One of the finest things about Velominati is it attracts the crazy bastards. Cyclists are slightly unhinged anyway but there are more than a few out there who have no fear. Crazy is not constrained by nationality. Crazy knows no borders. Sure the Randonneurs would do this just to make sure they were happy with their choice of headlamp strap but @bas is not one of those.
Rapha and Strava sponsor something called the Festive 500. Ride your 500 km between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve for bragging rights and a stinkin’ badge. If you live up North, this is a noteworthy thing to do. Most don’t try to do it all at once, that would be crazy.
VLVV, Gianni
On December 24th, me and three riding friends embarked on a trip from Paris to our hometown of Haarlem in the Netherlands. The idea was to see if we could ride all of the Festive 500 in one ride and ‘get it over with’. We picked a starting location that was approximately 500 kilometers from home and pretty much rode with it from there.
A friend and documentary maker decided that he wanted to see if he could capture us killing ourselves in front of his camera and shot the whole thing.
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Fkn spot on guys. Rule 5 and 9 well and truelly practised Here. I really hope there was enough recovery ale. This is true velominatus spirit.
@the Engine any ride is a good ride mate
@Velodeluded nothing is worthy of being above the rules. You do 500k in honour of the rules and merckx. Nothing else.
Can you give a double Chapeau? Chapeaux? Isn't this longer than the longest TdF stage?!
Wow.
Chapeau, Gentlemen. Chapeau.
Mind blowing. That distance in that weather. Fucking bad ass. I always though my 330Km ride (in perfect June daylight weather) was way too much. You've set the bar really really high. Chapeau gentlemen, chapeau indeed.
Outstanding, Extreme craziness expertly executed and beautifully recorded. Very, very strong work.
Superb - that's next Christmas' craziness sorted then :D
Well, someone is eventually going to be the prick that rains on this parade, so it may as well be me. I don't understand why riding a certain distance exempts one from the Rules. To my mind it does no such thing. Even self-supported, these chaps stopped along the way to feed themselves, negating any need for a bag. And there was an automobile with them. While I understand that the vehicle was used for filming, not support, it seems to me that the driver would not have been averse to stashing dry clothing and emergency supplies in the trunk/boot. Weather notwithstanding, why a YJA? And what's with the camelbak? (or was that a backpack?)
Yes, it was an incredibly long ride. Yes, that is impressive, especially given the conditions. And yes, these men should be congratulated on their fortitude. I will not, however, excuse them their breaches of the Rules.
On a tangentially related note: for those that want to challenge themselves similarly, in a competitive environment in the U.S., sign up for your nearest Race Across America qualifying event. There are several around the country, all with a 650km event that qualifies finishers to compete in RAAM.
@V-olcano
No, you just had the stones to say what the rest of us were thinking. While acknowledging the laudable effort of these riders, as an aspiring Rules Holist I couldn't overlook the egregious violations. This is, after all, Velominati.com, not Randonneurminati.com. Yet I remained silent rather than defend the order. As penance I shall undertake a ride of similar distance and suffering, but in full rules compliance of course.