Ringing the changes - Mills Hills CX Sportive

Never underestimate the nature of the Calderdale terrain - that was my lesson learned at the innaugural Mills Hills CX Sportive. Run in conjunction with a standard road sportive event, Emma Ossenton's and Ali Mills welcome addition of a cx route sought out most of the classic tracks and cobbled climbs of the Mytholmroyd and Hebden area with a good bit of other less obvious stuff thrown in for good measure. I'd recceed much of it with Emma and Ali already but missed riding the last part of the route....

It was probably the 'other stuff' that did for me. A rather too casual approach to eating and drinking saw a fairly major decline in performance over the last half hour of the 4 hour/34 mile ride, as the relentless short, sharp climbs and heavy conditions bit me. The 5,000ft odd of climbing testified to it not being an easy ride at all. Look out for this event next year - friendly and very Northern in flavour it will no doubt soon become a classic. They are also running another unique event, Clifcross next year in April - think of a blend of cyclocross and cross-country running, though not necessarily both together. Sounds intriguing....

Yesterday though, perfect autumn weather, and an eclectic and friendly bunch of crossers more than made up for my relative misery toward the end and resulted in a simply ace day out. Dave chatted as fast as he rode and rightfully claimed the golden cobble on the timed cobbled climb/run.

He also took these great pictures, above and below:

Cross and Cobbles - a Belgian road trip

Write up and bike review to come, but here is a taster of said recent trip to Flanders..

Hometime

Time to clock off and go and get some riding in......... 'Hometime'

Aided and abetted by a nice Planet X Ti cross disc prototype via Dave Haygarth

Rapha Night Ride 3 June

There's something beautifully simple, yet arresting about riding through the night and into the dawn. It's been years since I did it, but I clearly remember the experience, etched indelibly on my mind as it was, with a full moon and minus 5 degree C temperatures. Somewhat more clement conditions then for a June ride, with clear skies, reasonable temperatures but unfortunately no full moon.

I'd been contacted by Konrad at Rapha after I had already expressed an intention to do the ride, so it was fun to be involved in coming up with a suitable route and fine tuning some of the organisational details for the Manchester spot in the Rapha Mobile Cycle Club UK tour.

Pic: Konrad Manning/Rapha - signing folks in with the sheen of freshly embro'd legs.....it was surprisingly cold at times.


A small but select band braved the hordes of overexcited female Take That fans spilling into the Velodrome carpark from the nearby City Ground. Fuelled with wild coffee from the legendary Rocket machine, leaving Manchester for the hills at around midnight meant braving kicking out time for the local hostelries, but the group passed through without incident and the view looking back as I led it out on the most direct route out of town, revealed the great sight of a line of powerful headlights heading into a long night.

Pic: Ben Lieberson/Rapha - our intrepid group at the Velodrome zinging with strong coffee.


Rapha have long been associated with tough and epic rides, and whilst myself and Konrad wanted to respect this tradition, we had to temper it somewhat with an unknown group and a dark, all night setting. And whilst the group contained a few of the finest 24hr mountain bikers in the country putting in some big miles for summer races (see Jason's report as well as Dave's), it also contained some who were more used to slightly shorter and less hilly adventures. We pressed on through wild dark descents and some tough climbs and into the Peaks proper.

The Cat and Fiddle climb, on my own and in the predawn dark but with the glow of the sun below the horizon was one of the most powerful experiences I have had on a bike. The intensity of feeling of pure physical effort, matched with an affinity for the surroundings caught me by surprise. It was one a few standout memories on the ride and one to be savoured.

We stuck together, just, despite errant sheep in the dark, and made it for a surreal feed stop at 4am near Buxton for coffee and cognac from Ben Lieberson (of Rapha Continental fame) and Kieran Young from the Mobile Cycle Club, who looked after us superbly all night. I also managed to eat my own bodyweight in cake and banana as I had bonked badly just before the stop.

