Christmas Calver Winter Snow Special

The one with Snow, lots of snow.

Ride Date: 28/12/2014

Distance: 9 miles

Route: Calver > Eyam > Stoney.

Weather: Temperature: -1°C, Wind - 0mph →, Humidity - 100%, Conditions - Sunny.

Riders : Jake, Matt, Howard & Tony


Notable absentees, Deley - Skiing, Basil - Centre Parcs, Carro - Christmas Over Indulgence, All the rest - Slackers!

Due to some significant snowfall in the Midlands on Boxing Day, this ride was touch & go right up until the day before, but we decided to throw caution t the wind and ask the question of whether we were Mountain Bikers or flower arrangers, the answer was the former, good job too, as this turned out to be one of the most memorable rides ever!
We met, as usual at the Derwent Water Arms where many things were discussed including the journey in, Christmas pressies & look at all that snow. Despite the snow, it was a wonderfully crisp & sunny morning.

Road Block! A snowy Chatsworth park was a feature of the journey in.

This was also the day for Tony to present his new bike to us all, despite owning it from way back in October, this was his first chance to get out with us.

The standard Calver route was planned and we set off with the nice stiff warm up climb out of the village, we were almost at the top when Tony started to feel unwell & despite his best efforts, had to turn back, leaving just the 3 of us to continue. The rest of the climb to the top of Old Man's demise was fun & tricky with ice & snow, however the descent down Old Man's was altogether different, almost untouched snow of a good depth which added a nice twist to the speedy trail.

Matt heading into the blue on the snow covered Old Man's Demise

Rather than risk The Necker, we chose the usually fast bridleway down to the bottom of Black Harry, however due to the snow, again almost untouched, along with the hidden drifts it proved hilarious trying to keep speed and traction, blasting through axle deep snow, twisting & weaving our way down to the bottom.

Howard, on the bridleway down to Black Harry

It got a little less snowy from here on in, only because the route had seen a bit more traffic, but it still provided a challenge with the quarry, Riley's graves & Stoney being their usual excellent selves. Once down at the warm spring in Stoney we decided to head back rather than climb back up to Black Harry. A nice warm pub and some dinner to take away the chills were just what was needed, and there ended a fantastic ride, the snow certainly made a huge difference to what is a favourite ride, adding an extra layer of skill & I'm pleased to report there were no tumbles of any note.

The stunning view & blue skies over towards Calver from Riley's Graves

Only one regret from this ride, I wish I'd not forgotten to take the GoPro to record some footage, you'll have to make do with the pictures, hopefully I'll learn from it.

Check back soon (I'm on a roll now) for the story of February's Bakewell based ride which involved mud and a rather noisy lamb!

View the ride on Endomondo - http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/451631301/151189

Winter On Win Hill

The one with Sleet, Hail, Snow & Insta-Freeze Wind.

Ride Date: 08/12/2014

Distance: 13.5 miles

Route: Cut Throat, Derwent Edge, Hagg Farm & Win Hill.

Weather: Temperature - 2°C, Wind - 36mph →, Humidity - 100%, Conditions - See Above.

Riders : Jake, Matt & Mick


So I lied, I promised I'd get my finger out updating this blog, so this is it now, a new leaf, starting with a shortish notice, mid week getaway from back in early December.

We met at 8am just past the Yorkshire Bridge Inn, with snow forecast , Mick had already experienced some on his way over. First light was upon us as we set off north towards the first climb of the day, it was fairly dry on the way up but with plenty of puddles to weave round on the last bit up to Whinstone Lee Tor. Once at the top we took a breather, the wind was incredible up there, biting, stinging cold, we were finding it difficult to stand.

Mick & Matt on Whinstone Lee Tor, experiencing the onset of the next ice age

On we continued, with the snow starting to fall, and followed the trail a down & down to fairholmes, top descent as usual, with only one stop to seek shelter in the sheep shed. Next up was decision time on what to ride next, there are options galore but we finally chose the classic Hagg Farm, going straight over the road and up The Beast to Hope Cross, next up, was the daunting climb up Win Hill, however the were in luck, the wind that was our nemesis over Derwent Edge was right behind us, pushing us up the climb, it almost felt like a descent at one point! this made the climb, in what was now a blizzard of hail, sleet and snow a pleasure & with the view of a snow topped Mam Tor to keep us company we arrived promptly at the top.

The snow as beginning to settle

Then it got all a bit sketchy, picking our way down narrow rutted singletrack, amongst hidden snow covered heather, there were plenty of thrills & spills with all of us coming off at some point on the descent back down to Ladybower Dam.

