Spring into the Dales - April 18

[hulver]

I've just sent my entry form off for This ride.

Quite a few hills involved, but plenty of time to get around them. Some nice bits of countryside.

I'm thinking about doing it on fixed, I'll see what I'm like after a flatish 100k first.

[MSeries]

I'll be doing it if I get over this injury in time. Great route.

[Karla]

After feeling better than I expected on FMB, I've entered for this.  Is there anyone else?

[Steve GT]

I've just sent my entry form off for This ride.

Quite a few hills involved, but plenty of time to get around them. Some nice bits of countryside.

I'm thinking about doing it on fixed, I'll see what I'm like after a flatish 100k first.

If you walked up the hills on the Monkey Business ride then either:
a. Take some walking shoes.
b. Take a geared bike!

[hulver]

Urgh. I failed it. DNF for me.

I made it to Keighley at 5pm, 15 minutes after the control closed.

I just couldn't face the long climb back through Oxenhope, and there was no way I would have made it back. I was averaging 8mph, and there were 12 miles back to the start.

I got a Taxi back to the start. 

58.9 miles (94.8km) Avg speed 8.7 mph (14kmh) while I was moving. Total time on the bike 6:46.

8 hours altogether, although I spent a lot of that walking up the hills in the second half. My legs were dead by the end of it.

I should have done the shorter ride, or possibly used a bike with gears. Or maybe lost some of the lard I'm carrying.

[tubbycyclist]

I made it round and surprised myself! Probably in excess of 100 riders including some from York, North Cheshire as well as the local clubs. It was a good day's weather but those hills do not get any easier even when the sun is out. The route is excellent though, with a great mixture of hills and cafe stops. When I made it back after 8 hours there were still 21 riders out there, and I spoke to a couple of people who decided to pack at Keighley.

There has been a couple of changes to the route in recent years, and I can't decide whether the addition of Draughton/Cringles is worse than the previous long haul up Addingam Moorside - it is a toss up as to which is more painful.

Fair play for trying it on fixed, I used every gear at my disposal at some point on the ride..

[MSeries]

well done tubby and everyone else who finished. hulver , I did try to warn you about this ride and one gear. Oxenhope Moor is my favourite road in these parts, I love that climb. Se eyou at Wiggy next week.

[Karla]

I had a really good day.  The hardest bit was possibly finding the youth hostel the night before - my first experience of gps directed me down some farmer's track in the dark on skinny tyres.  The sun shone, there were a decent number out from my club and my muscles ache pleasantly. 

[MSeries]

I had a really good day.  The hardest bit was possibly finding the youth hostel the night before - my first experience of gps directed me down some farmer's track in the dark on skinny tyres.  The sun shone, there were a decent number out from my club and my muscles ache pleasantly. 

ah, the famous Crackpot GPS trick. The farmer charged £40 to tow you out I hope !!!

[onb]

I had a really good day.  The hardest bit was possibly finding the youth hostel the night before - my first experience of gps directed me down some farmer's track in the dark on skinny tyres.  The sun shone, there were a decent number out from my club and my muscles ache pleasantly. 

ah, the famous Crackpot GPS trick. The farmer charged £40 to tow you out I hope !!!

Is that in Swaledale ??

[Karla]

YHA Mankinholes

[clarion]

Lovely Hostel, that.  I used to live in the village.  Warden was called Bob, but I think he was retiring.

I suspect that the 'farmer's track' was actually London Road.  No, really!

[DanialW]

hah! I live just below Mankinholes YHA. Totally forgot about this event.

[Deano]

I had a really good day.  The hardest bit was possibly finding the youth hostel the night before - my first experience of gps directed me down some farmer's track in the dark on skinny tyres.  The sun shone, there were a decent number out from my club and my muscles ache pleasantly. 

ah, the famous Crackpot GPS trick. The farmer charged £40 to tow you out I hope !!!

Is that in Swaledale ??

Between Swaledale and Wensleydale.  This is the road in question; it traverses a sheer drop, and a few years ago, some drivers' GPSes sent them up this road as a shortcut between Swaledale and Wensleydale.  The farmer had to use his tractor to rescue a few people when either their nerve or their car broke down.

Nigel Hall's Aldbrough Feast Grimpeur in August goes the other way up Summer Lodge Valley, which he claims is easier...

[hugo15]

Nigel Hall's Aldbrough Feast Grimpeur in August goes the other way up Summer Lodge Valley, which he claims is easier...

Can you let me know what the route is. Tentatively thinking that I might do this as my first Audax.

[Bigsybaby]

I did this ride for the second time and previous knowledge of what was in store caused me to pace myself without becoming Lantern Rouge. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I camped the night before at Triangle near Sowerby Bridge. A curious place, I cant make my mind up whether I would go back there or not. It wasnt what I was expecting.

[vermooten]

A great route, a bit different in parts from the 2008 version. I loved the hills but have found walking and conversing something of a challenge today. My chums came up from Surrey for the occasion, one of whom broke her audax cherry. Hurrah! We rode for a bit with some ladies from York, had beans on toast, shouted encouragement at the triathletes, overtook the annoying guy who looked like "Richard"... yeah good times. We were lucky with the weather huh.

[Deano]

Nigel Hall's Aldbrough Feast Grimpeur in August goes the other way up Summer Lodge Valley, which he claims is easier...

Can you let me know what the route is. Tentatively thinking that I might do this as my first Audax.

Here's one I prepared earlier:

http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Aldbrough-Feast-Grimpeur

It's the only ride I've ever ridden where the Stang felt like an easy climb.  Somebody described it to Nigel as "the stupidest 100 km I've ever ridden - and also the funnest", or something very similar.  I loved it last year.

[pizzicatooff]

Those of you who rode Spring Into The Dales or Leap Into The Aire from Hebden Bridge on Sunday 18 April might be interested in the photos taken during the event, mostly by John Sutcliffe. These have been posted in their entirety at http://www.photobox.co.uk/album/362499833
for you to browse.

When we can work out how to get the video off the camera that we borrowed, we'll try to post that somewhere too.

There is also an interesting account of the ride with a few more photos, courtesy of Colin Jackson at  Road Ride – Spring Into The Dales 2010

Regards

Chris