Otley Chevin (near leeds).

xRichx

Does anyone know what the steepness of the road leading from Otley, up to the Chevin (East Chevin Road, towards Yeadon airport) road is?

Also, I've just moved to the Leeds area (Yeadon) and would be grateful if anyone knows of some decent lumpy rides around the place short and long would be good.
Also, if you know of the steepness of Moor Lane (Menston) that would be awesome...

You can also tell me of a site/program that will tell me this to stop the questions!

ColinJ

I did that Chevin climb on a hot day last year and got a bit frazzled! I clocked it at 10% for a mile. Not super-steep but hard work for me!

I use a combination of a Garmin Etrex GPS and Memory Map software to work out where I've been and how much climbing was involved. There are quite a few websites that you could use. Bikely was one but the site has been playing up.

I put a route on Bikely recently that you could use parts of. Hang on, I'll see if Bikely is working for me tonight... Nope! If you catch it working try searching for routes by ColinJ and you should be able to find the one I'm talking about.

PS It has just started working - here it is: my route

There is a menu option - Show - Elevation Profile which gives you an idea of the steepness of climbs but it isn't easy to work out gradients from that.

xRichx

Thanks!! Will keep an eye out for your routes!
I think 10% for a mile is easily enough for me at the moment!
And thanks for the route posted! I'll maybe give it a go on the weekend if the weather's looking friendly!

ColinJ

Just to warn you - there are a couple of 20+% climbs on that route but they are thankfully shorter than the Chevin climb!

xRichx

a LOT shorter hopefully... haha.
I'm up for a challenge tho! something to get the lactate flowing! Plus I've not been found at the side of the road spewing for a short while, so it's about time for a bit of that fun!

coopster_the_1st

Try http://www.bikehike.co.uk and it will display the steepness of climbs

rolf_f

Another fun way out of the Wharfe is Old Pool Bank. Zoom in to Pool on Colins route and it is the little white road leading up across the A660 and back onto the A658. It gains a greater height in a shorter distance than the 658 and is nicely straight below the A660 so you can see all the way up it!

Colins route looks pretty nice actually - I've ridden on most of those roads (the bit over the Chevin is part of a regular extended evening commute).

Coopster the 1st wrote:

Try http://www.bikehike.co.uk and it will display the steepness of climbs

How does it do that? Presume you mean more than just gradient profiles because Bikely does those.

Steve GT

I do the following route most Saturday mornings :my route
Just over 33 miles and 1100 meters of climbing from Menston.

addicted to Langbar

Plenty of good hills around Leeds/Oltey area from long grinders with a constant gradient (e.g. East chevin), short steep ones (Arthington Bank, Weardley Bank, Langbar) and ones that will try to kill you (up to Greenhow Hill from Pateley Bridge, not for the fair hearted). There was a thread about hills around Leeds a while back which I have found which has some suggestions -

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... ight=otley

I went up and down the East Chevin a couple of times last Saturday and I think the maximum gradient shown on the sign half way down is 12%, but I could be wrong. I have always preferred Pool Bank to the Chevin as it isn't a constant gradient and the the corners make it more interesting.

addicted to Langbar

I found this route I used to do from the outlaws house when I was in a masochistic mood a few years back when I was training for my first sportive - http://www.bikeroutetoaster.com/Course. ... urse=12882

I always like to get out an OS map and just find as many chevrons as possible and join them up into a route - but then my wife says that I am a bit odd, hence my username.

Happy climbing!

xRichx

Thanks guys! Some interesting and hellish routes there by the looks of things!

I'm going to have to get used to these hills aren't I??? Bristol has nothing compared to this! Can see why there are so many great athletes from these regions!

paulgw

Out of curiosity I started up East Chevin Road yesterday at the end of my Saturday morning spin. I made it about 300 meters up and then my HR went too high (have to watch it having had some surgery last year) and I was overtaken by a man walking a dog so I bailed and went up the main road instead. My Garmin was showing nothing less than 10% over that initial ramp and was up at 13 - 14% mostly . The gradient is pretty constant although there it eases up about halfway up for a few meters. It's definitely the hardest route up the Chevin - of the other routes, the main road is a constant 3 - 4% for a couple of miles and West Chevin Road is a series of ramps maxing out at about 10% I think.

