Mon 7th Sept. Forum ride from Hebden Bridge to see Tour of Britain stage 2.

[ColinJ]

I have just found out that the Tour of Britain will be doing a really nice stage taking in the Ribble Valley/Forest of Bowland/Pendle area on stage 2. I fancy riding out to watch some of the action and have worked out a good route there and back from Hebden Bridge. My route takes in a couple of climbs used on this year's Tour de Yorkshire.

The idea is to ride to the top of the Bleara Moor climb from this side and watch the peloton climb up to us. After they have passed and gone on to do a loop round to the finish, we could bomb straight down the hill into Colne to get there before them and be waiting for the end of the stage. Change of plan - forget trying to watch the stage finish - it will be horribly crowded in Colne and we probably wouldn't see much of the riders anyway if my experience of the finish at the Tour de Yorkshire was anything to go by! Watch the race do the KoM, and then ride back bypassing Colne!

The ride will be about 69 km (43 miles) with a lot of climbing, including a few really hard little climbs, and lots of great scenery.

Because of the difficulty of the terrain, I will assume an average speed of only 15 kph (9 mph) and will aim to get us there in good time before the peloton is due to arrive. If we get to Bleara Moor with enough time in hand, we could do the descent to Earby and climb back up to our vantage point to the cheers of the assembling crowds!

More details will be added here soon.

BOOK YOUR DAY OFF WORK AND POST BELOW IF YOU WANT TO COME ALONG!

 

[EltonFrog]

I sort of fancied this, then I Googled Hebden Bridge! Feck me its 206 miles away! I like the idea, but it's a bit of a schlep!

 

[ColinJ]

I sort of fancied this, then I Googled Hebden Bridge! Feck me its 206 miles away! I like the idea, but it's a bit of a schlep!

Yes, you would have to be keen to make that trek!

I was thinking more of riders from Leeds, Manchester etc., though anybody from anywhere would be welcome as long as they are happy to go at my speed. (I'll post GPX files for the outward and return legs so faster riders using GPS devices could still ride my route but set off later than me and my companions, if that's what they want to do.)

 

[Sea of vapours]

I'd come, but I'm watching that stage at Slaidburn, it being.... well, an awful lot closer to me would be the main and most persuasive feature - just a bijou hillock to go over in two directions.

 

[ColinJ]

I'd come, but I'm watching that stage at Slaidburn, it being.... well, an awful lot closer to me would be the main and most persuasive feature - just a bijou hillock to go over in two directions.

That makes sense!

 

[ColinJ]

Forum ride route

Forum ride profile

I have annotated the profile ...

• HB = Hebden Bridge
• CH = Cock Hill, the highest point on the route at 433 metres
• H = Haworth
• GEG = 'Goose Eye Grovel'
• BMKoM = Bleara Moor King of the Mountains point
• E = Earby

The route starts and finishes in Hebden Bridge and we will ride round it in anti-clockwise direction.

I am taking us up cobbled Main Street in Haworth. We don't have to go that way, but the Tour de Yorkshire did and the Tour de France stage the previous year also did so I thought it would be fun for us to do the same. I wouldn't do it on a sunny weekend day because it would be crawling with tourists but it should be a lot quieter on a Monday lunchtime.

Goose Eye is a quiet hamlet not far north of Haworth, at the bottom of a steep-sided valley. We passed through it on the TdY sportive. I already knew it from my own explorations of the area. You will find out why I call it the 'Goose Eye Grovel' - remember to pack your finest climbing gears for that one!

As you will see from the profile, this is a lumpy route! Some of the climbs are very steep (20-25%) and some are long. There are also some steep descents, and some nice long ones which are a lot less scary.

I have shown a descent to Earby and the steep climb back up to the KoM point above the town. We can do that if we get there before the road is closed. It would be nice to get a feel for what the pros will be doing an hour or so after us and at 3 or 4 times the speed! If we don't have the time and/or the legs, we can just find a good vantage point at the top and wait.

