You probably post the most positive content about northeast Ohio that can be found on TH-cam. Nice video to have on in the background while working, festive 500 sounds like a cool challenge that I’d pretend I was going to do if I had more time.
Congratulations Tim . Really enjoyed the video. I started watching you from the beginning. In my book the best alt cycle channel by far. I follow and watch alot of similar channels but yours is my fav plus you're in my home. Looking forward to what you bring 2025. Thanks for sharing.
Love this channel. All those cold weather riding videos helped me get layered up and pumped up and out the door and it’s a lot easier after the first few cold rides. I’m sure the majority of watchers are like me and just love everything about biking and don’t look down on anyone’s choices. Counting miles or not, lack of aero, tires too big… so dumb I say we just ignore the negative comments from people that don’t get it. Thanks for all the fun and motivation. Cheers from Asheville NC.
I wish that I had been healthy enough around Christmas time to do any kind of riding outdoors Festive 500 or not. But I was so sick from a head cold and I'm still dealing with the lingering cough weeks later. I don't understand the haters at all. It's like hating on someone's favorite sweater. Why would you think your opinion on something you're not involved in at all even matters? You do you. Congrats on your festive 500!
Thanks! I truly can’t believe I’ve managed to stay healthy this far into the season. Especially thought I’d get sick photographing all the holiday parties. I feel the older we get the longer the cough lingers…
Hey Tim! I also completed the 500 this year. It took a mix of indoor and outdoor rides to get it done. I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment after I finished. I will also say that it was pretty fun to follow your Strava to see how you were getting on with the challenge. Even more so that now that I get to see the rides as they happened. Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this together for us to see!
Thanks for the video. I like Festive 500 (course, I live in southern NV) and have been actively exorcizing hate from my heart since 2016. Always enjoy the channel. Ride on!
Great vid. For me Tim is event/adventure goals: do x long rides. Do this long route or that bikepacking trip. I usually end up feeling good about distance by simply setting objectives of those rides I want to do that are special. Works for me. And keeps me motivated by ticking off the achievements! Keep on pedalling!
My goal last year was to be in good enough shape to enjoy RAGBRAI. It was hard, but I had an absolute blast! This year, my goal is to not have a goal, but to just ride when I want, and have fun on the bike. I'm a retired old fart, so I can do what I want!
One man show and one Edmond supervising of the packages. Thanks for this long video on a Friday. watching at work with some coffee. cheers for the vid and thanks for the shirt and stickers!
Your mention of the Festive 500 leading up to the "event" was the motivation I needed to try and meet my 3500 mile goal for the year when I still had 400 to go. I agree that these weren't "good miles", since I'm still in the process of putting together an all-weather bike, which with the recent string of weather made going out on road slicks a dangerous idea. Instead, I settled for the trainer, a zwift subscription, a lot of tv, and the convenience of being able to take care of my old pets periodically, since the whole point of me staying home was so my wife could visit her family. It was a surprisingly cozy, rare holiday where I got to decompress instead of stressing out over travel, while also adding to my confidence to rove out next year on setups with wider tires and more bike-packing capabilities.
For 2025, I am setting a time in the saddle goal. Between the trainer, MTB rides, and rough road rambles, it strikes the best balance in valuing the saddle time.
I love this video. Nice work, very inspiring. Yes, I understand the unease of not knowing the miles! The feeling to me is the same as wanting a cigarette when quitting smoking. Just this background stress. Thanks for the great videos. Hahaha. Is this painful to watch? Hahahaha, the suspense was killing me!
Hi Tim, I did this seasons Festive 500 for the first time. Enjoyed the challenge , didn't enjoy the Swedish weather, 😅. Started on Christmas eve, made it about 100m then slipped over on the ice. Let me tell you, the older you are , the harder you fall. So I hobbled home, and started again on December 27. Used an old 70s step through frame bike with a fixed gear rear wheel, mostly on forest roads. Finished about lunch time on New year's eve, just before it started snowing, luckily, because it's still snowing. 😊
Another good one Tim and I have a couple of questions. I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid on the wider tires for more comfort and am at the stage where I’m not likely to be going very fast anyway. Are you running tubes or tubeless on your bikes and if tubeless is that strictly for puncture protection or for ride quality and/ or weight reduction? As for weight reduction do you think upgrading to better wheels is a noticeable improvement for most folks who ride casually? I’m asking because I’m buying tires for my Space Horse Flat Bar and am in the deciding stage of tires, setup, wheels, etc. Any insight is appreciated. Thanks and keep up the great videos.
