Pinarello Rider in Hebden Bridge today!!
Carpe Diem
Posts: 238
Did you get home ok?
Did you find Cragg Vale?
Did you find Cragg Vale?
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Comments
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Not exactly a major feat of route-finding is it? "Stay on main road past the old Clog Factory, then take the 2nd right in Mytholmroyd, and ride up the longest continuous hill in England!"Carpe Diem wrote:Did you find Cragg Vale?
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But if you dont know the area colin............
So when a fellow cyclists ask's me for directions again, should I say, "Not exactly a major feat of route-finding is it? "
No perhaps not 0 -
Fair comment!Carpe Diem wrote:But if you dont know the area colin............
So when a fellow cyclists ask's me for directions again, should I say, "Not exactly a major feat of route-finding is it? "
No perhaps not0 -
Have to say, when I went to Cragg Vale for the hill climb at the end of last year, I expected it to have a big signpost clearly pointing to the longest climb in the country and when there wasn't one I went past it. In the end I followed another cyclist and found the start! It seems noteworthy enough that it should have a bit more celebration about it... but then, I'm talking from the viewpoint of an enthusiast
'07 Langster (dropped one tooth from standard gearing)
'07 Tricross Sport with rack and guards
STUNNING custom 953 Bob Jackson *sigh*0 -
And I DO get lost a lot...'07 Langster (dropped one tooth from standard gearing)
'07 Tricross Sport with rack and guards
STUNNING custom 953 Bob Jackson *sigh*0 -
BUICK wrote:I expected it to have a big signpost clearly pointing to the longest climb in the country and when there wasn't one I went past it.
you mean this one?
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I was going to nip over there with my camera but you've saved me the effort ! They've either replaced the sign or that is an old photograph because the sign was vandalised some time back.
The hill officially starts a few hundred metres after you turn off the A646. The reason that people might miss the sign is that the gradient is so slight at the bottom of the hill that you wouldn't really consider it a hill. The Cragg Vale TT starts a bit further on.
It may be the longest hill in England, but it isn't steep - the average gradient is about 3.3%, and the maximum for one short stretch halfway up the climb is probably about 8-10%. The biggest difficulty with the climb is that there is often a cross/headwind on the open moorland above the steeper section. That can be a real bastard at times.
I once had a nightmare headwind as I was descending towards Cragg Vale from Blackstone Edge. It was so bad that I had to get out of the saddle in a 40/28 gear just to move forwards :shock: !!!0 -
really? Sure I remember one when i climbed it a few months back? Not sure if it was that blue one mind
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Our club runs regularly take us up Cragg Vale. Tried to 'give it some' last week (in an effort to keep up with 2 of the clubs' quicker riders) but had to ease up about half way up. It's not a bad climb if you just take it easy and spin up becaue the gradient isn't too steep. However it does seem to go on forever. The climb from Hebden Bridge out over to Oxenhope is IMO a much harder climb. It's long and it's steeper than Cragg Vale.0
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The Pinarello rider was probably Tom Murray. He rides this area a lot. Often out on the Tuseday night chain gang from the 3 Nuns at Mirfield. Although isn't he riding for another team this year?0
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The climb from Hebden Bridge to Pecket Well on the way up to Oxenhope Moor is harder than the Cragg Vale climb but then it eases off. The altitude gain of the two climbs is about the same but the Cragg Vale climb takes about a mile more to achieve it. I have done both climbs many times and I've found that my times for them are identical (on days when the wind isn't a factor).Not Another Hill wrote:Our club runs regularly take us up Cragg Vale. Tried to 'give it some' last week (in an effort to keep up with 2 of the clubs' quicker riders) but had to ease up about half way up. It's not a bad climb if you just take it easy and spin up becaue the gradient isn't too steep. However it does seem to go on forever. The climb from Hebden Bridge out over to Oxenhope is IMO a much harder climb. It's long and it's steeper than Cragg Vale.0 -
The Pinarello rider was probably Tom Murray. He rides this area a lot. Often out on the Tuseday night chain gang from the 3 Nuns at Mirfield. Although isn't he riding for another team this year?
I dont think so, this guy was from Ramsbottom and did not know the area.
He was looking for an interesting route.
