Is It The Toughest Road??

[Richard A Thackeray]

Can't really answer for Britain myself, but probably South Yorkshires toughest road
And, even more so, if you include that final ascent, from the A616 (towards Cubley & Penistone) as that is still Mortimer Road all the way into Penistone

 

[Racing roadkill]

Penistone

>laugh<

 

[Biff600]

Depends on which way you are going really !

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Depends on which way you are going really !

South - north, it's a toughie

 

[nickyboy]

Can't really answer for Britain myself, but probably South Yorkshires toughest road
And, even more so, if you include that final ascent, from the A616 (towards Cubley & Penistone) as that is still Mortimer Road all the way into Penistone

View attachment 338098

Hmm...it probably is the single toughest road in the area. By no means the toughest route; there is much harder riding but that requires you to go on multiple roads

Going the same way as in the picture, the first climb is easy, the second climb is hard and the third climb (Ewden Beck aka "Deliverance") is a killer. Best done as a loop including Holme Moss and Snake Pass

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Going the same way as in the picture, the first climb is easy, the second climb is hard and the third climb (Ewden Beck aka "Deliverance") is a killer. Best done as a loop including Holme Moss and Snake Pass

I've done that a few times, starting from Wakefield
Then Clayton West, Denby Dale (with the resultant climbing all the way up up...) 'Sovereign Cross-roads', New Mills, Holmfirth, Holme, the 'Moss'

Woodhead Pass, over the road to Glossop passing Torside (I can remember when the 'Woodhead Line' was still in use)

Drop into Glosssop, up past the toll-house, up the 'Snake', over Lady Bower bridge (Ashopton??)
Strines, back into Penistone, then across to Barnsley, & home via Wakefield

The first time I did it as a full loop, I really knew about it, as I had a lowest gear of 42 x 21
What an idiot I was, an idiot with very sore knees!!!

 

[nickyboy]

I've done that a few times, starting from Wakefield
Then Clayton West, Denby Dale (with the resultant climbing all the way up up...) 'Sovereign Cross-roads', New Mills, Holmfirth, Holme, the 'Moss'

Woodhead Pass, over the road to Glossop passing Torside (I can remember when the 'Woodhead Line' was still in use)

Drop into Glosssop, up past the toll-house, up the 'Snake', over Lady Bower bridge (Ashopton??)
Strines, back into Penistone, then across to Barnsley, & home via Wakefield

The first time I did it as a full loop, I really knew about it, as I had a lowest gear of 42 x 21
What an idiot I was, an idiot with very sore knees!!!

That's a great ride. I sometimes do it in the other direction as the prevailing wind is a tailwind on the hardest climb (Holme Moss). 42/21 is ridiculous for that ride. I can manage Ewden Beck but only with 34/27, with its long stretches 15%+

 

[EasyPeez]

Are those climbs on the Strines as hard as Winnats @nickyboy?

Also, have you done Holme Moss in both directions, and if so is it much harder going up one side than the other?

 

[ColinJ]

The first time I went up Strines (S -> N), I was not fit enough and my legs failed on Ewden Bank. I had to walk it but struggled with the Look cleats on my shoes so I had to take the shoes off and walk the bike in stockinged feet. A family in a car drove past me VERY slowly and the children seemed to find my predicament extremely amusing. I suspect that their dad had passed a comment about me as they approached ...

The second time I tackled the road was when I was diverted from Snake Pass which was closed for resurfacing. I was on a tough 140 mile ride back to Hebden Bridge from Coventry and was carrying a pannier on the bike. I was pretty fit that time and coped with the climbs without major difficulty

I rode it a third time and found it quite tough but my fitness hadn't completely recovered from my long illness.

I will be doing the Coventry-West Yorkshire ride again in June so I will see how the post-clotting, 61 year old version of me copes with it.

... have you done Holme Moss in both directions, and if so is it much harder going up one side than the other?

I found Holme Moss slightly harder from the Woodhead side but there wasn't a lot in it. Wind conditions on the day could make a big difference.

 

[EasyPeez]

I found Holme Moss slightly harder from the Woodhead side but there wasn't a lot in it. Wind conditions on the day could make a big difference.

We climbed it from the Holmbridge side. It was a fair old pull, certainly not easy. But I remember careering down the other side to Woodhead and thinking it seemed almost vertical that way. Possibly the cross wind and idiot in a Volvo intensified the descent somewhat!

 

[ColinJ]

We climbed it from the Holmbridge side. It was a fair old pull, certainly not easy. But I remember careering down the other side to Woodhead and thinking it seemed almost vertical that way. Possibly the cross wind and idiot in a Volvo intensified the descent somewhat!

I got caught by a vicious gusting crosswind once on the descent to Woodhead. I almost went off the RHS of the road!

Another time on a sportive I was bombing down there and rapidly catching up on 2 other riders. I had a feeling that the one behind would suddenly pull out without looking, directly in front of me ... he DID! Fortunately, I had already gone over to the RHS in anticipation. He almost crapped himself as I shot past ... Apart from the fact that there were hundreds of cyclists doing the descent that day, there is often a lot of fast vehicular traffic too, such as that Volvo with its idiot driver.

 

[Slick]

I suppose it depends on what you are using as a yard stick but it's not even close if you have ever cycled in the Highlands.

 

[ColinJ]

I suppose it depends on what you are using as a yard stick but it's not even close if you have ever cycled in the Highlands.

I don't think it is even close compared to a lot of the roads in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Cumbria!

I was surprised to see the article in CW this morning. In fact, I thought the cover photo was of this bend on local climb Mytholm Steeps ...

... but then I realised that the Steeps climb is harder.

PS If you study the bike, you will see that it has Look pedals. I had just done an emergency dismount after my legs gave up and I slipped and almost face-planted on the road. I like the Looks and the Sidi shoes that I was wearing, but the Look cleats are not brilliant off the bike. I have switched back to SPD pedals and shoes now.

 

[screenman]

Any of the 7 mile straights into Boston when you have a 40mph headwind.

 

[Slick]

I don't think it is even close compared to a lot of the roads in West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and Cumbria!

I was surprised to see the article in CW this morning. In fact, I thought the cover photo was of this bend on local climb Mytholm Steeps ...

View attachment 338143

... but then I realised that the Steeps climb is harder.

View attachment 338142

We have lots of roads like that where I used to live and work in Argyll, so much so, an empty truck wouldn't be able to climb it, you had to leave a few tonnes on to get enough traction, even with some of the double drives.