Slow Rides For Unfit People - Rutland ROAD Ride Sun 9th Sept

Cheshley

Maloo, looking at the link in your signature, just bear in mind that the bit about 'unfit' and 'walking uphill' isn't a wind-up. We're not XC racers!!!!! :oops:

maloo

Dont worry Cheshley I will be walking up most of the hills myself, we might enter a few XC races but we are deffo not pro's. Looking forward to a nice slow paced ride !

Cheshley

Nicely, thought I'd say something cos I didn't want you to turn up and be disappointed by the pace

Cheshley

Route information.

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Po ... group-ride

I stress that this is a POSSIBLE route but the final will be pretty similar to it. If it looks long, that's because it is longer than I had planned but the loop from the back of Win Hill through Jaggers Clough to Clough Farm, along the road towards Hope and back up the old Roman Road can be missed out of people think it's a bit too much. This will cut about 7-8 miles off the route but a lot of this is downhill or tarmac, the only tough bit is the climb back up the old Roman Road. No decision on this needs to be made until we get to the top of the ridge and then see how people feel. By that time there will only have been one tough climb so I'm hoping people will be up for the full route but no problem if not, we can do that next time

Comments?

maloo

looks good to me How long do you think it will take to complete ?

Cheshley

maloo wrote:

looks good to me How long do you think it will take to complete ?

No idea. As long as I'm home in time to put my little boy to bed I'll be happy

puddle-rider

Hi Guys,
I will be interested in what the feed back is like of doing that climb up to Win Hill, i've only ever done it as a descent and it can be muddy and narrow at the best of times.
Other than that it looks a decent route with minimal climbing, for the Peak District!

freeride-mike

Cleared it with the mrs and if the lift is still on offer tony? i should be well up for this

Cheshley

I'll be interested to see it too as it's one of the few routes that I've not used before. I've seen it described on other route maps as "constant gradient doubletrack"...?

Just had a look at the satellite images on GoogleMaps, perhaps better to continue along the South edge of the reservoir and come up at it from further along...?

puddle-rider

Chesley,

I think you may be right, that route is I believe a footpath and not a bridleway, allthough lots of bikers use it as a descent, the upper reaches of it are definately singletrack and quite rutted and muddy, much better done as a descent in my opinion.

The climb further along is a bridleway and is much steeper but wider and shorter, about the same as the Screaming Mile which you are again climbing I think?
Since the forestry got in there and graded it last year (screaming mile that is) the fun as a technical descent has been largely eroded but makes it much better for us unfit and less technical guys to tackle in either direction.

Are you starting from Fairholmes as your route mapping would suggest? Either way it doesn't much matter as there or the Ladybower Inn give you a decent halfway lunch stop.

Richie63

This looks good to me I might go and try some of it out this week , esp. that bit from resevoir to the top ridge. I tend to ride that as a descent route from further along the ridge at hope cross(?) dropping straight down through the forest so this route will give me a new thing to try.

Cheshley

puddle-rider wrote:

Chesley,

I think you may be right, that route is I believe a footpath and not a bridleway, allthough lots of bikers use it as a descent, the upper reaches of it are definately singletrack and quite rutted and muddy, much better done as a descent in my opinion.

The climb further along is a bridleway and is much steeper but wider and shorter, about the same as the Screaming Mile which you are again climbing I think?
Since the forestry got in there and graded it last year (screaming mile that is) the fun as a technical descent has been largely eroded but makes it much better for us unfit and less technical guys to tackle in either direction.

Are you starting from Fairholmes as your route mapping would suggest? Either way it doesn't much matter as there or the Ladybower Inn give you a decent halfway lunch stop.

We are indeed starting from Fairholmes visitor's centre. OS map shows the climb up Win Hill to be consensual bridleway, if I've transferred it correctly from the OS map. Whatever, we can have a prod around and see which one we fancy going (walking) up.
The path down Hagg Side (Screaming Mile) is the last descent of the day and used to be one of my favourite descents but I've not seen it since it was "improved" last year. Still think it'll raise a few grins at the end of the ride tho and distract people from their aching legs

Cheshley

Richie63 wrote:

This looks good to me I might go and try some of it out this week , esp. that bit from resevoir to the top ridge. I tend to ride that as a descent route from further along the ridge at hope cross(?) dropping straight down through the forest so this route will give me a new thing to try.

