Etape Du Dales

fraz167

Anyone riding?

Am hoping for some better weather as it was murder last year....in fact it has been horrid for most of this year..oh well.

Cheers
Fraser

sagalout

I'm doing it for the 3rd year in a row......as long as the weather isn't too bad. Decided that if its crap conditions I'm going to skip it, as concentrating much more on TT'ing this year, and have no enthusiasm for slogging round that route in the wind and rain like I have for the past 2 years!

Alain Quay

Did it last year and it was hard going in the rain. But a beautiful route. It is a BIG step up from
Etape Caledonia.

sagalout

A group of us rode out from Harrogate and did a route that encompassed the start, grassington to hawes, and the end, Ribblehead to Grassington, but that was in that amazing few days of weather we had in march. Full summer gear and a bit of sunburn. It didn't half make the route easier!

rodgers73

Did this last year - don't envy you it if the weather's crap again this time!

rickwiggans

Doing the route on the 26th May as a club run. The theory being, as per last year, it'll p*ss down on the day of the Etape du Dales, and be sunny for us! That said, also doing 132 mile Fleet Moss audax on the 20th, so that's the theory busted. Could be interesting, since the routes cover quite a bit of the same ground, but in opposite directions!

Phil33

I'm doing the ride and at the moment the weather forecast isn't too bad. I'm feeling a bit nervous as my biggest training ride has only been 80 miles, with half the amount of climbing of the EDT. I'm expecting to do a bit of walking.....

Wobblehead

Think there will be a lot of people hoping for good weather, and probably a few with not as many miles in their legs due to current poor weather.

Did the top loop from Hawes last weekend as a trainig ride and the run from the CB?? Inn to Tan Hill has to be the worst time I have felt on a bike, into massive headwind.

Also, if its windy my aero spoke wheels will be coming off as there were a few dodgy moments

Wobblehead

Great conditions for once. Delighted with 7 42

Hope the guy that came in at 5.48 was dope tested

sagalout

7:27 for me.

Happy with my time but hated it Fleetmoss onwards. Just one of those days where my legs felt crap from the start and my HR was sky high. Felt pretty sick from Coal Road onwards and thought it would never end!

Still, nice weather

fraz167

Doffs rapha cap to those rides!

Happy with my time of 8hrs 46 mins..had an awful run in so happy to get round and feel good.

White Rose Classic next!!

CliveWG

A nice day out although plenty of fantastic excuses for my times going from 7.52 in 2006?, 8.00 last year, and 8.06 this year. Won't whinge on about them tho!
Managed to stay in the saddle for all of the route which I was happy about as had always been an ambition to do this without standing up = slow?!
Took the pickle juice and did have a few sips for the cramp, but just near to the edge of cramp for most of the day, not bad enough tho to have to stop and stretch about a million times unlike the Lakeland Loop! I think I managed the cramp in the end by not cycling too fast.....ohhhhh, so that's why I was slower than last year.
Nice conditions, and views were awesome as was the scent of the wild garlic yum yum.
Why did I keep on seeing a trickle of odd riders coming the other way on their own with numbers still on their bikes - mechanical faults and bailing maybe. Any answers much appreciated.
I was a few minutes up on last year for each section apart from the last bit, Stainforth - finish when yesterday I was 13 minutes down on last year yikes! Was this due to the fact that I was crawling up Arncliffe Ghyll climb, am rubbish at cycling on the flat, am rubbish at cycling on the flat into a headwind, am rubbish at cycling on the flat into a headwind when I'm knackered! Hmmmmmmm
Great day out tho, always in awe of the trains steaming past me, chapeau!
Well done all, great achievement.

Datameister

I can shed some light on one of the riders coming in the opposite direction on Fleets Moss, as it was me.

Halfway up the climb, the pawl spring broke on the freehub on nice new my Fulcrum 3, leaving me with a freewheel in both directions, and only one way to go. Back to the start.

Crispyapp

I completed it this yr in 8:09 but my ride time on my polar was 7:45. Considering I'm useless on the hills I was v happy with my time. I made my time up on the flats as this is where I'm strongest. I love the final 10 miles or so, I was in a nice train heading back to the finish at 25+ mph ..... Makes up for the amount of people passing me on the hills. I had v bad cramp whilst riding round in both legs. I made sure I drank loads and eat when I could. Can anyone tell me why I still got cramp? I thought it was down to dehydration? I certainly didn't think I was.

Congrats to everyone who finished. I was happy to do the ride in such good weather, couldn't ask for more tbh. But I won't enter it again. 4 times is enough.