Hard and hilly - 'Calderdale 70 miles-ish' from Todmorden, Sat, April 22nd, 2017

[Littgull]

Pics of @Starchivore and @Littgull at the Cafe

 

[Sea of vapours]

Very nice write-up. It certainly was a lovely day in that area, weather-wise (I was a little west of you, trundling around Pendle Hill). The unhinged motorist sounds deeply unpleasant - I'm relieved to hear that he didn't go any steps further

Perhaps you might both consider the 'large and a tad hilly' forum ride through the Dales, starting from Settle, in July? It's a very fine circuit on a similarly pleasant day.

And Colin, get well soon - that does sound pretty bad!

 

[Littgull]

Stats from our ride

Total mileage = 69.2

Total ride time (i.e. moving on the bike) = 6 hours 49 minutes

Total ascent = 2508 metres ((8151 ft)

Average speed 10.1 mph

Top speed = 37.8 mph

 

[lpretro1]

Glad you had a grand ride but sorry to hear about the nutter. You MUST report it to the police - even if you don't have reg nos etc etc - just describe as much about him and the car as you can (the cracked wing mirror might be a clue for them to look out for). The fact he chucked the hinge at you (even if it didn't hit) is classed as 'common assault' as you will have been afraid, quite rightly, for your safety. He will do this again and next time it may be a lone cyclist and/or he may injure or kill them. If you log it with the Police then if the same thing is reported by others they can refer to it.

 

[ColinJ]

Sleep easy @ColinJ, it was a fantastic day out on the bikes with @Starchivore (Thomas). I must start by saying your gpx route was, as expected, flawless and a pleasure to follow. Many thanks for that from both of us. It made a huge contribution to our enjoyment.

Firstly, it was a delight to meet and ride with Thomas, a simply smashing young chap. We chatted away about all the things cyclists talk about – bikes, fitness, routes, diet and plenty of other interesting things too. Thomas is super fit, super slim and, all but by a few months, 40 years younger than me! That quickly became evident as his power and pace got him to the summits well before me but his patience and understanding were very much appreciated. As Colin mentioned in his opening post on the ride thread this is a very tough, ultra hilly route but also fabulously scenic and together with a day of perfect cycling weather (not too cold and not too hot with a light wind - much of which was a tail wind). This cocktail of positive factors made for a truly splendid experience. I never struggled up any of the climbs but by necessity adopted a very low gear and consequently a very slow pace. I was pleased my bad back didn’t give me any discomfort at all and that my recovery regime had done the trick.

I'm glad that you enjoyed it and that your back was up to it, but I can't really take credit for the route since it is based on the Calderdale 70 - see the CycleCalderdale website.

Hopefully, I'll get to meet Thomas on a future ride.

We reached Willow Tree Café on the outskirts of Halifax (approx. 2/3rds way through the route) at about 3.20 pm and the hot food was ceased at 3 pm. But there were light bites still on offer and we settled for 2 toasted bagels with jam and a pot of tea. These were fine as we had taken Colin’s pre ride advice and brought/consumed sufficient food and drink with us to sustain our efforts until we reached the café. The service was friendly and quick and the adjacent garden centre toilets were very clean. A good recommend Colin, and I’d go there again. We took a few photos at the café which I’ll try and post later (or Sunday) but the ‘teccy’ know-how to do that is sometimes beyond me so don’t hold your breath. On such a ride of constant ups and downs it’s difficult to stop and take pictures of the scenic splendour as you don’t want to lose the momentum on the climbs and then relish getting stuck into the descents.

Ah - maybe I will start the rerun at 09:00 then to try to get to the cafe an hour earlier.

Whilst at the café, Thomas read a message on his phone to ring home. Unfortunately, his uncle had been taken ill suddenly and had been admitted to hospital. It was good that we had only the last third to ride as Thomas was naturally keen to visit his uncle. I hope he is now recovering and will be ok.

Those last 20 odd miles seemed to fly by once we had climbed the long haul of Greetland Road.

Yes - fingers crossed for the uncle!

