The Metric Century (100KM) A Month Challenge ChatZone

[steverob]

Well I didn't originally intend on posting in this thread today!

The route I'd planned was just over 50 miles, but while out I just started taking little detours here and there as I fancied them (it did help that the first half of my ride was mainly under the influence of a tail wind), which of course had the effect of bumping up my mileage. When I eventually got to the eastern outskirts of my home town, which typically means I've got about 1.5 miles to go to home, I find I'm already on 56 miles and figure to myself that it shouldn't be too hard to pick a longer route through town that will allow me to cross off March's 100km challenge earlier than planned. The trouble is, approaching home from a different direction to usual means all my normal cues of how far I've got to go are "off" and it's hard to judge how much more I need to do (especially as the legs are getting VERY tired now). It looked at one point that I was going to fall just short, so I went one extra lap around the block to be sure and my Garmin gave me 62.26 miles as my final total (100.2km), but once I uploaded it to Strava, it had increased it to 62.55 miles somehow - I'll take it no matter which is most accurate!

Annoyingly I did mess up on my route once and took a wrong turn that has denied me an extra Explorer square in VeloViewer - anyone who knows me, knows how obsessed I am with that challenge! Means I'll have to go back out that direction at some point to tick it off.

 

[Sea of vapours]

<SNIP>Of course there are many variables, and you point out the individual's capability (mind and body) for steep hills or 'endless' flat, but you offered no answer, perhaps because the road surface, downhill 'straightness' and hill profile (steep/gentle) are greater determinants.
For example on this section from Askrigg to Lower Eskeleth, is it better to go through Reeth? Assume one can get up the double chevron hills!
I guess @cosmicbike looks for routes which offer as much climbing as the terrain will offer.

I don't think there is a defnitive answer other than for an individual, and even that will vary accoridng to how the day is going and where within the route the possible detour is. That section you've shown, for example, could easily go either way in terms of time for me. Arriving at the decision point fresh, it's only a kilometre of steep road really, and it's a very nice route over the top and down to Langthwaite and I'd always go that way unless I was too tired to get up the initial steep 1km. Would I be quicker than going round via Reeth (twice as far, roughly)? Probably, but only marginally as the road surface is good to Reeth and then beyond it after the left turn. At the same time the descent on the short cut is not overly rapid - at least not for me. I would most certainly have done more 'damage' to my legs going the direct way, so I'd be more tired and if I was really short of time and had a way to go beyond Langthwaite I'd probably choose the longer route, which was your original question. Ignoring the time constraint, I'd surely go the short way, simply because it's nicer and more elegant as part of an overall route.

It's fair to say that if the route were from Askrigg to Langthwaite and you were looking for the quickest then that would be to *not* go up Oxnop Scar in the first place, however! That's one of the hardest hills in the Dales. To minimise elapsed time, the way to go is straight along Wensleydale and over Grinton Moor, which is a much easier way to get to Reeth.

The /nicest/ way betweent the two points is over Fleak Moss, then over the hill up from Low Row - the direct route.Excellent scenery and fun roads throughout, but the Fleak Moss ascent is even harder than Oxnop Scar and the descent is not - at least not safely - at all rapid. It's the shortest route, but for the majority of people slower than the Grinton Moor option by a considerable percentage (I know this from experience of doing both, in both directions). That said, if there was a pressing need and the finish point was Langthwaite, I supect I /could/, probably, do that fastest, but it woudl hurt a lot !

I stick with my orignail answer that there isn't a universal rule, that 'it depends....' in all cases.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Many thanks.
The section from Askrigg to Lower Eskeleth, is the first section of the second day of the Mille Pennines, having done 284km round the Lakes on Day 1 (starting at 10am) including Whinlatter, Hardknott and Wrynose Passes. The loop on Day 2 in 2017 is about 330km. In 2016 this section (via Reeth) was the cross Dales part (1600m in the first 70km). I wrapped at Kielder, halfway round (weather contributing but essentially not 'ard enough on the day; maybe food, maybe sleep).

 

[Sea of vapours]

If there isn't a control between Askrigg and Lower Eskeleth then I'd recommend the Fleak Moss route, then left in Healaugh and over the other bump. That's the nicest way. This assumes that you want to start the day with 2.5km of 15% or so, with a 20%+ bit in the first few hundred metres ... I certainly would *not* go the Oxnop Scar route as that is several kilometres longer, less attractive (views and road) and almost as hard - it is definitely slower overall. For a gentler, similar time start to the day, go along to Castle Bolton and over Grinton Moor - you get a 10km warm-up and a much easier crossing into Swaledale. None of this makes that day anything but 'very hard' though. I recall looking at it when you did it last year.

