Festive 500 2022

Weather permitting a few of us will give it a go outside, as long as there's no ice we should be grand but the turbo is there as a fall back I suppose.

Never really seen the attraction of it tbh, even though I've more hope now the children are older - I'd get my 4 hours in before the teenagers are even up!

This exactly. Two kids in the house, wife working Christmas week, various people visiting/being visited, it would be like working a job for me to try and make time for this🤷‍♂️

Got to 450k last year. Just couldnt motivate myself to do another 50k on NYE. So went home and had a beer instead!

I feel like it would be a lot more difficult to do on a turbo tbh. Trying to get the motivation to do 100km in a week inside is torture at the best of times, let alone 500!

I'm in. Hopefully the weather will co-operate

What a load of nonsense.

Roadman - this terminology died last few years with the growth of Zwift/Trainerroad.

Nonsense indeed . Zwift is far from real life , the effort involved is much less than trying to replicate on the roads.

All it does is massage the fragile ego's of those fearful of a proper road spin .

I'm not sure I'd go for the throat quite that badly but he does have a point.

Zwift is great for getting the wok done but for an endurance challenge through what's usually some of the shittiest weather it's not really comparable.

In saying that if I do take part it'll like be split between zwift and outdoors. The trainer just makes it easier to jump off and be down stairs than to roll in the door 2 hours after the time you said you'd be back. 😂😂

And they say road cycling can be elitist...

A (Rapha) badge of honour for abandoning the family and going out in crap weather to all the "roadmen" (which in itself is probably a bit misogynistic)

Winter weather = Winter bike all the way.

I dunno how all of a sudden endurance spins on a turbo are considered easy? Anything over an hour on an indoor trainer is hard as fcuk, I'd much rather do it outdoors if at all possible.

Anyway, half the planet gets to do their festive 500 in balmy summer temperatures, so whatever works for you. If you do 500km indoors you've earned your badge!!!

I spend my fair share of hours on the turbo (well did at least but riddled with colds / and throat infections for what seems like months now) but I never used Zwift.

Can someone who uses Zwift explain this to me .............

'Kilometers' traveled on Zwift always seem hugely inflated to me and don't represent a kilometer traveled outside on an Irish road.

Just looking there at a Strava activity from a mate of mine.

He's 80kg at least. He has a group ride (not a race) up on Zwift from a couple of days ago and it says he averaged 38km/hr at 217 watts average. Power is relatively consistent throughout. There is no group ride you can do on an Irish road what will allow you clock up nearly 40km in an hour at 217 watts and 80kg. It's just impossible.

There's no slowing down for traffic, junctions, needing to take care in the peloton, anything like that. No head winds either. I could probably do the same distance for the same amount of effort on a closed road in a large group. Not sure what my average speed on Zwift is but I'd guess it is 32-34kmh. There's no chance on a solo ride on open roads though - would be more like 25kmh for the same effort.

As said above though, anything above 90 mins on Zwift is tough going and I definitely wouldn't fancy doing 500km in a week on it. It'd be a two hour spin every morning but I wouldn't find it easy or enjoyable.

I've abandoned my festive 500 effort due to a cold but was hoping to get about 120km done today, then finish it off with two 70kms on Zwift and two more outdoor spins

Maybe you could but I for sure couldn't. I've raced around in enough Pelotons to know I'm not ever covering 40km in an hour at 220 odd watts (@72kg). It's just not going to happen. Unless these Pelotons on Zwift are huge and one can sit in for the hour and never go up a hill then maybe it's possible but I have my doubts