As others have said, there are loads of good climbs in this area. Norwood Bank is interesting as is Cow & Calf (from the Ilkley side). If you're feeling particularly masochistic, you could always try Langbar!

For me, East Chevin is a definite target now. I'll try it with fewer miles in my legs next time.

rolf_f

paulgw wrote:

It's definitely the hardest route up the Chevin - of the other routes, the main road is a constant 3 - 4% for a couple of miles and West Chevin Road is a series of ramps maxing out at about 10% I think.

As others have said, there are loads of good climbs in this area. Norwood Bank is interesting as is Cow & Calf (from the Ilkley side). If you're feeling particularly masochistic, you could always try Langbar!

Depends if Old Pool Bank counts as a Chevin climb but I've yet to try East Chevin to compare. Also I suppose it depends on what pains you the most. I seem to get on with short killers better than slightly longer, shallower climbs.

The climb up to Baildon from the Junction Pub isn't bad either - can link that one to an out and back to Ilkley via Cow and Calf.

Steve GT

Thats what I do on my route. Then go back to Guiseley using Old Hollins Hill road.

paulgw

Fair comment Rolf. I keep meaning to try Old Pool Bank but get seduced into either going up the main road, or if I get as far as Pool along the valley road, I generally keep going to Arthington and then go up Creskeld Lane which is not too bad - mostly about 8% I think.

You can zig zag up and down that side of the Wharfe Valley going up Weardley Bank, down Blackmoor (?) Lane past he quarry, up Creskeld Lane, down Pool Bank, up Old Pool Bank, Down the main road and then up East Chevin Road. I reckon that would be a pretty good workout.

fraz167

paulgw wrote:

Fair comment Rolf. I keep meaning to try Old Pool Bank but get seduced into either going up the main road, or if I get as far as Pool along the valley road, I generally keep going to Arthington and then go up Creskeld Lane which is not too bad - mostly about 8% I think.

You can zig zag up and down that side of the Wharfe Valley going up Weardley Bank, down Blackmoor (?) Lane past he quarry, up Creskeld Lane, down Pool Bank, up Old Pool Bank, Down the main road and then up East Chevin Road. I reckon that would be a pretty good workout.

Yep..have done that before...think i was seeing spots on the ride back!

xRichx

I've done the cow & calf a few times now on a couple of different routes and both ways, but the chevin routes are all easily kilers compared!

As soon as the replacement tires get here (next two days) I'll be hitting one of them for sure!

addicted to Langbar

You have inspired me to try and get up a bit earlier than normal and try and fit in Old Pool Bank on the way to work, as it is one that I have never given a go before.

Airbornerodent

I went up it last year and my 705 showed a couple of bits that are 14% at least, though I'm sure that I remember some 15% too.

addicted to Langbar

Excellent. Thanks for that airbornerodent, I dread to think what state I will be in when I get to work.

rolf_f

paulgw wrote:

You can zig zag up and down that side of the Wharfe Valley going up Weardley Bank, down Blackmoor (?) Lane past he quarry, up Creskeld Lane, down Pool Bank, up Old Pool Bank, Down the main road and then up East Chevin Road. I reckon that would be a pretty good workout.

Dammit! Why would you even say such a thing?! I think that idea was floating around in my subconscious; my brain was being over-ruled by my body but now you've brought it into the open and I'll have to do it sometime (crap crap crap!)........

You'd then head down West Chevin back to Pool and start it all again in reverse.....

Somebody put that into Bikely and give us the total........

plumpy

It isn't exactly scenic, but if you are a gradient-ticker pop along to Shipley and try the road up to Wrose from Windhill.