Now to the scary incident I mentioned at the start. We had only been riding about 35 minutes or so. We had just turned up the Bacup Road and ridden a few hundred yards when the driver of this black car raced past us, sounding his horn in an absolute manic frenzy. He stopped just in front of us, shouted obscenities at us and accused us of damaging his car. This was not a measured verbal attack, he was absolutely demented in his rage! The totally weird thing was that neither of us had been anywhere near his car let alone touch it. Thomas told me afterwards that he had noticed a cracked wing mirror but that was nothing whatsoever to do with us. We hadn’t even passed him prior to him racing in front of us and starting his rant. At first, as I was a few yards in front of Thomas at the time (the only time in the whole ride ha ha) I went over to the passenger window in a futile attempt to tell the driver he was completely mistaken. But it instantly became apparent that this guy was totally beyond reason. He continued shouting obscenities and started walking towards us threatening to ‘do both of us in’ and ‘put us in his car boot!’ We tried to remain calm and both instinctively knew it was not worth arguing with this worryingly dangerous individual. He threw a heavy metal door hinge at us which mercifully missed us. Thomas later, very aptly described him as ‘unhinged’ – he sure was, in more ways than one. We quickly sidestepped him and rode on. It doesn’t end there! With that, he got back into his car, we could hear his engine rev up loudly, he put his foot down and raced past us again still shouting threats and obscenities. He then got out of his car some 50 yards up from us on the other side of the road, continued to make severe threats and shout obscenities. We stayed frozen to the spot. Meanwhile, as we had reached a point that was opposite some houses two local residents heard this commotion and also expressed horror at this nutter’s behaviour. Finally, he got back into his car still shouting obscenities and raced off in the direction of Bacup. We were extremely shook up. The two residents were very empathetic and asked if we wanted to come inside to ease our fears. We politely declined, thanked them for their understanding and offer and decided to wait where we were for a few minutes to see if he returned. Then perhaps, seek the residents refuge if he did. Fortunately, he did not return and we both knew it was only a relatively short distance until the route took us to the turning of Sourhall Road and the quiet refuge of the country lanes. Of course, with hindsight we wish we had taken his car registration number but actually you don’t think of that when preoccupied with your own safety. We both discussed the merits of a helmet camera but we have mixed views about that. I have never previously considered it but it does make you think. Needless to say for a few miles afterwards, we were nervously on the look out for solo drivers in black cars. Thankfully, there weren’t any.

It’s a measure of how good the day was after this frightening incident that in no way did it spoil our overall enjoyment.

!!!!

Glad you had a grand ride but sorry to hear about the nutter. You MUST report it to the police - even if you don't have reg nos etc etc - just describe as much about him and the car as you can (the cracked wing mirror might be a clue for them to look out for). The fact he chucked the hinge at you (even if it didn't hit) is classed as 'common assault' as you will have been afraid, quite rightly, for your safety. He will do this again and next time it may be a lone cyclist and/or he may injure or kill them. If you log it with the Police then if the same thing is reported by others they can refer to it.

I agree. A motorist MURDERED a cyclist round the corner from where I used to live in Coventry after the cyclist bumped into a mirror on the car - LINK. It sounds like the lunatic driver in this case is potentially a murderer waiting to strike!

Colin, you paint an amusing Dickensian-like picture of you in your mitts etc. But in all seriousness, I hope you start to feel better soon and be ready to get out on your bike shortly.

And Colin, get well soon - that does sound pretty bad!

It's just a heavy cold, but I was caught out by how quickly and severely it took hold. I slept a lot better last night and was able to walk to Lidl and do some shopping an hour ago, though carrying a 10 kg bag back felt like hard work. The symptoms have gone through the whole gamut. At least it looks like my immune system works properly because I am fighting it off almost as quickly as it struck!

I'll take it easy for a few days and try to get a tentative ride in mid-week. If that goes ok then I will do a harder one on Thursday or Friday to check that I will be ok for the TdY sportive on Sunday.



******************************************************************************************************
Having missed this ride, I will rerun it on 6th May so I can check it out myself. Join me?
******************************************************************************************************

 

[Starchivore]

That was a really brilliant ride, thanks so much @ColinJ for such a well thought out route and for organising it. It took in so many climbs and fantastic views, with some lanes I'd been on before and some I hadn't, and the weather was pretty near perfect for it.

It was a real pleasure to meet and ride with @Littgull- such a friendly man, with a great sense of humour (and very generous too, giving me one of his peanut butter and jam rolls at our first stop!). I really enjoyed our conversations about cycling, travel and life in general, that made the miles tick by. The route was excellent, showing off some of the area's grand scenery and we both said how lucky we feel to live round these parts and have this kind of country on the doorstep. It would certainly be an ideal ride for showing off your home area to a visiting cyclist!

