Spring into the Dales

[ColinJ]

Here's the new route profile...

And here is the SITD 2009 route as a .gpx file.

 

[vernon]

Good write up, ColinJ.

Just FYI...we stayed at the New Inn in Appletreewick in January. Not great. Cold, unfriendly and not cheap. To make it worse, the MTB livery place is a separate building and you have to pay a fiver for each bike for the night.

Steer clear. The other pub (can't remember the name but has the amazing new barn) is wonderful but doesn't do accommodation.

Unfriendly is an understatement. Hostile is the word that springs to mind. I was left in no doubt about the zero likelihood of getting a beer when I walked in five minutes before closing time a couple of summers ago. What made things worse was the fact that they served draught cherry beer and I really like cherry beer

 

[Noodley]

Currently looking good for me to be doing this one

 

[Noodley]

Currently looking good for me to be doing this one

Entry ready to be posted tomorrow

See y'all there.

 

[Landslide]

Oh dear. In a moment of foolishness, I've resolved to do this. The entry form's going in the post tomorrow. Any of you lot fancy towing me round?

 

[ColinJ]

Oh dear. In a moment of foolishness, I've resolved to do this. The entry form's going in the post tomorrow. Any of you lot fancy towing me round?

If 'towing' >= 6 hours, come along with us!

If 'towing' < 5 hours, no!

I'd forgotten to enter so I got my form in the post today.

 

[Landslide]

110km,
Over 2000m of climbing,
And stopping for cakes,

In under 6 hours??? No chance!

 

[ColinJ]

110km,
Over 2000m of climbing,
And stopping for cakes,

In under 6 hours??? No chance!

Don't eat too many cakes on the way round or you won't have room for much when you get back to Salem Mill in Hebden Bridge. There's always a really good spread laid on.

I got the event info today. Slightly longer, and slightly hillier this year - hmmm!

For once, I want to see if I can climb from Keighley to the top of Cock Hill (Oxenhope Moor) without cracking! I've done the event 3 or 4 times and every time so far I've started to get the hunger knock on the final climb up from Oxenhope village. Mind you, from the top there is a glorious 7 km descent to Hebden Bridge - just the thing for tired legs!

 

[Landslide]

Don't eat too many cakes on the way round...

PING ARCH!!! Colin's losing the plot!!! We need a tin of flapjacks and some carrot cake, stat!

 

[asterix]

Sadly, I have to take some folks to Newcastle Airport early that morning..



..but I'll still be doing the ride - although I'll have to get up ridiculously early and can't guarantee my start time But, hey, maybe I'd have been lantern rouge anyway.

 

[PaulB]

I was in Ribble bikes yesterday and got talking to a guy who said his son was the Audax Champion of the UK. I didn't know they had champions as I assumed it was a social, non competitive thing. Am I hopelessly wrong?

 

[asterix]

Apparently, it could well be the case: see here (No idea why it stops in 2004)

So whilst the events don't have 'winners' in the sense of going faster than everyone else (officially), members amass points as described on the link.

I ceased to be a member of Auk a few years ago because although I enjoyed the rides, I wasn't interested in collecting points and so it seemed 'pointless' to remain.

 

[vernon]

I was in Ribble bikes yesterday and got talking to a guy who said his son was the Audax Champion of the UK. I didn't know they had champions as I assumed it was a social, non competitive thing. Am I hopelessly wrong?

There are different categories under which one could claim to be a champion:

Altitude point
Fixed gear points
Junior
Overall points (not more than half to be from permanents)
and so on..with parallel categories for the opposite sex - it's not unknown for a category champion to be female..

There's also a degree of politics involved in some of the awards with one particularl member doing astronomical distances to get the most points yet not qualify to be champion because more than 1/2 of them came from permanents.

I indulge in a perverse competition with a fellow rider when we find ourselves on the same rides - we aim to be the joint lanternes rouge much more achievable than doing a 400km or 600km ride every weekend with midweek 200km rides thrown in for good measure....

 

[ColinJ]

I've added this event to the CycleChat calendar to see if we can persuade a few more people to join us.

More info:

There is a control at Earby after 33 km. There's usually a car there with its boot full of chocolate biscuits, bananas, water etc. (Public toilets nearby)

Another control at the cyclists' cafe at Gargrave at 46 km.

Final control at Rossi's cafe in Keighley at 93 km.

 

[bonj2]

I was in Ribble bikes yesterday and got talking to a guy who said his son was the Audax Champion of the UK. I didn't know they had champions as I assumed it was a social, non competitive thing. Am I hopelessly wrong?

presumably that guy has won more audaxes than anybody else?