For 31 years, Canberra cyclists have been pushing their personal boundaries by taking part in Fitz's Challenge, tackling the hills of the Brindabella Ranges and Namadgi National Park.
The event is run by Pedal Power, which announced on Friday that registrations were open for this year's event, the 32nd, to be held on Sunday, October 24, which was three weeks later than originally planned, to ensure a Covid-safe event.
Pedal Power events manager Emily Stacey said it was remaining hopeful the legendary challenge could still go ahead and that by late October any Covid lockdown in the ACT might be over.
"It's important to look forward to things and that's how we're approaching it," Mrs Stacey said. "Until we're told 'no, we'll plan for it."
Fitz's Challenge is a "personal challenge event - not a race". There are seven distances to consider, from the 50km Tidbinbilla Challenge to the 255km Fitz's Extreme.
The event is named after the gruelling Fitz's Hill - the "highlight" of the 165km and longer rides. Riders keep coming back every year to put themselves through the pain.
"The challenge is real," Mrs Stacey said.
"If you drive over the route, it doesn't seem much but when you're riding, to get to Fitz's Hill and then coming back over it, you've done over 100km and hundreds of metres in elevation. It's just exhausting and people love it.
"It's something that requires a bit more. You can't just go out on a Saturday and do it. It does require quite a lot of conditioning."
Mrs Stacey said many riders were training hard any way they could during lockdown, including indoors. She had also heard of people training by riding up and down hills such as Black Mountain multiple times in their allotted hour outside.
Mrs Stacey said she had tried to vain to find out who Fitz's Hill was named after but, in the end, the challenge was about people meeting their own milestones.
"There's a bit of Fitz in all of us," she said.
And there's no trophy at the end.
"Just bragging rights," Mrs Stacey said.
Register for the 32nd Fitz's Challenge at eventplus.net/FTZ21