I do set an annual goal. Last year I did not make it but this year I did! I spent the last month trying to make it. Thank you for the inspiration. I am not sure I would try the 500 but who knows. We will see what happens next year.
Nice! I always have it in mind and even up it sometimes as the year goes on. This year I started to think I could hit even more but then weather and work stopped me - still a great year though so.... Cheers Clare!
Hey Tim, i finished the festive 500 myself this year (i actually documented each ride on my channel) and I know what you mean by people hating on it on social. I feel like its the "too cool for school" crowd who try to be sorta like anti-mainstream and think "its too mainstream, im not doing it" and joking it. I saw tons of that this year on social. Its pretty wack, especially for people who are actually trying to do this challenge. a lot of the people who were publically hating on it were also personally congratulating me for finishing it. Either way, great vid, glad you could put them all together like this in a mega-vid
Congrats! Its such a weird thing - especially from people I see constantly posting about achievements. Maybe just keep your FOMO to yourself?!😂 I guess maybe it motivates me even more - especially since I'm usually the contrarian!
Was on a trip in Canaan Valley WV (Absolutely beautiful area, and right in the middle of some absolutely epic MTBing), and there were several deer standing right outside our hotel room door, and walked right up to us. They had obviously gotten used to people, and most likely some of those people had been feeding them (very not good). Didn't surprise me at all that the deer you passed looked, at the most, mildly curious.
Whoever owns the Festive 500 concept should sell an annual medallion for anyone who wants to buy it, full completion or no, with a portion of proceeds for a charity. It is a wonderful challenge, a week-long freestyle fondo. And to my fellow kooks running with their boards into the surf, mellow out, put it in the big ring and fancy yourself on a solo Tour break. I'm right there with you, ahead of you, in fact, tho' I hate to flex. And thanks, Tim, for your Festive 500 participation and promotion. I like the way you rode it,, actually festive, no grimacing. 😀
It is the Rapha Festive 500 - most people just don't say that anymore. They sell all kinds of branded gear to go with it. Though I don't think anything specifically from this goes to charity, Rapha(despite having a somewhat bad reputation outside of road cycling) is very charitable towards cycling. Cheers!
@TimFitzwater Thanks for the explanation, Tim, I had forgotten the origin story. And they really should offer the cycling community something nice for participation, something to serve as a collectible or memento should it mean enough to buy one. 😀
It's the Rapha Festive 500. Famously, they would provide a free fabric patch, to sew onto a bag or a jacket, whatever in the years 2010-2019. Then 2020 unceremoniously ripped its way into the space-time continuum and suddenly the Festive 500 saw a huge increase. That year, infamously, they went to a digital roundel only, and I guess a small discount on clothes. IF you want a cool patch, Google the Restrap Solstice Century. Happens twice a year, summer and winter, 161 kms (or 100 miles if you speak American) and once you submit your GPS track from your ride, you receive an email allowing you to order a free patch. You pay a few dollars for shipping. I just ordered my winter one last night, from a century I did on December 15th.
Tim, I really enjoy you doing you. QUESTION: Do you ever get bike burnout? I struggle with this. I have an “off season” in the winter here in Buffalo. It’s not the weather. I feel I need a break, and don’t want cycling to feel like a “chore” or hate it. I wish you well.
I don’t - it’s mostly only weather that gets to me. Rain and work slowed me down late fall and today I didn’t go out because I had limited time and it was only 18 - the pain of getting everything ready is what stopped me. But I do get it - because I do feel burnout on other things I do in life(cycling is usually my cure for that though) Cheers!
