Spring into the Dales 2010 (Yorkshire Dales!)

[Rammylad]

Hi Fiona. If you do decide to do SITD and want a leisurely ride with some company, Alun and I will be doing it and probably taking 7-8 hours and you'd be welcome to join us.

I will be navigating by GPS so you wouldn't need to worry about finding your way round.

Rammylad said yesterday that he'd like to come along too and there may be other CC members who opt for a relaxed pace with us.

Yep, will definitely be with you.

 

[aJohnson]

I wont be able to do it, so think I'll go on a club run dependent on where they're going.

 

[zacklaws]

Well I'm all set to go now, just need to clean my chain, polish the frame and chuck the bike into my car and hope to be in Hebden bridge for about 0730 to get parked.

Been for a quick ride this morning and feeling good, which is probably a bad omen for tomorow. Cannot decide what to wear yet, its forecast a cooler day than today.

See you all in the morning, somewhere.

 

[Arch]

I'll no doubt see you about, I'm doing the Leap, but getting a lift over with Uncle Phil, who's doing the Spring.

I've just been and fettled the trike. I've photocopied the relevant bits of maps to save carrying them both and annotated my route sheet with miles (I think in miles, not km). I might see if I can 'preview' the route on Streetview.


My first Audax!

I was looking at the website and noticed the Wetherby 100 on later in the year, that sounds interesting, if it's 100km I could conceivably ride there, do it and ride home....

 

[ColinJ]

Well I'm all set to go now, just need to clean my chain, polish the frame and chuck the bike into my car and hope to be in Hebden bridge for about 0730 to get parked.

Been for a quick ride this morning and feeling good, which is probably a bad omen for tomorow. Cannot decide what to wear yet, its forecast a cooler day than today.

See you all in the morning, somewhere.

07:30 - blimey, that's allowing plenty of time! I will probably turn up at about 08:30, quickly sign on and then nip up and down the valley for 20 minutes to warm up. I hate going straight up the Keighley Road from a cold start.

Wear layers - I made the mistake of wearing a long-sleeved jersey for one unexpectedly warm SITD and cooked! I'll be starting with arm and leg warmers on and hoping that I need to take them off later.

I'll stand at the back of the bunch and let them go before setting off. Basically, where this photo was taken (Alun, PaulB, colly, trio25 and longers are all in front of the red car on the right). No point in starting off in front of a crowd just to be overtaken anyway!

I'll no doubt see you about, I'm doing the Leap, but getting a lift over with Uncle Phil, who's doing the Spring.

I've just been and fettled the trike. I've photocopied the relevant bits of maps to save carrying them both and annotated my route sheet with miles (I think in miles, not km). I might see if I can 'preview' the route on Streetview.

The Streetview car seems to have been round all the little lanes round here. I'm amazed at some of the places that they have taken it - even down lanes which are little more than farm tracks.

My first Audax!

I was looking at the website and noticed the Wetherby 100 on later in the year, that sounds interesting, if it's 100km I could conceivably ride there, do it and ride home....

You'll have a great time!

See you guys in the morning - I'm off for a stroll in the sunshine!

 

[longers]

Have a great time! If it's half as nice as today then I'll be green with envy.

 

[Arch]

The Streetview car seems to have been round all the little lanes round here. I'm amazed at some of the places that they have taken it - even down lanes which are little more than farm tracks.

Well, its almost as slow as my cycling, but it's paying off - I would have wondered where the Scar Top tea rooms were, if I hadn't looked it up before hand, not where I expected according to my OS map. Only done the first third of the routesheet so far, must go and do my laundry now, do the rest later...

 

[ColinJ]

Have a great time! If it's half as nice as today then I'll be green with envy.

It was almost too warm here today - good for walking, but I'd definitely be taking a few layers off it was like this and I was on my bike. Unfortunately, the forecast for tomorrow is that it will be cooler with a few showers possible mid-afternoon.

We are supposed to have a cross/headwind on the way out and a cross/tailwind on the way back. If there must be wind, then at least that is the way we'd want it. I've done SITD a couple of times with a strong headwind when I was tired and climbing out of Oxenhope and that wasn't great!

Well, its almost as slow as my cycling, but it's paying off - I would have wondered where the Scar Top tea rooms were, if I hadn't looked it up before hand, not where I expected according to my OS map. Only done the first third of the routesheet so far, must go and do my laundry now, do the rest later...

For your delectation (or is that trepidation? ) here's a photo that I took on my walk this afternoon. The road up through the woods is the first climb of the day. Hebden Bridge is about 0.5 miles down the hill to the right. The top of the climb is about 3 miles up the hill to the left!

