Festive 500 – Completing through the storms

It is an annual tradition, and it has been since 2012. Completing 500km between Christmas Eve and New Years Eve.

Every year has its own challenges, with this year being the storms that seemed to be coming in day after day.

How it was done, tips on how to succeed, and why I think doing any amount of indoor riding is against the spirit of the challenge.

Chapters:
00:00 – Christmas Eve
04:47 – Christmas Day
05:45 – Boxing Day
10:16 – Final Day (Dec 27th)

Merry Christmas I just turned Christmas Eve U I think it’s about half 1 in the morning um so it’s a bit of a tradition for me I’m going to start my festive 500 the weather forecast or the weather the moment is pretty shocking um I had a

Huge rain shower so I didn’t go out midnight because of that still raining a bit and it’s forecast to be really windy so I haven’t got a strict plan on where I’m going but I’m going to try and get a a big load ticked off plan at the start

The only thing I’ve really got is to get the wind follow the wind uh get on my back and yeah see how see how it goes and make some choices from there so I’m just coming through Breen which is the first town 40K is in and I’m sure a lot

Of cyclists will know that some rides you go on and you don’t realize you got a tail until you turn around well for this ride I definitely know I have got a Tailwind so I’m going to have to be careful I just going to have to be wary

That uh coming back later is uh going to probably be quite hard work as long as I keep that in mind and get ready for it uh hopefully I’ll be all right otherwise it’s um as I expected pretty wet very very mild it’s hard to in a way it’s hard to dress for

It CU it’s just so warm but wet as well it’s like summer spring summer weather uh yeah sticking to plan aish for now going to head towards the Border see how see how things go as I’m heading along there so that’s sign uh marks the English border so 70k is in and again

Yeah still got a headwind uh sorry Tailwind so um yeah very easy so far uh come by Harford and from here decided toh take a slightly different route so I was going to go to Gloucester and then original plan was to go over seven bridge but because the wind forecast is uh quite

Bad I’ve um Chang that slightly so I’m heading south to abeni and then I’ll pretty much pick up where I was going to go uh ask and then down further south so still going to be a big ride though I’m not really sure how far now back in a very windy

Wales uh quick stop I’m in usk so I’ve done 156 km uh has it taking just under 6 hours so it’s been um been a bit of a mix uh I think I made the right choice cuz the wind is coming south it was really

Bad heading back now it should be a bit more sheltered so um think total today I’m going to try and get up to maybe 275 it’s another just over another 100K so yeah feeling good just need to um going to head now over the top of the

Valleys I’ll grab some food along the way somewhere um yeah all good I got to say it’s pretty wild today I thought the worst would be over so I just riding across this Viaduct doesn’t look so impressive when you’re up Here it’s been uh quite a wild ride just non-stop really heavy wind and constant rain it’s about 100 Cas since uh last update and I have no chance to pull a camera out yeah so I just got one last climb although there a big one over the Black

Mountain and I’ll be finishing just under 270 K I think so uh yeah it’s going to be it’s been a tough day but uh bigger M ticked off a pretty gloomy Summit to Black Mountain so last bit downhill good morning and Merry Christmas so today Christmas Christmas

Day and I’m heading off on uh on my traditional Christmas Day ride so after yesterday’s epic and uh pretty terrible weather today’s a little bit better still mild but heading off I live just 3 miles from a little village called Bethlehem so it’s always become a bit of

A tradition now for at least at least 10 15 years I think heading up there um on Christmas day so just a short ride and uh still taking off the festive 5 100 welcome to Bethlehem day three today is boxing day so uh and actually weather today is

Actually really nice uh for the first time this uh this vested 500 still quite mild it’s about 8 8° but it’s uh barely any wind and it’s overcast but it’s quite bright so yeah Best Day Of of this one so far so I’m going to do a a decent ride but nothing

Crazy and um yeah try and get near towards the finish so I start today I think I had 190 K left so I’ll try and do just over 100 maybe and then it just means a really easy finish over one or a couple of days uh so I guess one thing

People ask me before is why do I bother doing it um this has just become a tradition for me I’ve done it every year since 2012 some years um it’s been it’s been tough because of maybe unfitness or weather conditions but um yeah it’s just been

