Today's Bike Ride

[mr brightside]

Two words: Pateley Bridge. It lies in a river ravine and when it rains a lot the River Nidd floods, a lot. Every road out involves a hill, some are long and steep (Greenhow 3990 m, gain 282m),Nought Bank Road (2700m, 207m) which are in Simon Warren's book but others with chevrons are not (Old Church Road and Peat Lane). Oh and the mainroad to Harrogate is steep as well.

So a few hilly loops round Pateley will sort out anyone's climbing credentials.

My son lives in Otley (on the R Wharfe) and to go North to Pateley involves climbing over Blubberhouses Moor ,losing all the height going down to a river valley (Washburn) and then climbing up over more moors to reach Pateley.

It's why Yorkshire has an ICU recognised Tour (of Yorkshire) and no other county has.

I don't go that way, it bores me to death and there's usually a headwind going over Katty White's Allotment. I go straight to The Craven Arms for some 'courage' and take the New Road.

It's sad how terrible my rides have got now the boozers are shut.

[Graham Breeze]

Rode with my son today. Alas not to Pateley Bridge** but 21 local miles: Cow & Calf, Old Pool Bank, 1860 feet. My resting pulse of less than 50bpm peaked at 157 - but I was trying to keep up with him. Very windy but "hundreds" of cyclists out.

** The Visit Harrogate Tourist site advertises "Nidderdale's Killer Climbs":

Trapping Hill, or the Cote de Lofthouse.

Now famous after its starring role on Stage 2 of the 2017 Tour de Yorkshire Trapping Hill leaves the village of Lofthouse far behind as it climbs the valley wall of Upper Nidderdale. Not dropping below 10% until the end this climb is relentless from the outset but kicks up at several points to escalate the challenge.

Naught Bank (or ‘Two Stoops’)

Naught Bank might not be so bad if it were not for the 25% left hand hairpin in its opening stretch. Never letting you see too much of the climb at once this road explores the hillside as it climbs before finding a nook to sneak up onto the moors. The Two Stoops name comes from the popular folly that can be seen on its summit.

Peat Lane

Starting near the foot of Naught Bank, Peat Lane is a climb of two halves, with most of the climbing coming in the first half mile and the added challenge of a poor road surface. The second half is a climbing time trial of about a mile in length emerging finally by the popular Coldstones Cut.

Old Church Lane

This climb begins at the top of a hill. But bear with us. While the main road up Pateley Bridge’s award winning high street turns to follow a gentle route down the valley, our climb carries on up possibly the hardest of our Killer Climbs. Passing the old church of St Mary’s that gives the climb its name, the tight, winding, and unrelenting gradients take the most direct route up the north side of Nidderdale and simply do not stop until you reach the top.

~~~

One might think if you are cyclist you may as well stay in Pateley Bridge where these climbs actually are - but perhaps that was a pedal stroke too far for the Harrogate Tourist Office!

[MattPo]

And the Pie shop in Pateley Bridge is probably the best in Yorkshire - so the world.
Old Pool Bank is a stiff climb. Many running sessions up there with my Otley running club mates. Bugger to race up, unless it's against Mr Cardinale!

[molehill]

This morning Wheeze came on his bike......let me rephrase that 🤔.

Wheeze and friend stopped by on their bikes for a cup of coffee - b****r wrong sort of bikes, forget that.

[mr brightside]

This morning Wheeze came on his bike......let me rephrase that ��.

Wheeze and friend stopped by on their bikes for a cup of coffee - b****r wrong sort of bikes, forget that.

Bought an ebike has he? Him and Toffer?

[molehill]

Bought an ebike has he? Him and Toffer?

Even worse a vroom vroom motorbike 😱.
Toffer would not be seen with an ebike (I think) - he has a shed full of Italian bikes that would make Graham swoon. Think he has one at any rate!

[anthonykay]

Very clear so I had beautiful views, and the best of both worlds as I could see Beacon Hill but not Birmingham Or Coventry for that matter

Other places that you had the benefit of not seeing from the Mease and Tame valleys were Derby, Nottingham and Leicester, which were all visible from Beacon Hill.

[molehill]

At last, sunshine and dry a glorious spring day. Unfortunately the ride was inglorious, suffered from the start and legs refused to work - even after a mars bar!
Cut the route short by missing a big forestry section and happy to arrive home after 44k and 1070m ascent.

[molehill]

Worth pointing out that this amount of ascent is only 15m short of ascending Snowdon. From sea level.

I can't tell you what many of us would give to be able to ascend, and descend, the equivalent of Snowdon in not much over the distance of a marathon.

It is very up and down here, in fact there is no flat peddling on any route - unless I head down the valley to main A roads ☹. I do frequently wish for some easy riding just for the sake of it as I get no younger! Most of my routes including the back roads tend to average out around 1000m per 50k.

[Graham Breeze]

With a warm forecast I decided to display my gorgeous Mercatone Uno-Bianchi-Girmi (see left) top for the first time this year and pay homage to Marco on the Nick O' Pendle which Simon Warren awards 8/10 (rather generously in my view) in Cycling Climbs of North-West England. Apparently I was almost alone in this ambition because I only saw one other rider in the area but dozens of parked cars of course.

So out via Silsden-Cowling-Colne and then up to Sabden. With an OS map in my sack I would normally disdain the
navigational abilities of my phone but on this occasion it was valuable by warning me that Sabden Road was closed and finding the fastest alternative route ("fast" here being a relative term). Then home via the Clitheroe-Skipton Road.

So 56 miles, 3900 feet, max pulse 154, max speed 42 mph, one litre of apple juice, 2 gels and one sandwich consumed and, can that really be the start of a sun tan in March?