Pennine X challenge

dickydulux

Anyone doing the challenge this Sunday 5th July?

Did it last year on a hardtail, this year its a full suss. Will be interesting to see the differences between them.

http://penninex.co.uk

stumpyjon

Didn't know about this one, book marked ot for next year. What's the route, sounds like it ought to be on my doorstep.

My next event is likely to be the Mary Townley Challenge.

dickydulux

Think the pennine x uses part of the mary towneley loop or at least some of the pennine bridleway.

Is the Mary Towneley Challenge an organised event?

Looking to do the loop late July, but if there's an organised event may look at doing that instead.

Can anyone reccommend any campsites near Broadley, on the "south" part of the loop?

posiwev

The pennine X starts (and finnishes for that matter) at the church at Pole Moor, running over the back end of Scammondon Res, over the roman road, across over to the lHouse down to Hollingworth lake, under the M62 upto Huddersfield Rd, then over towards Mardsden and back UPto the start.
A good route with a bit of everything.

stumpyjon

Yep

MTL Challenge is run by the local mountain rescue. This years event is the 13th of September.

Linky here.

Fastasfeck

Sorry to dive in on this...I was one of three mtb'ers going in the opposite direction to the PennineX....and we liked the idea of doing a similar event. However due to time constraints, we tend to do 15 mile loops locally on Sunday mornings - usually 2 hrs of riding and an hour of yapping.

Not sure if we would make 47 miles? but I guess you go at your own pace etc... (we ride parts of the MTL quite regularly near Littleborough/Wardle) but only to try and get elsewhere.

How challenging is the whole MTL?? :shock:

mingmong

Fastasfeck wrote:

Sorry to dive in on this...I was one of three mtb'ers going in the opposite direction to the PennineX....and we liked the idea of doing a similar event. However due to time constraints, we tend to do 15 mile loops locally on Sunday mornings - usually 2 hrs of riding and an hour of yapping.

Not sure if we would make 47 miles? but I guess you go at your own pace etc... (we ride parts of the MTL quite regularly near Littleborough/Wardle) but only to try and get elsewhere.

How challenging is the whole MTL?? :shock:

I did it in 7 hours when I was fit. 7 hours riding time though. It's a superb full day out, but be advised - Take lots of food and water and put plenty of hills in your legs before you go otherwise it will hurt. It's a real cracker.

Here's a good site : http://www.idonohoe.com/mountian_bike9.htm

Fastasfeck

Thanks for the link that looks useful....we live at the bottom of blackstone edge road so we tend to start most rides up the bridle path to the top...but 47 miles is a lot different to 15..

Going to Coed Llangdegla at the end of the month to do 2 laps of the red route which will be 22 miles. If we can get another few 25/30 milers in August then we might just be ready for it...?? :?:

mingmong

I'd say a good gauge would be to be able to ride for 5 solid hours. Better safe than sorry as there's no way of bottling it.

I followed Ian's route to the letter and started out of Waterfoot. The climb to 'Top O Leach' is nothing less than severe. Quite honestly, if you can get up there without 'dabbing' you are invincible.

When I went it had been raining so Brown Wardle was a mud bath and it took it out of my quads.

The most picturesque is the approach to Stoodley Pike on the packhorse trail.

There aren't many flat bits to the ride, it's all ascent and decent. For that reason, it's one of my all time favourites.

dthom3

I've done the MT twice now on the MT Challenge. I'm not the fittest around but managed it in around eight hours both times.

It helps doing it as part of the event as there are feed stations.

Its a long slog in places and it makes a big difference whether you go clockwise or anti-clockwise.

On the challenge this year they are going anti-clockwise.