Author Topic: Knock Ventoux - 4/6/2016  (Read 2323 times)

Knock Ventoux - 4/6/2016
« on: 14 June, 2016, 04:26:00 pm »
 As a sucker for a ride with an interesting name and getting a bit of northern nostalgia lately, I was drawn to Andy Corless's new 300km ride 'Knock Ventoux'. YHA summers spent pootling by bike over the pennines and Dales from my temporary homes in the Lake District in the mid 1990s are fondly remembered. Young, carefree (and carfree) life was all hard work, good ale and cycling (probably - did I mention nostalgia?) I was ready to be disappointed and to find the area overly gentrified and choc full of traffic. Well, Burnley seemed to be a town not favouring the pedestrian as we struggled to walk into town for our Wetherspoons meal on the Friday evening, having checked into a remarkably friendly, clean and comfortable Travelodge. However, it was rush hour in a town much larger than we are used to and we soon relaxed into our pints of Pendle ale while watching the Skipton buses pass by, adorned with 'saucy witches'! I didn't really need to explain to Paul that we were in Pendle Hill country and how much that lends to the local culture! An early night and a good sleep and we were ready to hit the road soon after 5am. The small wood outside the hotel was just winning the noise competition with the M65 as the dawn chorus reached it's peak. Bottles filled, emergency rations stashed and we were off - well, after trying to quietly descend the stairs with bikes, fire doors and cleated shoes!
The ride to the start was mostly downhill and suburban to Padiham. A fine breakfast was available in a church kitchen while Andy distributed brevet cards. A couple of familiar faces and a fellow first time 300 rider helped me feel relaxed. After tea and toast we were waved off in the direction of Whalley and some lovely Lancashire lanes leading towards the Trough of Bowland. An interesting feature of these roads was their sticky nature - Paul initially thought the sound was a slow puncture before he realised it was tree sap. The roads were nearly empty and getting more remote as we began to climb. The familiar coastal sound of oystercatchers was noticeable on the Bowland road and we saw many, including some chicks.
Over a small pass and then a steady climb and down towards Lancaster. I am sure on a clear day we would have seen Blackpool tower, but then if it had been clear all day we would certainly have had sunburn! The romantic first control was 'Truck Haven' - just a cuppa and a snack for us as we knew Kirkby Lonsdale was only an hour away.  An undulating B road took us to the aforementioned where we found a cafe probably just opening for the morning. Breakfast of scrambled egg on toast and proper coffee was perfect and we left the lovely market cross to embark on what I dread - an 'A road section' Well, it couldn't have been less like an A road! Heading north towards Sedbergh with gentle gradients and next to no traffic this was a really pleasant part of the ride. After crossing the Wensleydale road we were continuing north past a lovely viaduct and views of the magnificent Howgills to the right. The ride then played around with the M6 and made a circuitous route to Tebay. Riding under railway and motorway in quick succession was quite surreal. Soon there were signs for Appleby and we headed up a dramatic road which was busy with unfriendly fast motorists - suspiciously busy. We were to find out why in Appleby as we had coincided with the annual horse fair. This resulted in a closed road, no realistic access to cafes and a lot of head-scratching until we saw the Coop - crowded and with police presence. This was later identified as where we started to go wrong foodwise. We had a quick pastry, filled the bottles and headed off - sort of. The police sent us through the closed road where horses and carts were galloping and we felt more than a little intimidated and out of place. It took an age to reach Dufton and I think this prevented us stopping at what looked like a lovely cafe for an actual sit-down. I knew what lay ahead but improvements in my mental state on long bike rides meant I hadn't thought about it yet. Well here it was, through Knock (no airport!) and up, up and up into the clouds! I walked a lot of it - after 140km I wasn't surprised or proud. Most riders were descending as we went up. We got glimpses of the summit when the clouds permitted and it looked a lifetime away. Somehow though, I made it. Paul had ridden all the way up and was chatting to Andy as my swear words faded and I quickly became happy again! I was impressed that Andy had ridden up to greet us and surprised he hadn't got cold up there in his shorts! The descent should have been fun but my back was hurting and it was a bit too steep to be a joyous descent. Still, it was quick and the ride then took us through the pretty villages of Hilton and Murton. Food was now playing on my mind and our water was running low so we had our eyes open for a shop. No luck here but we guessed (correctly) that Brough would be big enough for a convenience store. Just a short stretch of A66, hugging the kerb for dear life and we were there, replenishing our supplies and eating all we could on a welcome bench. We now had the long ascent to Tan Hill to tackle. It was long and tough but, well fed and back on course, I managed it all. The ride to Reeth was longer that I remember but beautiful and wild with hints of the Dales scenery to come. A couple of fellow riders were getting ready to leave as we arrived. Time for mistake number two - rushing this break. With a choice of pubs and food we should have had a proper meal. However, our addled brains again thought we needed to rush and I sat shaking over crisps, peanuts and pop! Still, the next section may have been tough with full bellies as we rose out of Swaledale towards Redmire and past Castle Bolton with the sun setting. I was feeling shattered now and my back really hurt. I felt a real conflict in my mind - the beauty of the landscape was feeding my soul yet my body felt pretty broken. Paul made the best suggestion of the day as we approached the Street Head Inn - "lets stop and eat hot food!" I officially gave up at this point (often this is when things start to get better I am coming to realise) and ate chip butties and drank coke while shivering some more. I was pretty sure this had put us out of time but getting back safely and ideally before dawn was the new priority. A few miles along, the shakes had passed and we were descending into Wharfedale as night really set in. Down the valley to Skipton past nestling villages and looming geology was magical. We arrived in Skipton at about a minute before the cut-off time for the control. ATM receipts were duly collected and the possibility of returning to Padiham in the time limit now looked possible. I got focused and enjoyed following the routesheet and leading the way, firstly along some now quiet main roads then through small Lancashire towns including Barnoldswick (of Bradshaws fame! - I was delighted!) There were more hills but they weren't too long and they seemed to be making a bee-line for the finish. Well, reader, we made it, with 15 minutes to spare! What a day (and half a night!) A journey into so many beautiful parts of the north - empty roads, abundant wildlife and history. Andy was waiting at the carpark finish and we were pleased to hear that all riders were now back safely. The ride back up to the Travelodge was soon done and we gave the receptionist a surprise by arriving at such an hour! Shower, cuppa, bed and the best post-Audax sleep ever! Wetherspoons provided the breakfast and then we were off back to Wales via lunch at my sister's in Chester. Perfect mini-break!  ;D

Re: Knock Ventoux - 4/6/2016
« Reply #1 on: 15 June, 2016, 11:12:52 am »
Well done, Ali and thanks for the report.  Was Andy wearing his shades?!

Re: Knock Ventoux - 4/6/2016
« Reply #2 on: 15 June, 2016, 04:21:37 pm »
No Peter - it was thick cloud on Great Dun Fell and dark the other two times we saw him! He did have some intelligent looking specs to examine our Brevets with at the end though 

Lee Killestein

Re: Knock Ventoux - 4/6/2016
« Reply #3 on: 06 January, 2017, 08:33:27 am »
Great write-up Alison, well done on pushing through the wobbles and finishing. It sounds a cracking route. Andy is altering this year's route to avoid Appleby so we'll be saved that experience. There's still Great Dun Fell to deal with though!  ;D