Shepley shuttle

How gorgeous does that view look??? That is where today's ride headed to.

Having woke up to a gorgeously clear, crisp bright day I just had to jump on Everest and free her from the constraints of being a clothes horse. A crap journey through umpteen contraflows - I swear they're breeding round here - and I managed to swerve off into a side road that'd take me to a rapid descent before over the hump that crosses the M60, round a rather desolate empty mini roundabout and onto another rapid descent down to the Tame Valley before I decided to do some hill reps on the climb back out of the valley. It's not a huge climb: a mere 0.22 mile of 6% average and 8% max gradient, but it's a hill of sorts. After looking like a numpty going up and down this bit several times and turning at the little roundabout at the top I finally left the climb and carried on through Globe Lane industrial estate before the descent through Dukinfield and the climb up to one of the huge roundabouts in Ashton. Oh, there's nothing like a hgv up the ass to get you sprinting up climbs.

Whoever decided to plonk a roundabout at the top of a 19% section needs shooting as, more often than not, I'm caught out behind traffic and stuck on the ascent trying not to roll backwards into whatever is behind me!

Anyway, following this lovely bit of engineering is an excellent sprinty section; only 0.22 mile but you can build up good speed on it until you slam the brakes on cos the set of lights is always against you at the end of it. I maxed out at 27mph on it - think I was a bit slow leaving the roundabout.

After a stint on Ashton's finest one-way systems and narrowing roads I took Everest off-road through Daisy Nook where we made friends with a Scotty dog and got lovely and muddy and all shook up on the trails before getting back onto the main road and mountain goating up the 20% section that other cyclists seem to really struggle on. This really is the only 'climb' where I can consistently pass cyclists without even trying. Hey-ho!

More of Tameside's greatest one-way systems followed with nice sprinty bits.

After a game of chicken trying to get into the middle of 3 lanes to get round another one-way bit, I was passing by the best factory in the world - the biscuit factory. I tell you, I wanna live in one of the houses next to it cos the smells emanating from it? They're out of this world! Just very mmmmmmmm!!

All the while since leaving Ashton centre I had a bus behind me that kept trying to pass, but finding I was going too quick or the road got crummy so couldn't. He finally got the upper hand as we passed over the M60 again by the Snipe; he had a little more horse power than I do. i could see him chuckling in the wing mirror as he passed me by, only for me to have the last laugh as the hgv in front of me decided he wanted to go in front of the bus. So as the hgv started to cross lanes I swung around his ass and floored it to the sound of 'what?!?!'. I don't think the bus driver thought cyclists could go quicker than motors. Mwa-hah-ha!

Sadly I think Joby has jinxed me. Going through yet another one-way system, as another hgv passed closely on my right shoulder something in the road got sucked up in his draft and thudded into my shin. I now have an egg-sized lump right on the shin bone that started to go a lovely shade of puce as soon as it got hit.

I haven't a clue what hit me as I had no time to react really, what with a line of traffic behind me and going at warp speed myself. I guess I'm just lucky I was so close to the hgv or the thing may've hit me in the head or smashed through a windscreen behind me.

Anyway although my leg hurt like bloody hell, I still managed to sprint the rest of the way home: a good mile and half and managed to max out at 31mph. So I'm happy.

Even happier that I managed to stay above 10mph on the reps at Shepley.

I'm thinking that something is definitely going right. Maybe not as quickly as I'd like, but you know we can't have it all our own way all the time. Unless you're Joby of course, lol.

Stats - view route

Simply devine for September, warm, clear.

Miles: 15.31 (including 6 hill reps)

Average speed: 14.2mph

Climbed: 448ft (including hill reps)

Something went wrong somewhere...

It was supposed to be a nice, easy, flat ride and ended up a hard, hilly and fast ride. Instead of heading south-west I headed south-east and ended up climbing Joby's Devils Hill and Chunal Hill - both buggers - this is before (and after) riding up Mottram Rd, Mottram Moor and Roe Cross to name but a few! So much for an easy ride a few days before a good friend's wedding!

I set off towards the Denton/Audenshaw border and climbed up Shepley Rd, turning left at the mini-roundabout to take me back down a little of the hill, so I could then climb up Kings Rd and back round to Shepley Rd again for the ascent up the other end of it (I must be mad). Following a left turn at the lights I headed into Denton centre where a left turn took me to Devil's Hill - a favourite of mine, Joby and Gaz; a 6% climb with traffic lights right at the top which invariably are on red when you get there.

I left all the heavy traffic behind and snuck off onto Mottram Rd for the long climb to the huge Broadbottom roundabout and continued climbing past it for a little while before descending to Mottram-in-Longdendale. Once through the lights a super swift descent took me flying past cars, lorries, buses....all going slower than my 49mph (49mph!!!!!!!!). I have to admit although I was loving it, I was a little scared too!