I set yearly distance goals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, after the first year of the pandemic, daily commuting, renewed bike fitness and a renewed focus. I got in 10,000 kms in each of those years, and the Festive 500 and 10,000 kms for the year really came into play in late 2022, where the last 450 kms of the year and the Festive 500 coincided. In 2024 I managed 7,500 kms, but I included a lot more climbing, and crucially, more days spent doing resistance exercises with bodyweight exercise, kettlebells and exercise machines. Still I finished the festive 500 with a day to spare, ripping around the Han River powered by apple tarts and anxiety, as I had to be back near home to collect the little dude from daycare, and three different woman read me the riot act about being back on time when they saw me in bike clothes. Finished the 500 kms of the challenge 100 meters away from the daycare with 5 mins to spare.
Its also controversial among a certain type of online UK-based cycling blogger/vlogger/TH-camr/podcaster. The one I see is heartfelt mental anguish, as someone provides a long thesis statement as to "Why I will not be Doing the Festive 500 This Year (Or ever, and why you should probably not do it either, based on my dislike for it)." I kinda miss the days of the Bikeradar TH-cam channel where they would do Bikeradar Diaries, and Joe would talk about how many Christmas poos he'd had on his Boxing Day ride. There's a certain level of fun that those guys bought to it that's missing in many places.
Been retired for 7 years, the past five years I have topped the 4,000 mile mark.More than some folks, pale compared to many. Makes no difference, as long as I'm having FUN!
No specific yearly goal but generally it's 3000+. More importantly, I am riding the same distance working from home than when I commuted to an office. The motivation to ride is still there!
I do set yearly mileage goals, but I'm not especially driven by them. What i do is plan tours (anywhere from 3 day to 10 day long) and then the tour serves as my goal and motivation to ride the daily stuff. I want to be able to enjoy the tour, so I have to ride regularly to be in shape for it. 2025 tours planned--West-East across the state of Washington, North to South along the lake Michigan coast through the lower penninsula of Michigan, and the GAP trail. I have never heard of the festive 500, but it sounds fun.
Same - I put in the mileage goals but being in shape to be able to do what I want is the real motivation. We loved the Michigan tour we did like that - the Lake and inland lakes are amazing. Good luck!
Over the past 2 years ive been doing one over night trip to Grand Rapids Michigan. Which is 115 miles from where i live. Its been great and has me wanting to go for longer trips. Ive got one planned for spring time thats a 4 day trip I made up on maps. Looking at the trans AM too.. one day!
Thanks! The last one I shipped to the UK cost $38 in total. So not cheap. If you are still interested you could email me your address and I can bill you through PayPal. I totally understand if you aren't though .
I've started a meditation practice with Jon Kabbat Zinn's body scan and other guided meditations. I have loose mileage goals I'd like to hit just because, bikepacking would be important to do this year, but my primary goal is to practice awareness on some rides. As in being present in my body/mind like a walking meditation but using the bike instead. When it gets warmer I imagine the practice will feel very appropriate on my fixed gear. edit: I started youtubing. This will likely be a video in the future :)
You can also just say there are a lot of haters everywhere online. Ignore them, do what you like and ignore comments. Like this one also! Smiles > Miles
Where did you find the pink outer cable kit? I would definitely be surprised if I saw this bike in a bike rack and watched you get on it. I would probably have bet that it was a lady riding a bike with all this pink bits on it. Do you also have pink valve stem covers?
I've yet to complete the full 500 it just is a busy time and often makes for a better cycling break than anything. I like mileage goals but don't take them too serious. Quality of miles matter more in terms of enjoyment and actual training if that is your focus. But so too do I love just getting out and exploring by bike those miles do equate to places I have explored and reason to be out.
Itsd interesting for me because it is only busy socially - no one hires me anymore during the holidays. ....but that is all part of what makes it a hard challenge. I'm not a slave to it either though as last year I knew I needed to throw in the towel. Cheers!
Other kinds of goals: Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), this summer, all summer, 40 miles per day. Slow and easy as old and thoughtful touring cyclist. ☮
I agree on the fomo bit (re: people putting the festive 500 down online). I’ve noticed just how strong fomo can be since the pandemic. But, I think it’s awesome! I’d love to give it a go sometime. I wonder if I can cheat and do 500km 🤔
It is 500km! (310 in miles) Yeah - it’s funny because it just seems the haters are the kind of people who should be all over a challenge like this - but instead it’s me on my ATB 🤓
i did the rapha 500 this year. definitely smiles over miles in general. but i kinda cheated; my mother lives in south florida, where i grew up, and the temperatures were warm every single day...had i did this in Washington DC where i live it would have much more of a challenge!!!
