I've had my mountain bike serviced.
Needless to say I could have looked after it better.
Can't wait to ride it this weekend.
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I've had my mountain bike serviced.
Needless to say I could have looked after it better.
Can't wait to ride it this weekend.
What a difference two degrees F make! The average today was 34.7 F. Positively balmy although the only riders I saw today were hard men all in black on serious bikes. The sort that do track stands at temporary traffic lights with me waiting behind until they falter so I can say "Good try!"
Basically a trip to Grassington (37 miles 3500 feet) and passing many fell race venues. In Stirton I went up Bog Road which is the very steep start to Brett Weeden's Stirton race up to Rough Haw on Flasby Fell. It is just as steep on a bike but my slow progress did allow me to reflect that Brett (+ Sue) is simply one of the best RO. So chilled as to be horizontal (well apart from that time when a novice runner got lost on Gt. Whernside in driving snow in a night race :)).
I like the Skipton - Threshfield road. One the right is a huge ridge (Cracoe Fell, Rylstone Fell) adorned with towers and crosses and other detritus and on the left is the valley with the railway line serving Swinden Quarry, near Cracoe. This line used to go from Skipton to Threshfield (for Grassington) with, in Victorian times, aspirations to finish in the far north east, but after closure by BR the section to Cracoe was bought by the quarry owners (then Tilcon) to move thousands of tons of product every week. The quarry "shunting engine" needs to move 2500 ton trains up a 1:100 from a dead start every time a hopper wagon has been filled and weighs 150 tons with six powered axles. This is heavier than the US built General Motors diesels that have taken over main line freight traffic haulage in the UK and which carry away the filled hoppers.
After the quarry road crossing the track bed is still clear, adjecant to another country road, over farm land for the several miles to Threshfield where you meet the housing estate built on the site of the old station. Now a private house.
If you turn off the Grassington - Pately Bridge road at Hebden there is lovely high level, back-road that eventually looks down on Burnsall and the more familar side of the River Wharfe. Hardly anybody uses the road and people walk along the full width holding hands. This route can then take you, after Appletreewick, (start of more fell races) to another high and scarely visited (grass down the middle plus a ford) back road with 20% climbs and lots of gravel, looking down on Bolton Abbey, the Wharfe and tourists before Storiths near the Skipton-Harrogate road. But no need to join the HGVs for long because shortly after is the road to Beamsley and then Langbar, sitting below Beamsley Beacon (more fell races), and another 20% or so climb. Still what goes up must come down and 40mph is easily achieved if bouncing over the potholes through Middleton does not deter.
Middleton/Curly Hill is the posh part of Ilkley but the Bentley drivers are rich,old and quite intimidated by an idiot in lycra descending with no concern for their paint work. And then there would be all the paper work to sort out.:)
And then past Wheelbase and their garish window display of those Pinarello things, and home.
Talking of track beds I had a lovely ride from Earby to Carleton on the old Colne/Skipton route last week. It was a bit muddy and puddley so you roadies wouldn't like it. I do hope they never manage to reopen it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Well one or two new house-holders might be a bit grumpy and there is the little problem that the new line would have to be routed away from where the level crossing was because that would never be sanctioned now.Quote:
Originally Posted by millipede
If you carry on beyond Earby it sometimes becomes more of a cutting than an embankmnt and becomes seriously wet but I think I have been as far as Foulridge. I am not sure how far you can get towards Colne.
Well of course really it would be a good thing as a transport link- although it does go very close to some of those houses.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Maybe if it does get reopened they will add a bike/walking track as well.
It would be/was a beautiful route. Lancashire is actually really nice.Quote:
Originally Posted by millipede
After 6 days off the bike, due to tidying up my garden and allotment and getting the heavy work out of the way prior to shoulder surgery on the 24th, I went out on the Arkose yesterday afternoon.