Dropping straight down through the woods from Hope Cross takes you down The Beast doesn't it....? I'm afraid my technical skills aren't up to that just yet!!!!

stumpym4

freeride-mike wrote:

if the lift is still on offer tony?

Yeah should be ok still ... have a niggling doubt that ive already paid to ride something on the 28th !! .. need to check dates again .. :?

Also you need to plan some quick exit routes incase the weather turns bad or peeps really suffer

Tony

Richie63

Cheshley wrote:

Richie63 wrote:

This looks good to me I might go and try some of it out this week , esp. that bit from resevoir to the top ridge. I tend to ride that as a descent route from further along the ridge at hope cross(?) dropping straight down through the forest so this route will give me a new thing to try.

Dropping straight down through the woods from Hope Cross takes you down The Beast doesn't it....? I'm afraid my technical skills aren't up to that just yet!!!!

Not exactly sure about The beast and its location as there are a couple of options from the cross the one I do is straigt over a stile down in to a forest , along a wide but fast path with a drop of on the right then out into asmall clearing and down a steepish rocky path ending up on a fire road great fun!

This fire/ acccess road does climb back up to hope cross but I haven't done that yet - that may be the beast?

Cheshley

Richie63 wrote:

Cheshley wrote:

Richie63 wrote:

This looks good to me I might go and try some of it out this week , esp. that bit from resevoir to the top ridge. I tend to ride that as a descent route from further along the ridge at hope cross(?) dropping straight down through the forest so this route will give me a new thing to try.

Dropping straight down through the woods from Hope Cross takes you down The Beast doesn't it....? I'm afraid my technical skills aren't up to that just yet!!!!

Not exactly sure about The beast and its location as there are a couple of options from the cross the one I do is straigt over a stile down in to a forest , along a wide but fast path with a drop of on the right then out into asmall clearing and down a steepish rocky path ending up on a fire road great fun!

This fire/ acccess road does climb back up to hope cross but I haven't done that yet - that may be the beast?

You'd know The Beast if you'd been down it. From Hope Cross head North East, the trees on your right, through the gate and down a very technical rocky descent. The first time I ws taken to Derbyshire on a bike maaaany years ago I had no Idea where we were going and just followed everyone else so I rode down it, in the wet. The next time I went I knew what was coming, I bottled it and I haven't ridden down it since. The first section isn't too bad then it turns right and gets steeper and rockier but there is a footpath off to the left which I use to get to the bottom. The trails up Win Hill that we'll be using on the ride are ones I've not used before so I'll happily bow to anyone with knowledge of that part of the hill as to the best way to get to the top, but after that everything should be peachy. We'll have to have a day out sometime and you can show me around.

sniper68

The path up Win hill(llooking at the map)is the one that goes steeply up tarmac to Edge farm,the gradient is then less steep firstly through some trees then onto the open flanks of WinHill where its firtly grassy double track turning into rocky/stoney narrow track as it narrows near to the top.Its quite a slog but easily achievable if you just grind away and enjoy the views towards Edale and kinder Scout etc to your left.

Richie63

Right

Had a cracking ride out this PM went up that track from ladybower res to winn hill junction on the ridge along that and the down THE BEAST which wasn't that bad

The track is very ridable and not so bad to ascend here's some photos


and the one looking back as I was on the way to the beast


and the Beast isn't as scary as my cat

Cheshley

You know what, with it being clear here for so long it never occurred to me that there would still be snow up there!!!!! It's supposed to warm up in the next few days tho...

Excellent report tho mate, thanks for the pics. The route up looks pretty good.

sniper68

Ah i thought you were climbing the other Win hill ascent :roll: Ignore my previous post.

You know what, with it being clear here for so long it never occurred to me that there would still be snow up there!!!!! It's supposed to warm up in the next few days tho...

Not so.Its snowing very heavily here in North Sheffield so it'll just land on frozen snow out there and freeze :roll: We attempted a night-ride up Cutgate on Saturday,it was 18" thick,solid snow and ice.

Cheshley

I should have kept my mouth shut. Since my last post we've had a good covering of the white stuff and it's coming down heavily :oops:

I'm sure we'll evaluate the weather and existing conditions closer to the date of the ride.....

sniper68

Richie63 wrote:

Right

Had a cracking ride out this PM went up that track from ladybower res to winn hill junction on the ridge along that and the down THE BEAST which wasn't that bad

The Beast isn't that bad its just Very rocky and it catches some people out on the turns.Especially the left hander with the spikey rock-slab across it.Did you ride it all?

puddle-rider

You seem to be getting a few on this one i'm gutted I can't make it, but i've just had a pass for a weekends cycling andI don't want to push my luck too far.
I'm hoping to get back up there early May and will put a post up for doing Cut Gate, have great time.

