35 wet miles this morning

[steve50]

my nephew wanted to go for a bike ride with me so we arranged for an early start today. 06.45am we were out the door and on our way, now the met office has been forecasting a good day for our region all week, it couldn't have been more wrong!!
When we set off from my house the rain had stopped, i thought "great, should be a steady dry ride" WRONG!!!

We headed out through Sowerby Bridge to Ripponden, @ColinJ will know this route well, up Ripponden bank continued up to Blackstone Edge reservoir where the weather just got worse, it was pouring down, windy and foggy, we eventually arrived at Hollingworth Lake looking like two drowned rats.
We left Hollingworth Lake and headed back home via Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Mytholmroyd and the rain eventually stopped when we were approximately five miles from home.
35.5 miles in three hours thirteen minutes which I don't consider too bad taking the weather into consideration and the fact my nephew was riding an old Pinnacle hardtail so I had to keep waiting for him to catch up with me.
Got absolutely soaked to the skin but enjoyed it anyway.
https://www.strava.com/activities/657210830
Just to top it off, I was about two hundred metres from home when a I got a puncture in my front tyre so I walked the last bit home pushing the bike, it was the tiniest fragment of glass that had worked its way through the tyre into the inner tube.

 

[Starchivore]

Sounds like a good one regardless Well persevered.
I got soaked by the same rain this morning on my way cycling to Littleborough station.

 

[ColinJ]

Out of the door at 06:45 - blimey - I had been asleep for less than 2 hours then, ha ha! Well done.

I am waiting until later for my ride when it really should be dry and sunny! The roads are just drying here now. [PS Damn - the sun has suddenly disappeared behind a big black cloud - more rain on the way! ]

Ripponden Bank is the steep climb up the B6113 towards Barkisland. Surely you must have gone up the A58?

From Sowerby Bridge I prefer to climb to Sowerby village and then ride up to the B6138 (Blackstone Edge Road above Cragg Vale) via Boulder Clough, Steep Lane and High Stones Road. Climb that to the reservoir and turn right onto the A58 for the descent to Littleborough. It is a harder route but much quieter and I like the scenery.

 

[steve50]

From Ripponden traffic lights take right fork uphill, I understood that was Ripponden bank or at least that is what I believe
it is commonly called.

 

[classic33]

From Ripponden traffic lights take right fork uphill, I understood that was Ripponden bank or at least that is what I believe
it is commonly called.

Map shows that as Rochdale Road(A58). AtoZ is at home.
https://www.bing.com/mapspreview?q=Ripponden+bank&mkt=en&FORM=HDRSC4

 

[steve50]

Map shows that as Rochdale Road(A58). AtoZ is at home.
https://www.bing.com/mapspreview?q=Ripponden+bank&mkt=en&FORM=HDRSC4

Fair enough, I've always heard people refer to it as Ripponden bank.

 

[classic33]

Fair enough, I've always heard people refer to it as Ripponden bank.

Link shows Ripponden Bank though!

I went on road number, A58. Me being me.

 

[ColinJ]

'Bank' on our local roads normally means 'steep b@st@rd'!

Ripponden Bank was used on the local Tour de France stage - LINK.

It is mentioned along with several other local climbs in THIS ARTICLE.

 

[steve50]

what link? Only link I have posted is to my strava results.

 

[steve50]

'Bank' on our local roads normally means 'steep b@st@rd'!

Ripponden Bank was used on the local Tour de France stage - LINK.

It is mentioned along with several other local climbs in THIS ARTICLE.

Thats where the confusion is then, I actually found the climb quite easy, I must be fitter than I thought.

 

[ColinJ]

what link? Only link I have posted is to my strava results.

I think classic means HIS link in THIS POST.

Thats where the confusion is then, I actually found the climb quite easy, I must be fitter than I thought.

Ha ha - try the actual Bank and see how you feel then!

Another pig is the climb of Scar Head from the back of the old police station in Sowerby Bridge. (The building they used as the police station in 'Happy Valley'.)

I was wondering where the Pexwood climb is which is mentioned in the article I linked to above. I have just looked it up and I realise it is one I went up only once about 20 years ago. It fizzles out, but I reckon it might be possible to get through at the top on a MTB or CX bike so I am going to go and have a look now it has finally stopped raining.

 

[steve50]

[QUOTE="ColinJ, post: 4389330, member: 712"]I think classic means HIS link in THIS POST.


Ha ha - try the actual Bank and see how you feel then!

Another pig is the climb of Scar Head from the back of the old police station in Sowerby Bridge. (The building they used as the police station in 'Happy Valley'.)

I was wondering where the Pexwood climb is which is mentioned in the article I linked to above. I have just looked it up and I realise it is one I went up only once about 20 years ago. It fizzles out, but I reckon it might be possible to get through at the top on a MTB or CX bike so I am going to go and have a look now it has finally stopped raining.[/QUOTE]

I did once and ended up walking most of it.
I've done scar Head in the car and that was enough for me, re- classics post , I see what he means now.

 

[ColinJ]

I have done Scar Head a couple of times and found it very tough even with the low climbing gears I have on my bike!

 

[steve50]

Oh dear, have had a phone call from my nephews mum, he collapsed this afternoon after getting home. She wanted to know if he had eaten etc prior to and during the bike ride, I told her he had eaten a big bowl of porridge before setting off, then at Hollingworth Lake he ate three pieces of fruited flapjack, then just outside Hebden Bridge he ate a bacon and egg T-cake.
He got home from the ride fell asleep and later was getting ready to go to work when he collapsed and had to be taken to hospital for check up.
At sixteen year old I would have thought he would be in better shape than me, the hospital didn't find anything wrong with him and said he probably "overdid it" on the ride.
maybe he was trying a bit too hard to keep up with the "old man"

 

[classic33]

Oh dear, have had a phone call from my nephews mum, he collapsed this afternoon after getting home. She wanted to know if he had eaten etc prior to and during the bike ride, I told her he had eaten a big bowl of porridge before setting off, then at Hollingworth Lake he ate three pieces of fruited flapjack, then just outside Hebden Bridge he ate a bacon and egg T-cake.
He got home from the ride fell asleep and later was getting ready to go to work when he collapsed and had to be taken to hospital for check up.
At sixteen year old I would have thought he would be in better shape than me, the hospital didn't find anything wrong with him and said he probably "overdid it" on the ride.
maybe he was trying a bit too hard to keep up with the "old man"

Is he okay?