A 3-loop forum ride from Hebden Bridge (28/50/54 miles)

[PaulB]

Well - that was a really enjoyable morning. Perfect weather, and marvellous views from the hillltops. Just the best cycling, until...

the gear paddle on my right-hand brifter sheared off, leaving me with only two gears. So I've bailed out after the first loop. I'll leave it to the others to report on the rest of the day!

Good to meet you and everyone else today. I too bailed out after lap one but then again, I always intended to as I'm just getting over a chest infection.

What a beautiful day and even us Lancastrians thought that part of Yorkshire was quite fetching. I loved the little nooks and crannies Colin knew of and took us around. Cracking ride, cracking people, cracking weather and everything tickety-boo!

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Nice to meet a few new faces today,apart from nearly pickling my bits on that cycleway, was a good day out

Just managed to get over cragg vale on the fixed without stopping so well chuffed with that

Wished I'd ridden up mind,took me longer driving back in the car than riding the bike,

traffic was nose to tail from hollingworth lake to milnrow

see you all after sitd

 

[ColinJ]

Nice to see everyone again and to meet you, phil_hg_uk!

Yes - super weather. Lovely blue skies, very warm without being baking, enough breeze to be refreshing but not enough to cause major difficulties.

Everybody seemed to have a nice time. The only real downers were Uncle Phil's broken shifter (Campagnolo Record - Yikes, that sounds expensive!), Fiona N suffering calf cramp on the steep climb to Mankinholes, and my dodgy right leg starting to throb again late in the ride.

Nobody did the mystery climb in the end. I knew by the struggle I had on the Mankinholes climb that I wouldn't make it. Svendo decided to turn round at Blackstone Edge and head straight home. Bokonon's train to Leeds was about to arrive when we got to the station so he decided to keep it for another time! For those of you who are curious, it was up Birchcliffe Road and then all the way to the Mount Skip (former pub, now B & B).

Here's our group picture. I've cut it down in size a bit to stop it being a stupidly big download, but it should still be big enough for those of you who want to grab your own copy.

L-R: phil_hg_uk, tubbycyclist, Bokonon, Svendo, PaulB (kneeling), me (ColinJ), Pennine-Paul, Globalti, Liam (son of PaulB), Fiona N (hiding!), potsy, Uncle Phil

 

[fossyant]

Looks a cracker. I'll be over for a ride when shoulder OK.

I was out today, but it took so long to get out with kids mithering, I was getting not too happy.... bike was ready/kit etc... got out at 12, whoo, what a day..so nice, if a bit windy. If I had cracking views from the foothills you would have had fantastic views.

 

[potsy]

Another cracking forum ride, great format with the 2 loops, Don't blame you for not doing the mystery 3rd loop, sounded like a Colinj killer to me!!
Good to meet some new CC'ers including Uncle Phil (who thought we'd met before but we haven't) and Phil-hg-uk.

Traffic at Hollingworth was still a bit busy by the time I went home but not too bad.
My photography skills were a bit rubbish today, not helped by setting up the group shot and putting the timer on 2 seconds instead of 10 which meant me and Colin are not in my shot, good job he took a better one
Will post a few up soon.

 

[potsy]

Looks a cracker. I'll be over for a ride when shoulder OK.

I was out today, but it took so long to get out with kids mithering, I was getting not too happy.... bike was ready/kit etc... got out at 12, whoo, what a day..so nice, if a bit windy. If I had cracking views from the foothills you would have had fantastic views.

You weren't wrong about the views Foss. Stunning -
There were better ones though-


Our rest stop after loop 1-
Where Svendo spotted this little fella-
And Colin was trying to chat the ducks up with his little squeaky toy

Waiting for the stragglers after a tough little climb-
Sorry Fiona but I had to pretend I beat you up a hill fair and square

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Colin thank you for taking time to show us round your lovely home town I had a great time and I actually quite enjoyed some of those hills (maybe Im coming down with something).

It was great to meet so many people off here hello to everybody and the weather really couldnt have been better even if it had been summer.

I will be back next week for the Spring into the dales although Im not sure how much springing will be going on but by the end there maybe a fair bit of crawling and laying down.

 

[Fiona N]

I'll add my thanks too - great routes, great sandwich shops and fantastic weather provided too by Colin - organisation above and beyond...

