The Rapha Festive 500: Day 7 (202km)

Done! After six days of squeezing small and medium rides in between family holiday gatherings and time by the fire, it was time to reel this fish into the boat. On Day 7 of the Rapha Festive 500, I decided to complete a 200K permanent route thus wrapping up the Festive challenge with 505 kms and completing my December RUSA R-12 ride at the same time. Pretty efficient, no?

The theme of the day was COLD. After several days with temps in the 30s and 40s, it dipped into the teens overnight and the thermometer registered 22 at the start and never climbed above freezing all day long. Don N. shot over from CT to join me for a day of chilly riding. My water bottles froze solid by about mile 25 and it was not until the first control at mile 49 that I was able to suitably thaw them out. Here's a picture of me steaming up the bathroom with scalding tap water to get these bottles back to normal.

Also at the first control was this amazing breakfast which both warmed me up and refueled the engine.

The particular route includes two Hudson Rider crossings, both of which were (you guessed it!) rather cold.

All told, it was a great day in the saddle. Despite bitter cold temperatures, we were blessed with sun and tailwinds for most of the day. Time for a few days away from cycling. Up next: my next R-12 ride in early January.

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 6 (54km)

I'm happy to report that I did not encounter any reindeer jumping across the road during this 3-1/2 miles or at any time along my route today. Rode another 54 km this morning which brings the weekly total to 303 kms. All set to wrap things up tomorrow with a 200km permanent through Columbia County.

Fortunately, there's no precipitation in the forecast, but those temperatures at daybreak tomorrow look pretty shocking. Not sure how Festive it will feel at 7 am.

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 5 (52km)

I'm going to miss these guys. Just about time to pack everyone up in the shed for another 11 months. Riding in the cold winter months is hard, but somehow finding seasonal lawn ornaments around so many corners is somehow entertaining. Today's ride brings my Festive 500 total to 249 kms.

Off to the post office today to return the lovely Craft Elite Winter Jacket my mom bought me for Christmas. It turns out that the fit is just too snug in the wrong places so I'm going to kick in a few extra nickels and have them ship me the gold standard: the Rapha Classic Softshell.

The weather is about to get ugly, with 35 mph gusts on tap for tomorrow, so I've moved this week's 200km ride to Thursday. Don's coming out from CT so it should be fun. Stay tuned.

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 4 (20km)

How am I ever going to keep the weight down when my daughter bakes like this? Oh right - the Rapha Festive 500! Just a short little spin today between family gatherings. 197K so far this week. Lovely weather this morning, with a forecast for some ugliness later in the week. Getting a little tense about that 200K ride I have planned . . .

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 3 (31km)

The roads this morning in the hills around my house were almost completely devoid of life, with the exception of a few jolly dog walkers. This, combined with somewhat milder temperatures today, made for a pretty nice ride. In addition, there seemed to be holiday cheer around every corner. The owners of this home (above) piped Christmas carols into the yard from a speaker hidden under the porch and set up a table with candy canes for all to share.

All told, a short ride today: just 31km.

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 2 (69km)

It was a bit colder on Day 2 of the Rapha Festive 500, but nothing a pair of shoe covers, some tights, a pair of Pearl Izumi lobster mitts and my trusty Rapha merino hat couldn't conquer. Hell, my water bottles didn't even freeze. Today I did a bit of climbing through the Shawangunk Ridge, site of the 2009 Rapha Gentlemen's Race. While I traveled over some of the same roads today, there's no way that any team I was riding on would have captured second place this time around. The Gunks are lovely at any time of year so the climbing was a delight.

So with two rides done, I've got 145 km in the bank.

The Rapha Festive 500: Day 1 (75km)

Not only did I get in a great (if slow) ride this morning on my first day of Festive 500 fun, but I also finally figured out how to use my "new" Garmin eTrex Vista GPS unit to log mileage on a ride and download it to the interwebs. Day 1: 75 kms. Only 425 to go!

The 2012 cycling season has officially begun!

Rapha's Festive 500 Begins at Dawn: Are You With Me?

Try as I might, I just can't pass up an endurance cycling challenge, especially one sponsored by my favorite clothing company. That's right, Rapha is at it again with their Festive 500. The rules are pretty simple: log 500 outdoor kilometers between December 23 and December 31 to counterbalance the caloric decadence and sloth normally associated with this time of year.

The Festive 500 begins tomorrow and at dawn I'll be out the door. Are you with me?