Rapha Festive 500 2015

Against all odds...


My Neanderthal cyclist account of my experience completing the festive 500. And what it taught me about winter riding.






My sister who is an enthusiastic cyclist got

me into the sport 18months ago.  It was she 

who spurred me to take part in this unique 

challenge and the Festive 500 was the 

perfect way to re-bond with my her. Cycling 

offers a bridge for us to connect without 

the need for small talk or awkward 

conversation.





It started off well with us doing some long 

rides together but half way through she 

backed down and went to visit her 

boyfriend in Wiltshire. I was left alone with 

the challenge only half way completed. A 

lot of my friends would question my 

thinking. I got questions like  “why would 

you want to crack on with something like 

this on  your own?” "Isn't that really 

unsocial" "Don’t you get tired or bored?”.



To fit in as many rides which served some 

social purpose I would ride from Amersham 

to Winnersh  and back to visit my girlfriend. 

I would enjoy these rides as I knew that 

there would be a warming reward at the 

end of my ride. I would arrive wet but 

energized mid afternoon as her knight in 

shiny lycra. I then reached into my large 

Revelate  saddle bag and gave her a 

Christmas gift.



At times I did question myself going out on 

these long rides by myself. I had a slight 

knee inflammation which I thought might 

stop me but I pushed on through it. One of 

my final rides was the most testing I had 

ever done. With 130km left to complete 

and 2 days left. I was determined to meet 

the challenge target of 500km with a day to 

spare.



I set off later than usual around 11am. My 

ride was Amersham, Oxford, Amersham. I 

had completed the same ride with my Sister 

on Boxing day. I was confident that I could 

manage it on my own.


It was a much colder winder day than the 

previous Oxford ride. With a heavy 

headwind battering me consistently all the 

way through to Oxford, it was bleak and 

dreary. My GPS had taken me a different 

route through a lane which led me into the 

middle of a muddy farmers field. Having a 

cross bike with chunky 30c tyres I was 

confident I could get through it. I was 

wrong.  I got lost and ended up pushing my 

bike through un-even mud for another 2 


miles.

I was running out of light but only 8 miles 

from Oxford.  I was  down but not out, and 

carried onwards. I wiped the worst of the 

mud off my disc brakes and tyre clearance. 

My front light had been on for a while and 

the dreaded red warning light appeared on 

my Cat-eye front light as I entered the 

suburbs of Oxford.



I wanted  to grab a coffee in the CBD and

perhaps a selfie but  I had to bail on this 

plan as I did not want to risk having no front 

light for the rest of my ride. So I settled for 

a peanut butter cliff bar and a sip of water 

instead. So back to Amersham I rode. Facing 

back into the headwind I headed down the 

Phoenix Trail towards Princess Risborough . 





The Phoenix Trail is a tranquil trail of 


around 9 miles of car free bliss. On this 

particular day also it was incredibly quiet, 


with very few dog walkers.






The final push through Chilterns became a 

dangerous one as my Front light had 

completely run out of battery. I was around 

6 miles away from home with 106km on my 

Garmin. I had to make a decision to push on 

and do the extended ride home in the dark, 

or take the safer lit route and finish the 

Festive 500 in the morning. I took the safe 

option and completed  the Festive 500 on a 

casual ride the next morning. Mouse over 

man.


I learned many lessons from the Festive

500.  The first  is that I should not listen

peoples negativity. The second is that I

found strength in my inner cyclist. Through

the pain of being on my own crawling at

15km against a headwind it brought out the

true cyclist in me.  I think this is one of the

reasons why I love to cycle on my own

because I enter this zone. Through the

whole experience I also rediscovered my

bond with my older sister.

Next year I will know more about what to

expect. Although I could have seen more

friends this holiday, I found this was the

best way to spend my time this Christmas. It

brought me closer to my family, increased

my confidence and self belief and improved

my cycling skills.



Thanks for the enduring challenge Rapha, best one yet. 


Fraser