Road porn

rolf_f

robklancs wrote:

Looking back down cross o greets , Forest of Bowland

So you had to stop then?

robklancs

Ha, no sir I never stopped, rode back down to get the pic of my mate coming up then rode back up again. Plus from the top you can't see the road like you can from where the photo was taken.

Careful wobblehead! (Though its not actually my birthplace)

BobScarle

Cwm Hirnant, North Wales, from Bala towards Lake Vyrnwy. Stunning scenery, quiet roads and a long hard climb.

markhewitt1978

That does look rock solid! Or is it one of those which looks mega from a distance but is actually ok?

sbbefc

Bwlch y groes, N Wales

marcusjb

More welsh porn (there's been some great stuff from other parts as well - the Bowland ones etc).



Looks fairly nice and gentle, but anyone who knows it will know it leads to The Devil's Staircase.

elderone

BobScarle wrote:

Cwm Hirnant, North Wales, from Bala towards Lake Vyrnwy. Stunning scenery, quiet roads and a long hard climb.

I did this 2 weeks ago and what the pick shows is just a tease..Once you get to the top as in the pic,it,s a false top and gets much steeper after that.
Stunning but long hard climb.

hipshot

Hirnant from near the top. The Southern ascent is not as pretty or as hard as the north. Still quite tough though.

Of course Bwlch Y Groes is only up the road too.

rolf_f

robklancs wrote:

Ha, no sir I never stopped, rode back down to get the pic of my mate coming up then rode back up again. Plus from the top you can't see the road like you can from where the photo was taken.

I demand your gpx as proof!

Know what you mean about that view - it is suprisingly unfamiliar to me!

markhewitt1978

hipshot wrote:

I know where that is because I've driven up that road! Pretty scary when you meet a car coming the other way
http://goo.gl/maps/oN4al

robklancs

Rolf F wrote:

robklancs wrote:

Ha, no sir I never stopped, rode back down to get the pic of my mate coming up then rode back up again. Plus from the top you can't see the road like you can from where the photo was taken.

I demand your gpx as proof!

Know what you mean about that view - it is suprisingly unfamiliar to me!

Ha, if I only I had it, it was pre garmin/strava when I did a jogle in 2006, surprisingly I have never been that way since, even though its within 40 min ride from my house. I do have a picture of me at the top caved in, a shivering jibbering wreck, it's not what you would class as road porn though.
Rolf, I notice your a Yorkshireman, do you have pictures or have you ridden park rash,it's on my to do list tomorrow.

rolf_f

I'm really a Southerner living in Yorkshire and terrified of being found out!

I have ridden Park Rash a couple of times but no pics. It looks worse than it is (it does look pretty insane as you drop down the hill to it) but it is still pretty bad! That said, the hairpins at the bottom are dramatic enough to keep your mind off the pain a little bit. The worst bit I think is the draggy ramp right after the hairpins. Then it just takes too long to reach the top but you get there in the end.

The following descent is really nice but watch out for the sharp left hander that conceals a short but very steep totally unexpected ramp behind it - first time I did it I ended up with little momentum in the wrong ring at the wrong end of the cassette!

marcusjb

More snuff than porn:



The descent down Rosedale Chimney - flipping tricky (and understandable why they suggest you dismount!)



The bottom of Hardknott Pass and Wrynose Pass - one of the UK's toughest pair of climbs for sure

markhewitt1978

Cyclists dismount? And do what exactly?

Driven over Wrynose and Hardknott many times, fun . The Roman site is worth a visit too.

dodgy

So, Hirnant 'pass' now posted, might we now see the end of the beautiful tranquillity that this area enjoys? Almost no cyclists I speak to have heard of it! It's a beauty, I ride it from my front door (Wirral), it's a long day in the saddle especially if you include the Horseshoe on the way back.

marcusjb

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Cyclists dismount? And do what exactly?

I think the suggestion is that you should walk down.

It is a quite terrifying descent - very, very steep and twisty.

That photo was from the Pendle 600 where one rider suffered a front blow-out on that descent - scary stuff even at the relatively low speeds involved.

robklancs

dodgy wrote:

So, Hirnant 'pass' now posted, might we now see the end of the beautiful tranquillity that this area enjoys? Almost no cyclists I speak to have heard of it! It's a beauty, I ride it from my front door (Wirral), it's a long day in the saddle especially if you include the Horseshoe on the way back.

