Strines ride (just outside Peaks) Sheffield

[mike e]

OK, so I just pressed submit by mistake, so we carry on because I know your all on the edge of your seats.....

So were flying down the descent passing Agden reservoir and into the Bradfields, so what do we now know about the Bradfields...

1) Low is very nice, has a nice pub (with bouncy castle) but the pub was very busy for food so we went elsewhere

2) High is very nice and also has a nice pub (no bouncy castle but better views) and did lovely food, ask about Hulver's burger.

Separating the Low from the High is a road that is a little on the steep side, now I'm not the best at maths so someone on here can help, in just over 1/2 a mile it rises 317ft. All I know, it was very, very, very steep.

marinyork approaches the top of a very steep hill

The pub was very welcome at this point and we all enjoyed fine food and drink, with spectacular views, and a church serving up a very noisy wedding.

After dinner there was some bike fixing, ILB apparently didn't enjoy going up the big hills in big chainring, we had another Teef raffle, this time marinyork won which seemed quite appropriate, and it was a nice prize - a London underground tea towel - which he was well chuffed with. We then had a group picture but mine's missing TopCat1...?

An exciting moment is just seconds away...

TopCat1 lost?? or maybe taking the picture....

See how North and South are bonding....

To be continued..........

 

[mike e]

wouldn't worry too much about keeping up - it's a social ride really not a race, i'm sure the faster ones will wait for the slower. main thing is to make usre you're appropriately fed, geared, and tyred

hmmmmmmmmmm.......................

 

[Aperitif]

In the manner of CycleChat forum names, I'm suggesting that marinyork gets a makeover, and becomes 'bianchisheff.'

 

[mike e]

In the manner of CycleChat forum names, I'm suggesting that marinyork gets a makeover, and becomes 'bianchisheff.'

Would that then mean we'd also have 'bianchibrent'.

 

[Aperitif]

Would that then mean we'd also have 'bianchibrent'.

No, but possibly a 'mankygreenjedi' instead of a red one!

 

[mike e]

Beware people of Sheffield, if you see this in your rear view mirror move over...

 

[mike e]

Beware people of everywhere......
View My Video

 

[topcat1]

Wow!

First off thank you Martin for suggesting i join you and for driving us up and back.
Marin Longers Hulver(your hairs on fire) Mike and Andy great to meet you on quite possibly the best ride of the year (for me).

After we unloaded the Sun from the van (that's right we brought the sun with us) we all met up at the station (did i mention the fountain?) it wasn't long before we were riding up out of the city. Andy had mech problems for most of the day but this didn't stop him from challenging for the KOM at every rise.

We passed a field with horses that i thought were statues until they moved, after that it was a blur of amazing views and riding up and down valleys.

There was one hill by the the pub stop that sorted me for the day, after riding up that i was walking up the rest of them.

Can you beat this?

Seriously no write up is going to do yesterday justice
have a look at the pics

http://tinypic.com/a/1byv9/3


did i mention the fountain?

 

[Aperitif]

Beware people of everywhere......
View My Video

Nothing to see here...move on.

Be very afraid if you see me carrying a handbag on a ride...once I start dancing around it I go 'all Northern lass' like...

Impressive pics again Dave - a veritable laugh throughout the day, once again.

 

[longers]

In the manner of CycleChat forum names, I'm suggesting that marinyork gets a makeover, and becomes 'bianchisheff.'

By that reasoning you could easily rename yourself - Look, Planes.

Pointing optional.

 

[dellzeqq]

It was an odd sort of a day. You could say it was two rides in a van, with a bit of a pootle inbetweentimes. And, before anything else is said - they were two big rides in a van, with our chauffeur keeping up a formidable level of concentration through London traffic, by motorway road works and the round and round roundabouts, strung like pearls along the A61. A hearty thankyou to Aperitif for undertaking the Herculean task of conveying the Southern Contingent to Sheffield.

And a hearty thankyou to Marinyork, who lead us up hill and down dale and around reservoir after reservoir, and who must have imagined that he had become a kind of tour guide, so frequently did we stop to take pictures of the scenery, pictures of each other, and pictures of each other standing in front of the scenery. His plans were trimmed by mechanicals, an ILB solo excursion and a lengthy lunch interval, not to mention a wedding and a visit to a shrine to motorcycling. I'm not sure, to coin a Bonjism, that the last hill was mapalogically neccessary, but the view from Burley Rocks was as good a view of Sheffield as you'll get other than from space.

And then there was Bonj. We weren't introduced so I had barely worked out the identity behind the sunglasses when he left us tending ILB's front mech, leaving not so much a smile as a relic of his company. It may be, of course, that he returned later, like Frodo of the Shire, wearing an invisible cloak, observing our less-than-serious meanderings with grim satisfaction, but, if he did, I hope he understood our happiness.

