A change of plans today freed me up to get out and ride again and there was only one destination in mind- Matlock.
Inspired by
@13 rider ’s efforts this week in the same area and knowing there were three Top 100 climbs in the vicinity I had yet to do I set out to get them.
Parking at nearby Cromford, it was very sunny but also quite blowy. Not to be deterred, I set off heading northwards along the flat A6 into Matlock and the first of the three climbs- Bank Road.
This little beauty tops out around 20% and hitting this one just 3.5 miles in was quite the warm up! Climb defeated, I had a breather at the top then set straight back down the other side for the next one on the list- Riber. Coming back down into Matlock I could see Riber Castle in the distance and gained some perspective of what was to come very shortly!
Finishing my descent into Matlock, the start of Riber was immediate once I’d crossed the main road, kicking up enough to get the heart pumping a bit and levelling off briefly before the real meat of the climb......
Branching off left, there is an immediate left hand hairpin that tops out at around 25% on the inside, a little leg buster to prepare me for the next km or so. It then winds left and right and kicks up well over 20% again as you approach the summit. As if the brutal gradient isn’t enough, the surface between the last turn and the summit is just awful. Rough and full of potholes, you have to go in the middle of the narrow road and hope and pray no traffic comes at you. I was lucky with that and managed to get up to the top, if a little sweaty and blowy myself! Another customary shot of Riber Castle in the near distance....
From here I had to basically go back the way I came up, the surface, bends and gradient not suitable for descending fast on. Once back into Matlock, I headed along the A6 through Darley Dale, veering off midway along a path that ran parallel with both the A6 and the Peak Rail heritage railway. Didn’t see any trains, but the views were no less splendid. Before long, I’d arrived at Rowsley, and the beginning of the third and final climb of Rowsley Bar....
Turning off the main road, this climb is also immediate, kicking up quite steep before the piece da resistance of a wooded area with two hairpins that kick up beyond the 20% on the sign. The tarmac is fresh and silky smooth and certainly helped my cause! Before long, that climb was also defeated, having a breather at the top before heading back towards Matlock. If anyone needs reminding about how stunning Derbyshire is then here is that reminder.....
Just fifteen miles done, and three big climbs completed, it was chill time now and I went back the way I came back towards Matlock Bath. Hard work done and feeling rather good I stopped off here for a well earned ice cream.....
My mission was essentially complete, and as I was on 22 miles at this point and only about 2.5 miles back to the car, I felt it only right to squeeze out the remaining miles I needed to get me another point.... I mean, why drive forty miles not to get a point eh?
These last few miles were got by way of a little thrash down the silky smooth A6 through Cromford down to Whatstandwell right by the river Derwent. Turning back round and thrashing it back up the A6 to Cromford, I was a mile short and with the car park only 0.2 miles away, I headed past the car park towards the train station and back on myself again to get over the line.
An enjoyable day, stunning views, big climbs and another point.
Only 220m up in the other 29.5 miles though, lovely sunny day, but a bit gusty in open parts.
ncture in 1,500 miles or so. Bit of a tank-slapper, but stayed upright 
First one I've fixed at the roadside too, without too much trouble, even managed to get 60 psi in the tube. The local farmers have been out with flail hedge-trimmers for a few weeks, but this must have been a sharp stone or a bit of glass.