My own version I call Maccas Festive 50 (All in one day). I award myself a prize which is a chocolate medal from the Christmas Tree (maybe three, chocolate medals, not trees).
They hold up way better than any modern street. Its a shame they have covered so many. Over the last decade or so they have redone the three biggest streets and when they were working on them you could see the perfectly level old brick street underneath.
Thanks for the TH-cam video. Especially your riding in cold weather . My cut off is 40F. I logged 2,762 miles ( my best ever) in 2024 riding mostly gravel roads up here in God’s country. Or for you Ohio folks you know it as Michigan. My 2025 goal is to surpass 2024 miles, but that will be tough due to my aversion to riding in cold weather. May need to follow the mass migration of Michiganders to Arizona to get some winter/spring miles in. Thanks - heres to good riding in 2025
Very nice. I didn't used to ride in the cold either but I was out with friends sweating in 20 degrees the other night.... But I don't try to convince anyone to do it - to each their own. Cheers!
Around this time of year I go over my totals fro m the previous year and give my stats a rating. Do more of this, less of this and try to keep this the same. 2024 I set my farthest ride at 73.8 miles by doing the MS city to Shore ride. This year I'll try to set my training for the 100 mile ride. I set a best for climbing in a single ride at 1800'. Not much for most I'll agree but I'm 70 and have a broken femur that I'm afraid to push on too much. Mostly though I just try to do as much as I feel I can. Happy and healthy New Year to all.
A common sense approach. And even though I push it sometimes same for me - I just didn’t feel it and was busy for much of late fall. Cheers - happy new year!
You probably post the most positive content about northeast Ohio that can be found on TH-cam. Nice video to have on in the background while working, festive 500 sounds like a cool challenge that I’d pretend I was going to do if I had more time.
Great video! I’m a broken down boomer that would have loved to do this back in the day.
Congratulations Tim . Really enjoyed the video. I started watching you from the beginning. In my book the best alt cycle channel by far. I follow and watch alot of similar channels but yours is my fav plus you're in my home. Looking forward to what you bring 2025. Thanks for sharing.
I truly appreciate that bud!
Cheers!
Tim, I really enjoy the vibe. The banjo music fitted really well with the video and conveys a relaxed vibe.
Thanks!
Love this channel. All those cold weather riding videos helped me get layered up and pumped up and out the door and it’s a lot easier after the first few cold rides. I’m sure the majority of watchers are like me and just love everything about biking and don’t look down on anyone’s choices. Counting miles or not, lack of aero, tires too big… so dumb I say we just ignore the negative comments from people that don’t get it. Thanks for all the fun and motivation. Cheers from Asheville NC.
Thanks so much!
It’s just so weird for cyclists not to support each other - I think we are all on the same side.
Cheers!
You and Erin are a hoot 🦉! A very festive 500 🎉. Best Wishes for the New Year!❤
Cheers - Happy New Year!
I wish that I had been healthy enough around Christmas time to do any kind of riding outdoors Festive 500 or not. But I was so sick from a head cold and I'm still dealing with the lingering cough weeks later.
I don't understand the haters at all. It's like hating on someone's favorite sweater. Why would you think your opinion on something you're not involved in at all even matters?
You do you. Congrats on your festive 500!
Thanks!
I truly can’t believe I’ve managed to stay healthy this far into the season. Especially thought I’d get sick photographing all the holiday parties.
I feel the older we get the longer the cough lingers…
What a great video! Congrats on your Festive 500 accomplishment.
Thanks!
Hey Tim! I also completed the 500 this year. It took a mix of indoor and outdoor rides to get it done. I definitely felt a sense of accomplishment after I finished. I will also say that it was pretty fun to follow your Strava to see how you were getting on with the challenge. Even more so that now that I get to see the rides as they happened. Thank you for taking the time and effort to put this together for us to see!
