My 20 minute Cragg Vale hill climb challenge

[ColinJ]

Back to tonight ... I have a second personal challenge featuring that hill. There is a 20 mile loop*** which takes it in and I want to complete the loop in an hour. The shortest time that I ever recorded was (I think?) 1 hr 9 mins. I may have done it quicker than that without timing it, but I remember doing that time and thinking that I hadn't really been going flat out, so I was probably fit enough then to do about 1 hr 5 mins-ish, not far off my target time.

I was out testing new gears on my bike this evening and did the loop in the opposite direction - Todmorden, Littleborough, Blackstone Edge rather than Mytholmroyd, Cragg Vale, Blackstone Edge. It is the same 20 mile loop*** with the same overall amount of climbing but the main climb is shorter and steeper this way round.

When I got back, I was surprised to have done it in 1 hr 17 mins in quite blustery conditions, and having stopped for 3 sets of red traffic lights which must have cost me at least 2 minutes in total, maybe more. That means I averaged around 16 mph when moving. Not hugely fast, but I am pretty pleased with that given the windy conditions, the big 'lump' in the middle of the ride and the fact that I was only putting in about 80% effort.

(*** I just measured the loop and it is 1% longer - 20.2 miles.)

View attachment 100649

I rode that loop again this evening in almost identical conditions, and once more including several red lights slowing me down a little. (There are quite a few sets of lights along the valley roads and currently also one set of temporary lights at Cragg Vale, so I am always likely to get at least a couple of red lights - I won't mention them again. I want to do the loop in an hour, riding safely and obeying all red lights, giving way at roundabouts etc.)

I set off without a warm-up so I rode fairly steadily for the first 5-10 minutes. I ramped up my effort earlier than I did on the week before last's ride of the loop.

My time this evening was 1 hr 12 mins. That is a very encouraging average speed of about 16.8 mph. (I need to start using the ride time field on my GPS because checking on the tracklog afterwards the way I just did only shows me elapsed hours and minutes.)

The crosswind was strong enough that it took me 11 minutes to get down the hill climb course into Mytholmroyd - that is only a few minutes quicker than the record for the climb!

I think in less windy conditions and with a warm-up before setting off, I could beat 1 hr 10 mins even at my current level of fitness. Maybe I won't do the hour this year, but I will have a good go at it and the 20 minute CV hill climb next year. I'll carry on nibbling away at my PBs through the autumn, try and stay reasonably fit during the coming winter and see what I can do when I hit 60 years of age!

 

[Svendo]

Not got round to trawling through Garmin data, but did do 18:43 today. Possibly slower than could have been due to traffic lights, or possibly a little quicker as able to recover a bit while waiting! Not sure I could go significantly quicker without doing some proper training, or a serious tailwind.

 

[ColinJ]

Not got round to trawling through Garmin data, but did do 18:43 today. Possibly slower than could have been due to traffic lights, or possibly a little quicker as able to recover a bit while waiting! Not sure I could go significantly quicker without doing some proper training, or a serious tailwind.

Well done. That makes me feel very old and knackered - ha ha!

I don't think I would ever be able to get to that level given my age and recent health history, but I would be very pleased to achieve my 20 minute goal. Obviously though, if I ever managed that, then I would be duty-bound to at least consider trying for 19 minutes ...

 

[nickyboy]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread.

Bit of a cheeky Northerly forecast for Saturday so I'm planning to give it a go. For the official Strava 8.6km segment I'm at 30.38. Targeting 28 minutes

 

[ColinJ]

Thought I'd resurrect this thread.

Bit of a cheeky Northerly forecast for Saturday so I'm planning to give it a go. For the official Strava 8.6km segment I'm at 30.38. Targeting 28 minutes

Oh yes, this challenge is still running. In fact, since I am looking unlikely to ever manage my 20 minute goal, it will run (hopefully!) for years until I finally die or have to give up cycling! Don't forget that my 20 minute target is for the shorter hillclimb course. You will not be able to use your longer ride on my challenge though unless you stop and then restart at the official start line! (Oh, and I am trying to do it without a tailwind! )

I used to time myself from the Cragg Vale sign at the bottom of the hill to the boundary sign by the reservoir. That looks to be identical to the Strava segment that you mentioned and is about 1 km longer than the hillclimb course. I think the fastest I ever did it was about 24:30 but I can't find where I wrote the time down. I'll check some old diaries.

I've put about 18 pounds on from my best post-illness weight and do not want to push myself too hard on the climb until I have got back down below 13 stone again, which hopefully will only take until June, now my cycling is picking up again after a slow start to this season.

Good luck with your ride!

 

[nickyboy]

I'm back home. It was a hard 30 mile slog to get there through Uppermill, Delph, Littleborough, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. Popped into the River Café at the foot of the climb for a refuel and a warm

There were some temporary traffic lights JUST after the Cragg Vale blue sign. I felt a bit of a prick in doing so, but I waited before the sign for the lights to change and then sprinted through

Set off up the climb and on the flattish early section I caught a skinny looking guy. He caught me on the steeper middle bit and pulled out a bit of a gap. Try as I might I couldn't close the gap on the flatter top section. In hindsight I probably put too much effort into trying to keep up with him on the middle section. I should have been able to catch him on the top section but couldn't

Wind was a cross/tail. Not very helpful but certainly not hindering.

