Hill repeats South Manchester

chortlon-sim

Can anyone suggest any decent hills south manchester/Knutsford/Alderley edge way for hill repeat training. Long and steep as poss?? Odd query I know!! Cheers

northern goon

Swiss Hill in Alderley Edge or Toot Hill in Macc Forest is a little further afield.

chortlon-sim

Cheers NG, funnily enough I was looking close to swiss hill, at a one mile section of Macclesfield road (starting from alderley edge high street). Not sure my rims would appreciate swiss hill - unless I used the mtb!

northern goon

No worries. That Macclesfield Road section is a fair test; as for your rims on Swiss Hill - they tend to be the last thing I worry about, dreaming of travelling up there at such a pace that I'd damage my bike/wheels is really only a possibility that comes up in the post ride discussion that never fails to exaggerate the toughness and minimise the pain. ;-)

chortlon-sim

Was thinking more of going down swiss after each repeat. There must be some good stuff just off the M61 as you leave the M60 I'd have thought. Given all mway from Sale I could be there in 15 mins. Perhaps I should just move to Boulder...

negativelycra

I love / hate the wizard hill. Turn left at DeTrafford arms, up past the wizard pub, turn right down the hill, right at the bottom, right at de trafford and the pain is back. If that hill isn't hardcore enough for you, then you're some sort of robot. If you are indeed an automaton, check out Blaze Hill at the back of Bollington. Blaze hill makes the Wizard hill seem a bit girly, and too short.
If you find blaze hill too easy, I officially hate you. I would reccomend anyone I officially hate to google "Pym's Chair", if you can do repeats on that hill you might want to give Dave Brailsford a call. Either that, or you've cheated and done it on a moped.

chortlon-sim

Looking at the profile, Artists Lane might be better to ride up (and extra 0.4m of climbing at virtually the same gradient as the wizard road), then turn left at the top and down macc road to de trafford. Added bonus of never waiting for traffic as always on left...

tonyscp

Hi Chorlton-sim,

Our club does regular runs out into the Peaks, usually on Sunday, over the winter if you fancy joining us. I live in Chorlton, but we tend to meet at the Britannia Airport hotel. Cheers, Tonys

chortlon-sim

Cheers Tony, but I'm a triathlete rather than cyclist, so to get the wife to agree to a regular sunday long ride, in addition to the swim/run training, may result in a divorce case. Planning to drop her at Tot Fitness in Wilmslow at the weekend and nip down to Artists Lane for some (miserable!) hill repeats

negativelycra

<cough> Rule 42 <cough>

ror3h

Another shout out for Blaze Hill, definitely one of the tougher climbs in the area. If you carry on straight over the top to the Goyt valley there are a few other good climbs around there too. Going up through Macc forest is also quite steep, but not as long.

tonyscp

OK ., but from total fitness you can get to Pott Shrigley then through Brickworks or Blaze Hill to get some height, after the Peaks proper beckon. There are loads of circular routes from there that you could do whilst your better half is enjoying the gym depending on time of course. Tonys

chortlon-sim

Sounds good tonys, I'll check out some route profiles on 'where's the path'.

andy_wrx

Blaze Hill - up from Bollington

Old Brickworks - up from Pott Shrigley

Three routes up to same place, above Goyt valley
Windgather - up from Kettleshume side
Pym's Chair - up from Lamaload direction
The Street - up from Goyt Valley side

The road from Goyt up to A6 Long Hill is unpleasant

Long Hill A6 from Whalley Bridge to Buxton is long but gradual

chortlon-sim

Nice one Andy, you don't know anything decent in frodsham/delemere/oulton park triangle do you?

andy_wrx

Nothing very long, as nothing very high down here, but quite a few which could make you smart if you want to do multiple reps up them

Get your A-Z out...