Tarmac up to Chelmorton and then over to the HPT and to Parsley Hay. Down the Tissington Trail to Biggin and then off road on the rough Cardlemere and Cobblesnook Lanes, which really gave the shoulder some jip, back to the HPT. Northwest along to Parsley Hay and the reverse route home.
It felt a lot colder than it looked with a cold easterly and and I found I was wearing one layer too few. Only two pairs and a single cyclist seen and the car parks I passed were quieter than they have been for weeks.
A total of 36 miles and 1,644 feet in 2hrs 32.
First bike ride of the year. 20km on the tandem with Mrs Noel. Great to get out again - lovely conditions.
Back on my bike now I have injured my calf yet again, plus the weather is better. Did 38k with 900m up in the forestry - sorry it's metric but that is what my gadget says!
Your device should be able to be changed to miles and feet. You just need to find a youngster to do it for you;)Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
It does, but all these cycling bods seem to work in metric. Besides, 40k is better for my ego than 25miles, though the reverse where ascent is measured.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
South-eastwards to South Croxton, then south-west to Leicester, where a nice lady at the Peepul Centre stuck a needle into my arm. Then back home by a more direct route. 22 miles before the vaccination, 10 miles after. No adverse symptoms.
They like to label things properly around South Croxton. Half a mile before the village I turned onto a road signed "Three Turns Lane", which had three turns along it. Then there was a sign on a gate, "Two Daughters Farm", and walking across the next field was a woman with her two daughters.
However, signs were not so accurate on the other side of the village. At a junction, a sign said "Beeb". Something missing there. Two miles later, at the entrance to the next village, a big sign had the village name correct: Beeby. But that wasn't what attracted my attention; it was the white thing that drifted down to perch on top of the sign. Surely not a barn owl? It stayed there until I was only about 5 metres away and, yes, it was a barn owl: the first one I have ever seen in the wild. This was at 3:50pm; and I thought owls were nocturnal creatures. Silly me!
Furlongs is the way to go.Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
I like the idea, for all bike races held on British soil, ascent/descent measured in fathoms?Quote:
Originally Posted by noel
That should sort Jonny foreigner out, never know where the finish was.
Your ideas, Noel and Moley, could be the basis and name of a new fell race. All we need is a suitable hill or village beginning with the letter F.
Just got one.Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
Fountains Fell Furlongs and Fathoms.
Just need a RO now!
I could RO :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy
If you know where to look there’s a couple of bogs on Fountains Fell that could easily be measured in fathoms. And the straight up the wall line climb from Silverdale must do 10 x 10 metre* contour lines in less than a furlong. A truly great place for fell running but possibly one that would be spoilt by other runners going up there ;)
*Apologies I of course mean 0.5 ‘chain’ contour lines
Fantastic. We have a race.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fellbeast
Fellbeast's Fearsome Fountains Fell Furlongs and Fathoms.
When shall we have it.
First of February ;)
17 hill reps, 51km, 1009m, 2:43
Looking at next 4th July. I'm due to be in the dolomites for 138km 4230m. Not sure how I can prepare here in boring flatlands...
https://www.maratona.it/de/138km
Took the gravel bike out on the road today, before the bad weather moves in again. Managed a loop of 52k and 1027m ascent. A handful of cars and farmers trucks but no cyclists round here!
Hard work on my bike, felt like I was riding a donkey 😤 where I want to be on an Italian Stallion like Graham - one day 😉.
Spot the missing apostrophe and letter....!!!!
A handful of scars? ;)
Graham's
Unless, of course, he is Italian....
Yes, good bloke that he is the thought of mounting Graham the Italian Stallion was a step too far for this forum.Quote:
Originally Posted by Travs
A 25 miler and 2,700 feet from home for me and Hester on Sunday. We followed the B6479 (our main road), which wasn’t busy, to Helwith Bridge and then headed for Settle on Stackhouse Lane which was even unbusier.
