Today's Bike Ride

[Graham Breeze]

I do remember seeing some signs that day. Scary business. Thankfully on the tandem I have an in-built safety system that shouts at me if we're going over about 35mph.

You're right, with two pedalling we should fly up those hills. Just looking back at a segment called Dibble's Bridge to Stump Cross Caverns. It took us 21 minutes. Dividing the time by two, as we were on a tandem, we were only 2 and a half minutes off the fastest time of about 7 and a half minutes!

So if you were really trying

[anthonykay]

Never having been along that road, I have had a look on Google streetview. Compared to some examples of the steep-hill-with-a-sharp-bend-at-the-bottom phenomenon that I have ridden, it looks fairly innocuous; which I suppose may be part of the problem. With that long, fairly straight descent from the east, Noel would be among a minority of cyclists if he was going at less than 40mph. And the road is quite wide . . . until you get to that bridge at the bottom.

[noel]

Apparently the bridge here: https://www.google.com/search?q=53.1...hrome&ie=UTF-8

is tricky as it's
a)at the bottom of a long hill and
b)the exit bend from the bridge is deceptively sharper than the entry bend.

We know the people who live at the house just on the corner. They periodically have to pull cyclists with broken collar bones out of the field only to be bemused that the riders are more concerned by the state of the bikes post-impact with the dry stone wall.

[Graham Breeze]

Apparently the bridge here: https://www.google.com/search?q=53.1...hrome&ie=UTF-8

is tricky as it's
a)at the bottom of a long hill and
b)the exit bend from the bridge is deceptively sharper than the entry bend.

We know the people who live at the house just on the corner. They periodically have to pull cyclists with broken collar bones out of the field only to be bemused that the riders are more concerned by the state of the bikes post-impact with the dry stone wall.

Well that made me laugh. Somewhat hysterically.

[Muddy Retriever]

Well maybe I don't know much about fell running but isn't, say, Snowdon "won" on the downhill?

A 16% climb isn't at all steep when you can find 25% climbs + hairpins + gravel.But what is a bit different about the Dibble Bridge descent is that if you don't navigate the narrow S bend at the bridge with, of course, vehicles coming in the opposite direction and which you can't see until the last few seconds so you don't know how much of the road they are taking up, you might die.

And three cyclists have.

And North Yorkshire Highways has just spent a lot of money erecting two huge signs specifically aimed at cyclists (not bikers or coaches) because they clearly think it could happen again.

When I did the White Rose Classic a few years ago there was also a large pot hole just in front of the bridge - to add to the fun. The organisers had stationed a man there waving a big red flag. This was 2018 I think but I presume it has been repaired since then as I didn't notice it in the car when I passed that way last September.

I think there are also barriers on the bridge these days to stop cyclists plunging 30 feet over the edge. I've done that descent a number of times and never felt that troubled. But saying that. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat on steepish downhills generally so don't gather enough speed for it to be an issue.

[Graham Breeze]

When I did the White Rose Classic a few years ago there was also a large pot hole just in front of the bridge - to add to the fun. The organisers had stationed a man there waving a big red flag. This was 2018 I think but I presume it has been repaired since then as I didn't notice it in the car when I passed that way last September.

I think are also barriers on the bridge these days to stop cyclists plunging 30 feet over the edge. I've done that descent a number of times and never felt that troubled. But saying that. I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat on steepish downhills generally so don't gather enough speed for it to be an issue.

I once watched le Tour high up on the Tourmalet (it was snowing!) and then I descended back to St Luz when the road was still closed to traffic allowing hundreds of cyclists to use the full width of the road on the sweeping bends to go berserk. I must not have got my aerotuck quite right because riders were looking at me as they passed and I am sure they were thinking "why is he going so slow?"

[molehill]

I did a road ride today on the gravel bike, 52k and 1000m, same route as 10 days ago but quicker.
Strava gave me 18 achievements for this, I was quite happy with the single achievement of a better overall speed.

[Llani Boy]

Apparently the bridge here: https://www.google.com/search?q=53.1...hrome&ie=UTF-8

is tricky as it's
a)at the bottom of a long hill and
b)the exit bend from the bridge is deceptively sharper than the entry bend.

We know the people who live at the house just on the corner. They periodically have to pull cyclists with broken collar bones out of the field only to be bemused that the riders are more concerned by the state of the bikes post-impact with the dry stone wall.

I know that one well Noel and as you say tricky. Sometimes can be made trickier by a liberal sprinkling of gravel after heavy rain, which nearly caused my downfall on one of my earliest visits.

And don't start me on the road surface on that little rise under the trees by Manor Farm which ruins what little momentum one has left after slowing for the bridge!

[molehill]

Fitted new front pads on disc brake this morning, as they were binding I decided to ride to the top and come back down to wear the brakes in. 17k and 400m, surprising how much harder it is riding uphill with the brakes on!
It didn't work.

[noel]

surprising how much harder it is riding uphill with the brakes on!

But what good training, eh? When you need to pedal going downhill that's when you're training properly.