A quick roll along the road back to the cars, gave us just enough time for us to get changed before the Yorkshire bridge opened, where we warmed up and sampled a recovery pint!

Thanks for reading & check back some for more snow adventure with the write up of the Calver Christmas Classic!

View the ride on Endomondo - http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/445723882/151189

Autumn Update

I've been neglecting things for too long after the hectic September, so here is a mini update for October & November.

October:

Saw a nice autumnal visit to Ambergate, we still failed to complete al 4 descents, but still had a good run out and had a rare appearance from Dan. No major incidents to report. We managed to ride the usual Shining Cliff, Black Rocks & Crich Chase. We still enjoyed great weather, even for late October. Here's a short bit of video from the ride.

Knob jokes aplenty, always good fun!

October was also the month Myself & Matt tried a night ride in Ambergate, we did the usual route on a cool night with some rain showers, it certainly adds a new dimension to the ride especially the parts deep in the woods, We'll have to try and set a ride up again before the clocks go forward in spring!.

November:

Two rides in November, first off was the classic Calver route, despite pouring rain at home, we were treated again to wonderful sunshine (think we've had good weather for almost every ride this year). The biggest surprise of this ride was the unveiling of Carro's new beast, an Orange Five pro, in stunning Ribena purple! The usual route was followed, but the "Necker" was added in for a twist, and we finished off, as we always do, with lunch at the Derwent Water Arms.

Carro & Howard, all grins at the bottom of the "Necker"

Ride number 2 a remix of the Belper Loop from earlier in the year, gone was the Duffield start and the trek over the fields followed by a big chunk of road, in was an Ambergate start & a quick loop in Ambergate woods where Matt had the first mechanical of the day, suffering a broken chain, we did the usual descent in there, but then rode back past the wireworks and over the road then up to Longwalls lane and the familiar route. Matt had an off near the bottom though, we carried on up through Hazelwood and tried a new section leading to the Chevin, this introduced a bomb hole and a nice rocky descent on to the Chevin itself. From here we rode back towards Belper, stopping for a chat with Big Dave Walker, who was spotted wrestling with a hoover bag. Once in Belper it was up through Wyver Farm and back over to Ambergate woods to finish.
This is certainly an improved version, removing lot's of road, there is even an option to remove more, plus the chance to do a longer descent on the return visit to Ambergate woods.

That's about it for the Autumn update, check back soon for the December rides (providing I get my finger out!) We'll finish off with Carro's video of the "Necker" descent. Ignore the outrageous amount of dabbing I do!

Thanks for reading & see you at the next one!

A Tale of Two Gates

The one with two famous gates, 41 miles & a mid ride pub stop.

Ride Date: 30/09/2014

Distance: 41 miles

Route: Doctor's Gate & Cut Gate.

Weather: Temperature - 12°C, Wind - 7mph →, Humidity - 100%, Conditions - Cloudy.

Riders : Jake, Matt & Mick

Beer: Moonshine by Abbeydale Brewery

Another early start and with only a couple of days to recover from the BHF ride. We met at 08:00 on the banks of Ladybower with the sun just coming up over Derwent Edge. We started out on familiar territory, climbing up to Hagg farm and then down the excellent berms to the Snake Pass, from here on it was 5.5 miles of steady uphill tarmac to the beginning of Doctor's Gate, to be honest I expected a much harder climb, but although it was long, it wasn't too bad & we were soon at the top taking a quick refreshment break and then on to the fabled Doctor's Gate.

The start of Doctor's gate

The start of the trail was a slight climb, with some bike carrying over streams and up steps, as we reached the top and looked at the trail weaving off in to the distance rubbed our hands in anticipation of what looked and long, uninterrupted and epic descent, however this couldn't have been further from the truth, well strictly speaking it was a descent, but it was broken up fairly regularly by either steep steps up or down, both which generally needed to be done on foot. There was very little flow from top to bottom, although there was one section around the middle that lasted a few hundred yards, but that was over all too soon.

Mick shouldering his bike up one of the many breaks in the flow of Doctor's Gate

Once we got towards the bottom the rocks turned into a peat bog, again not really rideable but fairly easy to navigate on foot, culminating in a good size stream, with the only way across being a very dodgy looking bridge, it was a bit like something from Indiana Jones as we carefully shuffled across, that was not only creaking, but also bending as we crossed. Once safe on the other side we had a breather in the sun and then hit probably the best bit of the descent, with a very fast blast down a winding farm track towards Glossop.

