Spring into the Dales
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ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
It's a bunch start at 09:00 so you want to aim to get there about 08:30 - 08:40. You have to go to the top floor of Salem Mill to 'sign in' and get your card. I'll turn up about 08:45 after the rush has died down.Alun said:
Anyone using Look cleats - beware! I nearly broke my neck slipping coming down the stairs at the mill once. I have recessed SPD cleats now.
Salem Mill is opposite where the 'K' in Market Street is on the map below (near the Co-op, on the same side of the road). Just look out for 100 cyclists and you won't go far wrong!
The best place to park is probably Market Place car park. It's cheap (30p/hour) and long-stay, unlike some of the other car parks in HB. (You could also use Garden Street, Garden Square or New Road).
Approach it from Old Gate - it's a one-way street from the A646 (Market Street) besides the river.
I'd suggest paying until at least 17:00. The ride plus stops will probably take 6 h 30 m or more for we slower riders and you'll want time to eat cake and socialise afterwards.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
That's what it is like round here unless you stick to the valley roads (which I usually don't)!yenrod said:Sure this aint a stage in the TDF
I nipped over to Haworth a few days ago. It's only 8 miles each way, so I added on a few extra bits and pieces to make my total 24 miles (39 km). I checked the stats when I got home and was pretty shocked to see that in that short distance there were 3,300 ft of hills crammed in (1,000 m).
Obviously the hills are not mountains but they are often steeper than anything you'd find on the Tour de France. If you do enough of them back-to-back you certainly feel it afterwards!
I actually prefer the short steep hills. I can cope much better with 500 m at 20% than I can (say) 3 km at 10%. The longer moderately steep hills really go for me. There's no way that I could do even one TdF mountain climb without repeated stops to stretch my poor aching back.
trio25
Über Member
I'm looking forward to it and I'm planning on riding with you Colin - just make sure you wait at the bottom of the hills for me! If its windy I'll be the one hiding behind you!!!!! I'm cycling home and maybe there as well so I should get route planning.
Oh I'll be on the summer bike so its bound to rain, had to leave the winter frame down south at easter! Sorry folks.
Oh I'll be on the summer bike so its bound to rain, had to leave the winter frame down south at easter! Sorry folks.
trio25 said:
I haven't sent my forms in so I guess I will just have to turn up and tag along if I can't sign up on the day.
I am toying with the idea of riding to and from the start as well. The trouble is the roads from Leeds to Hebden Bridge are not the nicest to ride.
I will see what the weather looks like on Saturday.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
It'll be a long hard day if you ride here and back as well! It wouldn't be far short of 200 km and 3,000 m of climbing.trio25 said:
I'll wait at the foot of the descents if you wait at the top of the climbs!
Actually there are one or two places where a descent goes straight into a climb so I'd probably use my momentum to get halfway up them, rather than waiting at the bottom.The forecast is still looking good for Sunday. Last year, the weather was so bad that I wimped out and stayed in bed. The 2 years before that the weather was great and I was overdressed and cooked. I'll be wearing layers this time so I can cope with anything.
Yikes - that's even hillier than SITD! I'll definitely be giving that a miss... Great route though apart from a few kms through Burnley and Nelson.Noodley said:
Is it longers you are doing it with? I remember that you two were going to do it last year but it got called off.
The first bit is very easy to navigate - you just head through Hebden Bridge, up the rise to the traffic lights and take the sharp right up Heptonstall Road. You are supposed to go on and use a turning circle 150 metres further on, but if there is no traffic you can just do a quick u-turn up the hill. You then follow that road all the way to Mereclough on the outskirts of Burnley.
Watch out for the mad sheep and the tight RH bend on the descent off Waddington Fell. Oh, and the really steep, narrow, rutted descent with streams running across it on the way down into Roughlee!
SUNDAY colly - don't turn up on the wrong day!colly said:
Why not ring the organiser Chris Crossland on 01422 832853 and let him know to expect you.ColinJ said:SUNDAY colly - don't turn up on the wrong day!
Ha ha. Yes. What I meant is I will look at the weather forecast on Saturday.........for the Sunday.
Looks promising anyway.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Ah... I've met MSeries a few times but not recently. Tell him I'm glad to hear that he's got over the injuries he sustained in his bad cycling crash in autumn 2007. I hope you have a good ride.Noodley said:If he wants to come along.....
I have arranged to meet MSeries (yacf). We have been trying to arrange a ride for ages and this is the first time it has been possible....at a time when I am my unfittest for about 5 years
I should be well knackered on Sunday.
If you fancy getting aboard the 'slow train' with the rest of us on Sunday, you can recognise me by the bike (blue steel Basso with non-matching Mercatone Uno style carbon fibre forks off my old Bianchi).
I'll be wearing mainly black with red panels in my shorts. Like this...
Most if not all of the people in the picture will be there on Sunday. L-R: Alun, goodspeed, PaulB, ColinJ, longers, Svendo.