Pic: Ben Lieberson/Rapha - Kieran prepares coffee and cognac at the feed stop, predawn.


Onwards into the breaking dawn, it was so special to be out in perfect conditions, in the beautiful White Peak dales and plateaus. One of our party was suffering considerably by this point and I stayed back to ride with him. It was humbling, as I have never seen someone suffer so much, yet have so much desire to push on and continue. Green, grey and white all at the same time, Russ went to places I'm ashamed I haven't been yet, just to keep going. It was inspiring to watch but sadly he finally admitted defeat at Buxton, faced with another 30 miles to go and another ascent of the Cat climb. He'll be back though, I suspect, as I think something changed inside him that night. For the good.

Pic: Konrad Manning/Rapha - Cat and Fiddle for the 2nd time, in the early morning.

The odd hour of the day and differing paces meant the group split now and people went at their own pace. It was a shame though inevitable really, but small groups coalesced on the flat run into Manchester to savour the ride and where we had been, physically or otherwise.

Rolling back out of the Velodrome at 7.30am, and feeling slightly delirious, I drove home to normality and the Saturday morning routine of activities with the kids. I carried with me though, a little piece of that solitary climb up the Cat and Fiddle in the dark - all the reasons for, drivers to, insecurities in and pleasures of, riding a bike wrapped up into a little nugget of truth.

More RvOL pics

My personal selection of some of the great images from David, Laura and Ady at Sportsunday ........

more ronde photos

Thanks to the dilligence of Dave Haygarth for these pics........

ronde round up

I guess a picture (thanks Dave Powell) of riders pushing up a cobbled climb isn't quite representative of Saturday's ride (though that climb was 'cleaned' by one or more) - there were plenty of ridden cobbles and longer less brutal climbs too. In addition to some deserted lanes and backroads.

However, as the Koppenberg in some ways defines the Tour of Flanders, so too the Packhorse climb out of Hebden town centre dominates the RVOL. Both can bring riders to a standstill and force even the most experienced off their bike. Flanders is not about just the Koppenberg though - it is the unrelenting succession of small but sharp climbs that taken as a whole, give it it's fearsome reputation as a hard ride and race.

The East Lancs version is no different either - whilst only 50 miles, there were many that seemed surprised by the amount of climbing packed into such a short space of time. There are flatter sections, most notably after the hills surrounding Pendle Hill, but bascially the climbing starts early and continues throughout.

It was great to see such a good turnout for the first running of this ride (slightly nerve racking actually) but myself and Mark had signed every twist and turn and were lucky with a lack of missing signs, so that people were able to follow the route in groups and on their own, as necessary.

Already the ride seems to be gathering a reputation as a bike wrecker - there were a number of early mechanicals that forced some back to the car or meant they were chasing hard for a good while. My own mechanical was as final as it was well timed - a completely tacoed rear wheel followed a broken spoke not long before the most vicious descent into Hebden. Cheap Taiwanese carbon and considerable heat from the braking led to a complete delamination and meltdown of the rim. Game over. And a wrecked Open Pave tub which really peeved me......

At this point Dave Haygarth kindly volunteered to ride on ahead and return with the car to pick me up. Whilst he monstered himself over the final hard section of the route to make good time, I bumped into a neighbour who was in town and was kindly offered a lift back. Dave therefore had an early finish and a good workout but not before he had cleaned the Packhorse climb out of Hebden. For this feat and his heroics he is duly awarded:

The Ronde Cobble.........



I gather a couple of others may have also cleaned the climb - Sam included? If you would like to claim your consolation Ronde 'pebble', then please contact me. Otherwise bask in the glory of your achievement and the respect of your fellow riders. Special mention also to Ian from Pendle Cycles who had the temerity to turn up on fixed. We all thought he was mad, but he had the last laugh as he rode away from most of the riders on every climb. Chapeau. (Your're still nuts though).

Big thanks to Duncan and Mark for signage help, Dave H for riding on unnecessarily and everyone for their chat, and friendly comments.