I was rather gobsmacked to record 25.31 for the Cragg Vale Strava Segment which is a whopping 5 minutes off my previous time. I must be doing something right! Not 100% sure how that references Colin's sector. For the official Hill Climb (V9916) I was 23.29

 

[ColinJ]

I'm back home. It was a hard 30 mile slog to get there through Uppermill, Delph, Littleborough, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. Popped into the River Café at the foot of the climb for a refuel and a warm

There were some temporary traffic lights JUST after the Cragg Vale blue sign. I felt a bit of a prick in doing so, but I waited before the sign for the lights to change and then sprinted through

Set off up the climb and on the flattish early section I caught a skinny looking guy. He caught me on the steeper middle bit and pulled out a bit of a gap. Try as I might I couldn't close the gap on the flatter top section. In hindsight I probably put too much effort into trying to keep up with him on the middle section. I should have been able to catch him on the top section but couldn't

Wind was a cross/tail. Not very helpful but certainly not hindering.

I was rather gobsmacked to record 25.31 for the Cragg Vale Strava Segment which is a whopping 5 minutes off my previous time. I must be doing something right! Not 100% sure how that references Colin's sector. For the official Hill Climb (V9916) I was 23.29

Well done, @nickyboy!

Your post got me out on my bike today! I had intended to go out earlier on but a mate came round and distracted me. By the time he went the time was getting on and the forecast said that the weather might soon be taking a turn for the worse. I decided to give the bike a miss, but then I read your post and decided to stop being so lazy and to go and see what time I could do ...

Just a simple 21 mile clockwise Cragg Vale loop for me. The only warm-up I had was from Todmorden to Mytholmroyd and I could feel it on the first half of the climb. I am not very fit at the moment anyway and with the lack of warm-up I soon realised that I wasn't even going to break 30 minutes so I backed off and put in a steady rather than hard effort.

I felt the wind swing round to slightly south of west (a cross/headwind most of the way) and that was confirmed higher up when black clouds blew over and starting dropping light hail. It was blowing diagonally towards me from my front-right.

My time for the Strava segment was only about 33.5 minutes. If I had been really trying then I could perhaps have got that down to 32 minutes but I wasn't going to bust a gut and still end up with a slow time! (Knock about 2 minutes off those times for the shorter hillclimb course.)

I'm not disheartened because I had a very lazy winter and am only just starting to get back into my cycling now. I'll get some hard forum rides in and then try to do a more respectable time in the summer.

 

[nickyboy]

Well done, @nickyboy!

Your post got me out on my bike today! I had intended to go out earlier on but a mate came round and distracted me. By the time he went the time was getting on and the forecast said that the weather might soon be taking a turn for the worse. I decided to give the bike a miss, but then I read your post and decided to stop being so lazy and to go and see what time I could do ...

Just a simple 21 mile clockwise Cragg Vale loop for me. The only warm-up I had was from Todmorden to Mytholmroyd and I could feel it on the first half of the climb. I am not very fit at the moment anyway and with the lack of warm-up I soon realised that I wasn't even going to break 30 minutes so I backed off and put in a steady rather than hard effort.

I felt the wind swing round to slightly south of west (a cross/headwind most of the way) and that was confirmed higher up when black clouds blew over and starting dropping light hail. It was blowing diagonally towards me from my front-right.

My time for the Strava segment was only about 33.5 minutes. If I had been really trying then I could perhaps have got that down to 32 minutes but I wasn't going to bust a gut and still end up with a slow time! (Knock about 2 minutes off those times for the shorter hillclimb course.)

I'm not disheartened because I had a very lazy winter and am only just starting to get back into my cycling now. I'll get some hard forum rides in and then try to do a more respectable time in the summer.

Big improvement really down to three factors

1) I'm about 3kg lighter
2) I've been putting in a lot of hard, hilly miles in the past few months. The mild winter has helped
3) I had someone to chase (unsuccessfully)

Realistically, I could get my 25.31 down a bit more. My pacing was poor and I've got at least a couple more kilos in the tank. I could get a bit fitter but not massively without a real, tailored plan. I suspect doing 30 miles then popping in the café for a pie and a coffee wasn't the best preparation either

 

[ColinJ]

Big improvement really down to three factors

1) I'm about 3kg lighter
2) I've been putting in a lot of hard, hilly miles in the past few months. The mild winter has helped
3) I had someone to chase (unsuccessfully)

Realistically, I could get my 25.31 down a bit more. My pacing was poor and I've got at least a couple more kilos in the tank. I could get a bit fitter but not massively without a real, tailored plan. I suspect doing 30 miles then popping in the café for a pie and a coffee wasn't the best preparation either

1. I have put 9 kgs back on in 15 months, which isn't helping! I am drastically cutting back on cake and chocolate now so the weight should start to come off as I get the miles in. I am just about maintaining my weight with what I am eating so about 2,000 miles of extra riding should burn off the flab. If I cut down on food a bit more then it would probably only take about 1,000 miles or so.
   
