Where's the longest continuous freewheel in Britain?

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classic33

Leg End Member
Thus has come up on UK Climbing so I thought CCers would be interested. Somebody posted this link: https://what-if.xkcd.com/154/

@ColinJ will be along soon to tell us about Cragg Vale. But can it be freewheeled all the way?
It can, and further than the climb. You can start at the junction with the A58.
 
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Globalti

Globalti

Legendary Member
Surely only with a stiff breeze behind you? The first few hundred yards alongside the reservoir are pan-flat.
 
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I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
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Cragg Vale certainly seems to be rollable on paper. Just a shade over 5.5 miles of continuous downhill which I think is an established fact as the longest in this country. I wonder if there are any longer ones where there is a short uphill section to break it up, but not uphill enough to stop you rolling over it?
 

Jody

Stubborn git
I wonder if there are any longer ones where there is a short uphill section to break it up, but not uphill enough to stop you rolling over it?

Snake pass can't be far off surely? Or the woodhead dropping down into MCR
 

MikeG

Guru
Location
Suffolk
Mennock Pass, Wales, is 6.9 miles.

I'd be absolutely certain there are longer ones than these, by a substantial amount too. We had an 11 miles coast in Scotland on our Lejog a few years back (it says so in my diary). The thing is, it wasn't really a hill. Nothing you'd particularly note if you were going the other way. People are presumably reverse-searching hills, when in fact a road with a 0.5% gradient (ie all-but-flat) wouldn't show up on any hill search, but could well produce a continuous coasting opportunity.
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
@ColinJ will be along soon to tell us about Cragg Vale. But can it be freewheeled all the way?
It is normally possible to freewheel for at least 5 miles down through Cragg Vale. Usually there is a SW wind at the summit and if you look at the map posted by ILS above you can see that it would help on the descent.

Rarely, however, there can be a headwind on the descent. Depending on the strength of that, you might or might not be able to freewheel. I encountered the monster headwind from hell on that descent once and had to stand in a 39/29 gear to force the pedals round to be able to move forward.

It can, and further than the climb. You can start at the junction with the A58.

Surely only with a stiff breeze behind you?
Yes - it is very slightly uphill from the junction, past the reservoir to the actual summit so it would require a monster tailwind to freewheel from the junction.

I'm not sure exactly where it is possible to freewheel from, from a standing start. The gradient is so shallow at the summit that without the tailwind or a brief turn of the pedals, the bike might not actually start rolling.

Similarly, the gradient at the bottom is very shallow and I am not sure where you could actually freewheel to.

Normally, I would pedal down the shallower parts of the descent but I'll check it out freewhelling next time I am doing my Cragg Vale loop in that direction. I was going to offer to do it this afternoon, but it looks like there would be a stiff cross-headwind hampering downward progress.
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
Woodhead is not continuous. I doubt you would get round the sharp bend and over the uphill hump at the small bridge below the Dunford Bridge junction, and again at the bottom where the tunnel entrances are, it is shallow gradient to the bend followed by a few hundred yards of flat or slight uphill. probably won't be carrying anywhere near enough speed to reach the final drop down to the reservoir bridge. Even if you did, it is around a mile less distance than Cragg Vale.
Snake pass is even shorter. You might be lucky enough to get as far as the roundabout at Manor Park but I doubt it. Having looked at the distances it is actually further than I always thought. I had it down as about 2 miles from the pub at the bottom to the summit but it is actually a bit over 3 miles :ninja:
 

roubaixtuesday

self serving virtue signaller
It's not quite the longest, albeit not far off, but I'd like to nominate as the *best* descent, Great Dun Fell.

625m in just over 7km at 50kmh, slightly less than 9 minutes, a fabulous view all the way down and car free.

An absolute killer on the way up mind.

https://veloviewer.com/segments/732824

Another one of note is the aptly named Long Hill from Buxton to Whaley, not far off in terms of distance.
 
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Globalti

Globalti

Legendary Member
I'll pump my tyres up to 120, carry a golf umbrella as a sail and give Cragg Vale a go one day when the wind is in the south-west!

On second thoughts, much of that road has a horribly rough surface....
 

T4tomo

Guru
Blakey ridge to Hutton le Hole must be a contender thats about 8 miles, but it has the odd rise in it, depends on whether you can build up enough speed to coast the uphill.
 

NorthernDave

Never used Über Member
What about dropping down the A9 in the Highlands? There are some long descents there, but not sure about any uphill sections.

Blakey ridge to Hutton le Hole must be a contender thats about 8 miles, but it has the odd rise in it, depends on whether you can build up enough speed to coast the uphill.

I was thinking the same, or descending off the Wold's towards Driffield - long, long descents but would you be going fast enough to coast up the up bits?

Some canals are built with a slight gradient aren't they? Or did I make that up?

If they are, and if that gradient is of the order of the 1:500 mentioned in the article, oh and if you can find one with a super smooth tow path, then that might be the solution.

A good idea but you'd have to stop every 500 yards for anglers to shift their tackle...:rolleyes:
 
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