Have you made any cycling plans for the festive period? Are you hanging up your wheels and taking a break, or looking to fit more riding in? I like to think I’m the sort of person to do the latter (although I have a rather large number of feeble excuses as to why I’m not riding at other times of the year – get in touch if you ever need to borrow some). 

Many of you will have heard about the Rapha Festive 500, now becoming an annual tradition with around 70,000 cyclists taking part each year. Rapha challenges riders to pedal 500km on the eight days between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, and successful entrants are awarded a small sew-on patch (or roundel).  

How you choose to ride the distance is up to you. Most (including me) will aim to even out the distance each day over the festive period, while others will attempt to complete it in the shortest time possible. As you’d expect, Rapha will want to see some proof that you’ve successfully completed the 500km before you can claim your patch. I’d say the simplest way to prove it is to record your rides on a GPS unit and upload them on to Strava. All you have to do is then send the link to Rapha. Simple. 

As I type, I hope some of you are considering entering (or have already). If you’re wondering how far 500km (or 310.7 miles) is, if you divide it equally over the eight days, it works out at 62.5km (or 38.8 miles), which for a keen cyclist isn’t that far. But hold on! When you factor in family commitments, visiting friends, the winter weather and all the lounging in front of the TV you’ve planned to do, you can start to see that it may be harder to complete than you might think. Plus, if you miss a day or two, you’ll have to make up the distance with some really long rides. 

I’m using this challenge as a good way to motivate myself away from the comfort of the settee and that tempting giant tub of Quality Street (although if there’s a decent Quality Street challenge, I’ll be entering that as well). I’m going to stay local and stick to my local counties Surrey, Sussex and Hampshire, but my plan will be to ride a mixture of on and off-road routes to keep the challenge more interesting. 

Check back over the festive period as I’ll update this page with how I’m getting on. Will I be successful? Or will I succumb to the lure of the sales, Quality Street and Christmas movies? If you have any hints, tips, stories or you’re taking part as well, feel free to share them in the comments section below.

Thanks

Jon   

Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Lezyne Macro GPS
Day 6
Clothing
Day 7

Day 1
(24th December)

Distance: 75km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Windy & overcast
Route: Ride down the Surrey lanes from Guildford to Petworth.
Elevation: 707m

The grand depart - ready to rock and start the Festive 500.
Water fountain at Hascombe. I often see people filling up water bottles here, even though it says it's not for drinking. Perhaps the water contains magical properties! But more likely it's an animal drinking trough.
The Stonemasons Inn on the outskirts of Petworth with its penny farthing.

Day 2
(25th December)

Distance: 77km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Windy & warm (14 degrees in December - crazy!!!)
Route: Ride down the Surrey and Sussex lanes to Brighton.
Elevation: 586m
Total distance: 152km

Road block ahead!
Meeting my buddy Rory en route to Brighton.
Crossing the river Adur at Shoreham.

Day 3
(26th December)

Distance: 67km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Sunny with a little chill in the air
Route: Quick ride out through familiar Surrey lanes.
Elevation: 546m
Total distance: 219km

My route today. ​

The rather picturesque lanes of the Surrey Hills ;-) 

The history of Kirdford dating back to the Bronze Age.

Day 4
(27th December)

Distance: 59km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Calm still day and not too cold.
Route: Ride out in the Surrey lanes.
Elevation: 522m
Total distance: 278km

Rudolph and his chums taking it easy after a busy weekend!
How many of us still carry some change for that emergency phone call?
Stopping for a quick selfie with Alice.

Day 5
(28th December)

Distance: 79km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Cold and frosty.
Route: Ride out in the Surrey lanes.
Elevation: 741m
Total distance: 357km

​
I went for a ride with my friend Jack (Frost) today.

Lezyne Macro GPS

I’ve been logging my rides on the Lezyne Macro GPS. It’s a neat little unit that costs under £100 and has all the features you’d expect (check out the Lezyne website for the full list of features). I like the clear no frills display and having actual buttons rather than a touch screen was a real bonus when wearing gloves. 

Day 6
(29th December)

Distance: 48km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Chilly but oh so nice and sunny.
Route: MTB ride in Surrey Hills.
Elevation: 753m
Total distance: 405km

Flat start to the ride along the River Wey in Guildford. View point at St Martha's Hill. Shame the weather was rubbish! The sun setting in the Surrey Hills - it's time to get a wiggle on home before it gets dark.

Clothing

At this time of year, I make sure I’m wearing a number of layers so I can regulate my body temperature. I’m a big fan of good quality kit and this is my staple diet of what I’d wear when the temperature drops to below 10 degrees. Oh, and I avoid cotton as much as I can as it doesn’t keep you warm when it gets wet.

Base Layer – a good quality wicking base layer.
Wool socks – this means I don’t need overshoes until it gets really really cold.
Leg warmers – I choose ones with Roubaix material. These leg warmers from Lusso also repel water.
Bib shorts – these Rapha bibs have the Roubaix material which helps keep me warm.
Buff – I tuck this around my neck to keep any drafts out.
Long sleeve top – this Rapha long sleeve top is made from a wool blend and has four pockets. It’s warm and breathable.
Gilet or Shell jacket – if it’s windy I take one of these along with me. I choose one that can fit in my back pocket.
Gloves – I swear by these DeFeet gloves. So much so that I have three pairs. Make sure you wash your gloves after every ride if you want to reduce the risk to picking up a winter illnesses! 

Rapha Classic Thermal Bib Shorts Rapha Classic Long Sleeve Jersey
Riding down to Brighton on Christmas Day.

Day 7
(30th December)

Distance: 99km
Number of punctures: 0
Weather: Cold, foggy which sounds like a good day to avoid riding on the roads.
Route: Ride along the Downs Link trail (and Back). 
Elevation: 413m
Total distance: 504km

​
Some of the stations along the Downs Link disused railway line.
When it's foggy (or icy) I stay off the roads. The Downs Link is busy today!
The Festive 500 - DONE. Now it's time to put my feet up and open these to celebrate.