 

[tallliman]

@steverob, glad it's not just me trying trying to tick off squares this year....got some very tricky ones to do which don't have roads, footpaths or bridleways across them! No clue what I'll do!

 

[GuyBoden]

I had a ride to Mow Cop today, but obviously I took the easier route up Mow Lane, not the more difficult Station Road Route. Unfortunately, I had to get off my bike at Pot Bank and then gave up, but I'll be back next week to have another go and hopefully my old legs will get a bit further.

I was riding my dry weather bike, the no mudguards "Summer Bike". An old Reynold's 531 Competition frame and mostly Shimano 600. I've put a MTB triple on the front 42,32,22 to help the old legs.

Here's Mary's Church at Astbury just before the turning for Mow lane.

 

[ColinJ]

I was out at Chipping in the Ribble Valley again at the weekend and for the second time in a row I made a navigational error leaving the village. I used to ride out there quite a lot but I have been doing Waddington instead for the past 10 years or so and for some reason*** I can no longer retain that part of the Chipping route in my head. It isn't as if there are hundreds of roads to chose from either!

Given my confusion near Dent on last year's Settle ride, I suspect that the old grey matter is slowly packing up. Never mind - I may bore you lot telling you the same things over and over, but I will never run out of good TV series and films to watch. I am currently rewatching The Sopranos and most of the time it is as though I have never watched it before ...

I am trying not use my GPS for navigating routes that I should remember, but I need to work harder at committing routes to memory.

It turned out that the actual route was better than the planned one. I really like the road past the wild boar park and the steep climb from Whitewell to Cow Ark, so I think I will go that way deliberately next time. I can't get lost that way because there is a sign pointing the way as one leaves the village.

*** Possibly age-related. Or maybe it is the fact that I have been getting less than 4 hours sleep before my metric centuries ...?

 

[Sea of vapours]

I think the four hours sleep could well be a major contributory factor!

Has that road from Whitewell to Cow Ark been resurfaced, perchance? I put a large, red, metaphorical cross on it the last time I came down it.

Oh! And that's a major navigational ... 'anomaly' to head out on that road rather than the one I presume you intended, which is a teeny bit more direct to just about all points eastwards. Very nice road though, as you say.

 

[ColinJ]

I think the four hours sleep could well be a major contributory factor!

It doesn't help! I am half awake all night and half asleep all day ...

Has that road from Whitewell to Cow Ark been resurfaced, perchance? I put a large, red, metaphorical cross on it the last time I came down it.

Yes. I commented to Blue Hills that it had probably been done because of the road closure on the other side of the Inn at Whitewell.

Oh! And that's a major navigational ... 'anomaly' to head out on that road rather than the one I presume you intended, which is a teeny bit more direct to just about all points eastwards. Very nice road though, as you say.

What happened the previous time was that I wasn't concentrating, failed to take my left turn towards Whitewell, and ended up back below Longridge Fell.

This time, I saw that the road was heading towards Longridge Fell again and thought that I had made the same mistake so I 'did a Dent' and we u-turned, heading back to Chipping, expecting to see what would now be a right turn towards Whitewell. We ended up back in the village and saw the sign for the wild boar park and I had a vague recollection of seeing a sign for that when I had last taken the correct route so we went that way.

We got halfway along that road and it was obvious that we were on a different wrong road but we were just passing the wild boar place and I knew where that road came out, and that we could get back up to Cow Ark by the steep climb so we carried on.

I checked my tracklog when I got in and could see exactly what we had done. The road to the wild boar park that I was thinking of was one just before the Hodder at Doeford Bridge.

We weren't bothered because the weather was ok, we had plenty of daylight hours left, and the scenery was great. It would have been different if we were out in a thunderstorm and desperate to get back!

I do normally use the GPS if there is any chance of getting lost.

 

[Dogtrousers]

<snip description of Colin confusing one wrong road with a another, different, wrong road >
I do normally use the GPS if there is any chance of getting lost.

Hmmm...

 

[ColinJ]

Hmmm...

 

[GuyBoden]

Saturday is looking good for a sixty miler.
(Ok, 62.1371 miles to be correct)

 

[tallliman]

Saturday is looking good for a sixty miler.
(Ok, 62.1371 miles to be correct)

(Which you'll inevitably round up to 63 if on strava just in case....)

 

[cosmicbike]

Ticking along nicely folks, and 16 of us have posted rides through to March so far. Just waiting for @Dogtrousers @Rickshaw Phil and @Osprey to put their March rides up.
Over the worst of the weather now I hope, so here's looking forward to the April one in shorts and sleeves

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have plans for Sunday, thanks @cosmicbike