A scenic, hilly 102 km forum ride, Todmorden, Sat, 20th Oct, 2018

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ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Hi there hill-lovers!

I was down to ride our local 'Season of Mists' audax event today but wimped out due to foul weather. It is a great route so I still intend to ride it before the winter closes in on us. I thought that I'd offer it as a forum ride, so here it is. [NB There wouldn't be much point in missing one foul weather ride only to replace it with a near-identical foul weather ride, so if the forecast turns out awful for the 20th, I might postpone the ride to the 27th.]

The audax event traditionally started in Hebden Bridge, which was handy for me because I used to live there. Then the start/finish got moved a couple of miles down the Calder Valley to Mytholmroyd. Both versions involved the steep climb to Heptonstall village very early in the ride; always a wee bit challenging!

There isn't a lot of point in me riding down the valley to where the audax starts/finishes when I can come up with a similarly challenging climb to the Long Causeway from my new home town of Todmorden, so we will start and finish in Tod instead.

The local trains are currently not running on Saturdays due to the RMT dispute with Northern rail so you will have to either drive or ride here. Let's meet up at the Dalton Street car park (free parking!) at 08:50 with a view to setting off at 09:00. It is across the side street next to Todmorden Bus station.

Sunset will be at 18:01. We should be back by then, but it would be a good idea to bring lights just in case.

@Littgull intends to ride with me, and anybody else who is fit enough to tackle a very hilly metric century is welcome to join us. You'd have to be happy with some climbs (and descents!) at 15-25% and lots at 10+%. I haven't measured the ascent exactly but the 102 km (63 mile) route will involve around 2,500 m (8,200 ft) of climbing. NOT a route for hill-phobes!

You don't have to be fast, and would actually be irritated if you like to ride fast! Littgull and I prefer to ride along at a steady, chatty pace together, except on climbs where we (and anyone else) climb at whatever pace feels comfortable and regroup at the summits. We will probably average around 15 kph (9 mph) moving speed.

We will have one cafe stop, at the halfway point in Slaidburn.

Map of route (loop ridden clockwise):
Tod Hilly 102 km SoM lookalike.png


Elevation Profile:
Tod Hilly 102 km SoM lookalike profile.png


GPX file of route attached. NB I have uploaded a modified GPX file to tidy up the route and incorporate a diversion through Pendleton because of road works.

Express your interest below!
 

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  • Tod SoM variation 104 km.gpx
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biggs682

Touch it up and ride it
Location
Northamptonshire
@ColinJ there are single hills on that route that 50 miles of riding in Northamptonshire offer
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
It's just a bit too hilly for my legs at the moment @ColinJ so it's a no from me - have fun!
Well, when they feel like more of a workout, you know where to find me! :okay:

@ColinJ there are single hills on that route that 50 miles of riding in Northamptonshire offer
Ha ha - that is why I am proposing an alternative long distance annual challenge in another thread! If we don't do those hills then we can spend much of the day on busy A-roads. There are not many low-lying quiet roads round here.

The average round here is roughly 20 m of climbing per km or 100 ft per mile so a 50 miler would typically involve about 5,000 ft of ascent. A 'flattish' 50 mile ride would have 2,500 - 3,000 ft. More severe 50 mile routes might be more like 6,500 ft and I have done a few that are even hillier than that!
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
That's too hilly, even for a resident of the High Peak

It must be tricked up a bit? 125ft climbing per mile seems extreme, even for these parts. I've done one Audax around here with similar stats and didn't enjoy it. So I will let you mountain goats get on with it
 

Soltydog

Legendary Member
Location
near Hornsea
The average round here is roughly 20 m of climbing per km or 100 ft per mile so a 50 miler would typically involve about 5,000 ft of ascent. A 'flattish' 50 mile ride would have 2,500 - 3,000 ft. More severe 50 mile routes might be more like 6,500 ft and I have done a few that are even hillier than that!

I went for a local spin the other day & noticed that I had done just over 9 miles before I had 'climbed' 100ft :laugh: Much easier to the the imperial ton challenge over this way :okay:
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
That's too hilly, even for a resident of the High Peak

It must be tricked up a bit? 125ft climbing per mile seems extreme, even for these parts. I've done one Audax around here with similar stats and didn't enjoy it. So I will let you mountain goats get on with it
More like 'mountain rhinos', but we get away with it by using triple chainsets! :laugh:

If you look at the profile you can see that very little of the route is flat. One third is significantly uphill, another third significantly downhill, and most of the rest is more undulating than flat.
 

Oldfentiger

Veteran
Location
Pendle, Lancs
I’d like to join you, but for the ‘northern loop’.
Living near Newchurch in Pendle, your route comes close both out and back.
Currently I doubt I could manage the whole route, as I’m still struggling with thigh cramping after 25 miles or so.
I could wait for you close to where the route crosses the A6068, if you could give me a rough ETA
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
I’d like to join you, but for the ‘northern loop’.
Living near Newchurch in Pendle, your route comes close both out and back.
Currently I doubt I could manage the whole route, as I’m still struggling with thigh cramping after 25 miles or so.
I could wait for you close to where the route crosses the A6068, if you could give me a rough ETA
Excellent. (Not the cramping - that's bad news!)

I would guess that it would take us roughly 1 hr 15 mins to get to the A6068 +/- (say) 10 minutes, unless we got held up. If you got there before 10:15 and felt a bit chilled, you could ride down Barden Lane under the M65 and wait for us in the dip?
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
NB I have modified the route slightly because of road works near Clitheroe. We will take a diversion through Pendleton which adds 2 km to the total, which is now 104 km (65 miles).
 

Attachments

  • Tod SoM variation 104 km.gpx
    24.9 KB · Views: 35

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Looks like a great ride and thanks for the invite but I really must spend some time with my family. I am already racing on Sunday, so bu66ering off for a days cycling on the Saturday too would be the final straw!
 
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ColinJ

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Looks like a great ride and thanks for the invite but I really must spend some time with my family. I am already racing on Sunday, so bu66ering off for a days cycling on the Saturday too would be the final straw!
Yes, family first. My sisters were up last weekend but I took the precaution of booking bad weather for the duration so I didn't have to choose! :laugh:
 
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