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

[PaulB]

I love that climb and regret the fact that currently, I wouldn't be able to do it. It's a great testing ground and if you can get to the top (from Burnley or Clitheroe side) without foot touching ground, then you know you are fit!

Although saying that, Black Hill, which is on the opposite side of Sabden, is shorter but steeper than the Nick!

 

[trio25]

Right I will be meeting you lot at Whalley as Ali is going to come as well so she is getting the train out. The train gets to Whalley at 12:04, does that work? Don't fancy being there an hour early ;-)

Plan is we will ride home after the ride if she is not too tired.

 

[Arch]

Nick o'Pendle, Sabden

<has fit of the vapours>

<faints>

Looks lovely, can I get a helicopter to the top?

 

[RedBike]

I'm not coming.

 

[Sysagent]

I may need to cut the ride short (PaulB section) and head off back home, as I need to be there for 13:30 for Rover's vs Man U...

 

[ColinJ]

For no special reason, other than I found it, here's the link to streetview that corresponds to ColinJ's photo above:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...=Gf6mxgcMJp0r9BTP8Tv1wQ&cbp=12,317.65,,2,0.68

I've just followed the road down Black Hill, through Sabden and up to the Nick. It is really hard to get a true impression of the gradient of the climb but if you tilt the Google Street View image so that the horizon is just at the top of the screen it looks about right.

I love that climb and regret the fact that currently, I wouldn't be able to do it. It's a great testing ground and if you can get to the top (from Burnley or Clitheroe side) without foot touching ground, then you know you are fit!

Although saying that, Black Hill, which is on the opposite side of Sabden, is shorter but steeper than the Nick!

My picture was taken from Black Hill. I agree that it is a tough little climb. I had to walk it the first time I came across it. My lowest gear was 40/28 then but I now have a 30/28 for just such occasions!

Right I will be meeting you lot at Whalley as Ali is going to come as well so she is getting the train out. The train gets to Whalley at 12:04, does that work? Don't fancy being there an hour early ;-)

That's fine. We are meeting Paul et al at a nominal 12:00 just above Whalley at Spring Wood picnic centre. We might arrive a bit before that or a bit after. The station is on our route anyway so we can ride down to pick you up on the way.

If by some chance we are delayed (punctures or whatever) either wait for us at the station, or if you feel like it, ride up to Spring Wood - it's only about a mile from the station and a minor climb out of the town.

Plan is we will ride home after the ride if she is not too tired.

She should be fine - the Ribble Valley part of the ride is only a flattish 25 miles or so.

<has fit of the vapours>

<faints>

Looks lovely, can I get a helicopter to the top?

There's probably nowhere flat enough for one to land!

I'm not coming.

After reading about your Easter weekend adventures on NCR 5, I'm not surprised!

I may need to cut the ride short (PaulB section) and head off back home, as I need to be there for 13:30 for Rover's vs Man U...

Tut tut... It's Paris Roubaix on Sunday but I'm not letting that stop me! (Hurries downstairs to set up hard disk tv recorder...) Can't you record it and catch it when you get home?

 

[RedBike]

Quote:
Originally Posted by RedBike
I'm not coming.

After reading about your Easter weekend adventures on NCR 5, I'm not surprised!

Lol, i've got an even harder MTB ride planned IF I can get a bike in working order. (Given up trying to get a road bike working, which is why i'm not turning up).

 

[PaulB]

Another rider confirms he can do it! Our Liam will definitely be amongst us so he'll either be there in Whalley or maybe even meet you guys earlier to add a few more miles on than me. He'll decide and let us all know.

 

[Arch]

If the forecast is warm, I may overdo the Cyclechat kit - I haven't worn my shorts yet!

At the least, I'll have my CC showerproof jacket and my CC jersey on.

 

[aJohnson]

Weather is looking promising, supposed to be sunny

 

[colly]

98% now.

 

[Arch]

Weather is looking promising, supposed to be sunny

Don't say that too loud!

 

[aJohnson]

Don't say that too loud!

Sorry

I mean the weather is looking like weather looks...

 

[ColinJ]

Lol, i've got an even harder MTB ride planned IF I can get a bike in working order.

!

Another rider confirms he can do it! Our Liam will definitely be amongst us so he'll either be there in Whalley or maybe even meet you guys earlier to add a few more miles on than me. He'll decide and let us all know.

That's good. If he wants to meet us on Widdop Road then tell him that we should be riding along it between about 10:15 and 11:00 so if he set off from Colne at about 09:45 he'd meet us somewhere coming the other way. If he really wants to pile the miles on and come all the way to Hebden Bridge, then he'd need to get to the car park here by about 09:30.

If the forecast is warm, I may overdo the Cyclechat kit - I haven't worn my shorts yet!

At the least, I'll have my CC showerproof jacket and my CC jersey on.

My only item of CC kit is a CC buff which I normally wear round my neck in cold weather but I'm hoping that I won't be needing that. Perhaps I'll wear it on my head instead of my bandana.

I fully intend to be wearing shorts for this ride (as opposed to tights that is, rather than nowt!) but I'll have my lightweight leg warmers on because I don't think it will be warm enough for me to want bare legs.

Those who have been psychologically scarred by some of my previous CC rides will be relieved to know that I have at long last discovered the bald patch in my old shorts that all of you were too polite to tell me about (thanks guys ). Those shorts are now relegated to turbo and sub-tights duties and I have a new pair which are guaranteed to be opaque for this ride!

Updated list...

Hebden Bridge (meet 09:30, set off from car park to HB station 09:40, meet riders off trains at about 09:50):

• ColinJ
• Alun
• Sysagent (with Alun)
• aJohnson (may ride to HB or get lift over)
• Frustruck
• dan_bo
• Arch
• colly (98%)
• svendo

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

• PaulB + Bro-in-law Robert + Liam
• Globalti
• trio25 + Ali (might be at Spring Wood or down at station)

A very tiny chance indeed:

• Garz (probably off partying in Sheffield!)

 

[aJohnson]

I'll be getting a lift over to HB and may ride back to Bury dependent on what my legs want to do.