Cheshire Cat 2009

a_n_t

popette wrote:

one that runs roughly parallel to artists lane (leads up to the wizard) - is that the one?

not sure, it's here anyway.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=Swiss+Hill,+Alderley+Edge+SK9,+United+Kingdom&sll=53.476664,-2.373442&sspn=0.049754,0.170288&g=Swiss+Hill,+Alderley+Edge+SK9,+United+Kingdom&ie=UTF8&cd=1&geocode=FZ1OLQMdqwPe_w&ll=53.301928,-2.227435&spn=0.01249,0.042572&z=15

andy_wrx

popette wrote:

one that runs roughly parallel to artists lane (leads up to the wizard) - is that the one?

No, like the link above shows, it's up from Alderley Edge centre.

I was looking at it last night
- go onto the kilotogo website, pick the route of the 66 or 102 routes and blow them up to a big size

I must have sailed past the bottom of it many times, heading back through Alderley Edge from Mottram St Andrews direction.

If it's not p*ssing down on Saturday, I'll go and have a look !

sportbilly1976

Am also planning to go and have a look on saturday......if it is dry will see if my 7 year old son can do it in his 1st gear too....(he likes a challenge!)....and then can let him lose in the woods too.....

Wanted to do the 37 mile route on sunday, but my girlfriend has seen the weather forecast and now we will be doing the 36km altrincham-alderley loop :-(

http://www.bikeradar.com/routes/?bpath= ... -Edge-Loop

Anonymous

I tried a scouting run today but ran out of time to do swiss hill. Saying that though, it was wet on the ground and loads of leaves made it very slippy, so probably for the best. Mow Cop is at least the first climb so isn't too bad but the run up from Sutton to the top at Macc Forest is a B*tch! Glad I'm getting a compact before I do the full hit!

Alex

nom de plum

Riding up Swiss Hill this morning... Impossible
walking up ...impossible
walking down...almost impossible

the turning into the hill at the bottom from the Mottram direction (when wet) is very doggy.
I got to the first set of flats on the left, sat down all the way, and the back wheel was slipping constantly. at this point it became dangerous... so gave up and just managed to walk down without ending up on my ass.
I've done it quite a few times in the dry and its good fun... I just hope the CC folk have good weather cos it'll cause a lot of problems otherwise

Steve

Mettan

a_n_t wrote:

Mettan wrote:

the 66 miler has 4850 ft approx

pah! my 60 miles today had 5385!!

http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/6955615

You'll be fine then Ant - interestingly, next years mid-distance route is a big step up from this year's 2200 ft for 60 - (next year's mid-distance being 4850 ft approx for 66) that's over double the climbing :shock: - I can see why they might have made the 100 harder (rightly or wrongly), just "unfortunate" for many Sportive riders that the "enjoyable" mid-distance ride has now become ........ "not so enjoyable"....

andy_wrx

nom de plum wrote:

Riding up Swiss Hill this morning... Impossible
walking up ...impossible
walking down...almost impossible

the turning into the hill at the bottom from the Mottram direction (when wet) is very doggy.
I got to the first set of flats on the left, sat down all the way, and the back wheel was slipping constantly. at this point it became dangerous... so gave up and just managed to walk down without ending up on my ass.
I've done it quite a few times in the dry and its good fun... I just hope the CC folk have good weather cos it'll cause a lot of problems otherwise

Steve

I had a go this afternoon.
Took it steady from the bottom, seated, making an effort to pedal smoothly, not so bad at all I thought...
But so much concentration needed, trying to use the camber, avoid the big cracks between some of the cobbles, keep the weight on the back but not let the front wheel get so light that it heads off in the wrong direction. Real finessing-it stuff I haven't done since years ago on a MTB.
About halfway up, back wheel starts slipping a bit on the slimy cobbles and wet leaves, I can see it's getting steeper ahead so a I look further ahead to try to pick my line and suddenly I'm caught by a steep right to left camber and have to put a foot down. Bah !
No chance of restarting and managing to clip in on this, so walk up past a couple of drive entrances and the flats for 30yds or so until the slope eases, there's a temporary roadsign so I hang onto that, get on the bike and clipped-in, then off again and up to the top.
So would be do-able...just not by me today !
I think it was actually easier riding the bike than walking up the slope in cleats - I was leaning on the bike. Certainly didn't fancy walking down in cleats !