Magic moments? Hulver whooshing past me on a downhill, braking just that little bit too late, and then skidding ever so elegantly, his back wheel travelling sideways, but remaining impeccably upright as his front went off the edge of the road. Asking the motorcyclist with the 140mph teatray what his wife thought of his sidecar racing, and being told she was the one in the sidecar - they have a remarkable marriage! Mike getting up the Bradfield hill in fixed - it's 1 in 5 in places Mike, and I thought I did reasonably well to manage it with a 51 inch gear. The 'fast, busy' A6102 - what can I tell you, MY, the A406 it ain't. And, above all, the hills, the heather, the sky, the deep blue of the reservoirs, the drystone walls, the names Bolsterstone and Oughtibridge and the sturdy churches. We didn't go far, but we'll remember it for a long while to come.

http://www.ontheedgeracing.com/pemAp2009/ not for the fainthearted!

 

[hulver]

What a fantastic day.

Short ride to the station to meet everybody. I'm not really sure of people's usernames, but a couple of people were already there when I turned up. I headed for the cyclechat jersey and said hi.

Once we were all assembled we headed out of Sheffield on the quick route, which I think was the flattest bit of the whole ride.

We negociated the tram tracks, and headed up a shallow but long incline. Then downhill to Damflask Reservoir. Over the top of the dam, then marinyork shouted "Left!" to the vocal dismay of many as we turned up what appeared to be a vertical wall.

Once I'd caught the others up at the top, and after a quick comfort break over a wall, we were off again.

ILB was having some trouble with his gears, and was stuck in his big ring. "It's ok, I'll just honk up the hills" he said, and he did. We all fiddled with ILB's ring for a bit, and then Bonj was gone.

marinyork was filling us in on the history of various places on the route. We were admired an optical illusion behind a large folly, that had been turned into some sort of cow trap.

We went past Dale Dyke Reservoir.

There are advantages to being at the back, as you don't go flying past the turns.

We took a bit of a break, and ate some of MacB's awesome flapjack. Eventually communications were established and the group (minus bonj) met up again, and we headed towards Bradfield.

Past Agden reservoir and into Low Bradfield. We were going to stop at a pub for lunch. Some people were getting quite excited about the prospect of the bouncy castle, but a quick "We don't serve your type in here" and we had to leave again.

As it turned out that was quite a good thing, as I don't think I could have made it up the hill to High Bradfield with a full stomach.

That was quite some hill. I ended up having to walk it.

The lunch was well worth it though. A massive burger, with Brie and Bacon, along with a huge plate of chips and onion rings. I couldn't finish it.

I think the extra weight from the lunch was to blame for my over enthusiastic downhill. I streaked past almost everybody (there's some advantages to being 6 stone overweight, you fly down the hills) but wasn't quite able to stop in time, locking up the back wheel in the process. I did manage to keep the bike upright, although I was considering jumping off at one point. There was quite a drop on the other side of the patch of grass I stopped on.

Past Broomhead reservoir and on towards Stocksbridge. A quick pause to consult the map and I saw a bush covered in hundreds on honey bees.

A fairly flat bit through Stocksbridge and Deepcar and onto Oughtibridge and the final large hill of the day. Up to the viewing point, where a few group pictures were taken (minus bonj of course) and then back down towards Sheffield.

We stopped to admire an old racing motorbike and sidecar, then down into Sheffield where a football match was just kicking out. Plenty of filtering practise on the way back to the station, where I waved goodbye to the southern lot and headed back up the hills to home.

Fantastic day out, it was great to meet everybody. I did feel like I was holding everybody up, not a good idea to give blood 4 days before a hilly ride like this. At least waiting for me you had plenty of time to admire the views.

I didn't envy those who had to get in the van for a long drive home. I was quite glad to be in by six and tucking in to a couple of isotonic beers.

Many thanks to marinyork for organising this, and for aranging such fantastic weather.

 

[Aperitif]

Matthew - you didn't hold anyone up.

This bit though is a complete lie:

A massive burger, with Brie and Bacon, along with a huge plate of chips and onion rings. I couldn't finish it

Well done you - putting up with the Southern rough...mikee I mean

 

[hulver]

Matthew - you didn't hold anyone up.

This bit though is a complete lie:



Well done you - putting up with the Southern rough...mikee I mean

I left some chips, and an onion ring.

 

[MacB]

Hulver, I'd forgotten the skiddy braking bit, myself and Teef had reached the bottom first, to be met by a steep bend with a T junction at the end. We're yelling 'steady' back up to try and warn the rest of you, but were anticipating disaster. How you stayed upright, and retained control, I've no idea. I felt like I was watching in slo-mo and was already wincing in anticipation of your crash.

Jane was very pleased at all the praise for the flapjack so made another tray of it this afternoon. It would appear to have vanished already I blame the kids