Events: Planning the 2021 Rapha Festive 500
(2021) Post-racing cycling lifestyle is about collecting things. Our cycling wallet bulges with coffee cards in various states of punches. There are base layers for every conceivable condition. Strava likes to award badges for random tasks completed. Rapha runs their decade-long challenge of riding 500 kilometers from December 24 - 31, and it’s called the Festive 500.
Being a Bucks County native, there are other parts to collect as a cyclist. Local riders usually take part in at least one Covered Bridges Ride, an autumnal event that explores all the unique covered bridges our county has to offer. I’ve planned out a few routes to collect all the unique air strips nearby; there’s the historic Van Sant, the remarkable road/ air strip near Sweetbriar, the glider airport, and some fallow farm fields that still have landing lights blinking at sunset. We could hit all our favorite coffee shops, but we would like to actually finish 500 kilometers, not 500 coffees. And then there’s our new challenge.
One of the most requested articles for us to follow-up has been the schoolhouses of Bucks County, particularly the ones in the northern region. What is fascinating about this challenge of collecting school houses is the ability to identify these special structures. Once one knows what to look for, it becomes shocking how out in the open they are. Some are standard school houses, some are Sunday school houses, and others fill in the architectural gap from single-room buildings to the gigantic mega schools of today. As someone in the education profession, it is a romantic notion to go back in time, stoke the classroom fireplace in preparation for the day, and deliver content to students who may have literally walked miles through the snow to get to class.
Each year we’ve attempted the Festive 500- last year’s was an outdoor/indoor combined effort and not really flashed around. It was the first year Rapha accepted indoor miles. It was also the first year they stopped issuing physical roundels to those who rode the distance. Aside from that year, we have crossed the distance twice since 2014. Some years the 500 was over before it started. Other years we got close but wisely prioritized time with family and friends. Each year we set a goal to complete it just to see what awaits us. Similarly, each year we swear to never do it again whether it was completed or not.
We have used several inspirations uniquely Bucks County to push us over the mileage. The first year explored the Doan Brothers of the American Revolution. That year was successful. Last year we explored the Underground Railroad through the county for outdoor miles. We also attempted to circumnavigate the three reservoirs in the county. The last successful all outdoor Festive 500 led us to the places George Washington slept at within the County. (Click on Festive 500 below the title to read other attempts on the site.) To collect photos of as many school houses as possible in 500 kilometers seems fitting for 2021. Schools have had to adapt in this difficult time, why not harken back to former days when everyone swears things were easier.
It’s nearly time to gear up for the within reach/ just far enough to be a struggle effort that is the Rapha Festive 500. This year there may be a ride on the 25th. There may even be night rides. That’s the fun part about this challenge- collecting experiences in the final week of the year that had been in motion months previously, like collecting base layers and lights.
