I rode the Junior Tour of Lancs around there about 10/11 years ago I can't remember exactly where it went but I do remember it being a very tough race, half the field didn't finish...Originally Posted by Al Fowler
I rode the Junior Tour of Lancs around there about 10/11 years ago I can't remember exactly where it went but I do remember it being a very tough race, half the field didn't finish...
Young Dave, first did that as a 13 year old. Our regular 'day out' back then (1964) was out of Lancaster to Quernmore, Jubilee Tower ( about 900' above sea level ), Lower Lee,Trough of Bowland ( 1000' ASL ), Dunsop Bridge, Newton-in-Bowland, Slaidburn, Cross-o-Greet (1400' ASL), Lowgill, Wray, Caton, Lancaster. And we weren't on poncey carbon fibre bikes. Raleigh 'Dreadnought' policemen's bikes. Mind you, going N to S through the Trough is the easy way. Climbing Boundary Hill from S is a toughie. In the 1974 Milk Race, I saw members of the Swiss national amateur team dismount and push their bikes up Boundary Hill. I think that they were expecting a nicely graded Alpine style zig-zag climb. They must have been well over-geared - probably 52/42 x 13 - 25
Well, bit of a minor epic this morning as I was "working" from home, the sun was out, the hills looked appealing, but blimey it was ffffff cold! Full winter garb and off to the top of the Bwlch and back for 45 miles and a bit, 16.5 ave which was pretty good considering I had to get off and walk round one of the hairpins on the descent down to Treorchy as the ice covered half the roadMost of the rest of the descent was in the sun so no probs there apart from the cold, frozed fingers didn't come back to life until Ponty, 15 miles down the road!
Took some piccies from the top, too late to do them now, I'll post them tomoz if I have time. Oh yes, still working in imperial, everyone make sure Breezy doesn't get his hands on this thread as well as the whole of UK fellrunning
Toff, please please please please please be careful with the ice.... please! x
Ok, nagging mode off
Sounds like a good ride! But wasn'y it windy? We have a gale blowing here on the Eastern borders :-O
I went and rode on Maindy track with the Ajax last night, it was well cold, full winter garb! Thankfully I have a brilliant winter jacket and my new thick neoprene overshoes are ok, but my feet were still iceclumps after 1.5 hours of steady riding... Double gloves did the trick on my hands though
hello bike-ettes!
after acquiring a sore knee doing the phil ligget challenge - i had some time off the bike - then even more time off everything getting married and going on honeymoon!
24/10 saw me reintroducing myself with a 34 mile ride (3000 odd feet) round the peak with the new husband and a friend. This was a very harrowing experience, and involved a feeling like death experience on the climb out of grindleford.
Also knee was a bit twingy after 20ish miles. So was kicking myself for not building up a bit more gradually.
Anyway - after a week back on the commute to shef station (only 25 miles per week) i checked out the potential winter commute to chesterfield (assessing route for road lighting etc).
so then following week threw in one ride to chesterfield, and on the weekend ventured out with norton wheelers (eek!)
after falling in with this bad company i accidentally put a short stem on my husband's cross bike with the half baked idea of trying a cyclocross race this weekend.
arg arg - how will i not die in some horrible way, i have not even practised leaping on and off in a graceful bound; and i manage to land on my head just riding along the pavment let alone off road. i have some major confidence issues - i used to do quite a bit of mountain biking at uni (more than 10 years ago!) - but i never went off road after i smashed my collar bone and shoulder blade in - double arg arg.
Just enjoy Ratfink.... most courses don't have too many mounts/dismounts and aren't at all technical... chances are it'll be a mud slog so speeds will be low.. where are you racing?
thanks nikalas - i have picked the least technical course i could find locally - which is at graves tennis club in shef (as oppose to the one in a few weeks time in graves park - which looks like tree root death) - hope i can make it to this as it looks like a good intro.
Ohhh, join the club Ratfink! I am going to try a cyclocross race this Sunday! I am grossly unfit after having been off the bike for something like 6 weeks with a fractured ulna and general misereableness... Good luck and let us know how you get on, we can compare notes!
I have never done any other off road riding other than Three Peaks, which is somewhat different!
Well done rat fink. Just enjoy it. Glad your back on the bike.
Well Its howling a gale down here so no ride for me. Did 2 hrs 15 mins on the rollers in the big ring at a rapid pace. I've never sweat so much in my life. It's a year or so since I did 2 hrs on the rollers of death.
Couldn't have done it without absolute eighties on the I phone.:thumbup:
Hann I'm sure you will look back in the new year and this will just be a 6 week break. Come back steady and just keep pedaling. You will soon be up there again
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