Awesome - congratulations!
A couple years ago I did the mix - even live streamed an indoor ride!
Cheers!
Thanks for the video. I like Festive 500 (course, I live in southern NV) and have been actively exorcizing hate from my heart since 2016. Always enjoy the channel. Ride on!
Bikepacking on long trips like this is something I wish I could quit my job and ride all the time. Live your channel Tim! Stay humble!
Thanks!
Love your channel. Congrats on completing the 500!
Thank you for your videos... I always enjoy them and learn something! Happy New Year!
Cheers - Happy New Year!
Great vid. For me Tim is event/adventure goals: do x long rides. Do this long route or that bikepacking trip. I usually end up feeling good about distance by simply setting objectives of those rides I want to do that are special. Works for me. And keeps me motivated by ticking off the achievements! Keep on pedalling!
Nice! I agree - those achievements do mean more. I like the numbers but not a slave to them.
Cheers!
My goal last year was to be in good enough shape to enjoy RAGBRAI. It was hard, but I had an absolute blast! This year, my goal is to not have a goal, but to just ride when I want, and have fun on the bike. I'm a retired old fart, so I can do what I want!
A lot of my true goal is to just be in shape enough to ride how I want and with who I want.
Miles will come from that anyways.
Cheers!
wow those paths are so clean and tidy, no litter at all!
One man show and one Edmond supervising of the packages. Thanks for this long video on a Friday. watching at work with some coffee. cheers for the vid and thanks for the shirt and stickers!
I'm with Erin on the owl excitement. Very happy for her!
Edmund has been more of a hindrance to efficiency around here but he makes up for it in cuteness!
Heck yeah - cheers!
Your mention of the Festive 500 leading up to the "event" was the motivation I needed to try and meet my 3500 mile goal for the year when I still had 400 to go. I agree that these weren't "good miles", since I'm still in the process of putting together an all-weather bike, which with the recent string of weather made going out on road slicks a dangerous idea. Instead, I settled for the trainer, a zwift subscription, a lot of tv, and the convenience of being able to take care of my old pets periodically, since the whole point of me staying home was so my wife could visit her family. It was a surprisingly cozy, rare holiday where I got to decompress instead of stressing out over travel, while also adding to my confidence to rove out next year on setups with wider tires and more bike-packing capabilities.
Nice. I did a mixed (indoor/outdoor) Festive a few years ago too.
I like the challenge - but life definitely comes first.
Cheers!
Haters are going to hate Tim no matter what.Do what's best for you.🎉🎉🎉 keep up the good video.
Cheers - thanks!!
For 2025, I am setting a time in the saddle goal. Between the trainer, MTB rides, and rough road rambles, it strikes the best balance in valuing the saddle time.
I love this video. Nice work, very inspiring. Yes, I understand the unease of not knowing the miles! The feeling to me is the same as wanting a cigarette when quitting smoking. Just this background stress. Thanks for the great videos. Hahaha. Is this painful to watch? Hahahaha, the suspense was killing me!
Thanks so much!
Last year I tried so hard but still had to throw in the towel so it made this year that much better!
Hi Tim,
I did this seasons Festive 500 for the first time. Enjoyed the challenge , didn't enjoy the Swedish weather, 😅. Started on Christmas eve, made it about 100m then slipped over on the ice. Let me tell you, the older you are , the harder you fall. So I hobbled home, and started again on December 27. Used an old 70s step through frame bike with a fixed gear rear wheel, mostly on forest roads. Finished about lunch time on New year's eve, just before it started snowing, luckily, because it's still snowing. 😊
Wow! Amazing - congratulations!
We have had snow on the ground ever since too - its snowing right now!
Great job completing the Festive 500!
Thanks!
Another good one Tim and I have a couple of questions.
I’ve drunk the Kool-Aid on the wider tires for more comfort and am at the stage where I’m not likely to be going very fast anyway.
Are you running tubes or tubeless on your bikes and if tubeless is that strictly for puncture protection or for ride quality and/ or weight reduction?
As for weight reduction do you think upgrading to better wheels is a noticeable improvement for most folks who ride casually?