The bridge of certain death, or at least injury

Once in Glossop we were on the hunt for the Trans Pennine Trail, which would be our route to langsett, although we did get slightly lost, we found it eventually and followed what was a steady 6 miles of trail to the Woodhead Tunnel where we left the relatively flat trail and crossed the road, climbing up onto a rockier trail leading up and above the road, before dropping back down and across the road again, this lead to a nice little descent followed by another short climb and out onto the Woodhead Pass, where the road graffiti from the Tour de France was still visible - Va Va Froome!. We followed the road for about a mile and then left to join the "snow Road", a long rutted affair, fast and tricky, as the ruts were very narrow and if you took your eyes of them for a second control was lost. However there was treasure at the end in the shape of The Dog & Partridge Inn, where we had a nice bit of lunch and a refreshing pint, all in preparation for the mighty Cut Gate.

A couple of quick bridleways saw us soon on the the climb to the summit of Cut Gate, at almost 4 miles of rocky, technical up it was going to be hard work this far into the ride, however we dug in and despite a couple of stops we were soon at the top cairn looking  forward to the superb descent awaiting us (and also pretty much no more climbing!).
A quick drink and some energy was taken on, to make sure we got the best from the trail & off we set, having ridden it once before this year, I was slightly better prepared for line choice and managed to make it almost to the bottom without so much of a dab. I think next time I'll stick with the switchbacks and avoid the super steep steps! The challenge for next time is to try and at least keep Matt in sight for the duration.

Matt sets of into the sun at the top of the Cut Gate descent

That just left a steady roll back along the banks of the reservoirs to the cars, with just a small stop at Fairholmes for an icecream. So all in we ended up with 41 miles and almost 6 hours in the saddle, Cut gate was it's usual stunning self, however Doctor's gate left us feeling cheated and a bit disappointed at it's lack of flow, especially as it's regarded as a must do trail and as such we'll probably not do it again. however look out for a Cut Gate ride next year that will probably rope in Lockerbrook & Derwent Edge too!

Thanks for reading & see you at the next one!

View the ride on Endomondo - http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/416460934/151189

BHF Peaks Challenge

The one the ended up being a bit longer than planned.

Ride Date: 27/09/2014

Distance: 31 miles

Route: All over the peaks.

Weather: Temperature - 9°C, Wind - 4mph →, Humidity - 91%, Conditions - Sunny.

Riders : Jake, Deley & Basil

An early start for this one and on a day where the first fingers of autumn were starting to creep in, it was close to zero & foggy upon arrival at and already bustling Hope Valley College, with every make of bike being unloaded from cars & vans. Within 10 mins Deley & Basil arrived and we set off for the start. With 500 riders taking part we were expecting it to be a bit cramped, but with staggered starts and natural differences in ability & fitness, the field soon thinned out. 

We set off initially along the road were Deley almost had an altercation with a confused and impatient looking driver. A bit more road took us around to the outside of the Hope cement works, then onto bridleway and up toward the broken road and the climb to the summit of Mam Tor. By this time the sun was well and truly out and it was coats off.

Stunning Views From The Broken Road On The Climb Up Mam Tor

A quick breather at the top and it was a good blast down the other side and the first checkpoint at Edale. Next up was Jagger's Clough which involved the steepest climb of the day, followed by just reward with the long, fun descent of Blackley Clough, also known as Potato Alley. A stiff climb again followed taking us up and across the Snake Pass where unknown to us was the decision point for the 24 miler or the 4 mile extension (we think some clever soul was sat in front of the signs). Anyway despite stopping here to take on water kindly supplied by the army, we still never twigged it, so we ended up doing the extension by default, which is no bad thing seeing it is the superb Lockerbrook descent.

The top of the climb from Jagger's Clough

On the road back along the side of the reservoirs we had the only "incident" of the day with Basil misjudging a grass verge slightly. At this point in the ride, any climb was a tough climb, and the ride back up to Hagg farm was no different, however as was becoming the theme, the descent the other side made up for it. Next up was relatively steady with a good 5 miles of non too taxing bridleway that ran along the edge of Ladybower and into Thornhill. At this point we thought we were well on our way back to base, but a dreaded sign pointed us back up hill and away from the tannoy back at the college. We were flagging at this point, The smooth tarmac helped a bit, but once we hit the bridleway up Win Hill we were down to a crawl. A mixture of fatigue and us seemingly getting further away from the college had us wondering if we had taken a wrong turn, however other riders gave us comfort in that if we were wrong, it wasn't just us. However minds were put at rest with a strategic sign post at the top of Hope Brink & we began a very long and fast blast back down into Hope.

And that's it, we were done, we rode into the car park and were greeted by our medal givers and a goody bag and free Haribos. Screaming hunger did lead me into having a burger from the van, which I could only liken to warm cat food, but needs must...  So what should have been a 24 miler plus 4 mile extension came in at 31 miles, we don't mind though, we rode rode some classic must do dark peak trails, met some friendly folk and had a great day.