Something I Tred to do every year uh things have changed so personally you know uh since the beginning got kids now and that makes it a little a bit different whereas before I just go out riding whenever each day I try to fit it in around them although as they quite

Openly call me I’m a bit of a Christmas Grinch uh yeah I just think Christmas is too commercial uh so I don’t do much other than the week before and obviously the couple of days of the family um but yeah I just enjoyed getting out of my

Bike this time of year the roads are quiet which is a big plus and uh yeah like I say I’ve done every year since 2012 so I’m not sure how many people might have done every single one cuz I think it started in 2010 it’ be interesting to know if there’s anyone

Who’s done absolutely every single one of that first year there were very few finishes so mean this is probably going to be more relevant to next year but if there’s anyone looking for tips on on finishing it same number one try and get a big chunk in early on is where I do

Christmas Eve every year I’ve gone out and done a fairly big ride at least 200ks and it just means the pressure is off slightly for the rest of the week uh there have been times like last last year I had flu and only just finished it I think I

Got the last one in Christmas Eve and I still wasn’t feeling 100% but if I hadn’t done a big one Christmas Eve I wouldn’t have uh wouldn’t have got through it all uh next one be realist stick on your roots um that first one I’ve this year and

Most years I’ll try and do a fairly flat route just makes it easy this year I’ve also done it on my faster bike uh it’s not as as good for winter conditions but it’s it’s still faster 3 4ks an hour faster which makes a difference over

500k and another one just be ready for the conditions it can do a lot I mean you could get heavy rain high winds look at the forecast make the most of the good days and just try and get something done on the if there’s times where you

Might have a little bit of break in the weather and maybe I’m going to sound bad saying this but I think everyone should do it outside stra Rafa brought it in Co year that you could do it indoors on a trainer I’ve never done that there’s years I’ve topped it up by doing

Some of it indoors over the 500 but for me it’s a winter thing okay yes you could live in Australia and it’s summer but it started for Rafa in the UK as something to do with winter and yeah I just think that it should be done in the spirit of the

Event I’m going to sound really bad saying that but I don’t think you’ve done properly if you’re doing it indoors sorry to everyone I might have annoyed day four uh going to keep this brief and I’m keeping the ride brief there’s a storm coming so uh not the

Best of days to be out riding um just like I was saying yesterday make the most of the days that you’ve got when it’s when the weather’s good wish had done a bit more yesterday now yeah just uh about 25k planned and trying to stay

Low out the exposed areas and um not too much tree cover so it’s still a 27 so fourth day I got a little a little bit of a break in the in the weather still still quite windy but I figured I’ll make the most of this and going to

Try and finish it off so 55k left uh hopefully get it done in a couple of hours before the next really wet and windy spell comes in so fingers crossed another sensible route hopefully so unexpected twist I got to the nearest Village up the top of the

Hill 8 in my front light just went out completely it’s a Dynamo uh I think some water’s gone into the system somewhere been fiddling here for 10 15 minutes hopefully I’ve got it working but uh yeah I’m going to crack on and fingers crossed it stays uh stays on now till the

End talk about a weather window so I just come over a high pass but I did have a Tailwind I knew that and look it’s a full moon although I know there’s rain coming in about an hour away so yes Fun’s not over just yet so just riding back into my home

Village and job done so uh yeah prob of been windy it’s been right I’m glad I made the choice to head back out now I don’t have to stress about the the storms that are due to be coming in day after day till New Year’s Eve so

Yes that’s uh another one TI it off so it’s now it’s almost a week into New Year and uh it’s the first time I’ve actually had a chance to sort of catch up and do anything uh battle on the beach entries going out that’s always uh

Always a pretty manic time and yeah so to and kind of reflect on the on this year’s festive 500 overall um it was it was fine I mean I completed it in in less days than I normally do I think maybe even the only time I’ve beaten it

Is when I did it in one day many years ago and uh yeah weather conditions were not easy all the weather although secretly I quite enjoy um when it’s when it’s like that I just find it more challenging and uh yeah enjoy it a little bit more

So another one done I’ve done every on since 2012 so roll on next year maybe find myself a new challenge and a new route to to take it on uh hopefully some of the tips have been of use to some people if anyone’s got any questions or

Things they might want to know to help them complete it next year then uh yeah just put a comment up and i’ be happy to help