{"id":2906,"date":"2021-06-14T09:28:47","date_gmt":"2021-06-14T09:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?p=2906"},"modified":"2021-06-14T09:29:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-14T09:29:01","slug":"the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for many serious and casual riders alike. And with plenty of mental and physical benefits cycling offers \u2014\u00a0most of us don\u2019t struggle too much to get ourselves in the saddle, especially when the sun is shining. Getting out of our cycling comfort zone, though? That often requires a little more effort.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

We talk a lot about the value of setting new goals and challenges, however, and that\u2019s because the feeling of accomplishment and joy that comes with hitting a new cycling milestone is pretty awesome. We\u2019re all capable of doing incredible things when we put our mind to it, and setting goals<\/a> is a great way to push ourselves to become stronger on and off the bike. If you\u2019re looking for a little inspiration when it comes to using your wheels to achieve new heights this summer, read on to discover which one of these iconic cycling challenges<\/a> is the one for you to put on your list of summertime goals.<\/p>\n

\"Summer<\/a>
Looking for some summer challenges?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Join the Century Club<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you aren\u2019t familiar yet, riding 100 miles in one day \u2013 commonly known as a century \u2013 is a classic challenge for any cyclist. A rite of passage for all road warriors, the three-figure mark is a testament to having put in the work to get your proper cycling legs.<\/a> A century isn\u2019t about time either. Conditions and terrain will play a significant role, and the whole endeavour could take anywhere from four to upwards of ten hours. That means a little bit of preparation will be needed, so be sure you have an appropriate route mapped out and pack enough supplies to stay fed and hydrated. Otherwise, do a little maintenance<\/a> check, slap the sunscreen on, and get ready to join the club!<\/p>\n

Make time for an S240<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Short on time? Not sure if you\u2019re ready for a multi-day bikepacking trip, but dream of sleeping in the great outdoors alongside your favourite set of wheels? An S240<\/a> (sub-24-hour overnighter) could be the challenge for you! The whole concept is based on the idea that the best escapes can be quick and don\u2019t necessarily require a ton of preparation. So to really squeeze the most out of the summer, take a day off mid-week and plan an S240 ride. Aim to get yourself to a sublime campsite quickly and ensure you\u2019re set up for a relatively easy ride back in the morning before work.<\/p>\n

Go coast to coast\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Depending on where you live, this might be a more or less realistic challenge. Thankfully, for many, this summer also means the possibility to travel! The UK, in particular, boasts some pretty epic coast-to-coast trails. But wherever you are, check out your options and see if a sea to shining sea journey is within your reach.<\/p>\n

Tackle a famous climb<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We tend to find that the longer one has been a cyclist, the stronger the appeal of those mythic climbs becomes. From the Alpe d\u2019Huez to Mont Ventoux<\/a> to Passo dello Stelvio, there\u2019s a reason why these iconic spots have the reputation they have. Even if your options are a bit more limited, though \u2013 draw inspiration from your local Strava<\/a> segments, maybe get your Everest on, or simply decide to tackle a nearby climb that you\u2019ve avoided so far. There really is nothing like that feeling of realising you\u2019ve made it to the top!<\/p>\n

\"Mt<\/a>
The legendary Mt Ventoux.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Test your strength with a triathlon\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a fitness enthusiast looking to add some credentials to go with your muscular physique, it might be time to cross triathlon off the bucket list. The prospect of it might be intimidating, but despite its power to change your life, training for a triathlon isn’t going to consume it. Even if it\u2019s your first time, you can be ready to tackle this challenge by following a 10-12 week program. Finishing the summer up by claiming your first tri? Now that sounds like a great idea to us.<\/p>\n

Enter a race (any race!)<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you prefer to stick to land, or especially, wheels \u2013 then a classic bike race might be more your speed. With many organisers eager to make up for the lost season, you can bet there are a variety of events taking place a short distance from home. No matter how serious or light-hearted the competition is, the butterflies accompanying a race day always make for a thrilling ride. Plus, racing is one authentic way of measuring how successful your training has been.<\/p>\n

Set your own challenge\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Cycling is all about finding what works for you and discovering your own unique style and joy as a rider. Maybe the challenges listed above sound too daunting (or perhaps not daunting enough). Whatever the case may be, sit down and spend a few minutes thinking about a cycling accomplishment you\u2019d like to hit this summer.<\/a> Then, tell your family and friends about it, make a realistic plan you\u2019ll be able to follow and get ready for a bike-filled summer!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for many serious and casual riders alike. And with plenty of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":2920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"global-categories":[],"class_list":["post-2906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-road-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-06-14T09:28:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-06-14T09:29:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1366\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ciarabreen\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Megan Flottorp\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/\",\"name\":\"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-06-14T09:28:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-06-14T09:29:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/77414fc27b78622bdf4fc3a165b44d08\"},\"description\":\"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg\",\"width\":1366,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"Summer cycling\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/\",\"name\":\"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland\",\"description\":\"Just another \u0160koda WeLoveCycling Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/77414fc27b78622bdf4fc3a165b44d08\",\"name\":\"ciarabreen\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f751ecb0138da6f10fd321bedfa1aba0407cbf92d86ef61dbc2c27e63991f457?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f751ecb0138da6f10fd321bedfa1aba0407cbf92d86ef61dbc2c27e63991f457?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ciarabreen\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/author\/ciarabreen\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0","description":"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0","og_description":"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?","og_url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/","og_site_name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland","article_published_time":"2021-06-14T09:28:47+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-06-14T09:29:01+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1366,"height":600,"url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"ciarabreen","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Megan Flottorp","Est. reading time":"6"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/","name":"The Best Cycling Challenges to Power You Through the Summer\u00a0","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg","datePublished":"2021-06-14T09:28:47+00:00","dateModified":"2021-06-14T09:29:01+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/77414fc27b78622bdf4fc3a165b44d08"},"description":"Summertime means a chance to rack up the miles for serious and casual riders alike. But what if you're looking for some cycling challenges?","inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/2021\/06\/14\/the-best-cycling-challenges-to-power-you-through-the-summer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/d2p6e6u75xmxt8.cloudfront.net\/14\/2021\/06\/Summer-cycling-outdoor-profimedia-0613464705-CVR.jpg","width":1366,"height":600,"caption":"Summer cycling"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/","name":"\u0160koda We Love Cycling - Ireland","description":"Just another \u0160koda WeLoveCycling Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/77414fc27b78622bdf4fc3a165b44d08","name":"ciarabreen","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f751ecb0138da6f10fd321bedfa1aba0407cbf92d86ef61dbc2c27e63991f457?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f751ecb0138da6f10fd321bedfa1aba0407cbf92d86ef61dbc2c27e63991f457?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ciarabreen"},"url":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/author\/ciarabreen\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2906"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2916,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2906\/revisions\/2916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2906"},{"taxonomy":"global-categories","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/global-categories?post=2906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}