Hope to see more of you all in future.

ronde van oost lancashire fallout

Many thanks to those 30 hardy souls who came out and volunteered themselves for our ride today - good riding, good weather and good chat. It was great to meet new faces, put faces to names and to ride with familiar suspects.

A few photos to keep things going till a full report tomorrow - my (re)hydration strategy of Belgian brews precludes anything of real substance at this moment in time.











More photos welcome - send to me or the Here Come the Belgians site herecomethebelgians at gmail.com and I'll get them up.

Cheers
Alan

ronde update and briefing

Systems are go for the Ronde ride on April 3rd. I've been out recceeing the route, and fine tuning organisational details. Final instructions and observations below:

Parking - please use the public car park opposite the Pendle Heritage Centre, signposted with a brown attraction sign. There should be space enough in the long stay section at the back but if it fills up, then there is enough road parking in the vicinity. Please use the honesty box provided.

Because there may be more than a few of us, the route will be signposted with the sign above. I will put them out the night before so they should still be there in the morning.....

The full route will use flouro yellow signs and the shorter route variation, flouro orange when deviating from the full route. The cue sheet has been updated, but I will give everyone a route card on the day.




Some of the climbs are very steep and I would recommend a minimum gear of 36 x 25 or similar if you have it. Road tires are fine, but the roads are rough and the cobbles rougher so if you have fatter tires then use them. Cross bikes with Landcruisers work well too.




Some of the route is over exposed hill country and I would take a windproof/racing cape. The last few weekends on the route have been lashing down, very blustery or lashing down and blustery......

The winter of 2009/2010 has been a little hard at times and the roads reflect this. There are some spectacular potholes in places, often where you want them least. Please warn others behind you by pointing them out, making sure you have avoided them yourself first of course!

Unless we have biblical snow, the ride will run whatever the weather. However, the full version crosses some very exposed moorland and if the weather is really bad we will all take the shorter route to avoid the exposure this section brings.

There is a cafe at the start and finish (in the Heritage Centre) and food stops available at Padiham, Townley Park (Burnley) and Coldwell Activity centre near Widdop. There is also a bike shop in Padiham during the fist cobbled sections (:-)).

People can opt for the full or shorter route during the ride according to how they feel - we will regroup outside Burnley and the shorter ride group will take a different route and have a cafe stop at Coldwell Activity Centre before the longer ride group pick them up, and we all tackle the final section together.

There is a bail out option from Padiham (1/3rd distance) and from Burnley (1/2 distance) - your route card will have a map showing you these.

Hope to see you on the day - Bon Courage!

simple pleasures once again

An invitation, a dry day, the slower pace of a Friday lunchtime - all the ingredients for a simple, pleasurable ride.

Throw in some new roads and tracks, some cobbles ( it's nearly Ronde time) and a good natter and you have the essence of bike riding, at least for me.

Dave Haygarth extended the invitation and we checked out some woodland paths, some farm tracks up and over the hills, some queit lanes and of course some pave. All on road tires, albeit with cross frames. Dave is somewhat more talented than me, so my conversational skills were slightly hampered by an acute shortage of breath, but it was great to be riding in quick minded company and in terms of a training exercise, quick legged company too. It's good to push yourself with faster riders once in a while - now I am older, my ego can take it without long term damage.......

Dave got snappy with his i-phone with good results above and below:

Ronde van Oost Lancashire April 3rd 2010

I thought I would put my money where my mouth is, rather than just taunting our London based brethren for their honest efforts at a Hell of the North. Except this is a Ronde van Vlaanderen homage, rather than the Queen of the Classics......



Either way, it has the feel and cobbles of a Spring Classic, with some beautiful North West countryside thrown in for good measure.

Come and join us on April 3rd - all are welcome. It is fair to point out that both routes are challenging and require a reasonable degree of fitness, though the Achtervolgers group will miss out some miles and a fair amount of extra climbing from the full route without foregoing the Flandrian feel. We are running it as a 'Gentleman's and Ladies' ride and will ride together and look after each other in time honoured fashion, though I suspect there may be some action on the climbs....