I’m asking because I’m buying tires for my Space Horse Flat Bar and am in the deciding stage of tires, setup, wheels, etc.
Any insight is appreciated.
Thanks and keep up the great videos.
I do set an annual goal. Last year I did not make it but this year I did! I spent the last month trying to make it. Thank you for the inspiration. I am not sure I would try the 500 but who knows. We will see what happens next year.
Nice! I always have it in mind and even up it sometimes as the year goes on. This year I started to think I could hit even more but then weather and work stopped me - still a great year though so....
Cheers Clare!
Hey Tim, i finished the festive 500 myself this year (i actually documented each ride on my channel) and I know what you mean by people hating on it on social. I feel like its the "too cool for school" crowd who try to be sorta like anti-mainstream and think "its too mainstream, im not doing it" and joking it. I saw tons of that this year on social. Its pretty wack, especially for people who are actually trying to do this challenge. a lot of the people who were publically hating on it were also personally congratulating me for finishing it. Either way, great vid, glad you could put them all together like this in a mega-vid
Congrats!
Its such a weird thing - especially from people I see constantly posting about achievements. Maybe just keep your FOMO to yourself?!😂
I guess maybe it motivates me even more - especially since I'm usually the contrarian!
Was on a trip in Canaan Valley WV (Absolutely beautiful area, and right in the middle of some absolutely epic MTBing), and there were several deer standing right outside our hotel room door, and walked right up to us. They had obviously gotten used to people, and most likely some of those people had been feeding them (very not good). Didn't surprise me at all that the deer you passed looked, at the most, mildly curious.
There are a lot of deer here - see them often - but they still usually run!
Seems like a fun challenge!
Whoever owns the Festive 500 concept should sell an annual medallion for anyone who wants to buy it, full completion or no, with a portion of proceeds for a charity. It is a wonderful challenge, a week-long freestyle fondo. And to my fellow kooks running with their boards into the surf, mellow out, put it in the big ring and fancy yourself on a solo Tour break. I'm right there with you, ahead of you, in fact, tho' I hate to flex. And thanks, Tim, for your Festive 500 participation and promotion. I like the way you rode it,, actually festive, no grimacing. 😀
2021, the first time I did it, I found a graphs festive 500 add saver on the ground left behind, I feel like I got a reward haha!
It is the Rapha Festive 500 - most people just don't say that anymore. They sell all kinds of branded gear to go with it.
Though I don't think anything specifically from this goes to charity, Rapha(despite having a somewhat bad reputation outside of road cycling) is very charitable towards cycling.
Cheers!
@TimFitzwater Thanks for the explanation, Tim, I had forgotten the origin story. And they really should offer the cycling community something nice for participation, something to serve as a collectible or memento should it mean enough to buy one. 😀
It's the Rapha Festive 500. Famously, they would provide a free fabric patch, to sew onto a bag or a jacket, whatever in the years 2010-2019. Then 2020 unceremoniously ripped its way into the space-time continuum and suddenly the Festive 500 saw a huge increase. That year, infamously, they went to a digital roundel only, and I guess a small discount on clothes. IF you want a cool patch, Google the Restrap Solstice Century. Happens twice a year, summer and winter, 161 kms (or 100 miles if you speak American) and once you submit your GPS track from your ride, you receive an email allowing you to order a free patch. You pay a few dollars for shipping. I just ordered my winter one last night, from a century I did on December 15th.
Thanks Tim , be safe ! MMmm , yeah , I don't dislike anyone for doing any type of activity . Fun , and green beer , the deer ? Basic coolness
Hey from up in Cleveland Heights! Great vid. Outdoor riding shut down for me this week.
I've still been getting out - but slow and low mileage.
Tim, I really enjoy you doing you. QUESTION: Do you ever get bike burnout? I struggle with this. I have an “off season” in the winter here in Buffalo. It’s not the weather. I feel I need a break, and don’t want cycling to feel like a “chore” or hate it. I wish you well.
I don’t - it’s mostly only weather that gets to me. Rain and work slowed me down late fall and today I didn’t go out because I had limited time and it was only 18 - the pain of getting everything ready is what stopped me.
