Hilly forum ride from Hebden Bridge, Sun 14th November

[Calum]

If it doesn't happen this morning, i'll be free on sunday or next weekend.

 

[ColinJ]

At this rate, I'm going to be Billy No-Mates on the ride today!

It's damp and gloomy here at the moment but the heavy overnight rain has subsided, at least for now. 
There still hasn't been any word from PaulB. I'll have some breakfast and see if I can get hold of him after that... 

Update: About 5 minutes after I posted the above, it started peeing down here but it only lasted about 20 minutes and now the sun is starting to show. Whether Paul will or not I don't know! I'm nearly ready. I'll give Paul until 09:15 and if he doesn't turn up, I'll do a solo recce ride for next weekend's rerun!

Update 2: Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Colin!


So there I was rushing around, trying to get ready. Something was missing? Oh yes, bibtights! I haven't worn them for months and couldn't find them. Eventually, I tracked them down, and was about to dash off to meet Paul when I got a text from him - he'd got the day wrong!




So lads, the upshot is... does anybody fancy doing the ride tomorrow instead? That's Sunday, 14th November 2010! Change of time - meet at the car park 09:20 with a view to setting off at 09:30. That gives time for anybody to come in on the first train from Leeds - Calum?

PaulB will be coming with his son. 

The forecast for tomorrow is quite good. 

It's raining again here now but I'll get a little ride in later when we get the advertised sunny spells!

 

[PaulB]

So there I was rushing around, trying to get ready. Something was missing? Oh yes, bibtights! I haven't worn them for months and couldn't find them. Eventually, I tracked them down, and was about to dash off to meet Paul when I got a text from him - he'd got the day wrong!




So lads, the upshot is... does anybody fancy doing the ride tomorrow instead? That's Sunday, 14th November 2010! Change of time - meet at the car park 09:20 with a view to setting off at 09:30. That gives time for anybody to come in on the first train from Leeds - Calum?

PaulB will be coming with his son.

The forecast for tomorrow is quite good.

It's raining again here now but I'll get a little ride in later when we get the advertised sunny spells!

Got the wrong day! Not for the first time recently. I went to an evening seminar for Vascular consultants in Manchester that I was responsible to pay for and it is always held on the second Monday of every month.....except October! I wasn't aware of it and showed up and there was no-one else there.

As for tomorrow, I might have to miss out that first section from HB and meet you in Oxenhope. I'll call you in the early am. Tomorrow, not Monday (although knowing me and my time-keeping

)

 

[ColinJ]

Got the wrong day!  Not for the first time recently.  I went to an evening seminar for Vascular consultants in Manchester that I was responsible to pay for and it is always held on the second Monday of every month.....except October!  I wasn't aware of it and showed up and there was no-one else there.  

Oops!   

Actually, I shouldn't laugh - I once dragged myself out of bed at 6 am after a night out at the pub, walked 2.5 miles to the factory where I worked and wondered why it was locked up. It was only a bank holiday Monday! I walked the 2.5 miles home and went back to bed to sleep off my hangover.

As for tomorrow, I might have to miss out that first section from HB and meet you in Oxenhope.  I'll call you in the early am. Tomorrow, not Monday (although knowing me and my time-keeping

)

That makes sense Paul (It would save you and Liam driving over). Our ETA at the mini-roundabout in Oxenhope is 10:20, assuming no delays this end. We will be turning right there and heading up the hill towards Denholme. I'll assume that you will be meeting us by the mini-roundabout unless I hear from you. 




I went for a walk rather than a ride this afternoon and it was great up on the hills in the sunshine. I hope we get plenty of that tomorrow. It was a bit nippy in the wind though. 

 

[ColinJ]

I say chaps, one is somewhat disappointed by the shortness of the orderly queue you are forming!   

I know it's short notice, but it could be one of the last Hebden Hillys for 2010 so set those alarm clocks and get your wheels over 'ere in the morning.  (Remember PaulB - that's Sunday morning. The 14th November. Soon!)

Oh, and let me know if you intend to come along so I know who to expect.

I'll check this thread at 08:00.

 

[ColinJ]

It looks like it will be just Paul, Liam and me, unless Calum's mysterious blank text message at 01:40 today indicated "Ooh yes Col, I'll have some of that!" rather than what I suspect, which is "Fnaaaaaaaaaaaaargh, I'm wasted from 10 hours of boozing, drowning my sorrows after Bristol's crushing defeat at Leeds!" 

All attempts at reviving Calum to get him key in a new message have failed, so I'm not exactly going to be hanging about for hours awaiting his arrival!

 

[ColinJ]

Enough hanging about, I'd better get ready.

No word from Calum, he's probably still asleep.

I'll check the car park in case anybody turns up unannounced (why do people do that - are they frightened of commitment! ).

Thanks Uncle Phil - got your message! Maybe next weekend?

