First of all – Thanks.
The #June100 challenge seems to have got off to good start. Thanks to everyone who’s joined, plus those good good people who promoted the idea around their friends and across the information superhighway. John Girvin, for example, and Carrie. If I’ve missed you, I’m sorry, and thank you too.
One day in, we’ve got 3 leisure rides logged and over 39 leisure miles amassed. There are also over 80 miles of commuting on the spreadsheet already. I’ll blog proper weekly updates here, but if you’d like to join, see yesterday’s blog post and join today.
Last Night’s Ride
I pedalled out last night for a quick 45 minute 9 miler, interrupted by a 25 minute tea break. I really need to put more milk in next time…
Conditions were a bit murky, but warm and I managed to average just over 12mph. The route took me on offroad paths to Milnrow central, then along Wildhouse Lane to Hollingworth Lake before a lake circuit, cuppa break then down to the canal for the rest of the ride home along the towpath.
The ride was lovely, but I couldn’t fail to notice the smile-per-pedestrian ratio was very low last night. I wonder if it was because I was travelling a bit faster than usual, or because I didn’t have N1S with me? Either way, cheer up, trail walkers of Rochdale! Needless to say, all the cyclists I passed were courteous as always – to me, anyway.
Here’s the route and mileage:
Tags: mountain biking, Resolutions, Rides

Just for clarity on my miles Phill, I’m not counting “extra commuting miles” as recreational miles at all, I’m just counting non commuting ride mileage. So if it involves getting to or leaving work then it’s only going in the commuting column. That’ll motivate me of a weekend!
Joby is off to a good start but now he’s not commuting will Anna knock him off 2nd place?
Clive, that’s very heroic of you from a self-motivation point of view – you are allowed to count the “long way to work” as leisure (just in case anyone’s not sure) but I empathise with your approach. The whole aim is to get us doing more fun miles so I’m right behind you – quite a long way though, probably.
Redbike rag to a bull there, eh Joby?
Well done – nearly 10% of the way there and its only the second day.
And I’ve just read the comments…
I’m now going to have to go out on my bike tonight after the gym to put a clear gap in there
Cheers mate. I need to find an extra 0.9 miles in that loop to make it a clear 10.0 miler – easier for the mental arithmetic!
But I’ve done almost 3 days’ riding in one start – not bad. Footy tonight though so I’ll be lagging soon. This is just what I needed to pull me finger out.
Im gonna clock a few easy miles tonight bitches.
I’m going to suggest we have a multiplier for each mile that climbs over 150ft!
Good start, but watch out… i’m right behind you. Ok, i’m 9 and a bit miles behind you. *skulks off muttering*
Careful on the multipliers. My ride home from work is 30 miles with 1900ft of climbing.
You all think too much!
I think Riding should set the climbing challenge! I love alongside the Rochdale canal for a reason, and that reason is flat!
150ft – LOL!
I’ll be in Newquay soon – its all hills, plus on way back I may stop off to do Black Mountain in Wales, then head over to Llandudno for a 10 loop repeat of the Orme – all in all about 22,000ft of climing…
You are my nemisis in this challenge joby. Show off.
@Austin, i’ll be careful with my multipliers…
My ride is only 13.8 miles with 1060 ft of ascent. 726ft of it over the first 3.1 miles.
So actually….
Mine is 76.81 ft per mile avg ascent compared to 63.33ft
Good work Phill, here is my first ride, remember this is judged on distance not hills!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35427069
Just off to update the spreadsheet!
Mine is about 350ft up and down
No, I’m not showing off.
Can I just point out that I love the idea of people having an actual nemesis on my blog pages. Coool.
All i’m saying that due to geography, some people will have easier rides.. Phill..
Yes.. Joby is my nemisis.
OK, I cant remember my password. Can somebody add 31.3 leisure miles for me please
Cheers Chris, nice (flat) loop!
@chris. Done it for you.. 3.13 miles?
Yep, I really need some hill practice, but today’s lunchtime ride was chosen for distance reasons only!
Y’see – I imagine Chris is at home today so has managed to go out on his bike, traffic free and go for a lovely pootle somewhere nice – then he can come home and go to sleep for 3 hours because he’s a lazy shit at heart!
Chris It’s your normal google password. I can’t reset it for you if you can’t remember it. You could fill in the form again (2 blog posts ago) though if you can’t find the invite from the other day.
@jobysp your right about the first bit, it was a lovely traffic free ride. Your also right, I am a lazy shit at heart, and would love nothing more than to have a 3 hour kip…
Unfortunately I now have a pile of work waiting for me, so it will be a late night…
But with 31 miles under the belt, the big 100 is a realistic target for Saturday morning, are you still playing out?
