Most hilly route in 40-45 miles (mcr)

freehub

Basically, I'm trying to draw a decent short hilly route, a route that incorpirates lots and lots of climbs, and some pretty hard bits, as these will help me build my performance back up I think.

www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26671

Best I've come up with is 48 miles and 2900ft of ascent, anyone who knows the area reckon there is any better roads I can plot for similar distance that had 3000+?

Thanks
Will.

Bhima

Cat & Fiddle is 1300ft in 7 miles.

Just go up and down it loads.

I wouldn't use ascent figures as a direct measure of difficulty though.

If you went up and down a steeper one, like Blaze hill, you'd get a higher ft/mile ratio, but it means nothing really. Just ride harder on the flat if you want pain!

Pokerface

Bhima wrote:

Cat & Fiddle is 1300ft in 7 miles.

Just go up and down it loads.

I wouldn't use ascent figures as a direct measure of difficulty though.

If you went up and down a steeper one, like Blaze hill, you'd get a higher ft/mile ratio, but it means nothing really. Just ride harder on the flat if you want pain!

The Cat, while boring, is relatively easy to ride up and down. But some of the shorter, steeper hills would be much harder to ride up and down a few times.

Riding harder on the flat isn't always the answer, as it's hard to find good stretches of road that you CAN ride hard on before you come to a junction.

Hills - you can push harder going up them for less distance and get the same/better results.

redddraggon

Do this:

www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26687

34 times.

softlad

Will - get yourself down here - I'll show you one of my routes that will give you nearly 4000ft of ascent in just over 55 miles....you can kip in the spare room...

freehub

Bhima, I thought about the cat but don't really want to do it, it'd bring my mileage over what I stated unless I went up and down it, which is boring, I need a loop.

Lol thanks softlad, maybe one day.

Also whilst I'm in here, I do a ride at night, around 25 miles, anyone know of some real hard bits I could make into a 25mile loop that keeps me within Manchester and lit areas?

nasahapley

I'm not too familiar with any routes from Manchester but do know that there's not many hills within the M60 so it'll be hard to get extra ft/mile without doing a fair bit of extra distance.
It might be a bit of a faff, but could you get a train out to the edge of the Pennines and go from there? I'd have thought that you'd have a job finding a 50-miler going east of somewhere like Stalybridge or Glossop that had less than 3000ft of climb!

Just to be annoying, here's one of the routes that I do now and again when I fancy hills: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=22988. 5400ft in 52 miles, and that's if you take the 'easy' road for the first ten miles or so! Should you ever be in the Ilkley area give me a shout and we'll give it a go.

redddraggon

nasahapley wrote:

could you get a train out to the edge of the Pennines and go from there?

Trains cost money, and Will is from Yorkshire :roll:

Garz

Here is a local route with some nice hills that a couple of us tackle, one to note is the incorporated rake (ramsbottom) should get your sweat up nicely!

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26699

* left off the manchester roads as you know them better and can tweak it to suit better surfaces etc

moolarb

freehub - that's a good loop from Manchester but the return leg looks a bit tame, mostly downhill/flatish from Pymm Chair?

rather than do a loop I'd probably drop down to Errwood reservoir and then climb up to the Cat & Fiddle via Derbyshire bridge and then on to Wildboarclough/Macc Forest/Wincle where there are some steep climbs - then just double back on yourself or take the shortest route home

freehub

Thanks, the start is pretty convinient on that less than a mile from me.

www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26701

But it's 64 miles, doable but I'm looking for 40-45 for a short quck ride.

moolarb wrote:

freehub - that's a good loop from Manchester but the return leg looks a bit tame, mostly downhill/flatish from Pymm Chair?

rather than do a loop I'd probably drop down to Errwood reservoir and then climb up to the Cat & Fiddle via Derbyshire bridge and then on to Wildboarclough/Macc Forest/Wincle where there are some steep climbs - then just double back on yourself or take the shortest route home

I'm trying to keep the distance within 45 miles, maybe 50.

sportbilly1976

will...why not get the train from M'cr Picc / Stockport to Macc and then start..?

only 10 mins and about £4 or so during the week..

redddraggon

sportbilly1976 wrote:

will...why not get the train from M'cr Picc / Stockport to Macc and then start..?

only 10 mins and about £4 or so during the week..

redddraggon wrote:

Trains cost money, and Will is from Yorkshire :roll:

addicted to Langbar

nasahapley wrote:

Just to be annoying, here's one of the routes that I do now and again when I fancy hills: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=22988. 5400ft in 52 miles, and that's if you take the 'easy' road for the first ten miles or so! Should you ever be in the Ilkley area give me a shout and we'll give it a go.

Do you head out east or west first? Can't believe that you miss out Langbar!

sportbilly1976

there must be a few good hilly routes going north out of M'cr too...???

Bhima

Move to Macclesfield.

I will be in the new year - there's a house i'm going to be renting which is on a 20% cobbled climb. :shock:

Anonymous

How bout dis?

www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26704

Just rattled it together quickly, you can sort your own exit and entry to Manc!

Bhima

sportbilly1976 wrote:

there must be a few good hilly routes going north out of M'cr too...???

Yep - there's loads of hills up near Oldham. Last time I spoke to Will, he had not done Wessenden Head Pass AKA Saddleworth Moor or Holme Moss which takes you to Holmfirth. About 48 miles and 3500ft: www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=26705

nasahapley

addicted to Langbar wrote:

nasahapley wrote:

Just to be annoying, here's one of the routes that I do now and again when I fancy hills: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=22988. 5400ft in 52 miles, and that's if you take the 'easy' road for the first ten miles or so! Should you ever be in the Ilkley area give me a shout and we'll give it a go.

Do you head out east or west first? Can't believe that you miss out Langbar!