PaulB/Liam - I should be on my way on time so I'll see you in Oxenhope at about 10:20.

I'm a bit nervous about this ride because I'm feeling very unfit and it is quite a tough one. I've only ridden about 200 miles in the past couple of months...

 

[ColinJ]

I'm a bit nervous about this ride because I'm feeling very unfit and it is quite a tough one. I've only ridden about 200 miles in the past couple of months...

And rightly so! Repeat after me - 'orrendously 'ard 'ills 'urt!

 

[potsy]

And rightly so! Repeat after me - 'orrendously 'ard 'ills 'urt!

Just got back? Well done Col,better crack on with your winter project now then

 

[ColinJ]

Just got back? Well done Col,better crack on with your winter project now then

I didn't set off until 09:45, and got back at 16:00 which gave me a painfully low average speed. I stopped for about 15 minutes at the Post Office in Cononley for an emergency energy fix consisting of a bag of crisps, a bar of chocolate and a can of Coke, set off, and almost immediately came across this enthralling prospect...

The road ramps right up beyond that bend. Oh, super - I almost hurled my chocolate, crisps and Coke!

I'd wanted to check out Lothersdale but rather than doing the obvious thing and riding up the valley, I only chose to ride up Sidegate Lane out of the village. It is a very tough climb. How tough? Well, I nearly cried with relief every time I came to the 'easy bits' at a mere 10-15% gradient where I could partly recover before the next b*st*rd ramp reared up in front of me! Even with me super-low 30/28 climbing gear I was very close to cracking...

I skipped the cafe stop. I was rapidly running out of daylight and since today's forum ride ended up consisting of only me, there wasn't going to be a lot of socialising going on! (Mind you, I had a good chat to myself on the ride - "Now, Colin, don't you go planning any more stupidly hard little rides until you are fit again!" "Sage advice CJ, I don't believe I will...")

 

[ColinJ]

Hi Colin, a quick heads up that there are signs up that the road over Ponden Reservoir is due to be closed from tomorrow for 7 weeks, so you may need to have a route back planned via Haworth as a back up if it is not open to cyclists.

Kevin, you got the wrong reservoir - it's the road by Lower Laithe Reservoir that is shut and I wasn't going that way, I was always going to go round the other side of Penistone Hill.

The road by Ponden Reservoir is also due to shut, but not until November 23rd.

 

[Bokonon]

...immediately came across this enthralling prospect...

The road ramps right up beyond that bend.

It's a nice little climb that, isn't it?

I took some colleagues up there on a work ride a couple of years ago. I wasn't entirely popular with some of them afterwards; it was meant to be a gentle ~40 mile warm-up before meeting others who had been bussed up to Skipton for a hilly 100k

In good weather, Lothersdale and the surrounding moor is really nice. There is also a good decent back down to Carleton - long and straight with good visibilty so you can get up a decent speed without having to worry about sudden surprises.

 

[ColinJ]

It's a nice little climb that, isn't it?

It's okay for you whippet-like climbers - I can't exactly engage my lard-drive on slopes like that! Give me a long 6% descent though...

In good weather, Lothersdale and the surrounding moor is really nice. There is also a good decent back down to Carleton - long and straight with good visibilty so you can get up a decent speed without having to worry about sudden surprises.

I'm not sure about the sudden surprises thing... I once crossed that descent at the crossroads by Standrise Plantation and was shocked when a fast-moving car suddenly emerged from a slight dip in the road higher up.

When planning the ride, I was quite surprised to spot Lothersdale. For some reason, I'd never noticed it before. I've ridden Elslack Moor, Glusburn Moor and the road from Lane Ends to Black Lane Ends, but never the triangular area in between including Lothersdale.

I tell you what - I chose the right day for my ride. There would have been many dangerous steep icy descents if it had been today! As it was, I had to be very careful on some greasy leaf-strewn lanes. 

I didn't get rained on once, but somehow every inch of road I used was damp. I don't know how that happened...

 

[Garz]

Applauds to your solo slog there colin, I'm sure your rides will get back to considerable numbers once the weather picks up again!

 

[ColinJ]

Applauds to your solo slog there colin, I'm sure your rides will get back to considerable numbers once the weather picks up again!

Yeah, and I must admit, I'm having second thoughts about a rerun next weekend. If we set off at 09:00 that would be 45 minutes earlier than I set off, but it will be getting dark a quarter of an hour earlier by then. That would only allow 30 minutes for a cafe stop and no time at all for punctures or other problems otherwise it would be very dark and probably very cold coming back over the hill from Oxenhope.

The main thing though, is that there are some parts of that route that would be lethal if there was any ice about. I was very luck yesterday. No way would it have been safe today.

If any of you fancy doing something bit shorter and easier, say 40 miles or so, and the weather is okay on Saturday or Sunday, I could be persuaded to go for that - but you'd have to promise to actually turn up!