In Frodsham, try Bellemonte Rd or Dobers Lane : I guess you could do loops up one of them, back down Manley Rd, repeat

Between Kingley & Crowton, try Beech Lane or Norley Lane, both dead quiet so just turn round and roll back down, ride up again

I always enjoy a fast blast along Ashton Rd through Delamere - because it's a succession of rollers you can really give it some

Dark Ark Lane at the Western end of Delamere is short-n-stiff going North, then go right at top on New Pale Rd for a longer easy climb

Or go South of Delamere for The Yeld, Yeld Lane down to Kelsall - hammer the false-flat shallower bit from the Fruit Farm and then see what your legs have left for the steep bit !

SE of Kelsall is SummerTrees cafe - three different ways up to it, Waste Lane from Kelsall is easiest, rolling and you can get a good rhythm, Heath Lane from the East is longest, Chapel Lane from Willington is short-n-steep

Have fun...

Ands

Meetinghouse Lane & Hillfoot Lane also good in Kingsley/Frodsham direction - although short ~1.2km - you can go up one and down the other and make a trianglular loop out of it. Also like the Ridgeway in Frodsham ~ 1.5km - go up the Ridgeway, turn right down Commonside right again and right to rejoin the Ridgeway.

chortlon-sim

Ands and andy_wrx - thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out.

Ands

ror3h wrote:

Another shout out for Blaze Hill, definitely one of the tougher climbs in the area. If you carry on straight over the top to the Goyt valley there are a few other good climbs around there too. Going up through Macc forest is also quite steep, but not as long.

If you start the climb up Pym's Chair from Blaze Hill but turn right to Lamaload reservoir, does anyone know the max gradient on that climb up to the A537 (I think it's called Ankers Lane on Strava)? I did it today :shock: :shock: . My Garmin stopped displaying a gradient once it got to 20% but husband's Polar registered 27%. Seeing as the Garmin & Polar rarely register the same I just wondered what others have recorded it as. It was really steep - couldn't keep front wheel on the road. It was without a doubt the closest I have come to getting off and walking!

andy_wrx

The roadsign at the top, coming down it, says 25% or 1:4
- I reckon it's a bit steeper actually, depending on the line you take

Lots of fun coming down it, as it tightens and there's always lots of gravel as that stream is running across the road most of the time, then it's all green and slimy at the bottom - I reckon if you were going too fast you'd not be able to brake, you'd just lock up.
NapoleonD on here broke his leg coming down it a few years ago

napoleond

Ands wrote:

If you start the climb up Pym's Chair from Blaze Hill but turn right to Lamaload reservoir, does anyone know the max gradient on that climb up to the A537 (I think it's called Ankers Lane on Strava)?

Thats where I came off at over 40mph (going downhill obviously) and broke my right in three places.
Horrible bit of road.

Edit: Oops, just seen Andy_wrx's post...

Ands

Cripes is that where you crashed? I remember the posts from a couple of years ago. I don't think I would enjoy descending that. What happened?

The only reason I went up there was I decided to avoid the ride up to Pym's Chair via Jenkin Chapel because it was my first ride out on a semi-compact (switched from compact) and I remember Ant on here a couple of years ago saying the route via Jenkin Chapel was far harder than the route I normally go (Side End Lane/Windgather). I'd just painfully hauled myself up Blaze Hill on the new crankset but thought there was no way I'd get up Pym's Chair. I'm guessing the route I picked instead was steeper?? At least I have a bit of confidence now to stick with the semi-compact!

napoleond

Ands wrote:

Cripes is that where you crashed? I remember the posts from a couple of years ago. I don't think I would enjoy descending that. What happened?

The only reason I went up there was I decided to avoid the ride up to Pym's Chair via Jenkin Chapel because it was my first ride out on a semi-compact (switched from compact) and I remember Ant on here a couple of years ago saying the route via Jenkin Chapel was far harder than the route I normally go (Side End Lane/Windgather). I'd just painfully hauled myself up Blaze Hill on the new crankset but thought there was no way I'd get up Pym's Chair. I'm guessing the route I picked instead was steeper?? At least I have a bit of confidence now to stick with the semi-compact!

It was Friday 13th March 2009!
Started braking as it steepened, lost the back end, straight into the left side of the road leg first...