After descending to a right hand turn and still descending afterwards I turned off at a roundabout to head through Hadfield and then Padfield and it's vicious ascent to the Woodhead Rd just south of the Devil's Elbow. Once back at the centre of Glossop, after another awesome descent, I set off towards the Snake (with absolutely no intention to ride it, just so I could go to Hurst Reservoir for a nice little breather).

Along the Derbyshire Level (whose name belies it's hilly terrain) and I came out at Joby's favourite place: Chunal. I came out right at a nice 12% section so had another great descent to contend with before stopping at the Glossop Cafe for refreshments and odd looks from the pub next door.

After leaving the cafe I set off back home, but first had to contend with Woolley Lane, Mottram Moor and Roe Cross to climb back up, and boy are they evil when all piled together one after the other (6-10%, 8% and 8-14% climbs respectively) with absolutely no respite. The good thing about all that climbing is the excellent descent into Stalyvegas (Stalybridge to give it it's proper name). Well, it usually is a great descent. Only the surface layer has been scraped off leaving a rutted cruddy compound stuff to drive/ride on, the manholes are all raised up (and there's a lot of them on this road). Oh, and there's a traffic-lighted single laned section halfway down that wrecks your hands giving you cramp cos you need to have your brakes on all the while!! Bloody roadworks!

On a brighter note, the roadworks I've ridden through a couple of times at the Staly/Wakefield junction have gone and the lights are up and running properly now, so no more playing chicken. This allowed me to get out of Staly a lot easier than the past few times and soon I was on Stamford St heading towards Park Parade and the first of the two huge roundabouts I needed to play with - the first was an easy one as I could stay in the outside lane to go straight across, the second wasn't quite so easy as I needed to get in the middle lane to get straight across. Easier said than done when there's lots of traffic hurtling along here; but I managed to get there OK, and I managed to follow an HGV out and across so I didn't even need to pause for breath.

The first roundabout was the start of the fast-paced section for me as it's a place I use a lot for sprint training; being a dual carriageway (cycles are allowed) it's perfect for speed. I maintained a good pace through the next set of lights too as I wove my way into the middle lane again as the road split to head in two directions. I wanted to stay on the main Ashton-Manchester Rd and swooped my way around the first tight right hand bend with a car wing mirror getting a little too close for comfort to my ass, before swooping left and upping the pace to the next set of lights. For some odd reason all the lights were with me this time, so I manged to keep the speed up to the Lumb lane one-way system where, yet again, I had to smoosh my way into the middle lane and straight through these lights; again a swift right hand bend followed by a left hand bend and MASH down on the pedals before getting stuck in the tailbacks at the contraflow. Damn those roadworks. I'd set a good pace of 26mph before having to slow down to a crawl. Usually I won't undertake vehicles at all, however there was a metre between the traffic and the parked cars with no side roads, so I snuck along until I could go no further and a lovely chap let me in front of his car and held the rest of the traffic back a little for me so they weren't up my ass through the mangle mess that is the Manchester Rd/Market St junction.

Back into the aero position and I was flying along as far as Buxton Lane when the lights turned red and I stopped for a welcome breather before turning off just before the next set of lights.

That turned out to be quite a tough ride - the combination of the heat and the climbs wasn't good. Every rider I saw out today was suffering with it. For once I wasn't passed by a cyclist on Mottram Moor - so disheartening when that happens as it is a very hard climb for me to do. Still, I've managed it the last 2 times I've headed out that way.

Stats - view route

Gorgeously hot and sunny with a little breeze

Miles: 31.97

Average speed: 12.4mph (this is getting a little familiar!)

Climbed: 1398ft

One very knackered cyclist collapsed on the sofa when she got home!

Hills, hills, and maybe more hills

Yesterday, for some unknown reason, I decided that I would go for a ride and use quite a few of the hilly roads I know. They may not be huge climbs, or long climbs, but to me they're still climbs and climbs are what I need to get better at.

So I incorporated them into a 31.19 mile route I rode. The climbs I've noted here are generally above 5%. Like I say, they're not huge, they're probably something that most of you will think nothing off and ride all the time without even noticing the road rise.

These are in the order I rode them:

Berry Brow - 46ft in 0.12 mile. Max gradient 20%. Average 12%.
Medlock Vale - 85ft in 0.25 mile. Maximum gradient 19%. Average 10%.
Vicarage - 33ft in 0.22 mile. Max gradient 9%. Average 4%.
Gorsey Lane - 52ft in 0.19 mile. Max gradient 13%. Average 6 or 7%.
Mossley Rd - 157ft in 0.88 mile. Max gradient 6%. Average 5%.
Broadcarr - 115ft in 0.47 mile. Max gradient 12%. Average 8%.
Mossley - 164ft in 0.5 mile. Max gradient 17%. Average 10%.
Luzley - 109ft in 0.39 mile. Max gradient 15%. Average 14%.
Rose Hill - 79ft in 0.42 mile. Max gradient 9%. Average 6%.
Mill Brow - 131ft in 0.33 mile. Max gradient 20%. Average 10%.
Bardsley - 72ft in 0.17 mile. Max gradient 20%. Average 19%.
Stannybrook - 46ft in 0.1 mile. Max gradient 20%. Average 14%.

