Winnats Pass, Derbyshire

[Mapster1989]

If you have the fitness yes.

Now I've given it a go I feel that I'll be more prepared next time. The winding nature of the climb gives that sense of the unknown and I just under-estimated it and probably gave it too much lower down.

 

[endoman]

Is it acheiveable running 34/28 ? I have it included in a ride planned in for summer and don't want to fail mentally even before trying.

Yep I've done it twice with that gear, seated all the way! Instead of coming straight back down it's nice to head up Mam nick and descend into Edale and along the valley bottom into Hope, cracking little bit of road that. Winnat's defeated me at first attempt, once you get off it's very hard to clip back in. We had about 4 end up walking on last club ride up there. On a bust day it can be horrid though, thinking of Tour of Peak last year, silly amount of traffic and cyclists. It's either early Sunday or midweek for me.

 

[Hicky]

A mate who lives in Whaley does it often as hill reps....he's our unit pti and ex boot neck.
Never been up that rd so couldn't comment but if he says its challanging then I believe him.

 

[fossyant]

Is it acheiveable running 34/28 ? I have it included in a ride planned in for summer and don't want to fail mentally even before trying.

Should be.

I did it in 42 x 21 in my yoof. Now it would be 39 x 24, and a gurning competition all the way up.

 

[fossyant]

If you have the fitness yes. Fossy probably climbed it in 39:25, lol.

Not now... Only have a 24......

I probably did about 3 miles with the weaving as a yoof on 42x 21

 

[fossyant]

It is a hill of legends though. Part of my club did it on one club ride, but they tried to freeload by hanging onto the back and sides of a JCB. They had to let go as it started to bounce about.

 

[fossyant]

No way is Jenkins worse.

I enjoy climbing but I *hate* Winnats. I tackled it twice in 2012, the first time in about 20 years, I think one of the reasons I hate it is because it's busy and it's almost impossible to weave these days as you mention (which you could in the past). This then becomes psychological as you start to think of not falling off rather than concentrating about getting up the hill.

You are probably right now then.

Looking at the video, the rider had cadence, with my old gears it was like 1...........2...........1...........2

 

[400bhp]

I had a 11-18, 42-52 20 years ago.

I failed back then.

 

[fossyant]

I had a 11-18, 42-52 20 years ago.

I failed back then.

11, 18. TT gears...

 

[400bhp]

A mate who lives in Whaley does it often as hill reps....he's our unit pti and ex boot neck.
Never been up that rd so couldn't comment but if he says its challanging then I believe him.

Loony

 

[400bhp]

11, 18. TT gears...

Probably was mate - I only ever did one back then. I should have done plenty more but didn't have the parents backing me like a lot of the younger guys in the club at that time Bought the bike second hand. I was 16 at the time - bought on the day of the hillsborough disaster.

Was an awesome bike, coloumbus tubing, italian bb, mixed 600, DA, open 4 cd's. Bloody light.

Was a fairly small frame. Sold it about 10 years ago for about £120.

Winnats is the only hill ever to have defeated me and I'm a stubborn fecker and would rather fall off at that age than get off (I fell off on winnats).

 

[Ningishzidda]

Yes. There's a lot worse. Its a Cat 3.

 

[Hacienda71]

Mmmm The Cat and Fiddle is a cat2 and is easy peasy compared to Winnats.............

Have you ridden it?

 

[400bhp]

Yes. There's a lot worse. Its a Cat 3.

No there isn't!

 

[Mapster1989]

Yes. There's a lot worse. Its a Cat 3.

I always think that the Category's are subjective. I've ridden up a short sharp climb which is supposedly a Cat 3 and found it tough only to find that a long climb at a relatively easy gradient is also a Cat 3.

Now in principle they should be of a similar difficulty but in my experience that's not the case.

...but I'm sure there's a thread on that on here somewhere.