I live in Bradford and going South towards Halifax/Hebden Bridge/Haworth sometimes makes a pleasant change from joining the peloton on the Ilkley-Beamsley road. The road from Oxenhope to Luddenden is the highest tarmac on the Leeds/Bradford OS map I think, at well over 400m.

addicted to Langbar

Here you go Rolf - http://bikeroutetoaster.com/Course.aspx?course=118299

I felt my legs starting to go just plotting it - over 1200m of climbing in less than 50 miles. I have included Harewood bank at either end just to get me to the start and back.

ketsbaia

addicted to Langbar wrote:

up to Greenhow Hill from Pateley Bridge, not for the fair hearted

You're not kidding. I stayed in Pateley Bridge last year and took the bike up so I could tackle some hills. Fairly pleased I did a recce in the car first as I was going to try that climb. Way too fair hearted for that, so I did a circuit that involved coming down that hill. That's not for the faint hearted either! On the way down it I saw a bloke in his mid fifties really struggling up it with his teeth gritted in abject agony and sweat pouring from his brow. Still had the presence of mind to nod, though, for which he gained my utmost respect.

rolf_f

Thanks for pandering to my laziness AtL
That looks like a definite goer - will have to pencil in a date for it. Probably do it on the MTB which is a bit lower geared than the tourer.

Ahh, Greenhow. I keep getting annoyed with Evans Ride It for skipping it. One of my must do's. There is an alternative to the main road for most of Greenhow but apparently that is steeper in places. TBH, it doesn't look too evil though. Incidentally, one I have done is the one opposite to Greenhow - coming out of Pateley Bridge on the East side. That is pretty vicious too but much quieter.

ketsbaia

Rolf F wrote:

Ahh, Greenhow. I keep getting annoyed with Evans Ride It for skipping it. One of my must do's. There is an alternative to the main road for most of Greenhow but apparently that is steeper in places. TBH, it doesn't look too evil though. Incidentally, one I have done is the one opposite to Greenhow - coming out of Pateley Bridge on the East side. That is pretty vicious too but much quieter.

That's the way I ended up going as I was psyched out by the westward road. Nice climb, IIRC.

Yorkman

Try going the other way out of Pately Bridge, up old church road and onto the tops of the moors.

That hill is brutal, narrow and very tough.

The views at the top are worth it though......

rolf_f

Yorkman wrote:

Try going the other way out of Pately Bridge, up old church road and onto the tops of the moors.

That hill is brutal, narrow and very tough.

The views at the top are worth it though......

That's the one I was referring to.

Steve GT

I agree. Up there with all the hard climbs in the area. One I avoid unless I am feeling really strong or machonistic!
Another favourite of mine is when I am going back to Otley from Pateley Bridge. I often use Nought Bank Road, which is the lane from Bewerley to Padside. 2 double chevrons...

paulgw

Inspired by this thread I just got back from doing a truncated version of my zigzag route. I went to Otley via Pool to warm up, then up East Chevin Rd, down Pool Bank, up Old Pool Bank, down Pool Bank again, along the valley to Arthington and up Creskeld Lane before the light went.

East Chevin Rd was challenging. Up until the car park the gradient was never less than 12% with no bends or let up - so that's about 1km of relentless straight uphill. I'm 95kg so a fair lump to haul up that sort of hill. Old Pool Bank was more interesting but maxed out at 32% (!!) near the top according to my Garmin (I know they are sometimes a bit out on gradient but in my mind it was defo over 25% at least). Creskeld Lane was a doddle after that lot!

So now the challenge is to add Weardley Bank and Harewood Bank to that lot!

Yorkman

For anyone wanting a great ride out on these bumps and others, the dales grimpeur audax is June 5th starting from Pateley Bridge..

Link here: http://www.aukweb.net/cal/index.htm

The 200km has an eye watering 4700m of climbing on a really beautiful route.

Highly recommended.