But I do get it - because I do feel burnout on other things I do in life(cycling is usually my cure for that though)
Cheers!
I set yearly distance goals in 2021, 2022, and 2023, after the first year of the pandemic, daily commuting, renewed bike fitness and a renewed focus. I got in 10,000 kms in each of those years, and the Festive 500 and 10,000 kms for the year really came into play in late 2022, where the last 450 kms of the year and the Festive 500 coincided. In 2024 I managed 7,500 kms, but I included a lot more climbing, and crucially, more days spent doing resistance exercises with bodyweight exercise, kettlebells and exercise machines. Still I finished the festive 500 with a day to spare, ripping around the Han River powered by apple tarts and anxiety, as I had to be back near home to collect the little dude from daycare, and three different woman read me the riot act about being back on time when they saw me in bike clothes. Finished the 500 kms of the challenge 100 meters away from the daycare with 5 mins to spare.
Awesome!!
Its also controversial among a certain type of online UK-based cycling blogger/vlogger/TH-camr/podcaster. The one I see is heartfelt mental anguish, as someone provides a long thesis statement as to "Why I will not be Doing the Festive 500 This Year (Or ever, and why you should probably not do it either, based on my dislike for it)." I kinda miss the days of the Bikeradar TH-cam channel where they would do Bikeradar Diaries, and Joe would talk about how many Christmas poos he'd had on his Boxing Day ride. There's a certain level of fun that those guys bought to it that's missing in many places.
Been retired for 7 years, the past five years I have topped the 4,000 mile mark.More than some folks, pale compared to many. Makes no difference, as long as I'm having FUN!
For sure! Numbers and goals can be fun to complete - but fun for funs sake will always matter more.
No specific yearly goal but generally it's 3000+. More importantly, I am riding the same distance working from home than when I commuted to an office. The motivation to ride is still there!
Nice!
I do set yearly mileage goals, but I'm not especially driven by them. What i do is plan tours (anywhere from 3 day to 10 day long) and then the tour serves as my goal and motivation to ride the daily stuff. I want to be able to enjoy the tour, so I have to ride regularly to be in shape for it. 2025 tours planned--West-East across the state of Washington, North to South along the lake Michigan coast through the lower penninsula of Michigan, and the GAP trail. I have never heard of the festive 500, but it sounds fun.
Same - I put in the mileage goals but being in shape to be able to do what I want is the real motivation.
We loved the Michigan tour we did like that - the Lake and inland lakes are amazing.
Good luck!
@TimFitzwater Thanks. I actually live down by Mansfield. Recognize alot of the area you ride. Fun to see TH-cam content from Ohio.
Just awesome.
Over the past 2 years ive been doing one over night trip to Grand Rapids Michigan. Which is 115 miles from where i live. Its been great and has me wanting to go for longer trips. Ive got one planned for spring time thats a 4 day trip I made up on maps. Looking at the trans AM too.. one day!
Nice!
Pretty cool place to ride
Enjoyable watch, thanks Tim. Re the Industrial Gravel tees, do you have a shipping price to UK? Cheers
Thanks!
The last one I shipped to the UK cost $38 in total. So not cheap. If you are still interested you could email me your address and I can bill you through PayPal. I totally understand if you aren't though .
I've started a meditation practice with Jon Kabbat Zinn's body scan and other guided meditations. I have loose mileage goals I'd like to hit just because, bikepacking would be important to do this year, but my primary goal is to practice awareness on some rides. As in being present in my body/mind like a walking meditation but using the bike instead. When it gets warmer I imagine the practice will feel very appropriate on my fixed gear.
edit: I started youtubing. This will likely be a video in the future :)
It's called "rolling meditation" and I have designed the perfect old persons bicycle to do it on. Happy Trails!
Very cool.
No yearly mileage goals here. It's all about seeking out new experiences, ride'n hard and drink'n heavy. 🍻
Nice!
So many quitters lately - so cheers! 🍻
no bad weather
Those brick streets!!!
🧱 !
erin is awesome.
You can also just say there are a lot of haters everywhere online. Ignore them, do what you like and ignore comments. Like this one also! Smiles > Miles
Cheers!