He had never heard of the cragg when I mentioned it!0 -
I'm a bit of a map fan so I always sit down and plan new rides before doing them. I find it really strange to think of riding over from Ramsbottom to Hebden Bridge and not working out where I was going to go after that. You wouldn't have to know about the 'longest hill in England' thing to spot on a map that it was a good way to head back towards Ramsbottom.Carpe Diem wrote:The Pinarello rider was probably Tom Murray. He rides this area a lot. Often out on the Tuseday night chain gang from the 3 Nuns at Mirfield. Although isn't he riding for another team this year?
I dont think so, this guy was from Ramsbottom and did not know the area.
He was looking for an interesting route.
He had never heard of the cragg when I mentioned it!
Now by an eerie coincidence... I was looking at my maps the other day, trying to work out a nice loop taking in Ramsbottom. I fancy tackling Ramsbottom Rake on my road bike (when I am fit!!!). I went to watch the National Hill Climb championship there a few years back. I've done it on my MTB as part of the Rossendale MTB Challenge and it wasn't too bad. Mind you - I had a 22/32 bottom gear ! 0 -
The climb from West Vale via Barkisland up Scammonden Road to the top before Denshaw must rank close to this as well. Has the same problem with the breeze as well : )0
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I don't think I've ever ridden it in that direction; I must give it a go some time. I usually climb up to Buckstones from Denshaw, descend to Scammonden, then follow the West Yorkshire Cycle Route - Ringstone Edge Reservoir, Booth Wood Reservoir, Pike End, Baitings Reservoir then home either via Blackstone Edge, Cragg Vale, Mytholmroyd or cross-country via a nice network of lanes to Sowerby village, Boulderclough, Mytholmroyd.allen wrote:The climb from West Vale via Barkisland up Scammonden Road to the top before Denshaw must rank close to this as well. Has the same problem with the breeze as well : )0 -
Which way do you go over to Denshaw ? I love that ride up from Denshaw and the ride on the cycle way is great. I love the bit were you ride from near the top of Baitings past the old Blue ball pub and head up and over to Sowerby. Great views and really interesting riding with a sense of isolation.
The problem I often find with Denshaw is the ride back via Ripponden can be very busy. I intend to try riding round via Delph to Marsden and then climb up over Slaithwaite on a good day in the near future0 -
Hi everyone im new to this site and this message caught my eye especially the part about the longest gradient.
Im from Shaw and have only been living here since July (originally from Norfolk) too bloody flat for me.
Anyway i wanted to thank you guys for mentioning a few places to go cycling not far from me.By chance when i moved up here i managed to find a nice 28 mile ride that took me from Shaw,Newhey,Denshaw,Ripponden,Smithybridge,Hollingworth,Milnrow and back to Shaw.
Im always interested in new routes and cannot believe how close i was to Cragg Vale so i can sort out a route that takes me up there now.
cheers and happy new year0 -
Hi reecesanford and welcome to the area.
There's lots of great climbs in the area.Once you've found your way around have a go at Holme Moss :shock:0 -
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it's on the hit-list! 0
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If you are coming over to tackle the Steeps, I could plot you a route taking in several others of similar severity, just say the word! Give me a total distance from Hebden Bridge, and the number of tough climbs you fancy, and I'll see what I can come up witha_n_t wrote:it's on the hit-list!. 0 -
Next time I cycle back to York from Manchester I'm going to have to plan a detour to take me up these climbs!
Or would I end up going down and not up? 0 -
A typical ride to Denshaw might be, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Cragg Vale, Blackstone Edge, Littleborough, Hollingworth Lake, Milnrow, Newhey. I used to take the A640 from Newhey to Denshaw, but now I often continue along the A633 for another mile or so and then take the B6197 up Dog Hill past the Black Ladd to Grains Bar, then descend the A672 to Denshaw.allen wrote:Which way do you go over to Denshaw ?
Not to mention - hardly any traffic! Yes, those lanes are lovely and are some of my favourites. If I want a short ride, I just nip up to Blackstone Edge and return by some of those quiet lanes to Mythomroyd. It's about a 20 mile loop from Hebden Bridge but there is over 1,000 ft of climbing in that loop so it is well worth doing. There are lots of little variations, for instance I sometimes go via Mill Bank, sometimes via Cotton Stones. The most obvious change is ride the route in reverse which makes a huge difference to it.allen wrote:I love the bit were you ride from near the top of Baitings past the old Blue ball pub and head up and over to Sowerby. Great views and really interesting riding with a sense of isolation.
