I finished off 2024 the same way I have for the last few years, by completing the Rapha Festive 500. It’s a simple challenge on paper, ride 500km in the eight days from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve, but it can get tricky if you have a number of other commitments (or shocking weather).

Thankfully everything was near-perfect in Tasmania for late December. I actually knocked the Festive 500 out of the park this time, racking up over 600km across the eight day challenge! It was a mighty fine finish to what was a real cracker of a year on two wheels.

RELATED: Ten tips for completing the Rapha Festive 500

I’ve completed the Festive 500 a number of times now (along with a couple of failed attempts). It’s a shame Rapha/Strava don’t send out the cloth finisher’s badges any more. I’ve got a couple kicking around here somewhere that I should sew onto something one day. I guess when Rapha opened the challenge up to virtual rides (and partnered with Zwift) the number of riders finishing the challenge skyrocketed.

My first successful Festive 500 was back in England, but since then I’ve completed the Festive 500 most years in Australia where it’s peak summer! The weather was absolutely stunning this time, with only one day proving a little “difficult” in the breeze. I included three metric century rides in the mix, one gravel ride, and a couple of shorter rides in between. Unlike other years, I actually rode on all eight days of the challenge period.

The Festive 500 is a great challenge if you have the time and energy, but perhaps moving forward I’ll try something different. It’s good to mix things up. I’ve got a fair few Festive 500’s in the bag now. Time for a change?

John over at SixtyPlusTimeTrialling went for a “Festive 10,000” challenge, where he accumulated 10,000 metres of climbing over the eight days. That is a LOT of climbing. I’m not sure I’ll go quite that far, but a “Festive 5000” might make for a refreshing change of pace.

Perhaps I could combine the two? Make it a Festive 500km/5000m challenge?