No, don't fancy that greatly if there's going to be lots of other people around and you have to add negotiating them as another hazard.

sportbilly1976

Does anyone have a website that they use which can be used to get a profile of the route....?

can't see any link to one on the Kilotogo site...

addicted to Langbar

I took the liberty of plotting the middle route (yes I'm a big girl's blouse, I know) onto bikeroutetoaster after entering and it looks like a piece of cake to me, apart from those six big peaks which look like a pitbull's teeth.

http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... urse=23565

You go on the summary page which shows the route profile.

Maybe those hills will rip your legs off like a pitbull? But of course we will all either love it or hate it, say never again and still sign up again next year once the legs have stopped aching.

a_n_t

looks pretty easy tbh!

skinsey

I live at the bottom of the Macc Forest climb, so train on it and most of the other climbs too. They are brutes, but they're relatively short brutes. There'll be 2 issues for people I think - 1) it's early in the season, so power levels might not be quite as high as later in the year for going vertically, and 2) if they've gone like trains for the first - flat - part of the ride, they might suffer when it gets lumpier. That said, it's not the Alps.

sportbilly1976

As a couple of tasters.......

for a quick look at the 3 main climbs of the routs...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7unYOUolVqo

and for the down section.....(here's praying for a dry day!)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aihtkyAZh1o


Is it just me, or having watched them a near midnight, my immediate thought is....when can I have a practise run at them?? :? :shock:

a_n_t

sportbilly1976 wrote:

Does anyone have a website that they use which can be used to get a profile of the route....?

can't see any link to one on the Kilotogo site...

bikeroutetoaster

thetrotter

sportbilly1976 wrote:

As a couple of tasters.......

for a quick look at the 3 main climbs of the routs...

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=7unYOUolVqo

and for the down section.....(here's praying for a dry day!)

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aihtkyAZh1o


/quote]

Sorry to disappoint you but don't think you come down the Cat and Fiddle on this route - you just cross it at the Lamaload cross roads coming up from Macc Forest. There's a very steep - if short - descent going down to Lamaload where you will be praying for a dry day to get round the bend at the bottom.

andy_wrx

thetrotter wrote:

Sorry to disappoint you but don't think you come down the Cat and Fiddle on this route - you just cross it at the Lamaload cross roads coming up from Macc Forest. There's a very steep - if short - descent going down to Lamaload where you will be praying for a dry day to get round the bend at the bottom.

Indeed, you're right.

But the earth bank on the left hand side is about waist height and very soft in wet weather - it stopped me a treat last Sunday, just got very muddy elbow and knee :oops:

It's these sh*ite tyres on my Winter bike, the ProRace on my Summer bike were fine at a far faster speed in just as wet conditions on the Spud Riley :shock:

popette

Yesterday, I tried some of the roads around lamaload for the first time - it is so beautiful around there. I went pott shrigley, kettleshume, old gate nick, nab end, lamaload, wildboarclough, langley and then got a bit lost and so took main roads back to Macclesfield. The road around wildboarclough, through the valley with the road running alongside the stream was just so wonderful - and the gradient of -3% (I decided at the time that this is my favourite gradient) was just perfect recovery after those big climbs early on.
I almost came a cropper on the 25% double arrow road near to lamaload - I was going up it and I completely lost momentum and thought I was destined to hit the floor. With a roar I just about managed to keep the pedals going round. We'll be coming down that road (other way so descending that really steep bit) on the Cheshire cat.

I'm really looking forward to it - I wish there were more sportives in Winter.

a_n_t

popette wrote:

I almost came a cropper on the 25% double arrow road near to lamaload

yeah, quite steep there! much easier the other way!!

andy_wrx

a_n_t wrote:

popette wrote:

I almost came a cropper on the 25% double arrow road near to lamaload

yeah, quite steep there! much easier the other way!!

That 'other way' is the one I'm referring to coming down in my post above - obviously I can go down it a lot quicker on my Summer bike and tyres than on my Winter bike and tyres :oops:

sportbilly1976

Managed this morning to get up Swiss Hill on an "exercise" run of Sale-Alderley-Macc-Kettleshulme-Disley-Stockport-Sale.

Was on a MTB, so wider tyres than when I do the event, but sitting down and simply churning the pedals it was ok. Tried to stand up and push it at one stage, but that just caused the rear wheel to spin. :oops:

I must admit that I didnt find the cobbles too much trouble (although I was tackling it after just 10 miles, instead of 50 on the event & I was able to meander about on the way up!)

Was rather shocked too to have a family clap me up about 3/4 of the way...altohugh not sure if they thought I was brave or mad

edit: entry paid now... so best try the other two hills. lol