500km. Eight days. Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve. There’s no right way or wrong way to ride the Festive 500; every rider is free to rise to the challenge in whichever way they see fit. But for some, simply going the distance is not enough. Every year, an intrepid few take on the challenge of riding the requisite distance in one fell swoop.
For the last three years, many of those all-at-once attempts have taken place in Washington state as part of Rapha Seattle’s brevet rides. The first two editions were routed between Portland and Seattle, but last year’s route took the 32 riders taking part into far more remote backcountry on the iconic Olympic Peninsula.
For a little last-minute inspiration ahead of this year’s challenge, settle down to watch what was surely one of the toughest rides attempted anywhere on the Festive 500.