potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
..nor me
Spring into the Dales - Sun 15th April
- Thread starter Steve H
- Start date
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skudupnorth
Cycling Skoda lover
- Location
- Astley,Manchester
Sounds like a plan for a forum ride !
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
We were just over the alotted time after our 3 stop strategy, but the ladies there were very good and we got to have some food, and a much needed hot drink after we got cold coming down that final descent, especially once it started to snow.
Big thanks to them
skudupnorth
Cycling Skoda lover
- Location
- Astley,Manchester
I was thinking the same but a canal ride appeals to me !!!No cafe stops????????
I'm out
SlowerThanASluggishSloth
Veteran
3 stops!
I don't remember anyone suggesting a third stop. 
If I'd known there were going to be three stops...I still wouldn't have been able to come
Was thinking about you all yesterday, lots of sunshine but no snow. Nice pics, Potsy. Looking forward to reading Colin's trip report. Well done to all who took part.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Well ...! 
The good news is that my time of 6 hours 31 minutes included a lengthy stop to try and assist a fellow audaxer whose freehub pawls had decided to go to that great pawl graveyard in the sky. It also included a trip home to drop my bike off and have a soak in the bath. I still got back to event HQ in plenty of time to sit around chatting with other riders as they came in, and to enjoy the usual fine spread laid on for us.
The bad news is that the report above refers to the 2007 event! Yesterday, I dropped my bike off at home, quickly got changed and arrived at HQ 25 minutes or more past the cut-off time, and long after most of the food had gone. In fact, I had to scavenge some cake and a bag of crisps before the last of the provisions were packed away. This is becoming a very bad habit ...
But let's go back to the start of the day ...
The sunshine promised great things though there was a very chilly northerly wind blowing which made it feel very cold in exposed places and when cycling into it.
I'd fettled my bike the day before the ride but had left it too late to go for a test ride. A few hundred yards of cycling told me what I'd feared might happen - the new chain I'd put on the night before was slipping on the old cassette. Totally my fault, for leaving the old chain on long enough to wear the cassette out, and for changing the chain the night before the event and not test-riding it. I said hello to the lads at event HQ and dashed home to swap bikes. My Cannondale is a great bike but I know how tough the SITD route is and I really needed the Basso's granny ring for it! Still, I had no choice ...
Svendo, Alun, potsy and Phil were waiting for me when I returned on the other bike.
I wondered how long Svendo would stay with us. On the first climb, he went to the front so effortlessly that I doubted we would even get to the first summit together, and so it came to pass - off he went and we never saw him again.
Calum caught up with me on the nasty little climb to Scar Top. I heard a cheery voice from behind me and I knew it wasn't Alun - he was further back making a curious rasping sound and probably regretting some of the excesses of his trip to Benidorm the week before! Potsy and Phil were ahead somewhere. Must be the youngster ...
Calum stuck with us for a while, but he too was feeling frisky. He was ahead of me as we turned for Gargrave, but I held back to make sure the other 3 didn't ride on past the bend, and when I looked back Calum was gone! The remaining 4 of us rode on together until the final climb of the day.
Considering how little cycling I am doing these days, how overweight I am and the fact that I didn't have my usual low climbing gears, I was doing okay. Not going fast, but not really struggling either.
We had a stop at Gargrave, and then headed on towards Wharfedale. As we climbed the lovely little lane from Cracoe round to Burnsall, we saw Grassington bathed in sunshine in the near distance below us. Beyond that though, things were looking a bit grim. We'd had some very light hail for a minute or two, but it looked like there was a nasty storm brewing up Hawes-way. The wind was blowing it towards us so we had to hope that we didn't get it too bad.
We stopped for ices at Cavendish Pavilion (thanks for mine potsy!). Just before we set off, we got a few snow flakes, hailstones and some light drizzle, but that was as bad as it got. With the chilly wind, it would have been really grim if things had really kicked off, but soon it was warming up again.
My spirits lifted. The spring lambs were out in force and the countryside was looking great. I was enjoying being out on the bike with my CycleChat partners. However, I knew what lay ahead and had been feeling apprehensive for a couple of miles... A short, fast descent on the A59 leads to a right turn and a sharp climb to Draughton. It is close to 20% for 100 yards or so round a couple of bends. I wanted to stay on the bike but got halfway up and decided that it was doing too much damage to me. It wasn't just hurting my legs - my back, arms and shoulders were also taking a battering. I knew that I'd pay the price later and decided to limit the damage so I dismounted and walked for 50 yards or so. That was the only walking that I did all day.
We did a rapid descent to Silsden and headed for the big roundabout on the A629. I thought I was going to be able to steam into it at 30 mph and beat the traffic coming from the right but thought better of it and braked to a halt. I spotted a gap in the traffic and went to sprint away but was in too high a gear and had to give it some real welly to get rolling and that's when I felt something go in the top of my right leg. A stabbing pain which had me wincing.
