July let me know!

[Pipkinhartley]

Annie, unlikely I'll get back to running as there is also bone damage within the heel, I used to do long distance, albeit very slowly! Running was also putting pressure on my knees which are getting better now I've turned to cycling. And I never quite got the buzz of going at 50 km with running as on the bike!
I wouldn't worry too much about doing the same route, I do the same at least twice a week to measure improvements.
Ssmile, great when that happens isn't it!
Velo, not out today, busy at work but will be out tomorrow! Hope you managed a good ride today.
ATB, strava is the devils work. It's both fantastically clever and annoyingly addictive. It measures all your rides/ runs against other users that have completed the same route, or part of, then provides analyses on your performance against the others. It also allows you to see what other folks you are following/who are following you are up to and how they are getting on. Best of all it's free, it uses gps via your smartphone but if you use a garmin (or similar devise) you can upload to the site.

[Velorider]

How did I not know you can cross a garmin with strava? Must do this as my strava looks like I haven't done anything for months!

I've never been able to run. I think some people (me) are not built for it. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. My bike seems to just give me a sense of evened on and going through puddles is just fun.

As for routes I sort of stick to what I know around here. Ie they are hard trails, off road so clear of traffic which makes me feel much safer. Hopefully the UK can get its cycling infrastructure sorted out and drivers don't think we are such a bad bunch. I can but dream.

I never actually got out today pip! I am tomorrow for an hour. But will be waiting in for a delivery of a pair of bib knickers (who comes up with these names??). Never thought I would get excited about Lycra.

[AmericasTorturedBrow]

strava sounds horrible! I just use mapmyride to chart my own progress but should prob consider matching with others.

my brother bought me a gopro which I'm yet to use, but really should as the rides I get to do are all beautiful californian coastline!

[ssmile]

Have just set my alarm so I can cycle commute tom fingers our toddler doesn't repeat last nights antics and 5am start or I will be too tired.

Oh to be cycling along California coastline sounds heavenly I have lived in west Texas in the past and those wide open vistas make you want to cycle for miles. now I do Devon hills that just make me wanna get off and walk

[Pipkinhartley]

Hope your toddler gives you a good nights kip Ssmile! ( on a mumsnet note, my boy didn't sleep through the night for first three years! And no, I wasn't cycling then!)

Know what you mean about getting exited about Lycra Velo! I'm still (marginally) more excited when I get on the Paul Smith website at sale time and have learned to simply not even google Rapha with Paul Smith!

ATB, I always used to use map my ride/ run, it's a great tool. I've only been on strava for a week but do find it a lot easier and am very firmly of the opinion that I'll use it to help me measure/ encourage my performance - but that said, it is great to see how you're doing and is good motivation.

You and Ssmile both very lucky to have the California/ west Texas experience, I'll just dream on when slogging up ( then down!) some of Leicestershire's finest hills!

[Velorider]

I'd love to cycle for miles somewhere flat and warm. Instead I get hellish coastal winds, scottish hills and rain! Mind you, the views are stunning

Did you make it out this morning ssmile? It's raining here which is no surprise, so yet another day passes by. Between schools drop off, nursery pick up, school pick up and after school clubs, I won't be done until 7. Plus work in between all that.

ATB I use map my walk and used to use map my ride too. Both really good. Strava has the edge of feeding my slight competitive streak though.