Phill, the password is saved in Firefox on my work PC, so I can get it back tomorrow. Cheers!
LOL. But you have a nice pile of work waiting for you at home you bastard! If that was the case for me, I would have already been out for 4 hours today
If its an early start, then yes, I can get out – for say around 8am? Want to do some climbing? We have Holmfirth from 100 Greatest Climbs, plus one a little further up?
I will be a little hung over as cooking a meal for our wedding anniversary the night before, but as long as I take a bag full of water then it shouldn’t be a problem.
Managed 10.13 miles tonight. Looking forward to tomorrows ride even more now!
I’ve gotten started! 20 miles done.
I do like the way its becoming competative already.
I’m definitely going to assign jerseys, although I’m not saying what for until next week. The initial aim wasn’t a competition, but if that’s what keeps you lot going, then I’m all for it!
My little legs are all wobbly after Tuesday’s ride and last night’s football (where I was rubbish) but I feel the need for another quick lake loop tonight if I can sneak it past the OH
116 freaking miles this week and not one bloody well counts! Damn you all to hell!
But I will be troubling the scorers tomorrow, just agonising over which route and how much time wifey will allow me…
116 commute miles. DAMN. How far is your commute?
My commute at its shortest is 12 miles each way, so 24 miles a day. But as I’m trying desparately to not be a fat bastard I extend it as much as humanly possible, like yesterday and today with totals of 32 miles per day.
I’m attempting the 100 challenge as off road miles only to encourage my fat arse out on my beloved MTB…
Thats excellent going! I personally thing the commute miles count.. so youre winning in my book
my commute is 1.3 miles long. How fab is that? haha.
Nice of you to say so, but I’m not, nowhere near. Like I say, I’ll be sticking some numbers in the leisure column tomorrow, it all depends on she who must be obeyed on just how high the numbers are…
Oi, Leisure miles only! Its meant that I have got off my ass twice this week when normally I wouldn’t
A warning, the 100 leisure miles will be clocked up, before about 3pm on Saturday!
I think I can detect a smugometer going off the scale here…
Although Joby may have his eye on an earlier time on Saturday.
Unfortunately its looks like he is going to be out before me, so the 8 mile head start might not be enough…
Not sumg yet, I am pretty sure somebody on that list is going to put some serous miles in and pass the post first.
Clive, if you tell work not to pay you for this week, then you’ve reached the ton already!
Ahh, that’s a good idea Chris, I’m off to HR now. Do us a favour and tell wifey it was your idea though!
I wouldn’t put that past some of you lot! I’ve created a monster.
Or maybe all I’ve actually done is allowed some monsters to come out into the open…
I’m out early tomorrow, – I don’t know whether I’m going for a big hilly Holmfirth ride of about 90 miles, or I’m just going to sprint my 6.8 mile circular lap 15 times…
although i am SERIOUSLY tempted to break into the velodrome and go round and round and round 100s of times
That’s really, really funny. The thought of you, Chris and a couple of others jemmying the doors on the velo and going at it hammer & tongs.
On bikes, I mean. Before you start with your homo-erotic stuff.
You guys are quite an inspiration to an over-weight, middle-aged woman who hasn’t been on a bike for … oh about 20 years. I’m handicapped by a middle-ear ‘fault’ at the moment so can’t move, let alone ride, but have been promised by the medics I will recover from it over the weekend so will start the 100 miles challenge on Monday. Meanwhile my bike is out, ready and panting with anticipation, raring to go. Can’t let it down.
Brilliant news Christine. I think I have more in common with your riding than these competitive monsters! I hope the ear clears up soon and you have a cracking time riding through the rest of the month! Top lady.
Glad to have you on board… Your in the same boat as Phill by the sounds of it – he’s a middle aged overweight woman
I should learn to spell my name first, perhaps.
I hope you worthy cyclist won’t laugh at my measly 4-5 miles a day to start off with! I’ve got to admire someone who says: “….don’t know whether I’m going for a big hilly Holmfirth ride of about 90 miles, or..” for instance, and I don’t even know what a velodrome is!
What was it Clive said? ‘smugometer’?
Just teasing folks. I have to say that there’s some serious work going into feeling smug if that’s all it is! I shall stick to enjoying this challenge if I can manage to peddle sedately along my country bicycle paths without collapsing!
Agh Christine, this lot are all talk and no action, just ask their wives :p Nice to meet you. I like a sedate pedal myself now and again.