Anyone fancy a forum ride, Forest of Bowland, Sun 20th July or Sun 17th August?

[PaulB]

Pity about that - the forecast is getting better hour-by-hour !

Hopefully I will be doing a few more decent rides this year before the hours of daylight start getting too short. If we get a warm, dry Saturday or Sunday in the next few weeks I wouldn't mind doing the route of the Spring Into the Dales audax event which I missed this year due to coming down with a sudden dose of fair-weather-cyclistisis (It was raining!). That passes through Laneshaw Bridge just up the road from you so it would be easy to meet up there if you fancied it? You'd have to ride the last bit back to Colne by yourself either from Oxenhope via Stanbury or from Hebden Bridge via Widdop. Or of course you could drive over to HB, do the full ride and drive back. If you were really keen, you could ride over here via Widdop, do the SITD loop and then ride back again. That would be a strenuous, scenic 95 miler.

If you're interested, I'll PM you if I plan to do that one.

I do fancy it. The ride from Oxenhope via Laneshawbridge is one of my regulars so no probs there.

 

[ColinJ]

I do fancy it. The ride from Oxenhope via Laneshawbridge is one of my regulars so no probs there.

Okay Paul, I'll let you know in advance when I plan to do it.

 

[longers]

Sorry but I'm going to drop out . Really enjoyed the last one and was looking forward to this one also.

Next year eh?

 

[ColinJ]

Sorry but I'm going to drop out . Really enjoyed the last one and was looking forward to this one also.

Next year eh?

Dropping like flies! Mind, there could still be a bigger turn out than last time...

Yes, maybe next year. Or even join me, PaulB and perhaps a couple of others on the SITD route mentioned above? It is 110 km and about 2,250 m of climbing from HB so it would be about an imperial century for you from Oldham.

Oh, and I said that I'd try and get a few more people to come along for the Season of Mists audax on Sunday 5th October. That goes out into the Forest of Bowland from Hebden Bridge and returns by a different route. Apart from where we nip through Burnley and Nelson, it is a very scenic and strenuous little ride - 100 km, and 2,550 of tough climbing - super!

 

[PaulB]

Oh, and I said that I'd try and get a few more people to come along for the Season of Mists audax on Sunday 5th October. That goes out into the Forest of Bowland from Hebden Bridge and returns by a different route. Apart from where we nip through Burnley and Nelson, it is a very scenic and strenuous little ride - 100 km, and 2,550 of tough climbing - super!

I'd do that one myself but I've entered the Helwith Bridge duathlon on that day! Sounds great and all! Once again, sorry to miss it.

 

[Blonde]

Sorry I couldn't make it today. Just too poorly. Hope you all had a good ride. See you another time.

 

[ASC1951]

Hope you all had a good ride.

We did get hideously wet - and you were missed. As you say, another time.

 

[davelakers]

We did get hideously wet - and you were missed. As you say, another time.

Hideously wet indeed!! It was great fun though!

Nice to meet you today, thanks for the company. Did you manage the century in the end?

 

[ASC1951]

Sure did, Dave - when it's 96.5 miles when you get back to the car, you just have to. A little spin down the road to Mytholmroyd and back and I'm still no wiser about what Blenders and Sliverers Ltd make in their premises.

If anyone wants to turn out for another Forum ride next month, I suggest a meet in Skipton and trip to Kirby Stephen via the Buttertubs and Nine Standards Rigg and back via Mallerstang and Ribblehead. About the same distance but with a touch more climbing.

 

[andyfromotley]

good to see everyone, have now dried out. Thanks for organiasing it col.

andy

 

[ColinJ]

Hi everyone.

I'm sorry about the deluge in the middle of the ride - for a while I thought that we were going to stay dry, but when that storm hit us - wow!

I'm also very sorry for keeping you hanging about so much. As you could probably tell, I wasn't on a good day at all ! My neck and back have pretty much seized up today .

Anyway, it was nice to meet you all. I'll have to get fit for the next ride because that was a bit too much like hard work for me.

I've just been checking the tracklog from my GPS and I've discovered that even with all the stops I had to make to stretch my back, put my jacket on, take it off again, sort my gears out, wait for Andrew (ASC1951) at the start in Hebden Bridge (), chat at the start and finish in Whalley, top up at the butty van in the trough... I still managed to average 17.2 kph. It's not quick, but it would have been easily within an audax cut-off. I'm really surprised.

What was very impressive was how well Dave and Andy were riding given how heavy and unfit they said they were only a year or so ago - well done guys!

Oh, Andrew - you wanted to know how much climbing we did... It's a guesstimate, but it should be close because I added up all the uphills I could see on the profile of the tracklog. The software I use made it 2,500 metres but it always tends to overestimate slightly. I can see 2,000 metres worth of significant climbing so the answer is probably about 2,200 m or 7,000 feet (that's including the extra bits we did).

 

[ColinJ]

Sure did, Dave - when it's 96.5 miles when you get back to the car, you just have to.

I was on 159 km when I got back into Hebden Bridge so I thought about doing an extra km to get my imperial century in. Then I remembered that 100 miles is actually 160.934 km so I'd have to do nearer 2 km. Given how badly I'd ridden, I didn't feel justified in 'claiming' a century so I just went straight home.

A little spin down the road to Mytholmroyd and back and I'm still no wiser about what Blenders and Sliverers Ltd make in their premises.

I searched t'Internet and apparently the company went into liquidation in 2001. Perhaps there was some sort of buy-out and they reopened?

I also found a discussion where someone asked the same question as you - here. It seems that it might be connected to the textile industry. Odd though, given that we don't make textiles in this country any more (do we?).

If anyone wants to turn out for another Forum ride next month, I suggest a meet in Skipton and trip to Kirby Stephen via the Buttertubs and Nine Standards Rigg and back via Mallerstang and Ribblehead. About the same distance but with a touch more climbing.

It sounds good, but I think I'll take things a bit easier now until 2009. Lots and lots of 20-30 milers instead of a few hard, hilly, longer rides.

 

[Tim Bennet.]

wait for Andrew (ASC1951)

What's new?

 

[Blonde]

If anyone wants to turn out for another Forum ride next month, I suggest a meet in Skipton and trip to Kirby Stephen via the Buttertubs and Nine Standards Rigg and back via Mallerstang and Ribblehead. About the same distance but with a touch more climbing.

Sounds good. Let me know when (We are away 15-22 Sept but other dates are good).

 

[PaulB]

I fancy that Skipton ride as well so include me in if the date's suitable for me.