 

[Arch]

Well I've just plotted the route on bikehike (in order to check it and then highlight it on my photocopy map) and done selected highlights (mainly key junctions) on Streetview. I think there's something wrong with my computer - I had to keep clicking 'Look up' to find the damn horizon....

<gulp>

No, really, it looks fab. A good test for my recumbent climbing legs. At least I can't fall off going if I go to slowly. Might have to make sure I don't overcook the descents though!

 

[ColinJ]

I've forgotten who intends coming along with Yours Truly and Alun in tourist class... Zacklaws, Rammylad, anybody else? Obviously you could just tag along in the morning, but there are often more than 100 riders on SITD and it isn't necessarily easy to spot people in the crowd so it would be better if we arranged to meet up at the back of the bunch before the start at (say) 08:55.

 

[zacklaws]

I've forgotten who intends coming along with Yours Truly and Alun in tourist class... Zacklaws, Rammylad, anybody else? Obviously you could just tag along in the morning, but there are often more than 100 riders on SITD and it isn't necessarily easy to spot people in the crowd so it would be better if we arranged to meet up at the back of the bunch before the start at (say) 08:55.

Ok, I'll see you at the back, I'll be in pink' dk blue and lt blue shirt, with the lt blue as the predominate colour , and if that doe's not catch the eye, I think the big Darley's symbol of good ale badge, back and front should catch the eye, unless its cold, then I'll have a red gillet on.

Only 100+ riders, thought it would have been more like a good few hundred riders, maybe not that hard to park then, so may set off a bit later from home.

So I take it then it must be a bunch start, that should be interesting going up that first hill.

Am I right in thinking that their is two planned feed stations enroute, or did I dream it. I'm sure there was but when I went to programme the Garmin last night, I could not find any reference to them, still plenty of villages though if not.

 

[ColinJ]

Only 100+ riders, thought it would have been more like a good few hundred riders, maybe not that hard to park then, so may set off a bit later from home.

I think on a good sunny day it is usually a hundred-and-odd, and if the weather is awful, somewhat less than that!

If you arrive at that car park we met at at about 08:00 you should be okay, especially since there is now an overflow car park behind the wall where the old fire station used to be.

So I take it then it must be a bunch start, that should be interesting going up that first hill.

Yes, as you can see from the photograph in post #65.

If we start at the back we can drift up through the tailenders until we (I! ) settle at a comfortable climbing pace. If we start further up the bunch, it would be more a case of me going backwards through them until nobody was climbing slower than me!

Am I right in thinking that their is two planned feed stations enroute, or did I dream it. I'm sure there was but when I went to programme the Garmin last night, I could not find any reference to them, still plenty of villages though if not.

We have the first stop after a very fast descent into Earby (caution). It's usually somebody's car with the back open and containing boxes of chocolate bars, cake, bananas and bottles of water. There are public toilets nearby.

There's a control at the cyclists' cafe at Gargrave. I normally just get my card stamped there and carry on. Perhaps, I'd buy a can of Coke if I fancied one. Public toilets across the road.

I usually run out of drink at Burnsall so I refill my bottles there. More public toilets.

Final control at Rossi's cafe in Keighley.

Big spread back at Salem Mill, Hebden Bridge!

 

[Arch]

We have the first stop after a very fast descent into Earby (caution). It's usually somebody's car with the back open and containing boxes of chocolate bars, cake, bananas and bottles of water. There are public toilets nearby.

I know it's not on my route but...

If someone put a car with the boot open and full of cake and chocolate at the bottom of a step hill, you'd probably find me lying sprawled headlong with a face full of crumbs...

Better go and pack my bumbag, lay out my lycra and get into bed. I'm being picked up at 6.45 tomorrow, and it'll take me just over half an hour to get to the pick up point... Add 30 mins to wake up, dress, eat something...

Remind me why I arrange to do these things?

 

[longers]

Remind me why I arrange to do these things?

Remind yourself tomorrow night

 

[zacklaws]

I know it's not on my route but...

If someone put a car with the boot open and full of cake and chocolate at the bottom of a step hill, you'd probably find me lying sprawled headlong with a face full of crumbs...

Three things spring to mind here Sue, one, I know you love cakes, so you'd dive in head first and the second, is this an admission you've no brakes or is it because did those nasty Wessies that don't stop at cafe's burn your brake pads out going down them nasty bumps last weekend.

But there again if I went down a step hill which must be rather bumpy, I think I'd end up sprawled out too.

Anyway like a kid on Xmas eve, looking forward to tomorrow, I think it should be a chuckle.