As you can see none of these are over 1 mile in length, merely kicks in the road (albeit sharp kicks) however 6 months ago 10% was my limit for a short sharp climb. So something is going right somewhere!

Stats -
Warm, muggy and eventually wet
Average speed: 13.2mph
Miles: 31.19
Climbed: 1063ft

Early morning ride

Seeing as it's still so hot outside, and I wasn't particularly in the mood for a morning or afternoon ride, when I woke up at 6am unable to sleep any longer I got out on Everest and took her for a trip to Hartshead Pike....the hillier way.

Usually I'd head up Lees Rd and past Oldham Golf Club for a short climbing experience with a few 11% sections. This time I head out the way I would normally come back - climbing Mossley Rd, passing Ashton Golf Course and turning off at the brow of the hill up Broadcarr Lane. I did this on purpose knowing full well that I'd have a 2 mile climb with an average of 5% followed by a short sharp 11% section that rears straight up from Mossley Rd with no let up - for me that is fairly evil as I can do short and sharp, I can just about do long climbs, but to combine the two was evil; but it had to be done seeing as I can't avoid hills all my life!

Anyway, after getting to the Pike, savouring the breeze up there, I knew I'd have to leave again pretty sharpish if I wanted to avoid the rush hour traffic as they headed out to work.
I came back down via Lees Head Rd, Lees New Rd and Abbey Hills Rd (with its 20% section) to Alt Lane and a lovely descent through Park Bridge to Bardsley and more descending until an 11% climb brought me back out of the valley to a flat section through Failsworth and Newton Heath before reaching my hill repeat hill.
Sadly (or gladly, not sure which yet) there are lots of roadworks on this hill now and it's been narrowed down to a single lane while the work is going on, so I couldn't really do my hill climb on it as stopping halfway up a hill for traffic lights would really bugger up my times - I felt slower getting up it anyway, so numbers wouldn't really tell me much different!

Stats - view route
Already 20 degrees and sticky
Average speed: 12.4mph
Miles: 17.3
Climbed: 646ft

Everest Liberation

Say Hurrah! Everest got liberated today and she got to play out!

After all the pondering I've been doing since Doc said I can ride again and, what with all the crummy weather, when I saw today's forecast I just thought if I'm gonna get out and try riding again, now would be a good shot.

So after a little bit of faffing about I set off and immediately headed in the direction I usually do - towards Daisy Nook and up Littlemoss and Newmarket Rds. Once at the crossroads I had to do a fast bit of thinking - do I feel strong enough to go straight across and up Wilshaw Lane with it's nasty kick in it, or go a little out of the way and head up Cranbourne? Just as the lights changed to green Everest decided she wanted to go the slightly easier route (isn't she good to me?).

Once on Lees Rd (in the rain) with Hartshead Pike looming on the hill in front of me, I chose to go through Park Bridge down the steep twisting lane - nothing like that road to ensure you get over your fear of turning left (was turning left when I got hit by the car in Feb). Once through the lanes there and back onto Ashton Rd I took Everest for a spin in the mud through Daisy Nook and to the visitor centre for a bite to eat.

While at the centre Everest found herself in lust with a Spesh Stumpy while I fed the squirrel that lives in the woods there.

After a breather I set off in the mud again to Crime Lake, past a few friendly fellows (horses) and up the hill there to cross the M60 and head through Failsworth and down to the railway crossing at Berry Brow. Annoyingly I only remembered the crossing was closed today when I got down the bugger of a hill to it. So begrudgingly I had to turn tail and climb back up it and find an alternative route to get to the other side of the crossing.The alternative took me to the far side of Clayton Vale (Medlock Vale) for another off road section. Everest and her new tyres coped brilliantly and all too soon I was at the point I wanted to be - my hill repeat section. Although I knew I was badly unfit, I thought I'd still give it a shot and did rather well. You'll see how well when you view the stats.

Although I've not ridden since February, I'm a little unsure whether I'm happy or not with my average speed on this ride as you can see from the look on my face! On the brighter side my pelvis didn't hurt at all and the legs only struggled half the time.

The route can be seen on mapmyride - main route & the hill

Stats -

Cool, light winds, rain

Max speed: 26mph

Average speed: 11.2mph

Miles: 16.26

Hill stats -

Max speed: 10.6mph

Average speed: 7.4mph

Miles: 0.25

85ft of climbing (max 17% gradient)