It was almost too much for this Yorkshire exile and I'm starting thinking about moving back to God's Own Country


The second half of my day wasn't quite so successful - the train was delayed from Hebden Bridge to Preston so it was 19.30 before I started the cycle back to Kendal (another 65km or so). I had a good back light but only an emergency front light (a little Cateye LED thingie - actually it put's out quite a decent light except that I'm used to a pair of Lumicycles) so dusk on the unlit sections of the A6 started to feel a bit iffy - especially as I wasn't wearing my usual night-time Christmas tree attire. When my calf started to cramp up again on the gentle ascent up to Lancaster Uni, I took this as an indication that cycling all the way home was a bad idea and stopped at Lancaster station and went to negotiate with the coach driver who was taking passengers from Lancaster to stations north in lieu of the trains (stopped due to maintenance between Preston and Carlisle). He was OK with putting the bike in the hold so the final 25km were in comfort and I got home at about 10pm.

So thanks again Colin - a great day out

 

[Svendo]

Thanks for the organisation Colin. Great fun. I've got a touch of sunburn on the arms, but not too bad. Slightly depressing to far far into the red zone following Bokonon up Cragg Vale, only really getting back up to him when he let up a bit near the top, for him to say (breathing easily) 'I'm so unfit' !
Nice to meet every one especially on such a fantastic day. Commiserations to Uncle Phil for the broken gear paddle.

I did go and do the 3rd loop climb today like I said I would. Its a cheeky little number, with two sections that ease off to lull you before ramping right up again. I did come back down Walker Lane/Sandy Gate as I've not been along there before instead of going all the way back to Pecket Well. I went round up Blackstone edge and down Cragg Vale to complete the rest of the ride I'd missed out too.

Hope the weather's that good for next weekend!

 

[potsy]

Slightly depressing to far far into the red zone following Bokonon up Cragg Vale, only really getting back up to him when he let up a bit near the top, for him to say (breathing easily) 'I'm so unfit' !
Nice to meet every one especially on such a fantastic day.

You lot had time for a brew by the time me and Colin finally got to the top
And as for Bokonon's comment, oh that has depressed me now

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Thanks for the organisation Colin. Great fun. I've got a touch of sunburn on the arms, but not too bad. Slightly depressing to far far into the red zone following Bokonon up Cragg Vale, only really getting back up to him when he let up a bit near the top, for him to say (breathing easily) 'I'm so unfit' !
Nice to meet every one especially on such a fantastic day. Commiserations to Uncle Phil for the broken gear paddle.

I assume that was that last hill, I was pleased just to get to the top without stopping.

I must admit I did enjoy it though despite the huffing puffing state I was in when I got to the top

 

[ColinJ]

When my calf started to cramp up again on the gentle ascent up to Lancaster Uni, I took this as an indication that cycling all the way home was a bad idea and stopped at Lancaster station and went to negotiate with the coach driver who was taking passengers from Lancaster to stations north in lieu of the trains (stopped due to maintenance between Preston and Carlisle). He was OK with putting the bike in the hold so the final 25km were in comfort and I got home at about 10pm.

Isn't it nice when you don't get a Jobsworth! I'm glad you eventually got back okay.

I did go and do the 3rd loop climb today like I said I would. Its a cheeky little number, with two sections that ease off to lull you before ramping right up again. I did come back down Walker Lane/Sandy Gate as I've not been along there before instead of going all the way back to Pecket Well.

I thought that you'd like it! sometimes when I used to climb it, I did what you did in reverse - up Sandy Gate/Walker Lane, then down from the Mount Skip.

You lot had time for a brew by the time me and Colin finally got to the top
And as for Bokonon's comment, oh that has depressed me now

Let's face it - youth/age is a factor, especially in my case! Having said that, we ought to be able to get to about 85-90% of their level if we work at it. I'm just hoping that my right leg is going to stand up to the extra work. It's not doing well at the moment but it is having to help lug a lot of excess weight about.

 

[ColinJ]

I assume that was that last hill, I was pleased just to get to the top without stopping.

Well, if Svendo is talking about that last hill then he is mistaken about where Cragg Vale is! The top of both of the two long climbs is at Blackstone Edge reservoir. Cragg Vale is the spread-out village halfway up the 5.5 mile climb we did on loop 1.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

Well, if Svendo is talking about that last hill then he is mistaken about where Cragg Vale is! The top of both of the two long climbs is at Blackstone Edge reservoir. Cragg Vale is the spread-out village halfway up the 5.5 mile climb we did on loop 1.

Oh ok I was talking about the last hill then

 

[Svendo]

Well, if Svendo is talking about that last hill then he is mistaken about where Cragg Vale is! The top of both of the two long climbs is at Blackstone Edge reservoir. Cragg Vale is the spread-out village halfway up the 5.5 mile climb we did on loop 1.

Yes, I did mean the first loop climb. I did manage to get to the top first on the final climb up Blackstone edge via the Old Road, but I think Bokonon was being kind. I was going absolutely flat out, with the advantage of knowing the climb well. Bokonon was kind enough to not only to not pass but to breathe a bit heavily once at the top!