We stopped at the final control at Rossi's in Keighley. (Thanks to Phil for refreshments there!) At that point we still had over 70 minutes to get back to beat the cut-off time and would have just done it, but we took a vote and decided to have a break and blow the timing. I was in so much pain from my leg that I could hardly dismount! I had to lower the bike and step over it.
As usual, the climb to Haworth brow wasn't too difficult. I can cope with that gradient. (The traffic is always a pain though.) Alun and I were at the back, Phil and potsy a couple of hundred yards ahead. We regrouped in Oxenhope.
I really wasn't looking forward to the last climb. It is steep enough and long enough to hurt when tired and unfit, and it didn't disappoint! (2.1 miles at 6.6% average, with some sections at over 10%) Potsy and Phil eventually went on ahead and left Alun and I to suffer together. I got ahead of Alun on the descent and dashed home to drop the bike off and get changed. A quick exchange of texts with potsy told me that if I hurried, I could get a couple of bits of cake and a coffee.
By now, everything was hurting and I was walking like an old man, unable to stand up straight, and limping! I had a quick chat with the lads and organiser Chris Crossland, then I went and bought myself a Chinese meal and went home to eat and start my recovery!
The leg was really bad last night - I could hardly stand up from a sitting position. It is still sore today, but not quite so painful.
Still, another fine ride. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger! (Kills legs, mind you ... )
In case you are wondering why I'm looking in pain in potsy's picture taken at Draughton Heights ...
The good news is that my time of 6 hours 31 minutes included a lengthy stop to try and assist a fellow audaxer whose freehub pawls had decided to go to that great pawl graveyard in the sky. It also included a trip home to drop my bike off and have a soak in the bath. I still got back to event HQ in plenty of time to sit around chatting with other riders as they came in, and to enjoy the usual fine spread laid on for us.
The bad news is that the report above refers to the 2007 event! Yesterday, I dropped my bike off at home, quickly got changed and arrived at HQ 25 minutes or more past the cut-off time, and long after most of the food had gone. In fact, I had to scavenge some cake and a bag of crisps before the last of the provisions were packed away. This is becoming a very bad habit ...
But let's go back to the start of the day ...
The sunshine promised great things though there was a very chilly northerly wind blowing which made it feel very cold in exposed places and when cycling into it.
I'd fettled my bike the day before the ride but had left it too late to go for a test ride. A few hundred yards of cycling told me what I'd feared might happen - the new chain I'd put on the night before was slipping on the old cassette. Totally my fault, for leaving the old chain on long enough to wear the cassette out, and for changing the chain the night before the event and not test-riding it. I said hello to the lads at event HQ and dashed home to swap bikes. My Cannondale is a great bike but I know how tough the SITD route is and I really needed the Basso's granny ring for it! Still, I had no choice ...
Svendo, Alun, potsy and Phil were waiting for me when I returned on the other bike.
I wondered how long Svendo would stay with us. On the first climb, he went to the front so effortlessly that I doubted we would even get to the first summit together, and so it came to pass - off he went and we never saw him again.
Calum caught up with me on the nasty little climb to Scar Top. I heard a cheery voice from behind me and I knew it wasn't Alun - he was further back making a curious rasping sound and probably regretting some of the excesses of his trip to Benidorm the week before! Potsy and Phil were ahead somewhere. Must be the youngster ...
Calum stuck with us for a while, but he too was feeling frisky. He was ahead of me as we turned for Gargrave, but I held back to make sure the other 3 didn't ride on past the bend, and when I looked back Calum was gone! The remaining 4 of us rode on together until the final climb of the day.
Considering how little cycling I am doing these days, how overweight I am and the fact that I didn't have my usual low climbing gears, I was doing okay. Not going fast, but not really struggling either.
We had a stop at Gargrave, and then headed on towards Wharfedale. As we climbed the lovely little lane from Cracoe round to Burnsall, we saw Grassington bathed in sunshine in the near distance below us. Beyond that though, things were looking a bit grim. We'd had some very light hail for a minute or two, but it looked like there was a nasty storm brewing up Hawes-way. The wind was blowing it towards us so we had to hope that we didn't get it too bad.
We stopped for ices at Cavendish Pavilion (thanks for mine potsy!). Just before we set off, we got a few snow flakes, hailstones and some light drizzle, but that was as bad as it got. With the chilly wind, it would have been really grim if things had really kicked off, but soon it was warming up again.
My spirits lifted. The spring lambs were out in force and the countryside was looking great. I was enjoying being out on the bike with my CycleChat partners. However, I knew what lay ahead and had been feeling apprehensive for a couple of miles... A short, fast descent on the A59 leads to a right turn and a sharp climb to Draughton. It is close to 20% for 100 yards or so round a couple of bends. I wanted to stay on the bike but got halfway up and decided that it was doing too much damage to me. It wasn't just hurting my legs - my back, arms and shoulders were also taking a battering. I knew that I'd pay the price later and decided to limit the damage so I dismounted and walked for 50 yards or so. That was the only walking that I did all day.