Delph to Marsden is busy too. A quieter, more interesting route is Delph, New Delph, then by quiet roads to Dobcross, cross the A-road and take the lanes through Diggle up to Standedge. Bomb along the A-road for about 1.5 km then take the side road on the right between the two pubs. That's a nicer way down into Marsden.allen wrote:The problem I often find with Denshaw is the ride back via Ripponden can be very busy. I intend to try riding round via Delph to Marsden and then climb up over Slaithwaite on a good day in the near future
You can go along to Slaithwaite and climb from there (that's a bit of a beast). Another possibility is to follow the WYCR signs in Marsden and cross the canal to take in the climb of Booth Bank (that's a real killer!).0 -
For every down there's an up! Get hold of the West Yorkshire Cycle Route booklet from any T.I.Centre in West Yorkshire. Follow the route through Ilkley... Hebden Bridge and on to Holmfirth, then climb over Saddleworth Moor and head for Manchester. Starting from York, that would be some ride!willhub wrote:Next time I cycle back to York from Manchester I'm going to have to plan a detour to take me up these climbs!
Or would I end up going down and not up?0 -
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/1238734
Does that route go by any of these climbs mentioned?ColinJ wrote:
For every down there's an up! Get hold of the West Yorkshire Cycle Route booklet from any T.I.Centre in West Yorkshire. Follow the route through Ilkley... Hebden Bridge and on to Holmfirth, then climb over Saddleworth Moor and head for Manchester. Starting from York, that would be some ride!willhub wrote:Next time I cycle back to York from Manchester I'm going to have to plan a detour to take me up these climbs!
Or would I end up going down and not up?
Dont think I'm up for that yet by the sounds of it
I wonder if the route I take from manchester to york, if I do that from york to manchester if it will be harder as it seems quite a long decent.0 -
Holme Moss isn't that bad. To me the steepest section (or the hardest part anyway) is the bit as you climb out of Holmbridge, just after the church; it's like hitting a wall. You go straight from 52/11 to 39/25 in one change, it's as if there's a 45 degree fold in the road. The last bit of the climb is a 1 3/4 climb (there are 1/4 mile counters painted on the road!) but it's usually into the wind.
This is one of my regular runs (usually on a Sunday morning) starting at Denby Dale train station:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/denby ... 0768139614
I last did it on 22 Dec into a stiff headwind which was not nice!. 1hr 45mins in good conditions, anything up to 2:30 in poor. It's common to climb out of fog or clound into clear sun at the top of the hill. It's spooky for the first time it's as if you're on an island.
This route from a layby near Junction 35 on the M62 has an 8 mile continuous climb, usually into prevailing winds:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/hudde ... 1879344975
For those that know it, you go over the Scammonden 'viaduct' over the M62. There are spectacular views back towards Huddersfield between mileposts 14 and 15 and there's an absolute t**t of a hill at 24 miles just when you thought the climbing was over. The reward for a long climb used to be a pint (or two!) at a pub right on mp15 which has now dissappeared unfortunatley.
I haven't done this one for a while:
http://www.mapmyride.com/route/gb/brigh ... 9591902732
I've altered the start to go from the same point as above but I usually start from either Keighley or Bingley which changes a 35 miler into a 50+ and adds another 750 foot of climbing - ouch!
Bob0 -
Hey Bob thanks for link to that website it looks fantastic to use and i have never heard of it before.I love plotting new routes and tend to plot them on memory map and transfer them to my RoadAngel Adventurer Sat Nav which is small enough for a back pocket just in case i get lost.
Colin have you got any routes in your area ranging between 30-60 miles.
Need some good routes so i can start burning off this excess meat around my waist.Im a sucker for a few hills as well even though im not in the best of shape at the moment.Although i always say no pain,no gain.
Cheers
And thanks Croggy i will look into Holme Moss.0 -
Never mind the routes and hills, what was he doing out on pinarello in this weather? Mine is in the shed and I am out on the Ribble 0