The ride back to Hebden Bridge is very hard for the first 8 or 9 kms but then we have a really nice finish which is mainly downhill or flat for about 13 kms!

So, er, come on down ... And up!

 

[EltonFrog]

Holy Cow! Those Hills! If I did come up I'll bringing my FS1E to get me up those buggers!

 

[hopless500]

I shall be doing a nice short ride from my place to Wymondham and maybe Attleborough if the TdB riders go a long enough route to give me time to do both towns.
As your ride is a couple of days before I shall have to decline your ride to save my energy

 

[rusty bearing]

Can't make this one I'm afraid, on holiday. See thee next time....Hope the weathers good for you though

 

[GJT]

@ColinJ I think I read somewhere they weren't letting bikes near the finish, but were providing secure parking for £5

 

[ColinJ]

@ColinJ I think I read somewhere they weren't letting bikes near the finish, but were providing secure parking for £5

Actually, thinking about it ... I didn't manage to get within 10 metres of the side of the finish straight on the Tour de Yorkshire. The crowd was so deep that I could only see the tops of riders helmets as they rode by, and I am 6' 1" tall! I ended up watching the finish on the big screen with my back to the road.

Blow paying £5 to 'park' my bike! I'm beginning to think that it might be better to forget trying to see the stage finish live and watch that on the ITV4 highlights show.

Ah, I found this ... Spectator information.

SKODA King of the Mountains
• In Earby, Stoney Bank Road will be closed from its junction with Reeval Close to the junction with Old Skipton Road at the top between 6am and 3.30pm.
• In Barley the road will be closed from The Avenue, along Barley Lane to Four Lane Ends Crossroads at Annel Cross Moor between 6am and 3.30pm.
Our advice is to either cycle up to where you want to watch the King of the Mountain or park nearby and walk up.

So, it sounds like we might get to ride down the hill (WITH CAUTION - it is scary enough even without hordes of people coming up it towards you!) and then back up as long as we get there in time.


I will replot the map and profile tomorrow to bypass Colne.

 

[ColinJ]

I have updated the map and profile to show a direct ride back to Hebden Bridge after watching the peloton do the KoM climb at Bleara Moor.

(If anybody really wants to go and battle the crowds to try and see stage finish, you can carry on down the hill where the rest of us will turn off to come home. Afterwards, it is basically one road back to Hebden Bridge and I'm sure that a local would point you in the right direction.)

No other CycleChat riders so far! I might get a couple of my local pals to come along but it would be good if a few CycleChatters could make it too.

NB We would be standing at the top of a big hill for maybe an hour to watch the race go by so make sure you are dressed for it. It could be cold and wet up there if the weather turns nasty! Also - unless we can get a snack in Earby, we will not be having a cafe stop on this ride so bring enough food and drink to last you the day.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I was all up for a ride out tomorrow until the wife got wind of me having a day off, and has decided how she would like to watch as well, so that truly buggered that up then.
So it will be drop the little one off at School then a dash over to Pendle hill for the first king of the mountains,

 

[ColinJ]

I was all up for a ride out tomorrow until the wife got wind of me having a day off, and has decided how she would like to watch as well, so that truly buggered that up then.
So it will be drop the little one off at School then a dash over to Pendle hill for the first king of the mountains,

Ha ha!

Make sure that you get there in plenty of time. I went to watch the Kellogs Tour go over that climb in 1999 (was it?) but was delayed and all I got to see was the TV helicopter hovering over the Nick above me in the distance as the broom wagon went through the KoM point. I was really disappointed so I jogged down to the bike shop in Padiham and spent £2,000 on a new Bianchi road bike. It was back in the days when I could actually afford to buy an expensive bike as spontaneous retail therapy!

I am still planning to ride out but since nobody from CC has volunteered to join me, I may choose to alter the route on my way back. I think a friend may be joining me from Haworth. I'll give her a ring in a minute.

 

[DiddlyDodds]

Cracking day up on Pendle Hill, very busy up there.