2. I haven't! Funny how perceptions of the same winter in the same area can be so different ... I look back on it as a long, dreary, and windy cycling-unfriendly time; either cold or mild but wet. That's probably down to my SAD. The delayed winter lulled me into a false sense of security and then caught me out. I feel like I am just emerging from it now.
3. I had a younger, slimmer, fitter rider shoot past me just after the steeper mid-section of the climb. There was no chance of me staying anywhere close to him. He got so far ahead of me that I could barely see him in the distance towards the top!

I thought that your cafe stop at the foot of the climb didn't sound like the best plan!

 

[ColinJ]

Holy thread resurrection, and all that...

I am now 69 years old and haven't often timed myself on the Cragg Vale climb [HERE] in the past 9 years, but I am pretty sure that I haven't got close to that 20 min target or even my best time in this thread so far - 24 min 30 sec. I still haven't quite given up hope though... Decrepitude approaches, but I am not there yet!

I now have a power meter on one bike and recent rides show that I can currently sustain 210 W for 20 minutes. I weigh 78.5 kg and aim to get down to 73 kg. I have calculated that I would need to be able to average around 285 W for 20 minutes at the lower weight and riding my lightest bike to achieve my hill climb goal.

That is a big increase in power, but not totally out of the question, given that I only averaged 102 km/week last year. I aim to ride further this year and with more intensity so I should make significant gains in fitness.

I will try to ride up the climb at least once a month this year and see what numbers I can come up with.

I will set my initial 2025 targets at averaging 215 W for the climb and/or doing it sub 24 min 30 sec.

Let's see how I get on...

PS If you are in the area, and fancy testing yourself, have a go and post your results below!

 

[Norry1]

Colin - is it this segment? https://www.strava.com/segments/16336054

 

[PaulSB]

I now have a power meter on one bike and recent rides show that I can currently sustain 210 W for 20 minutes. I weigh 78.5 kg and aim to get down to 73 kg. I have calculated that I would need to be able to average around 285 W for 20 minutes at the lower weight and riding my lightest bike to achieve my hill climb goal.

I have friends who have recorded the following, age at time of climb:

33 years old - 21:59 - 271 watts - 14.9mph avg
36 years old - 24:49 - 240 watts - 13.2mph avg (my son)
59 years old - 23:27 - 272 watts - 14.0mph avg
63 years old - 35.13 - 147 watts - 9.3mph avg
(me! - my only attempt. I sat with a young woman who was struggling, tears, to keep her company. I don't know what I might achieve with effort)
68 years old - 29.10 - 187 watts - 11.2mph avg

I know many people, 50+, who have recorded the segment. I thought the above relevant in terms of age, time, watts, speed.........and perhaps interest

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I have friends who have recorded the following, age at time of climb:

33 years old - 21:59 - 271 watts - 14.9mph avg
36 years old - 24:49 - 240 watts - 13.2mph avg (my son)
59 years old - 23:27 - 272 watts - 14.0mph avg
63 years old - 35.13 - 147 watts - 9.3mph avg
(me! - my only attempt. I sat with a young woman who was struggling, tears, to keep her company. I don't know what I might achieve with effort)
68 years old - 29.10 - 187 watts - 11.2mph avg

I know many people, 50+, who have recorded the segment. I thought the above relevant in terms of age, time, watts, speed.........and perhaps interest

Do you know their weights at the time of their climbs ?

 

[Jameshow]

Holy thread resurrection, and all that...

I am now 69 years old and haven't often timed myself on the Cragg Vale climb [HERE] in the past 9 years, but I am pretty sure that I haven't got close to that 20 min target or even my best time in this thread so far - 24 min 30 sec. I still haven't quite given up hope though... Decrepitude approaches, but I am not there yet!

I now have a power meter on one bike and recent rides show that I can currently sustain 210 W for 20 minutes. I weigh 78.5 kg and aim to get down to 73 kg. I have calculated that I would need to be able to average around 285 W for 20 minutes at the lower weight and riding my lightest bike to achieve my hill climb goal.

That is a big increase in power, but not totally out of the question, given that I only averaged 102 km/week last year. I aim to ride further this year and with more intensity so I should make significant gains in fitness.

I will try to ride up the climb at least once a month this year and see what numbers I can come up with.

I will set my initial 2025 targets at averaging 215 W for the climb and/or doing it sub 24 min 30 sec.

Let's see how I get on...

PS If you are in the area, and fancy testing yourself, have a go and post your results below!

I'll have a go next Sunday(weather and Sunday lunch dependant!) as I've ridden up it always descended it!

A nice warm up over from haworth before hand!!

 

[PaulSB]

Do you know their weights at the time of their climbs ?

No, I could guess if that was of help but I don’t know. I would have been +/-80kg then.

I was on a club ride. We rode over from Chorley to do the climb. One of the ladies was very nervous about doing this. She only came on the ride on the understanding I would ride with her all the way. Her achievement in completing the climb was more important than what I might have achieved.