We'll no doubt do it again next year & see if we can get a few more up for it, will we stick with the 24 miler + extension or step up the the 35 miler?  Only time will tell.

View the ride on Endomondo - http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/414849371/151189

Linacre Part Deux

Always better the second time around!

Ride Date: 07/09/2014

Distance: 21 miles

Route: Linacre > Shillito > Cartledge.

Weather: Temperature - 10°C, Wind - 14mph →, Humidity - 91%, Conditions - Sunny.

Riders : Jake, Matt, Deley, Scott, Howard, Basil, Paddy, Neil & Jake2

Beer: Castle Rock - Harvest Pale

As with the previous entry it's taken too long to find the time to write this one up, so if memories are hazy or muddled please forgive me.

This ride saw a return to Linacre, after the mud & mechanicals of the previous attempt we were hoping a prolonged spell of dry weather and the luck of the bike gods would smile upon us. Things started well with Howard & Basil's first group rides since Ticknall way back in May & we were also joined, for the first time, by Yorkshire 4X legend Paddy along with Neil & Jake2. 
We set off on the same route as before and the lack of mud was very noticeable with dry woodland trails and only one soft spot to deal with on the Wigley descent. From here on we were on new territory with some good fast lanes & Bridleways mixed with the slightly soggier, but doable, trail alongside shillito woods, followed by a solid, but satisfying climb up to the main road near Owler Bar.

Howard & Deley at the top of the climb from Shillito Woods

A welcome rest was had at the top to regain some energy and take in the views, then we set off again with a mix of road and bridleways to the bit most were looking forward to, the Cartledge descent. Standard white peak fun with rocks, roots & sweeping bends, this one comes in just short of 2 miles long with the only interruption being a soggy hippo bath in the middle. It's safe to say there were some big grins at the end.

Even after all this we still had some more fast bridleways to fly along, before the last couple of miles back on the road to Linacre, which were quickly done with the lure of lunch & a beer at the Gate Inn.

A good summer ride all in, and probably one we'll do again next year (weather dependant!). A big thanks to Matt for doing all the ground work & leading it, Special thumbs up to Scott for it being by far his longest & toughest ride and also to Jake2 who did it all on a 1X9 bike which definitely wasn't suited to the XC nature of the ride.

Castle Rock - Harvest Pale, perfect!

Thanks for reading, see you next time!

View the ride on Endomondo - http://app.endomondo.com/workouts/404210807/151189

Derwent Edge

The one where it just gets better & better!

Ride Date: 27/07/2014

Distance: 15 miles

Route: Derwent Edge.

Weather: Temperature - 13°C, Wind - 14mph →, Humidity - 81%, Conditions - Sunny.

Riders : Jake & Matt

I will start off by saying, I've taken far too long to write this ride up, so some memories may just be a little hazy. This ride was originally planned to be based around Calver, but due to holidays, illness and just general jibbing we opted for something a bit more special and an early start.

We met on the rode just beyond the Yorkshire bridge Inn and rode along Ladybower taking a right at the lights and straight onto the rough stuff with a good long steady climb to the top of Whinstone Lee Tor, the views from here are stunning and are worth the climb alone, we stopped for a brief while for a couple of photos and and a drink then seeing as it was early took the "cheeky" path up past the Hurkling Stones and the start of the first descent which dropped us back down onto the bridleway.

The view from Whinstone Lee Tor

The Bridleway takes you on a twisting rocky trip all the way down almost to the banks of Ladybower, with only a few gates to help you get your breath back as despite being all down hill the ruggedness and technicality leave you no time to relax and you reach the bottom feeling exhausted but very happy. Slightly easier going is the old stone slab path and the fast blast down through the wood, bringing us out at Fairholmes.

Next up was a tough but steady fire road climb on the opposite side of Ladybower, followed by a long, fast, rocky & rooty descent back down to the road and then back to Fairholmes. This just left us to retrace our steps back up and over, and it feels completely different in the opposite direction, finishing with a fantastic rocky and tough descent back down to the road and a steady ride back to the cars.

Despite the low turn out, the weather was superb, slightly cooler than the previous few weeks, the trails were dry, dusty and fast & the scenery breathtaking! The only slight downside, due to the early start and the ride going so well, we were too early for the pub!

This is one of those rides that leaves you stunned and smiling ear to ear, much like Cut Gate Pass & Black Rocks. We will have to do this as a group ride in the future and it won't be one to be missed.

View the ride on Endomondo - https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/379886445/151189