From Settle it was, I’d like to say, a ‘swift zip’ up High Hill Lane but it was in fact a lung bursting, blowing it out my ass, quad smashing, full bollocks, dribbling and wheezing through gritted teeth, climb up fricking High bastard Hill Lane*, then over the tops to Kirkby Malham before dropping down to Malham itself. (Malham by the way had a two thirds filled Visitor Centre car park and about 40 other cars parked for free along the grass verge.... so it was quite quiet for Malham as it goes)
We then went up to Malham Tarn, around the back of the Field Centre and then over to Henside before going off piste on Moor Head Lane to pick up the B6479 again and whiz back home.
*I also managed a 5,990th equal Strava segment placing (0.44 of a mile, 13.8% gradient) on this climb I’d like to smuggly add, as well at a 176 bpm heart rate. It’s a very widely used cycle route - the Way of the Roses goes that way and I’m sure the Tour de Yorkshire will have done - and 15,100 or so Strava riders have recorded the segment. So if you squint your eyes a bit I’m very nearly in the top third on my first go
I used to be in the top 25% of some of the Strava segments on my local hills. However, I've been slowly dropping down the rankings. This may be in part due to increased numbers of cyclists but are all these newbies going to be quicker than me? Unlikely, so the other factor has to be the number of e-bikes on the road these days and I don't think Strava classifies these any differently - some of the KoMs around our way are highly suspect. So you can probably squint a little harder and elevate yourself to much higher!Quote:
Originally Posted by Fellbeast
I read this as you are hung like a donkey and feel like an Italian stallion...but then re-read more carefully. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
18 hill reps, 52km, 1059m, 2:45
Possibly my subconscious was typing that post whilst I dozed.Quote:
Originally Posted by Graham Breeze
Perhaps you'd benefit from a course of cycloanalysis :rolleyes:Quote:
Originally Posted by molehill
Nice :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Mossdog
Whilst thoroughly enjoying Eurosports coverage of both Paris-Nice and Tirreno-Adriatico I am surprised that they are continuing to race with the rise of Coronavirus in both France and Italy.
There are even thousands of roadside spectators and I think our Government should certainly think again about allowing the Euro's football matches to take place here later in the year.
Sorry. Crossed to The Dark Side and gone and got an E-MTB. 30 miles in the Forest of Dean. Did not raise a sweat but the daft grin wont depart my chops!
Once we have fixed the Edingale anomaly on the Derbys/Staffs border, we could move the England/Wales border in the area around Monmouth where it departs from its logical path along the Wye and Monnow rivers, and then Wheeze would be in England . . . unless he lives in the part of Monmouth on the other side of the Monnow.Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
At least one of the Shropshire races races crosses the border a couple of times... Breidden Hills i'm sure does... possibly the now defunct Corndon Classic too, where i'm sure the start/finish line was pretty much on the border...
Oooh, you are a bit sharp this evening noticing that. Navigational error?Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
I started my exercise from home as mr dripford insists. I saw no border guards so pressed on!
Your reference to the Welsh First Minister of the Senedd as Mr Dripford made me smile when I saw it, but seeing and listening to him on todays lunchtime news caused me to nearly piss myself laughing as your description is so apt.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wheeze
Calling someone a drip was one of my dads expressions and he would have wholeheartedly agreed with you Wheeze.
Thankyou.
I decided that the wind was too strong and gusty for a safe road ride so I just dropped down into Bakewell and cycled the length of the Monsal Trail to Wye Dale Cottages and then back home.
Very hard work on the way out into the wind and the Headstone Tunnel was like a "wind tunnel". Once through it and onto the viaduct I was flagged down by a very muddy mountain biker who was in need of a 6mm Allen key. I duly obliged and was grateful for a rest!
A few other cyclists, runners and deaf, even to my shrill bell, walkers kept me on my toes especially on the way back with a tailwind.
A total of 25 miles, 1,227 feet in 1hr 33 min and only caught in one hail shower.
But was it really hail or graupel? Sorry - I'm just keen to use my newly learnt word from the "Todays permitted exercise!" thread. :oQuote:
Originally Posted by Llani Boy