Events: Planning the 2020 Rapha Festive 500

(2020) The calendar year of 2020 has been different to say the least. Aside from the obvious headline of Covid, 2020 saw massive demonstrations for equality in the States. Throughout the months an idea was planted regarding the final event of the year. We have decided to run with it.

The Rapha Festive 500 is an event like no other. Barely are there starting points. The eight-day self propelled challenge starts on December 24 and ends on December 31. Within that time, a rider tries to complete 500 kilometers, logging it via Strava and potentially documenting it along the way. Our first ever Festive 500 in 2015 was a narrow success. We failed to make it in the following years until last year we came up half a kilometer short and had to remount the bike, ride to the convenience store across the street for gummi bears, and come back. What a way to end the Festive.

This year Rapha has made some changes. No doubt there will be grumblings. For starters, the 2020 Festive 500 is accepting trainer miles. Instead of northern hemisphere riders braving the cold winter to accrue miles, RGT, Zwift, Rouvy, and BKOOL miles will be allowed toward the 500 kilometer total. This decree is possibly in response to any town or country under lockdown and cannot permit riders a crack at the 500. Unfortunately the other change is that Rapha will no longer issue a physical roundel to those successfully surpassing the challenge. Again, digital takes king; Strava will add a Festive 500 roundel to your digital trophy case.

Every year we plan to go the distance. Every year we come up with a theme to hold the attempt together. This year, given the demonstrations across America, it only seemed fitting to explore Bucks County in a way unbeknownst to us. The first year we explored some of the Doan haunts. Last year we explored George Washington’s places he slept. This year we plan to visit stops on the Underground Railroad within historical Bucks County. 

Bucks County has several stops on the Underground Railroad. The southern boundary of Pennsylvania was the line marking the northern states. In theory, crossing into Pennsylvania was a bit safer for those escaping from slavery. In theory. Bucks County featured a popular route for the Underground Railroad with Harriet Tubman leading groups through these parts. Her knowledge of the area came from a summertime employment in nearby Cape May, NJ. Her prominence in the County earned her a statue on the waterfront in Bristol, PA. Getting beyond Bucks County improved the chances of making it to freedom on the Canadian side of Rouses Point, NY. It was here where that journey began.

The allure of covering 500 kilometers is the vastness of Bucks County’s role in the path to freedom. There are numerous locations in southern Bucks County, but there are also locations in central and northern Bucks County. There is no shortage of miles for this project. 

I invite fellow Bucks County riders to explore the same theme for this year’s Festive 500. I also invite riders from surrounding areas to explore their county’s potential links to the Underground Railroad. After all, once those attempting to reach Canada passed through Bucks County, they had to go northward somewhere. 

One of the other ideas for the Festive 500 was completing the event only at night. It was even suggested to log massive miles from sundown to sunup, mirroring a Top Gear challenge of old. This would fit into the concept of the Underground Railroad as groups only moved during the darkness. 

This year’s Festive 500 is fitting. It focuses on the demonstrations populated over the summer months. As the pandemic has flared up over these past few weeks, it is an event that thrives in social distancing. This year we will research the stops to provide information for learning, because the Festive 500 is more than just an eight-day bike ride.