West first (i.e. clockwise loop); I did it that way as I sort of designed the route to take in two climbs near Pateley - Church Lane and Yorke's Folly (both b*******s, if you're not familiar). If I'm fealing really masochistic, I'll go out of Ilkley via Middleton (i.e. up Curly Hill) and then along the moor road and down Langbar, then as far as Barden Tower on the east side of the Wharfe (i.e. through Storiths). Doing that makes it 54 miles and a whopping 6300ft of climb! Let me know if you fancy it sometime...

Anonymous

nasahapley wrote:

addicted to Langbar wrote:

nasahapley wrote:

Just to be annoying, here's one of the routes that I do now and again when I fancy hills: http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=22988. 5400ft in 52 miles, and that's if you take the 'easy' road for the first ten miles or so! Should you ever be in the Ilkley area give me a shout and we'll give it a go.

Do you head out east or west first? Can't believe that you miss out Langbar!

West first (i.e. clockwise loop); I did it that way as I sort of designed the route to take in two climbs near Pateley - Church Lane and Yorke's Folly (both b*******s, if you're not familiar). If I'm fealing really masochistic, I'll go out of Ilkley via Middleton (i.e. up Curly Hill) and then along the moor road and down Langbar, then as far as Barden Tower on the east side of the Wharfe (i.e. through Storiths). Doing that makes it 54 miles and a whopping 6300ft of climb! Let me know if you fancy it sometime...

The run up from Bolton Abbey to Burnsall was one of my favourite ever bits of bike riding in the history of the world, ever. Didi it about 3 weeks ago, weather was nice too!

vorsprung

Your so called hilly training route is 2900 ft in 48 miles or 61ft of climbing per mile

My so called easy route to work and back that I ride most days on a single speed is 2100ft in 32 miles or 65ft of climbing per mile

In the spring I was going to try out a hilly route...

nasahapley

NapoleonD wrote:

The run up from Bolton Abbey to Burnsall was one of my favourite ever bits of bike riding in the history of the world, ever. Didi it about 3 weeks ago, weather was nice too!

That is a fantastic bit of road; almost all my rides take it in going one way or the other (or both). The bit about 'nice weather' makes me think you're making it up though - it seems to have been dismal for months! Should you ever be in the area again, try going up Langstrothdale and on to Fleet Moss (left at Buckden at the top of Wharfedale), the climb up there is in my top 2 roads ever (and the other one is the descent!)

Btw, sorry for derailing your thread Will.

sportbilly1976

That looks an interesting route....

my g/f's parents live in Cookridge, so might try and take my bike along next spring for a ride out that way....

Anonymous

nasahapley wrote:

NapoleonD wrote:

The run up from Bolton Abbey to Burnsall was one of my favourite ever bits of bike riding in the history of the world, ever. Didi it about 3 weeks ago, weather was nice too!

That is a fantastic bit of road; almost all my rides take it in going one way or the other (or both). The bit about 'nice weather' makes me think you're making it up though - it seems to have been dismal for months! Should you ever be in the area again, try going up Langstrothdale and on to Fleet Moss (left at Buckden at the top of Wharfedale), the climb up there is in my top 2 roads ever (and the other one is the descent!)

Btw, sorry for derailing your thread Will.

When I say nice, I mean it wasn't raining! Bl00dy windy though over the top!

addicted to Langbar

nasahapley wrote:

West first (i.e. clockwise loop); I did it that way as I sort of designed the route to take in two climbs near Pateley - Church Lane and Yorke's Folly (both b*******s, if you're not familiar). If I'm fealing really masochistic, I'll go out of Ilkley via Middleton (i.e. up Curly Hill) and then along the moor road and down Langbar, then as far as Barden Tower on the east side of the Wharfe (i.e. through Storiths). Doing that makes it 54 miles and a whopping 6300ft of climb! Let me know if you fancy it sometime...

Are those two climbs near Pateley Bridge the ones NapD was on about the other week?
I think that I may need to build up to that one as my cycling is currently commuting only, but I have been looking for a good route to do over Crimble and if I whack the Cow & Calf and the East Chevin on the end I think that you may have sorted it.

addicted to Langbar

nasahapley wrote:

That is a fantastic bit of road; almost all my rides take it in going one way or the other (or both). The bit about 'nice weather' makes me think you're making it up though - it seems to have been dismal for months! Should you ever be in the area again, try going up Langstrothdale and on to Fleet Moss (left at Buckden at the top of Wharfedale), the climb up there is in my top 2 roads ever (and the other one is the descent!)

Btw, sorry for derailing your thread Will.

Looks brutal. How did the OS get so many contour lines in such a small space?

fungus_the_muffin_man

Just whittled this one off for you It incorporates some of the climbing from the tour of the pennines sportive
I've save it as just for freehub

Hows that for you? I've rode it and its a good ride out

Bhima

Why do you want to limit it to 50 miles? Limited time to ride? You say you want to limit it to 50 miles, but as you increase the climbing, the time spent riding the 50 miles increases.

fungus_the_muffin_man

Bhima wrote:

Why do you want to limit it to 50 miles? Limited time to ride? You say you want to limit it to 50 miles, but as you increase the climbing, the time spent riding the 50 miles increases.

You also have to take into account the possibility of very strong headwinds on exposed parts of the pennines for example

Just like on this day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y27G4jr7asc

Bhima

Yep. Saddleworth moor is the most exposed place in the universe. I've been sprinting up there at 20kph before. :shock:

fungus_the_muffin_man

If you look at that youtube clip it was like that all day on even the most seasoned of riders struggles with the route. The long drag up Nont Sarah's was the hardest riding I've ever done. The head wind was brutal with gusting sidewinds to contend with at the same time. It was certainately fun though