Sun 14th, 50-60 hilly miles from Hebden Bridge/Todmorden

[ColinJ]

I'm going to help trio25 get some hilly training miles in on Sunday. Does anybody fancy joining us?

I haven't worked out an exact route yet but I will probably meet trio in Hebden Bridge or Todmorden at 10:00 and do about 30 miles to a cafe and 20-25 miles back. I'll post the details before the weekend.

It will be the usual sort of thing - lots of hills and nice scenery. Pretty slow average speed but you'll be free to get your kicks by riding uphill as fast as you like as long as you wait for me to catch up at the summits.

 

[Calum]

Put me down as a maybe, really like the idea, but I may be out on saturday night, so we'll see what sort of condition i'm in on sunday morning...

 

[Svendo]

Ack, I'll have to miss this one Colin, combination of first Grand Prix then Mater and Sister coming over for dinner. We're going to the Ram's Head Inn half way up Windy Hill from Denshaw. Kept riding past it and thinking it looks OK. We shall see.
I'll also be having a rest day anyway as I've been off work this week and taking advantage of the clear weather and non-standard winds, so will have done 250 miles by Sunday.

 

[Calum]

Actually, just had a quick look at the trains. There aren't any that go further than halifax, would have to get a bus from Halifax onwards, f**k that! So unless Colly's driving out, I probably wont make this one.

 

[colly]

It's a definate maybe. I'll see how the land lies with my nearest and dearest. I have a vague idea something is planned but as is the way with these things I am last to know.

 

[aJohnson]

I'll be there... well I should be. Need to get some more mileage in so this will be perfect.

 

[ColinJ]

It's getting harder and harder to think of local places that I haven't taken you to before!

Okay, I've come up a route with some nice little bits and pieces that we definitely haven't done, stitched together with lots of bits that we have, but riding them in the opposite direction to make them seem different.

Some of the climbs are pretty tough including that brute to the TV mast you did on your abortive WYCR ride last year colly!

We'd end up at Blackstone Edge. Anybody wanting to head back through Rochdale could descend to Littleborough from there. Anybody heading back to Hebden Bridge could descend with me to Mytholmroyd.

I thought that we could try the cafe at the Scar Top furniture centre for a change.

Remember - what doesn't kill us makes us stronger, though what nearly kills us doesn't...!

 

[trio25]

Sounds great!

aJohnson I will be riding out from Bolton, so through Bury if you want to meet up on the way?

Callum out on saturday is no excuse I will be riding back from Manchester at midnight after getting the last train from sheffield, to be fair no longer being a young student I won't have been drinking much!

 

[Alun]

I'll be there! Weather forecast looks OK, let me know when and where to meet you. Market Place CP Hebden Bridge?

 

[colly]

Some of the climbs are pretty tough including that brute to the TV mast

Dear God !! Well that's me out then.

It's just as well I have a kids party to go to in the afternoon.

Have fun you lot. And if you have any....fit some low gears.

 

[Alun]

I'm not above getting off and pushing, if needs must !

 

[aJohnson]

Sounds great!

aJohnson I will be riding out from Bolton, so through Bury if you want to meet up on the way?

Sounds good, I'd be up for that.

 

[Bokonon]

I'd be up for it except I have one of the same problems as Calum - trains from Leeds aren't going beyond Halifax on Sunday. I could ride from Leeds, which is about 26 miles avoiding Halifax, but could then end up cycling home on busy A roads in the dark, or I could ride from Halifax which would still involve riding through Halifax. Which I don't want to do. Ever.

 

[ColinJ]

I'll be there... well I should be. Need to get some more mileage in so this will be perfect.

Sounds great!

aJohnson I will be riding out from Bolton, so through Bury if you want to meet up on the way?

AJ & Trio - we'll meet you wait at the gates to Centre Vale Park at 10:00 then. That's on your left about 1/4 mile after the roundabout in Tod in the Burnley direction. It beats hanging about by a busy roundabout and we'll be going up the A646 towards Burnley anyway.

For you, Littleborough-Littleborough will be about 100 km (62 miles). You'll have to work out how much you are doing to and from Littleborough on top of that.

For those of us doing Hebden Bridge-Hebden Bridge it will be about 105 km (65 miles) but at least the last 14 km (8.5 miles) are down hill or flat.

Alun/Trio - I've just discovered that I haven't got your numbers. I'll PM you mine and if you send me yours I'll be able to contact you if there is a problem. If you ever want to contact me outside of CC rides though, PM or email is the way to go - I never carry the mobile any other time.

I'll be there! Weather forecast looks OK, let me know when and where to meet you. Market Place CP Hebden Bridge?

Excellent. Make it 09:30 Alun and then we can have a leisurely ride over to Tod in time for 10:00.

[Nasty bastard climb to TV tower...]

Dear God !! Well that's me out then.

There are several other hills almost as bad as that one!

Calum - looks like you are out then unless you have a rush of blood to the head and decide to ride over from Halifax - hint, hint. They only allow (fully folded) folding bikes on rail replacement buses. There is a train which would get you to Halifax in time to ride to HB. It's about 8 miles to HB from Halifax and largely downhill/flat on the way here. You could get to HB in just over 30 minutes so if you are going to do that let us know and we'll wait for you.

If you wanted to take a shortcut back Calum, we will be crossing the A646 at Luddenden Foot about 7 km (4 miles) from Halifax late in the ride, so you could leave us there. Alternatively, when we climb the A58 to Blackstone Edge, you could head ride down the A58 to Ripponden and have an easy ride down to Sowerby Bridge. From there it is only a couple of miles to Hailfax station - one shortish steep climb and then a downhill run into town.

Have fun you lot. And if you have any....fit some low gears.

Yes - some combination of low gears, strong legs or SPD shoes for the walking bits will be required. I also recommend that you check your brake blocks - I almost wore out my rear blocks on the wet Wharfedale ride last weekend and will probably replace them before Sunday's ride. My slow puncture mutated into a fast one when I got home so that will need sorting out too.

 

[ColinJ]

I'd be up for it except I have one of the same problems as Calum - trains from Leeds aren't going beyond Halifax on Sunday. I could ride from Leeds, which is about 26 miles avoiding Halifax, but could then end up cycling home on busy A roads in the dark, or I could ride from Halifax which would still involve riding through Halifax. Which I don't want to do. Ever.

I think I made my feelings clear about riding on busy streets on last week's ride, but to be honest - it doesn't actually take that long to get into/out of Halifax centre and even I cope okay with it - early morning and late afternoon on a Sunday - NB I wouldn't want to do it in peak traffic!

I've done the Red Rose Ride and The Other Fleet Moss Randonnée which both use an HQ about 0.5 km from the station and it was fine.

If you took the A58 option described above on the way back, you could get within 2.5 miles of Halifax station very quickly from where you left us.