Richie63

ibbo68 wrote:

Richie63 wrote:

Right

Had a cracking ride out this PM went up that track from ladybower res to winn hill junction on the ridge along that and the down THE BEAST which wasn't that bad

The Beast isn't that bad its just Very rocky and it catches some people out on the turns.Especially the left hander with the spikey rock-slab across it.Did you ride it all?

Love to say yes but the last
100m was iced in patches and I lost the front end which made me dab out otherwise clean . The rock steps and slabs were ok as long as I kept rolling they luckily were in the trees and as such didn't have an icy covering that i found lower down

Cheshley

puddle-rider wrote:

You seem to be getting a few on this one i'm gutted I can't make it, but i've just had a pass for a weekends cycling andI don't want to push my luck too far.
I'm hoping to get back up there early May and will put a post up for doing Cut Gate, have great time.

No worries mate, I'm looking forward to this one and also to finally having a go at Cut Gate. I walked some way along it from the Langsett end last Summer and it looks to be a good run although I read in other threads that it can get quite boggy up on the moors.

How's the riding in Oakham? I'm told that the ride around Rutland Water is good to stretch the legs and I've seen on Facebook today that Rutland Cycles have a night ride coming up which kinda appeals to my sense of adventure

rottitera02

Nice one chesley, i'm up for this, am in southport merseyside and have room on my bikerack for two more bikes. If anyone needs a lift or wish to contact me send me an email or pm.
I'm a fairly good mechanic for any breakdown issues.

So anyone going make sure you have spares like chainlinks, tubes etc;

Southport is flat as an ironing board!!!!!

Chesley do you have an ordance of the area and compass am good orienteering in case of a baleout along the route.

Cheshley

rottitera02 wrote:

Nice one chesley, i'm up for this, am in southport merseyside and have room on my bikerack for two more bikes. If anyone needs a lift or wish to contact me send me an email or pm.
I'm a fairly good mechanic for any breakdown issues.

So anyone going make sure you have spares like chainlinks, tubes etc;

Southport is flat as an ironing board!!!!!

Chesley do you have an ordance of the area and compass am good orienteering in case of a baleout along the route.

I have an OS map of the area, haven't needed to carry it out on the trail for a good few years tho as I'm confident that I know my way around the area (except the tracks up the North side if Win Hill as mentioned previously). I'll have it on the day tho. I'm pretty eager to try to keep the group together as much as possible so just in case we need to Bail I can get us out together, but bear in mind that some time has been put into trying to keep this route to the 'less severe' gradients as much as possible, so unless people want to hit serious hills in order to get back, it's going to be easier to either back-track the way we have come or keep going, depending on what point we're at.

Frostys

rottitera02 wrote:

Nice one chesley, i'm up for this, am in southport merseyside and have room on my bikerack for two more bikes. If anyone needs a lift or wish to contact me send me an email or pm.
I'm a fairly good mechanic for any breakdown issues.

So anyone going make sure you have spares like chainlinks, tubes etc;

Just to add to this if its going to be a wet ride a spare set of previously used brake pads will come in useful.

The best place I've found for replacement pads is Superstar Components they are quarter the price of LBS's

puddle-rider

Hi Cheshley.

Rutland Water is only good for a leg stretch really, much to sanitisied to accompdate the hire shop cyclists. Rutland Cycling do a regulair Wednesday Evening night ride and organise quite a few demo rides both day and night.

The best riding in Rutland is found on the local bridleways of which we do have quite a lot, none of it technical or hilly i'm afraid but a pleasent ride none the less.

I tend to do most of my riding on excursions to the Long Mynd, Cannock Chase, Peak District and Welsh Trail Centres, I usually get away monthly for these and only recently did a trip to the Long Mynd hence the reason why I can't get up to your jaunt this time.

wicked2627

Hi Guys,

I've just moved to Sheffield and have bought a new bike (it's been about 10 years since I was last into biking).

This looks like an ideal way for me to get into the Peaks so I should be able to come along.

I'm going to train it there and guessing the best station to get off is Bamford. However how long / hard is it to cycle to the meeting point? The reason I ask is to ensure I have enough time and whether I will tire myself out before we even start!

Regards
Raj