Well, I blame
@nickyboy! He planted an idea in the minds of local CycleChatters about the joys of riding a Snake Pass (just about) closed to traffic and the idea took hold.
The sun was shining today and the wind was not as bad as it has been recently so I decided to do a 'Snake sandwich' - Snake Pass from the Glossop side, sandwiched between ascents/descents of Holme Moss from both directions. Now these are both pretty big hills ... Holme Moss goes up to 524 metres and Snake Pass to 512 metres.
The ride nuked my back, and also that of my pal Bill who accompanied me. My heart, lungs and legs were up to the job but my back, neck and arms screamed for mercy!
The route got changed on the way to avoid one steep climb, and this is what we ended up doing: Todmorden, Mytholmroyd, Scout Road, Sowerby village, Triangle, Ripponden, Ripponden Bank, Barkisland, Stainland, Outlane, Scapegoat Hill, Slaithwaite, Meltham, Digley Reservoir, Holmbridge, Holme Moss, Woodhead, Torside, Glossop, Snake Pass, Glossop, Torside, Woodhead, Holme Moss. Holmbridge, Digley Reservoir, Meltham, Marsden, Pole Moor, Deanhead, Ringstone Edge reservoir, Booth Wood reservoir, Pike End, Baitings reservoir, A58, Blackstone Edge, Littleborough, Todmorden.
144 km (90 miles), 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) of climbing in total, some of it very steep, in one case*** so steep that my legs buckled and I was forced to walk!
Elevation profile:
View attachment 90764
Ouch!
***The really nasty climb on the West Yorkshire Cycle Route up from Marsden at about 102 km on the profile above. You turn left up under the railway line, left again and the road kicks up, gets steeper round a bend, and then as your legs are getting frazzled by the 20-ish% gradient, you grovel round a tight right hand bend and the road rears up even more steeply, to at least 25%. The road is too narrow for much zigzagging and there is a cobbled strip down the centre anyway which puts me off even attempting to try!
I am worried about the risk of snapping the chain when giving maximum effort on the climb. I have thoughts of an unplanned genitals-to-top-tube interface!
Maybe I'll give the climb another go towards the end of the summer, but I think I would have to get another 5 kilos off my weight and be significantly fitter than I am now to stand a chance of avoiding the 'walk of shame'. Mind you, I would be skipping about 60 km and a lot of climbing next time.