I think you may be right, I never seen it before and have been to Bala plenty of times as my nan has a caravan there. For sure next time I go I will be seeking it out! , which road is it out of Bala?

dodgy

robklancs wrote:

dodgy wrote:

So, Hirnant 'pass' now posted, might we now see the end of the beautiful tranquillity that this area enjoys? Almost no cyclists I speak to have heard of it! It's a beauty, I ride it from my front door (Wirral), it's a long day in the saddle especially if you include the Horseshoe on the way back.

I think you may be right, I never seen it before and have been to Bala plenty of times as my nan has a caravan there. For sure next time I go I will be seeking it out! , which road is it out of Bala?

Well, now the cat's out the bag - http://goo.gl/maps/FMbxR

sbbefc

robklancs wrote:

dodgy wrote:

So, Hirnant 'pass' now posted, might we now see the end of the beautiful tranquillity that this area enjoys? Almost no cyclists I speak to have heard of it! It's a beauty, I ride it from my front door (Wirral), it's a long day in the saddle especially if you include the Horseshoe on the way back.

I think you may be right, I never seen it before and have been to Bala plenty of times as my nan has a caravan there. For sure next time I go I will be seeking it out! , which road is it out of Bala?

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=Hi ... sz=14&z=13

Cracking area to cycle, Hirnant Pass from both directions and bwlch y groes from dinas mawddwy, llanuwchllyn and Llyn efyrnwy.

supermurph09

Top of Monsal Head this morning:

marcusww

The front wheel drive car span in the dry when attempting this. Walking was hard enough!

elderone

Whittington castle,pretty place with a café on the old A5.

trappy666

Cycled along here Tuesday. It was lovely and quiet with plenty of roadies out enjoying the sun. It can get busy around rush hour with people going to and from Leicester and Northampton. It is quite up and down and some of the hills do catch you out a little bit.

Escher303

robklancs wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

robklancs wrote:

Ha, no sir I never stopped, rode back down to get the pic of my mate coming up then rode back up again. Plus from the top you can't see the road like you can from where the photo was taken.

I demand your gpx as proof!

Know what you mean about that view - it is suprisingly unfamiliar to me!

Ha, if I only I had it, it was pre garmin/strava when I did a jogle in 2006, surprisingly I have never been that way since, even though its within 40 min ride from my house. I do have a picture of me at the top caved in, a shivering jibbering wreck, it's not what you would class as road porn though.
Rolf, I notice your a Yorkshireman, do you have pictures or have you ridden park rash,it's on my to do list tomorrow.

Not been up Cross of Greet for 7 years? And you live in Lancaster? What about Bowland Knotts, Jeffrey Hill, Waddy Fell, Birdy Brow? Get 'em done, life's too short. Iconic and classic routes right on your doorstep.

TakeTurns

Ahhh this thread...just jizzed.

laurentian

trappy666 wrote:

Cycled along here Tuesday. It was lovely and quiet with plenty of roadies out enjoying the sun. It can get busy around rush hour with people going to and from Leicester and Northampton. It is quite up and down and some of the hills do catch you out a little bit.

From Brixworth go to Cottesbrooke then Haselbech - take a photo of that F£cker!

guinea

Two famous roads that I rode from the 2011 TdF:

declan1

Don't have any photos of this (taken from Google) but live about 20 miles away - the Struie (B9176), great road!

The half-way bridge point on the way up:


3/4 of the way there:


View from the top:

izza

Stelvio

Pictures taken on bus coming down from top. Successfully rode up the pass on the bike as part of Granfondo Stelcvio but suffer from Vertigo and as such, felt too knackered for coming down the switchbacks at 3 mph suffering a panic attack.

robklancs

Escher303 wrote:

robklancs wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

robklancs wrote:

Ha, no sir I never stopped, rode back down to get the pic of my mate coming up then rode back up again. Plus from the top you can't see the road like you can from where the photo was taken.

I demand your gpx as proof!

Know what you mean about that view - it is suprisingly unfamiliar to me!

Ha, if I only I had it, it was pre garmin/strava when I did a jogle in 2006, surprisingly I have never been that way since, even though its within 40 min ride from my house. I do have a picture of me at the top caved in, a shivering jibbering wreck, it's not what you would class as road porn though.
Rolf, I notice your a Yorkshireman, do you have pictures or have you ridden park rash,it's on my to do list tomorrow.

Not been up Cross of Greet for 7 years? And you live in Lancaster? What about Bowland Knotts, Jeffrey Hill, Waddy Fell, Birdy Brow? Get 'em done, life's too short. Iconic and classic routes right on your doorstep.

I have been up it but from the opposite way (easier way) I have done all of the others you mentioned plenty of times.
Anyway, the amount of hills you get done Richard you should have some good pictures, though I suppose you go up so many hills so fast you probably don't have time to take a picture.