Further info here:

Cue sheet

Route desciption

Disclaimer: This is a social ride, not a competitive event. All riders participate entirely at their own risk and liability.

hardly the hell of the north.......

A recent Rapha blog entry advertising an organised ride in homage to Roubaix made me realise how lucky I am up here in Lancashire, to be able to indulge in my own particular brand of compulsion, perhaps even infatuation.

Like many others, I have always had a healthy degree of cynicism and mild contempt for those individuals that hang about, often on motorway bridges looking to 'spot' Eddie Stobart lorries or perhaps coaches - it's hardly a sophisticated, grown up or even socially acceptable thing to do. At least not in polite society. It was then with some embarrassment and no little sense of irony, that I realised a few years ago that I had become one of them. The attraction, the delusion, the mania even - this monkey on the back thing - it was no different to a man in an anorack on a train platform or motorway bridge, seeking out ever more elusive targets to tick off, to list, to catagorise. I should have known it was coming, as the juvenile, pre-pubescent crossjunkie was a keen young ornithologist, ticking his way merrily through the bird species of Northern Europe.......

But it's not Steady Eddie lorries, nor trains, coaches or any other transport medium. Nor is it birds, stamps (that too was a pastime at one point). No it's cobbles now - cue images of a 12 step programme meeting 'Hi, my name is......' and the nodding assent of fellow addicts.

There it is then, by way of confession - my cobble addiction, exposed in all it's humiliating glory. Obviously people around me already knew this, but as in all things addictive, it is the addict who is the last to realise.

Anyways, going back to Rapha and their 'Hell of the North' thing.... I have to say I felt somewhat smug, superior even. Bridleways, rough roads, muddy stuff and 'bumpy terrain'!! 20 sectors of so called 'pave' in 100km. Are they having a laugh?

Put this in yer bespoke, tailored-leather-cased pipe Rapha, and smoke it! With a few minor diversions, my 40 minute commute by bike this morning incorporated no less than 7 distinct secteurs du pave, and when I say pave, I don't mean a slightly bumpy track with a little mud, I mean proper sets of cobbles, some in good repair, some with wheel sized holes.

Some long and flat, some gently rising. All good honest, working class cobbles, just like the Roubaix ones. Well, not quite as rough or long but enough for you to get the picture - apologies for my dodgy Blackberry photos:

Stretching up and into the trees, this gem is in Crawshawbooth....


Rawtenstall town centre - an entire cobbled high street with little hills off to the side....



OK, it's a back street but when the cars aren't parked on it it is about 500m of beautiful, compact sets.....


Not quite Carrefour de l'Arbre but fun nonetheless....



Industrial backdrop in Waterfoot, just like Roubaix....



There are in total around 20 sections of pave I have found within 15 miles of here - all can be linked to provide a meaningful ride. So come on Rapha - let go of the London-centric thing and come and discover the real deal for yourselves up in the grim North. If you dare....

kasseien fever

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It's here! The Classics season I mean....not Spring. That's still a little way off round these parts.

And to celebrate, the 27mm green Pave's are out ready for gluing, the road bike is being returned to full working order and some serious cobbled extravaganzas are being planned over the next few weeks.

Not to mention all that watching to be done, that has already started with a bang in the form of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad.

Never did the kasseien look so good on Saturday (albeit on a live sporza feed)- it's been 2 years since I rode in Flanders and I am missing it more than ever. Those concrete slabbed roads, the lines of tall larch trees and the tight, twisty lanes under a leaden Flandrian sky and the sense of anticipation running up to a cobbled straat or hellingen.

No matter, East Lancashire has given up a few secrets this winter and I have enough secteurs du pave to creat my own little Hell of the North, in addition to an April 3rd re-run of the Ronde van Oost Lancashire.........