Sportive Preparation Help - South Pennines/North Peak
MatthewBulmer
Posts: 217
Hi,
I got my first road bike late last year and have entered the David Lloyd Mini-Mega in June and I am also aiming to do the Tour of the Peak District.
I have been trying to develop a good base so far this year, but I am now turning my attention to the hills. I live in Saddleworth and so far have been including the following hills in my rides:
Buckstones
Blackstone Edge
Cragg Vale
Clough Foot
Isle of Skye
Holme Moss
Firstly, is my approach of including as many of these hills as possible into my long ride good preparation for the previously mentioned sportives? Secondly, are there any good hills in the vicinity I am 'missing out' on?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
I got my first road bike late last year and have entered the David Lloyd Mini-Mega in June and I am also aiming to do the Tour of the Peak District.
I have been trying to develop a good base so far this year, but I am now turning my attention to the hills. I live in Saddleworth and so far have been including the following hills in my rides:
Buckstones
Blackstone Edge
Cragg Vale
Clough Foot
Isle of Skye
Holme Moss
Firstly, is my approach of including as many of these hills as possible into my long ride good preparation for the previously mentioned sportives? Secondly, are there any good hills in the vicinity I am 'missing out' on?
Any help is greatly appreciated!
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Comments
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there are indeed!
if you start at the crossroads in Denshaw, you can go over to Ripponden, turn right and climb over ripponden Bank to Scammonden back to Denshaw also reverse of this route. Denshaw to Delph and either left on the marsden Rd or turn right in the centre of delph up the steep lane to bring you back to the Oldham-Ripponden Rd. There is the Standedge Rd to marsden and the Golf club Rd that runs parallel part way down and Scapegoat Hill from Slaithwaite that climbs up nr.Golcar to the Huddersfield Rd.
if you take the Isle of skye Rd to Holmfirth, turn left at the pub on the descent and then into Meltham and turn left onto the Wessenden Head Rd. Ideally do this after Holme Moss and the climb up from Holmefirth.
Various climbs out of Holmfirth that will bring you over towards Sheffield eg Hade edge. Snake Pass of course.
From hebden Bridge, over to Oxenhope via C**k Hill. From todmorden, over sharneyford to bacup.M.Rushton0 -
I didn't know it did cock fuck shit cunt arse wank word censoring!
If you also want to try some shorter, steeper hills, have a go at:-
Scar Head (Sowerby Bridge)
Tuel Lane (Sowerby Bridge)
Ripponden Bank (Ripponden)
Stocks Lane (Luddenden)
Midgley Road (Mytholmroyd)
Mytholm Steeps (Hebden Bridge)
Birchcliffe (Hebden Bridge)
Heptonstall Road (Hebden Bridge)
Denholme Road (Oxenhope)
Thursden Pasture (coming from Colne towards Widdop)
Cross Stone Road (Todmorden)
Ridge Road/Doghouse Lane (Todmorden)
Pudsey Road/Shore Road (Cornholme)
Carr Road (Portsmouth)
Black Hill (Sabden)
Nick o'Pendle both ways (Clitheroe/Sabden sides)
Trough of Bowland (near Dunsop Bridge)
Whalley Banks (Whalley)
If you really want to test yourself, ride up to Kettlewell, turn off to the right to climb Park Rash, come back down, carry on up Wharfedale and go over Fleet Moss to Hawes, have a little break there then come back over Fleet Moss on your way home...
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Is Milnrow in Saddleworth then Matthew ?
- I thought it was in Rochdale...
Anyway, being a bit more helpful, have a look at some of these as routes
http://www.highergrangefarm.fsnet.co.uk ... ent.htm#DB
- ignore the fact that they're audaxes, permanents, etc but Don Black's routes start out of Uppermill and he likes a bit of climbing...
- the distances are in km and the more AAA points the more hills
- click on the distance and it tells you the route, at least vaguely.
Some of them are shown in a bit more detail (map & GPS) here
http://www.danialwebb.com/outlinesnorth.html0 -
Is Milnrow in Saddleworth then Matthew ?
- I thought it was in Rochdale...
You got me on that one!
Thanks for all the ideas guys - really appreciate it.0 -
Looking at the map. I spy a climb from sowerby bridge to oxenhope over "oxenhope moor".... it show a section of "unsurfaced, other road or track" near the wind farm.
