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Rapha Festive 500 returns for 12th year – are you up for the challenge?Festive 500_Credit Rapha_Colton Jacob

Rapha Festive 500 returns for 12th year – are you up for the challenge?

Annual challenge to ride 500km from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve is back – 65,000 riders completed it last year
by Simon_MacMichael
Fri, Dec 03, 2021 12:05
12

It’s December, and besides the usual seasonal shenanigans, for thousands of cyclists around the world – including many road.cc readers – that means one thing, the Rapha Festive 500 is coming.

Now in its 12th year, the challenge is simply to ride 500 kilometres (311 miles in old money) over eight days from 24-31 December, although you can do it in less time if you want – Matt Page, for example, knocked it off in just 19 hours on Christmas Eve last year.

> Matt Page smashes the Rapha Festive 500... in one day, on Christmas Eve

More than 65,000 cyclists globally completed the challenge, which is hosted on Strava, during 2020 – and for those who finish, you’ll get the prized Festive 500 finisher’s roundel for your trophy cabinet.

You can sign up for the challenge here, and as ever entrants are encouraged to share their adventures on Instagram using the hashtag #RaphaFestive500.

There are also prizes for the most inventive submissions from the likes of Wahoo, POC and Whoop, and all finishers are eligible to enter a draw to win a Cannondale bike, provided they complete the appropriate form and their entries are in by 9 January.

As with last year, if the elements, or the situation with the pandemic, means you can’t venture outside, you can also take part virtually via Zwift.

And as in previous editions, Rapha has also launched its Festive 500 collection of clothing and accessories, with this year’s theme being calendar chaos – full details of the range can be found here.

F500

Finally, whether you’re a first-time participant or a returning rider, be sure to check out our tips on how to best prepare for the challenge and ensure you complete it.

> 15 tips to complete the Rapha Festive 500 and knock off the kilometres with ease

Festive 500
Rapha Festive 500
Simon MacMichael

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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12 comments

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mdavidford | 3 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

As with last year, if the elements, or the situation with the pandemic, means you can’t venture outside, you can also take part virtually via Zwift.

Other virtual cycling platforms are available.

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Organon | 3 years ago
0 likes

I think about it each year... then look at the weather and the lack of light, and all the Films and TV shows I have to watch, and the booze and people who tolerate my presence, oh and work, and the fact that I would never ride this far in the height of summer, and I get nothing but the right to buy some more kit that I can't afford anyway, and think nah maybe one year...

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Awavey | 3 years ago
3 likes

I treat it like my own version of that famous Olympics phrase, it's the taking part that counts,not the completing.

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Freddy56 | 3 years ago
0 likes

SAD, that is a lot of people who dislike their immediate families

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Dnnnnnn replied to Freddy56 | 3 years ago
8 likes

Or don't have a lot of immediate family.

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Alessandro replied to Dnnnnnn | 3 years ago
2 likes

Even if they do, I'd suggest it's not healthy to spend every minute of every day with the same people. Nipping out for an hour on the bike or for a run often benefits both the person exercising and those staying at home. I'll certainly be trying to get out over Christmas (running rather than cycling) - get up and out early and you're back before everyone else wakes up anyway!

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Rendel Harris replied to Freddy56 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Freddy56 wrote:

SAD, that is a lot of people who dislike their immediate families

Or people who have a healthy relationship with their families where everyone acknowledges that people need their own space for their interests. Or people who ride with their families, I know plenty of husbands and wives who cycle together (as Mrs H and self do) and/or with their children, grandchildren and even, in the case of one 85-year-old of my acquaintance, great granchildren. Or people who don't have much family living or at least living nearby. Or people who last year couldn't get to see their families because of Covid (we didn't do the Rapha but did spend Christmas Day riding 200 miles on Zwift for charity for that very reason).

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matt_cycles replied to Freddy56 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Freddy56 wrote:

SAD, that is a lot of people who dislike their immediate families

No shame in admitting that 500km in 8 days is too much for you. No need to be a keyboard warrier to those that can 'A' fit this in around family life and 'B' can do the distance ✌🏻

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Rendel Harris replied to matt_cycles | 3 years ago
1 like

matt_cycles wrote:

No shame in admitting that 500km in 8 days is too much for you. No need to be a keyboard warrier to those that can 'A' fit this in around family life and 'B' can do the distance ✌🏻

Exactly. Apparently the average Briton will watch two hours per day of TV over the holidays, plus ninety minutes a day of streaming video and another two hours or so on the internet, social media and video games. Even a sedate 25km/h pace only requires 2.5 hours a day to make the 500 in 8 days, so if you eschew the TV and movies, which is only family time in the sense of all sitting in the same room looking at a screen, in favour of the road or the pain cave you won't actually lose any meaningful time with the family anyway.

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Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 3 years ago
0 likes

fwiw I dont think 25km/h over a 3hour ride is particularly sedate pace, or is repeating it 8 days in a row.

Id never criticise anyone for focusing their time to do it at Christmas, I admire anyone who manages to knock it off relatively easily,  but Id also not downplay it is a significant amount of mileage, and is not as simple as just devoting a few hours a day to it

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Miller | 3 years ago
3 likes

I did it last Christmas cos there was basically nothing else to do, full lockdown being in effect. Enjoyed it, in a way, but not planning to repeat this year as there are family plans. Unless we go back into full lockdown and there's nothing else to do...

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MattieKempy | 3 years ago
1 like

Did it last year. That itch is now scratched and my family wouldn't thank me for giving it another crack!

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