Sunday, 11th April - The PaulB Recovery Ride, Hebden Bridge / Whalley / Ribble Valley

[ColinJ]

Big C, unless I don't go to a function in Sheffield on the 10th (which is an annual birthday bash) then I could make it. I would realistically say that my chances are less than 10%, the strange thing is the last time I wanted to get out with you guys it fell on the same kind of circumstance where I was getting wasted the night before!

If it changes weekend then I will be glad to participate, I am however doing the Wrynose or bust cycle event on the 25th which would have been excellent preparation for..

It would be nice to meet you, but if you do go to Sheffield - have a good 'un!

 

[Christopher]

hi Colin
Thanks for the reply - I hadn't checked the train times and you are completely right on that (I live in Preston). Think what I will do is get the train to Brierfield for 0900, then ride your outward leg in reverse & hope to see you all on the road somewhere near Widdop, on the wind-blasted moor. I will PM you my moby number a little nearer the day. So even if I fail to meet you all, or something goes awry, I can still head to Whalley for the 1300 rendezvous at Spring Wood.

 

[ColinJ]

hi Colin
Thanks for the reply - I hadn't checked the train times and you are completely right on that (I live in Preston). Think what I will do is get the train to Brierfield for 0900, then ride your outward leg in reverse & hope to see you all on the road somewhere near Widdop, on the wind-blasted moor. I will PM you my moby number a little nearer the day. So even if I fail to meet you all, or something goes awry, I can still head to Whalley for the 1300 rendezvous at Spring Wood.

Sounds like a plan! (I'd forgotten about the line that goes through Brierfield.)

If you are doing that though, there is no need to delay our departure from Hebden Bridge. If we set off at the original time of 09:40 we would definitely meet you somewhere on the Widdop Road. I don't think you would get to Slack Top (this end of Widdop Road) in less than an hour and it shouldn't take us more than about 20 minutes to get up there from town.

We can therefore stick to the original plan of meeting Paul et al at 12:00 at Spring Wood picnic centre, Whalley.

I'll edit the earlier post to remove any references to a delayed start.

 

[RedBike]

I might be tempted by this. I just need to work out how practical it is to ride back home on Sun night so that I can be in work Monday.

 

[ColinJ]

I might be tempted by this. I just need to work out how practical it is to ride back home on Sun night so that I can be in work Monday.

Your practical isn't quite the same as my practical so I'm not sure!

It's going to be about 70 miles in total from Hebden Bridge but a bit less hilly than my rides normally are.

You could always catch the train back from Todmorden if you didn't want to ride the return leg. We''ll be riding back through Tod at about 16:30 and there is a train to Manchester from there at 16:52. It would be an hour until the next one though but if you just missed it you could ride the 20-odd miles into Manchester and catch a train home from there?

If you catch the train from Tod, it takes you to Manchester Victoria. You'd probably have to ride over to Manchester Piccadilly to catch your train home but that's only a mile or so. (Watch out for the tram tracks! )

 

[Globalti]

Hi Colin, I should be OK for the Whalley bit as that's my evening training run. Depends on family commitments though so my decision is likely to be last-minute.

 

[PaulB]

Hi Colin, I should be OK for the Whalley bit as that's my evening training run. Depends on family commitments though so my decision is likely to be last-minute.

Look forward to seeing you and riding with you again. I will be a bit better on the road than I was on that lumpy stuff you took us on! Let's hope we don't encounter a faux pas of an 'intimate' kind, this time, eh?

 

[ColinJ]

Hi Colin, I should be OK for the Whalley bit as that's my evening training run. Depends on family commitments though so my decision is likely to be last-minute.

It will be good if you can make it. ETA at Spring Wood ~= 12:00.

Let's hope we don't encounter a faux pas of an 'intimate' kind, this time, eh?

Oh, the infamous rampant doggers incident where the woman got annoyed because none of you volunteered to join in!

Speaking of unexpected glimpses of flesh... Fortunately, I noticed recently that there is a big bald patch on the back of my bibshorts. I know that I sell my CycleChat forum rides as being good for the crack but that wasn't the crack that I had in mind! I've just taken delivery of a new pair of shorts so that particular faux pas of the intimate kind has been avoided!

 

[Sysagent]

I might be there.

(Not with the Doggers)

I would like to start from Hebden Bridge, do the Paul bit and then break off to return to Great Harwood where I live, but the logistics of getting to Hebden Bridge are extremely difficult from where I live, I will see what I can work out...

 

[ColinJ]

I might be there.

(Not with the Doggers)

I would like to start from Hebden Bridge, do the Paul bit and then break off to return to Great Harwood where I live, but the logistics of getting to Hebden Bridge are extremely difficult from where I live, I will see what I can work out...

Well, what you could do is to do the bit that you'd be missing out at the end of the ride at the start instead! That is ride through Padiham and then take the A646 all the way to Hebden Bridge.

I used to take about 50 minutes from Rose Grove back to Hebden Bridge so it would take you, what, 1 hr 20 mins - 2 hrs from Great Harwood depending how fast you are? That would mean setting off, say, 07:30 - 08:00.

The roads should be pretty quiet at that time on a Sunday morning so it might be quite a nice ride over here.

 

[Garz]

Worked around Huddersfield and Meltham today and brought back shuddering images of tough last of the summer wine sadistically hilly scenery!

 

[Sysagent]

Alun man of winstuff will be picking me up from Turner's Towers en-route at 9am!

So I guess I will see you in Hebden then after all.

 

[ColinJ]

Alun man of winstuff will be picking me up from Turner's Towers en-route at 9am!

So I guess I will see you in Hebden then after all.

Very good!

So, I suppose it is time to work out exactly who is planning to come along...

Hebden Bridge (meet 09:30, set off 09:40):

• ColinJ
• Sysagent
• Alun
• trio25
• aJohnson
• Frustruck
• dan_bo

Spring Wood picnic centre, Whalley (12:00 ish)

• PaulB
• Globalti
• longers (just to say hi)?

Maybes (Please let me know one way or t'other folks!)

• Arch & HelenD123
• colly
• zacklaws
• Garz
• RedBike

That is the current list of riders. Any changes?

 

[aJohnson]

I don't know if I'll be riding to Hebden or getting a lift as I may be stopping at my brothers house.

I do need to get this college work done first though.

 

[zacklaws]

I'm definetly not coming now, waited to see how much dosh I've spent over Easter and its left me broke now for the rest of the month, and I start almost 4 weeks holiday this weekend too.

I will be coming through for SITD though the following weekend.