We did a rapid descent to Silsden and headed for the big roundabout on the A629. I thought I was going to be able to steam into it at 30 mph and beat the traffic coming from the right but thought better of it and braked to a halt. I spotted a gap in the traffic and went to sprint away but was in too high a gear and had to give it some real welly to get rolling and that's when I felt something go in the top of my right leg. A stabbing pain which had me wincing.
We stopped at the final control at Rossi's in Keighley. (Thanks to Phil for refreshments there!) At that point we still had over 70 minutes to get back to beat the cut-off time and would have just done it, but we took a vote and decided to have a break and blow the timing. I was in so much pain from my leg that I could hardly dismount! I had to lower the bike and step over it.
As usual, the climb to Haworth brow wasn't too difficult. I can cope with that gradient. (The traffic is always a pain though.) Alun and I were at the back, Phil and potsy a couple of hundred yards ahead. We regrouped in Oxenhope.
I really wasn't looking forward to the last climb. It is steep enough and long enough to hurt when tired and unfit, and it didn't disappoint! (2.1 miles at 6.6% average, with some sections at over 10%) Potsy and Phil eventually went on ahead and left Alun and I to suffer together. I got ahead of Alun on the descent and dashed home to drop the bike off and get changed. A quick exchange of texts with potsy told me that if I hurried, I could get a couple of bits of cake and a coffee.
By now, everything was hurting and I was walking like an old man, unable to stand up straight, and limping! I had a quick chat with the lads and organiser Chris Crossland, then I went and bought myself a Chinese meal and went home to eat and start my recovery!
The leg was really bad last night - I could hardly stand up from a sitting position. It is still sore today, but not quite so painful.
Still, another fine ride. What doesn't kill us, makes us stronger! (Kills legs, mind you ...
)In case you are wondering why I'm looking in pain in potsy's picture taken at Draughton Heights ...
potsy
Rambler
- Location
- My Armchair
Great report as ever Colin, take it easy with that sore leg.
I was quite surprised you didn't have to walk more than you did on your Cannondale, does that mean in theory you could do all your forum rides on it?
If it's any consolation my legs are a little sore today too, won't stop me commuting later tonight though
At least you can have a rest on Sunday on the 'flat' ride
I was quite surprised you didn't have to walk more than you did on your Cannondale, does that mean in theory you could do all your forum rides on it?
If it's any consolation my legs are a little sore today too, won't stop me commuting later tonight though
At least you can have a rest on Sunday on the 'flat' ride
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Well, it shows I can get up short stretches of 17% on it and longer stretches of 8-10% but I really don't like low-cadence, high-gear climbing. (No fixed for me!) My hips are dodgy, and my right knee is dodgy and no amount of training is going to change that.
Mind you, I worked out that the fat me on the Basso (plus clothes, spares and drinks) is 30% heavier than the thin me on the Cannondale (plus clothes, spares and drinks) and the Cannondale's bottom gear is only 26% higher so that means that I could ride it all the time if I lost my surplus weight! And I'd be fitter, of course, which would help!
I did some long hilly rides on the Cannondale when I was a more sensible weight and was pretty fit and was fine on it. A 39/29 bottom gear is quite low for a slim, fit rider. Having said that, I was reading that Contador chose to use a 34/30 bottom gear on one tough mountain stage!
The trick is for me not to rest the whole time until then!At least you can have a rest on Sunday on the 'flat' ride
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
You all made it round though!
Whilst I was going from Alston to Sunderland on the C2C on Sunday.
Whilst I was going from Alston to Sunderland on the C2C on Sunday.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
phil_hg_uk
I am not a member, I am a free man !!!!!!
From what I have been reading on the forums I am beginning to think that the only people to have crap weather yesterday were us.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
The Weather Gods only toyed with us! Potsy's photos give a pretty good record of the conditions we experienced.
PMarkey
Guru
- Location
- Queensbury,West Yorkshire
Wish I had checked the forums before I set off now , I spent all day looking for a statuesque 6' 5" cyclist in the company of a 6' 1" cyclist on a Basso
It isn't blue by any chance ?.I waited for the majority of riders to set off rather than get caught up in the melee on the climb out of Hebden and spent the majority of the ride on my own , you must have set off after me though as a cheery young man passed me after Gargrave with a witty quip about hills who I assume was Callum looking at potsy's photos ?
I also had to walk for part of the climb up to Draughton and also a short part of the climb heading to Silsden
as my legs where shot by this point and even the slightest incline had me crawling at less than walking pace so I wan't looking forward to the climb out of Oxenhope , a coffee and some carrot cake at Rossi's gave me a bit of a lift and I crawled over the tops and landed back at the finish at 5:23 . I stayed for a coffee and a couple of sandwich's then set off for home and a final tally of 151km for the day and totally shattered . Paul
DCLane
Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
- Location
- Dewsbury, West Yorkshire
Nope - had an hour of hail on Sunday afternoon, just after leaving the Parkside Station cafe.