Any offers as to this being correct. "is this section unsurfaced, is it passable on a road bike."???
any info....don't want to add it to a route only to find its impassable�3 grand bike...30 Bob legs....Slowing with style0 -
I have more info then you could shake a stick at!suze wrote:Looking at the map. I spy a climb from sowerby bridge to oxenhope over "oxenhope moor".... it show a section of "unsurfaced, other road or track" near the wind farm.
Any offers as to this being correct. "is this section unsurfaced, is it passable on a road bike."???
any info....don't want to add it to a route only to find its impassable
The 'climb up from Sowerby Bridge' consists of three parts.
The first is Tuel Lane which is a steep main road climb with a maximum gradient of about 18%, If I remember correctly.
After that, turn left onto the A646 and dash down to Luddenden Foot. Turn right there and fork right after about 1 km to enter Luddenden village. That takes you straight onto the tough climb of Stocks Lane which has been used for the National Hill Climb Championships in the recent past. Here are the stats for that - 800m at 12%, then a tough S-bend after which the road rears up for 250m at 22% (!), then it eases off for a couple of hundred metres and ends in a relatively sedate 700m at 9%.
Turn left at the top and descend gently (1%) for about 1km to the top of Wainstalls village. That's where the last part of the main climbing starts. The gradient varies but it averages about 4% for 3 km up to Cold Edge..
When you cross the cattle grid, you come to the stretch of rough 'road' that you are worried about. It used to be completely unmade, with lots of broken glass, huge potholes etc. Then it was resurfaced and was a lot better. The last time that I went up there, the new surface had started to break up again so it was about halfway between the two states. It is passable with care on a road bike, I've done it lots of times. You will want be doing it at slow speed though and watching where you are going! There is hardly any traffic along there and it is pretty flat for about 2 km.
Halifax sailing club is based on your left along there. Just after you go past the reservoir, you are back to a proper tarmac surface again. [***** CAUTION - in cold conditions it is lethal up there! There are stretches of road that don't see the sun for months in the winter, so don't go up there in icy conditions! *****] It's a nice little lane taking you to a very fast descent to the Keighley Road (A6033) above Oxenhope. You can turn left there and climb back over to Hebden Bridge. A nice variation is to turn right and descend into Oxenhope, go right at the mini roundabout and do the Denholme Road climb. That has a couple of testing steep sections in it. Turn left onto the A629 at the top, ride 2 km through Denholme, then either follow the A-road round to Haworth and come back from there, or do what I do and take the lane on the left and go back to the Denholme Road climb, descend that back to the mini-roundabout and start climbing back over C**k Hill to Hebden Bridge.0 -
Thanks for that Colin...
I'm gearing up (or should that be down) for the FredW so might give it a looking at over the weekend.... �3 grand bike...30 Bob legs....Slowing with style0 -
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Always recommend the Holme Moss, Snake Pass, Strines route, though may be a long stretch from Milnrow.
There's a nasty climb from just outside Tomorden to Bacup we sometimes do on Club rides.
The Cragg Vale / Rishworth / Barkisland / Buckstones route is a good one. You can add an additional savage climb by carrying on at Barkisland towards Huddersfield and turning right at Outlane. Turning right at Barkisland is more scenic and is savage on a windy day.
There are plenty of nasty climbs either side of the valley to Marsden - take a right here and climb over to Meltham then Holmfirth for a few short / not so short climbs. On the south side of the Holme valley there are some stunning climbs onto Cartworth Moor (try the minor road up from Hinchliffe Mill, its sometimes used for hill climbs) and then follow your nose to Shepley then back to Holmfirth (good detour over towards Penistone (or is it P***stone?)
Why not try the Brian Robinson Sportive on 26/04 from Huddersfield?0 -
Thanks for the advice.
Yeah, I'm going to have a stab at the Brian Robinson. I'm also going to have a pop at this one as well: http://www.cyclingburylancs.com/charlie ... erides.htm
I must say, people are most helpful on this forum. I also use a rock climbing forum regualrly. If I'd asked this sort of 'numpty' question on there I would have be crucified.0 -
It's not so much the hills, as the distance that might get you (I suppose a bit of both really), so I'd aim at being able to do a century ride. You need to know that you can cope with spending 8 hours in the saddle (it's a big jump from four hours, no matter how many hills you did in the four hours). This will also help you learn about your stamina / dietary needs. You could do with a bit of practice at group riding (not only to learn the discipline, but you pick up lots of other useful tips you never would on your own, and also will learn to push up the pace).
Try out a couple of the local clubs. They should all let you come along a time or two to try them out and you might find one that suits. It certainly helped me. If it's not for you then at least you had a look.0