Where did you find the pink outer cable kit? I would definitely be surprised if I saw this bike in a bike rack and watched you get on it. I would probably have bet that it was a lady riding a bike with all this pink bits on it. Do you also have pink valve stem covers?
I've yet to complete the full 500 it just is a busy time and often makes for a better cycling break than anything. I like mileage goals but don't take them too serious. Quality of miles matter more in terms of enjoyment and actual training if that is your focus. But so too do I love just getting out and exploring by bike those miles do equate to places I have explored and reason to be out.
Itsd interesting for me because it is only busy socially - no one hires me anymore during the holidays. ....but that is all part of what makes it a hard challenge.
I'm not a slave to it either though as last year I knew I needed to throw in the towel.
Cheers!
Other kinds of goals: Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), this summer, all summer, 40 miles per day. Slow and easy as old and thoughtful touring cyclist. ☮
Good luck! Sounds awesome!
I agree on the fomo bit (re: people putting the festive 500 down online). I’ve noticed just how strong fomo can be since the pandemic. But, I think it’s awesome! I’d love to give it a go sometime. I wonder if I can cheat and do 500km 🤔
It is 500km! (310 in miles)
Yeah - it’s funny because it just seems the haters are the kind of people who should be all over a challenge like this - but instead it’s me on my ATB 🤓
@ wow I got a smooth brain today! Haha, here I was thinking you documented the first or last 310 miles 😆
What is the Swedish fish you talked about🤔
Delicious red gummy candy!
i did the rapha 500 this year. definitely smiles over miles in general. but i kinda cheated; my mother lives in south florida, where i grew up, and the temperatures were warm every single day...had i did this in Washington DC where i live it would have much more of a challenge!!!
My own version I call Maccas Festive 50 (All in one day). I award myself a prize which is a chocolate medal from the Christmas Tree (maybe three, chocolate medals, not trees).
The 50 could be km or miles or indeed minutes depending on me, weather ...etc
Any idea how many miles of brick streets remain in Akron? It’s cool how they have held for so many years in such a freeze-thaw environment.
They hold up way better than any modern street. Its a shame they have covered so many. Over the last decade or so they have redone the three biggest streets and when they were working on them you could see the perfectly level old brick street underneath.
Thanks for the TH-cam video. Especially your riding in cold weather . My cut off is 40F. I logged 2,762 miles ( my best ever) in 2024 riding mostly gravel roads up here in God’s country. Or for you Ohio folks you know it as Michigan. My 2025 goal is to surpass 2024 miles, but that will be tough due to my aversion to riding in cold weather. May need to follow the mass migration of Michiganders to Arizona to get some winter/spring miles in. Thanks - heres to good riding in 2025
Very nice. I didn't used to ride in the cold either but I was out with friends sweating in 20 degrees the other night....
But I don't try to convince anyone to do it - to each their own.
Cheers!
What’s that green beer?
It was a hazy IPA made with "brewer's gas".🤷🏻♂️
Congrats on your Festive 500! Enjoy a pack of Mamba's on me. Did you know someone in the comment section is an owl?
Thanks so much!
Who?!
Who Whoo Whoo=== Will you ride in weather like this in the spring with these clothes
Way less of these clothes hopefully.
I love a good controversy
Haters gonna hate as the kids say....
Around this time of year I go over my totals fro m the previous year and give my stats a rating. Do more of this, less of this and try to keep this the same. 2024 I set my farthest ride at 73.8 miles by doing the MS city to Shore ride. This year I'll try to set my training for the 100 mile ride. I set a best for climbing in a single ride at 1800'. Not much for most I'll agree but I'm 70 and have a broken femur that I'm afraid to push on too much. Mostly though I just try to do as much as I feel I can.
Happy and healthy New Year to all.
A common sense approach.
And even though I push it sometimes same for me - I just didn’t feel it and was busy for much of late fall.
Cheers - happy new year!
I will not go out and ride purposely in the rain. But if I get caught in it that's a different story😅😅
100%
I'm retired. Avoid assiduously any and all schedules .
2025 Goals ,right here right now.