England : North Yorkshire Yorkshire Dales ride from Settle - DATE CHANGED TO SUNDAY, 3rd July 2016

[Sea of vapours]

I think it's because you can see the whole 4-5km of the thing, getting steeper and steeper towards those even steeper ramps at the top when approaching from the north - not nice!

 

[ColinJ]

I think it's because you can see the whole 4-5km of the thing, getting steeper and steeper towards those even steeper ramps at the top when approaching from the north - not nice!

You could be right. I start off thinking "It doesn't look particularly steep". Soon I am thinking "Actually, it *is* pretty steep up there". A few minutes later and I am thinking "WHY DO I KEEP ON DOING THIS TO MYSELF"!!!

 

[rusty bearing]

In the diary Colin.

 

[ColinJ]

In the diary Colin.

Excellent - see you on the 2nd!

Riders so far:

• ColinJ
• Sea of Vapours
• oldfatfool (probably)
• rusty bearing
• doughnut (if recovered from lurgy)
• @busdennis?

 

[Globalti]

I'm interested but as I'm posting this from Addis Ababa I don't know what I will be doing on that day. Don't pencil me (or GtiJ) in yet.

Fleet Moss from the north is indeed a killer but the payback is the fantastic swooping descent towards the south-east, which has just been re-surfaced for quite long lengths.

 

[Kestevan]

Cant make this one unfortunately..... I'll be stood at the side of the road marshaling for the Holmfirth CC Sportive ( http://www.holmemoss.com ). Given that I wont be on a bike, this pretty much guarantees you excellent weather and a tail wind all the way round

 

[oldfatfool]

Not sure I will make this after all Col as I am working nights, so have a good one and hope to catch you around.

 

[ColinJ]

Not sure I will make this after all Col as I am working nights, so have a good one and hope to catch you around.

Hmm - it would be a tough ride to do after working a night shift! See you on another one later. I'll be doing a ride from Whalley To Wray later in the summer, so maybe that one?

My pals Carrie and Kevin said on yesterday's Humber Bridge ride that they will probably also turn out for the Settle ride.

There is a chance that my friend Bill will be joining us. If so, I have a lift. If not, I will have to come up with an alternative plan. If I have to, I can cycle to Keighley and catch the train from there, and do the ride back at the end of the day, but that would make for a long, hard day. To catch trains all the way would involve a lot of changes and up to 5 hours of travelling!

Busdennis has told me that unfortunately he can't make the ride this year.

Provisional rider list:

• ColinJ
• Possibly Bill/Carrie/Kevin, pals of ColinJ
• Sea of Vapours
• rusty bearing
• doughnut (if recovered from lurgy)

More riders welcome! As long as you are confident of tackling at least the short version of the route, sign up below.

NB Having experienced the awesome power of severe thunderstorms on the Humber Bridge ride last weekend, I am keeping an eye on the weather to avoid any of us getting fried by lightning bolts on top of a big Dales hill on Saturday. If thunderstorms are likely then I will postpone the ride by a week, hoping for better conditions!

 

[Sea of vapours]

Good that there's probably a decent turn-out for this, Colin. I'm not optimistic about the weather though. It's too far out to call it, obviously, but at the moment it's looking like showers and moderate (15mph) SW winds. That doesn't sound too bad, but from experience that sort of forecast could make conditions 'fairly inhospitable' on such peaklets as Fleet Moss and the Coal Road. There are a few days for it to tip over into 'perfectly tolerable' though. If you do decide to postpone, I can also make the backup date of the 9th.

 

[rusty bearing]

Aye, three weeks ago we were on top of a 1000 metre Scottish mountain with thunder and lightning all around, only way down was over another top. As we got to it lightning struck the one we'd left. Never seen rain like it, spent 4 hours walking back to the tent in it too!
Anyway, it would be nice to have niceish weather I can also do the 9th or even the coming Sunday so I'll just keep an eye on the thread

 

[Sea of vapours]

I can also make Sunday 3rd, which does look a little better than Saturday at this point. The following Sunday, 10th, isn't an option for me though.

 

[ColinJ]

I don't want to make a premature decision in case we suddenly get some unexpected good weather on Saturday, but I got soaked today walking to the supermarket and thought then that I didn't fancy another soaking on the bike after the twin deluges on last weekend's forum ride!

Aye, three weeks ago we were on top of a 1000 metre Scottish mountain with thunder and lightning all around, only way down was over another top. As we got to it lightning struck the one we'd left. Never seen rain like it, spent 4 hours walking back to the tent in it too!

Yikes!

Anyway, it would be nice to have niceish weather I can also do the 9th or even the coming Sunday so I'll just keep an eye on the thread

I can also make Sunday 3rd, which does look a little better than Saturday at this point. The following Sunday, 10th, isn't an option for me though.

Hmm, Sunday ... That might be possible! Let's decide nearer the weekend.

 

[rusty bearing]

 

[ColinJ]

Carrie and Kevin have told me that they can't make Sunday but I think the weather should be the deciding factor. It will be a lovely ride in good weather but pretty horrid in poor conditions, so we will avoid poor conditions!

Sunday is currently looking warmer, drier, and less windy than Saturday but the weather-watch will continue until Friday ...

If we DO opt for Sunday and my pal Bill isn't available for a lift then it would involve me riding to and from railway stations and a very long day on the bike.

My rail travel options are reduced on Sundays but I should be able to get to Settle in time for a start at about 10:15 by riding over to Keighley and catching the first train of the day.

Coming back on Sunday would be more of a problem but I have discovered that there is a train from Settle to Whalley on Sunday evening at 19:37, the one time a week that that train runs! That would still leave me a lumpy 16 mile ride home from Whalley but it is doable. I would have to make damn sure that we were back in Settle in time for me to catch that train though! (We really should be back by then, unless something unfortunate had delayed us.)

 

[doughnut]

I'm afraid I'm pretty much tied to this Saturday. I go sailing on Sundays and I'm off on holiday next week. But after the cold-to-beat-all-colds that I've just recovered from, I'm not keen if the weather is looking not good. So I've still got fingers and toes crossed for a break in the weather for Saturday.