Ride the Tour de France 2014 Stage One and Two

[Mapster1989]

We can certainly do it on two seperate days if that's what people would want? Would just be brilliant to have said that you have ridden the route that the pro's have.

Talking of .gpx files... does anyone have them of the two routes?

 

[oldfatfool]

If they are planned for a Sunday I would be up for joining in, might mean a little less traffic as well

 

[vernon]

Anyone plotted these on gpx yet?

I was thinking of doing it for my year of challenges actually but I'd probably hold everyone up as I've only got little legs and I'm not that fast!

Wear stilts.

Simples.

 

[nickyboy]

Hmmm...this is quite tempting. Like DCLane the second half of Day 2 is on my local roads so maybe Day 1 would be a bit more of an adventure. It is also easier riding which I would need for that sort of distance.

I shouldn't underestimate the Day 2 route. The final 37 miles has 4,600 ft of climbing. Tough at the best of times but with 87 miles in the legs?

 

[Mapster1989]

Hmmm...this is quite tempting. Like DCLane the second half of Day 2 is on my local roads so maybe Day 1 would be a bit more of an adventure. It is also easier riding which I would need for that sort of distance.

I shouldn't underestimate the Day 2 route. The final 37 miles has 4,600 ft of climbing. Tough at the best of times but with 87 miles in the legs?

I don't think we'll be going at their pace either and surely we're going to have to factor in some Cafe stops on the way too?

I, like you, are from that region but it would still be great to ride that course!

 

[SonicRob]

first off i thinks its great that the tour is going to be in england and stage one looks really good even if they are taking the hills the easy way , but stage two what a waste of being in yorkshire , why are they not going into the moors and showing off another great part of the yorkshire countryside. Anyway as i said it will be good , but i am going to look at doing my own this year and hitting the moors on stage two how it should be

 

[Garz]

Anyone plotted these on gpx yet?

Good call!

I vote for Colin giving them a bash then uploading his gps to achieve this, this should accelerate his fantastic fast day efforts and prepare him for the other forum ride that was proposed!

 

[Garz]

Whilst I don't disagree it can be busy and it is quite claustrophobic with the enclosed road etc, I think people are a bit dramatic about how bad it can be, I have cycled the Woodhead Pass plenty of times without incident and don't find it particularly unpleasant.

It has got busier in the last couple of years and if there has been an incident on the M62 then expect it to be worse. I do agree with rob3rt that certain times of the day it wont be so busy so you could factor that into the plan.

 

[nickyboy]

It has got busier in the last couple of years and if there has been an incident on the M62 then expect it to be worse. I do agree with rob3rt that certain times of the day it wont be so busy so you could factor that into the plan.

Agreed. From the point where the Holmfirth road joins the Woodhead Pass to the summit is about 5 miles @2.7%, after that it is a fast downhill to the Flouch roundabout.

5 tricky miles out of 120 or so in total doesn't sound too bad and in reality the sight lines on the road open up after a couple of miles. Reasonable vigilance for 10 minutes or so should suffice.

There is an unclassified route off the Woodhead just above the Holmfirth road junction that runs parallel and rejoins about 2.5 miles further up. I've never ridden this. It looks metalled from Google Maps, anyone tried it?

http://goo.gl/maps/h8VcI

 

[DCLane]

5 tricky miles out of 120 or so in total doesn't sound too bad and in reality the sight lines on the road open up after a couple of miles. Reasonable vigilance for 10 minutes or so should suffice.

There is an unclassified route off the Woodhead just above the Holmfirth road junction that runs parallel and rejoins about 2.5 miles further up. I've never ridden this. It looks metalled from Google Maps, anyone tried it?

http://goo.gl/maps/h8VcI

I was up that way today; it's my Saturday am run. Unfortunately the road's not usable due to access issues.

Instead I stay on the Woodhead Pass for 2 miles until here: http://goo.gl/maps/5nb4X and you can then go through Townhead and Carlecotes to re-join at the A616.

 

[Venod]

I had one of my finest moments coming up Woodhead we had been up Holme Moss to watch a race, I can't remember which but it was an international field so there was loads of cyclists heading back towards the Flouch Inn, just as you get to the top the road dips to cross a stream then bears right still going up, the traffic was slow because of all the cyclists, just as I started going up after the stream a lorry passed with a vertical bar going down its back corner, I grabbed it, just before the top of the hill with the lorry still accelerating it pulled out to pass a group of cyclists I let go and passed the group at about 25 mph still going up ! they were out of the saddle and struggling after the long drag !

I like to think that somewhere in a cyclist cafe somebody tells of the day a cyclist flew past them coming up Woodhead.

Of course I had to keep going to stay in front ( I was shattered by the time I got down to the Flouch Inn )

 

[tmesis]

You've probably already got 'em by now, but here are links to Stage 1 and Stage 2

 

[DiddlyDodds]

I fancy doing some of day 2 , joining up and doing 50 miles or so before peeling off

 

[Servicemycycle]

I'm interested!!

 

[DaveyM]

I'd be interested and poss. +1 (for as much as I can do 200km in a day is a bit of a stretch)
I just won't be able to confirm till early 2014, works holidays can't be booked for next year until the 1st of Jan 14