England : West Yorkshire Season of Mists, Mytholmroyd, Sun, 14th Oct, 2018

[ColinJ]

The mega-hilly Season of Mists audax event will soon be taking place again, starting and finishing at Mytholmroyd Community Centre on Sunday, 14th October, 2018.

It is 105 km (65 miles) in length, but don't worry about that - it is the long and/or steep hills that will kill your legs, rather than the distance!

Definitely NOT one for hill-haters, but a treat for those who like the lumpy scenery of Yorkshire and Lancashire and are confident that they can cope with such a route.

I have just signed up for this year's event. @skudupnorth is up for it, and @Soltydog is considering joining us. You'd be welcome to come along and join the CycleChat crew. We will not be rushing - the time limit is 8 hrs 45 mins but we'd try to be back in (say) 7 hrs 30 mins so we have plenty of time to eat, drink and chat at the post-ride gathering.

Weather notice: The event has roughly a 50-50 record with respect to the weather. I have cooked on very warm editions, but was practically washed off my bike one stormy year (I gave up in a deluge and returned to event HQ and scenes of flooding)! This time of year is so changeable ... I will ride if the weather is good, okay, or even poor, but I am NOT going over those big hills in AWFUL conditions!

So ... anybody fancy it this year?

 

[I like Skol]

Might be interested but think I could already be committed to a CX raced at Heaton Park with @dan_bo

Will have to check get back to you.

 

[Soltydog]

When's the deadline for signing up? I'll sign up & then I'll be weather dependant, good or okay for me. Poor or awful & I'll be crying off
Have you photoshopped the route profile to remove all the flat segments?

 

[skudupnorth]

Cannot wait ! Got a 200 next week in Lincolnshire as well

 

[ColinJ]

When's the deadline for signing up?

Oh, I forgot to add the audax link in the original post. I have now done that. You can enter on the day but ...

GIVEN THE NUMBER OF RIDERS LIKELY TO DO THIS, IT WILL HELP US IF YOU CAN BRING A COMPLETED ENTRY FORM TO THE START.

So if you are going to EOL then take a pre-filled entry form to avoid a crush at the start.

I'll sign up & then I'll be weather dependant, good or okay for me. Poor or awful & I'll be crying off

I'll only do a poor weather ride if at least one other CC rider is doing it with me - if everybody else pulled out then I would too, and do it at a later date!

The deluge year, when I abandoned:

Consolation ride the following day:

Did I mention that the weather is 50-50 in October ...?

As for PhotoShopping the flat bits out of the profile ... If you look carefully, you'll see that the flat(-tish) 10 kms are still there, hidden in the 95 kms of climbs and descents!

Seriously though, that actually IS what the ride is like. When you look back at it, almost the whole day feels like it is uphill or downhill. If there was no flat at all then the 50-odd kms of climbing would average about 5% gradient! With the flat taken into account, you will be doing something nearer to 45 kms at 6% average. There is a lot of 10%, a fair amount of 15%, quite a few slopes closer to 20% and a couple of short ramps at 25%. I'll be using a triple chainset backed up with a 30-tooth grovelling sprocket!

 

[dan_bo]

Might be interested but think I could already be committed to a CX raced at Heaton Park with @dan_bo

Will have to check get back to you.

I'd do it otherwise

 

[Soltydog]

There is a lot of 10%, a fair amount of 15%, quite a few slopes closer to 20% and a couple of short ramps at 25%. I'll be using a triple chainset backed up with a 30-tooth grovelling sprocket!

You're not doing your best to sell this I don't have the luxury of a triple, the newest bike has a compact, so my lowest gear is 34/34 which should be low enough to see my crawling up the >20%

 

[ColinJ]

You're not doing your best to sell this I don't have the luxury of a triple, the newest bike has a compact, so my lowest gear is 34/34 which should be low enough to see my crawling up the >20%

My lowest gear is 28/30 and it WILL get used. I could probably get up most of the steep stuff on my 28/27 or 28/24 gears but I might as well take advantage of the lowest gear and save my legs from more damage!

 

[skudupnorth]

Going to be a cracker ! Might ride to and from the event as usual

 

[Amanda P]

I’ll be there. (Remember me?)

 

[Amanda P]

As my path may cross some of yours, here's a clue: I'm Amanda

...and apparently, I'm a guru....?!

 

[ColinJ]

I’ll be there. (Remember me?)

As my path may cross some of yours, here's a clue: I'm Amanda

...and apparently, I'm a guru....?!

Ah, er, Auntie Amanda - now I remember where I've seen you before... I thought my dodgy memory had completely failed me!

I remember you riding away from me in the past but if you fancy joining us on a more leisurely SoM, you'd be welcome to.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

The long range weather forecast is looking good. I just do not know if I have the climbing legs to do this again. It was my first ever audax ride in 2013, and it almost put me off audax for life!

 

[ColinJ]

The long range weather forecast is looking good. I just do not know if I have the climbing legs to do this again. It was my first ever audax ride in 2013, and it almost put me off audax for life!

Go on ... You know you want to!

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

I jinxed it. There is now a 60% chance of rain!