Calderdale off-road forum ride from Hebden Bridge, Saturday, 25th March 2023, 53 km (33 miles)

[fossyant]

If it's like the photos I'll manage, but going downhill there'll be a lot of "ohshitohshitohshit"!

Check with Colin !

 

[fossyant]

I'm envisaging bodies strewn across the descents at this rate !

 

[I like Skol]

I'm envisaging bodies strewn across the descents at this rate !

You're not being very helpful are you?

If you put people off now, we won't get to hear about the carnage in the write-up.....

 

[Jody]

I have reserved that spot if I do attend so no need to concern yourself.

A push up the hill buddy. Sounds like a deal!

 

[neil_merseyside]

No suitable bike, and soonish implies it'll still be cold and stuff...

 

[ColinJ]

Some parts of this forum only do MTB rides if there is at least one major accident each ride !

I have only done a couple of forum MTB rides and on one of those a particular rider crashed 3 times! Nothing serious, but I did think that he was riding a bit beyond his bike handling ability... I know my limitations so I take it easy and (usually!) manage to stay onboard.

TBH, it is the worry about people hurting themselves on off-road rides that has put me off doing this in the past. Life's too short though, so let's give it a go... Fellow riders - please don't do anything silly! You are adults and can make your own riding decisions, so I don't expect your family to sue me if you somehow manage to wreck yourself...

Love to join in dependent on the usual family/date etc caveats.
Will have to be on my electric I suspect - will that lead to a lynching??

I'm interested, but I'll have to be on my e-road bike, though it's got 35mm gravel tyres. Full disclosure I'm a total wuss on rough stuff, especially downhill.

E-bikes are fine. You will completely trash most of us going uphill though so...

• Make sure that you know where we are going
• Wait at the top of the climbs, or at any turn-off points

I'm a long shot if I can get my fitness back up.

Don't want to be the dead weight at the back that everyone is waiting for on the climbs.

Somebody has to be at the back. It is often me!

I would prefer it if everyone can ride up pretty much every climb but I don't mind how slowly you have to do it. If you can keep your balance then you are riding quickly enough! If you have to push your bike up every steep climb though then that could be a bit much because we would be talking about a LOT of pushing. Unless of course you can push as fast as slow riders ride!

I have reserved that spot if I do attend so no need to concern yourself.

It will NOT be colly at the back! On the last ride I did with him, he shot off up one steep climb and by the time I eventually winched my way to the top he was standing at the roadside taking photos of the scenery, and my suffering!

I'm envisaging bodies strewn across the descents at this rate !

I'm not picking them up - I'm not good with gore!

I will update the first post this evening with more details of the ride.

 

[Jody]

It's been a while since I was last out so need my fitness to be right before I commit.

I could always peel off and find a solo route back to the car if I'm holding anyone up too much.

 

[ColinJ]

I could always peel off and find a solo route back to the car if I'm holding anyone up too much.

I am waiting for a family Zoom meeting to start so I may have to dash...

There are 3 very straightforward peel-off points. This is a map of the route, to be ridden anticlockwise.

You can see that there are two places where the route comes back down into the valley very close to Hebden Bridge. They are on the A646 so it would be a quick ride back along that, or the Rochdale canal towpath. The 3rd point is on the hillside above the town, and you could just bomb down the lane through Horsehold, which would take less than 5 minutes.

 

[Jameshow]

I am waiting for a family Zoom meeting to start so I may have to dash...

There are 3 very straightforward peel-off points. This is a map of the route, to be ridden anticlockwise.

View attachment 680861

You can see that there are two places where the route comes back down into the valley very close to Hebden Bridge. They are on the A646 so it would be a quick ride back along that, or the Rochdale canal towpath. The 3rd point is on the hillside above the town, and you could just bomb down the lane through Horsehold, which would take less than 5 minutes.

Fantastic!! Sounds good!

 

[colly]

It will NOT be colly at the back! On the last ride I did with him, he shot off up one steep climb and by the time I eventually winched my way to the top he was standing at the roadside taking photos of the scenery, and my suffering!

Yeahbutnobut....that's on a nice smooth-ish road. Rough tracks are another animal completely. My bike handling skills are on a par with a wombat.

 

[ColinJ]

Subject to acceptable weather and so on... Let's make it Saturday, 25th March, 2023.

 

[ColinJ]

I'll finish sorting my MTB out and wait for this grotty wintry weather to blow over, then I'll go out and check the route. I have ridden nearly all of it in the past but not for a few years. There are a couple of possible small variations which I want to look at.

 

[ColinJ]

I'll finish sorting my MTB out and wait for this grotty wintry weather to blow over...

Sub-zero, with about 5 degrees of windchill, and snow/sleet here just now... If it is anything like this then the ride would get put back - my weather-wimp mode is fully activated!!

I have to go out now but my bike ain't coming with me...

 

[Jody]

Subject to acceptable weather and so on... Let's make it Saturday, 25th March, 2023.

My bad Colin as I didn't realise this was happening so soon.

I'll have to pass

 

[FrothNinja]

White Witch has arrived here too