The garden centre cafe stop came at exactly the right point at around 2/3rds of the way, and we felt very well looked after by Colin when we got there, as it's a very pleasant place to stop at. It was also good that we were most of the way through then as while we were there I found out about my uncle going to hospital, so it was good that we didn't have too far to go back after that. We parted ways at the top of Cragg Vale, with me heading down to Mytholmroyd and then on home to Hebden.

That guy we encountered on Bacup road was very very strange- he must have had some drugs for his breakfast or something, because he was absolutely ballistic and without any reason at all. That was the most bizzare part of it- that there was no trigger incident whatsoever, although he seemed convinced that something had happened..... weird. The couple outside there house at the road were very nice in offering us help. I've memorised numbers before but for some reason it didn't even occur to me, I suppose it was the shock of it, it was surreal. We waited to let him get well away and kept an eye out for a while. The scenery was a perfect antidote to that unpleasantness, and we were glad it had happened at the start of the day instead of the end, when it might have put a downer on things. We were in agreement that you can't let people like that ruin your day.

It's definitely a ride I'd want to do again, it had everything and was just the right length too- I could feel the miles in my legs in the last few climbs, but overall we were really pleased with how we went, taking it nice and steady worked really well. Fantastic company, expertly-planned route, and good weather too- what more can you ask for. I'll look forward to riding again with Littgull, and others from on here.

 

[Littgull]

Very nice write-up. It certainly was a lovely day in that area, weather-wise (I was a little west of you, trundling around Pendle Hill). The unhinged motorist sounds deeply unpleasant - I'm relieved to hear that he didn't go any steps further

Perhaps you might both consider the 'large and a tad hilly' forum ride through the Dales, starting from Settle, in July? It's a very fine circuit on a similarly pleasant day.

And Colin, get well soon - that does sound pretty bad!

Thanks S of V. Yes, the Settle/Dales ride was one I was disappointed to miss last year and it looks a terrific route. Unfortunately, parts of July and most of August are difficult for me due to family commitments.The other factor is that I no longer have a car so getting to the start at Settle would be a bit of a problem. But I will review possibilities nearer the time.

 

[Littgull]

Good points @lpretro1and @ColinJ regarding contacting the Police to report the 'Nutter'. The Coventry incident you linked to, Colin, was horrendous. If the limited details we have of this dangerous individual can help prevent a similar tragic outcome in the future it will be well worthwhile reporting it. @Starchivore and I have been in contact and will be following it up with Todmorden Police. It seems their police station is only open on a Monday between 10 am and 6 pm and the one in Littleborough where I live shut completely a few years ago! I'm unable to go to Todmorden tomorrow but will initially try to phone them in the morning.

Glad you are on the mend, Colin.

 

[Pale Rider]

Well done to the pair of you for keeping calm and preventing the incident from escalating any further than it did.

Knowing Brian, I'd expect no less.

But it seems to me young @Starchivore showed wisdom beyond his years.

 

[ColinJ]

Good points @lpretro1and @ColinJ regarding contacting the Police to report the 'Nutter'. The Coventry incident you linked to, Colin, was horrendous. If the limited details we have of this dangerous individual can help prevent a similar tragic outcome in the future it will be well worthwhile reporting it. @Starchivore and I have been in contact and will be following it up with Todmorden Police. It seems their police station is only open on a Monday between 10 am and 6 pm and the one in Littleborough where I live shut completely a few years ago! I'm unable to go to Todmorden tomorrow but will initially try to phone them in the morning.

Glad you are on the mend, Colin.

I just noticed that I linked to an article published during the trial of the killer driver. He was in fact convicted of murder and sentenced to life, which in his case would mean at least ... 13 years - WTF!

I tried reporting my stolen wallet at Tod police station. There was a sign outside the door next to a phone. It basically said that you should use the phone to report a crime!

 

[Littgull]

I just noticed that I linked to an article published during the trial of the killer driver. He was in fact convicted of murder and sentenced to life, which in his case would mean at least ... 13 years - WTF!

I tried reporting my stolen wallet at Tod police station. There was a sign outside the door next to a phone. It basically said that you should use the phone to report a crime!

Grim, on both counts!