Oh have I been remiss, I've been so busy since I got back from the ride I haven't had to time to post, and yes, as you can guess, I did the full 350 miles, broken wheels and RAF bases included and ran the marathon but I'll recount the tale one day at a time.

I thought the best place to start would be the first day of the ride but in fairness it probably isn't. Maybe the day before would be better.

Friday 18th May 2007

As well as getting my wheel fixed at one of the local bike shops I also went to buy some Seal Skinz socks at the other shop, I saw the way the weather was turning and decided I needed something waterproof, unfortunately they had sizes up to 9 and from 13 and guess what, I'm a 10/11. As I was talking to the lads in the shop the owner came up from the dungeon and overheard, straight away he offered me energy bars and gels and gave me some overshoes for free. He also offered me a bike to raffle, you see, even more reason to shop locally.

Saturday 19th May 2007

The first day, and it wasn't too bad a morning, quite bright, a little windy as I remember and the past year had been nothing but winds, all through the trialquest season and throughout my training. At 7.30 in the morning I set off, on my way to Edinburgh, on FA Cup day, what a plonker.

And I was on my own, no one was going to miss United and Chelsea so this was a solo effort, as it turned out to be the whole route. I had hoped others would ride with me, the original idea was to get more people to ride and to add their sponsorship to mine to increase the overall total, but it wasn't to be. Maybe I need to be more of a publicist, maybe I need to pick something that would be a little bit more appealing to others or maybe I should have chosen a route with lots of circular sections so people could ride home again afterwards.

I set off from St Georges Road in New Mills, along the Sett Valley Trail until I reached Station Road in Birch Vale where I climbed up the side of the Grouse pub and headed towards Big Stone before turning towards Peep-o-day at the second gate. It's always a good run that, you get onto the top and you're suddenly oblivious to the town below and the traffic that moves around the hills, a nice secluded pocket where the modern world disappears, I always swore I'd take a camera up there one day and capture it but with another 347 miles to go I sort of didn't bother, I had more things on my mind.

I did however make a note of the little cottage on the top of the hill just before Peep-o-day, it's called Higher Hills Cottage and you couldn't wish to meet a nicer couple of people in the middle of nowhere, always have a smile, always have a good word, always think positively. They have a sign at the gates asking riders to dismount and walk and I'd urge every biker to do just that, they have a little garden that the bridleway passes through and a lovely dog that just plods around, they'll always give you the time of day and they keep the gates shut otherwise the sheep eat their flowers.

Crossing over the Hayfield-Chinley road I headed over Mount Famine to South Head. I'd crashed on South Head a couple of weeks earlier, in the dry dusty ground trying to get out of a rut. I should know better really, every time I try and pop out of a rut the front wheel clears, the back whell catches, I do the old ten penny-tupenny routine, grab a handfull of brakes and fly off the front. Not this time, this time I got my line and stuck to it and headed for Royce Clough towards Rushup Edge. I'm kind off pleased with myself at the moment because I can ride up the cobbled section from Royce Clough, not that cobbles are difficult but there are a couple of steep sections that you can stall on if you don't spin properly, probably all go to pot next time I try it.

There are some cracking views before you get to Rushup Edge, the one below shows the view looking back to the High Peak.



Once I got to Rushup Edge I headed off towards Mam Nick and Hollins Cross, the photos below are taken from the top of the stepped section on Rushup Edge:




Amazingly I saw my first two people at the end of the bridleway on Rushup Edge, where it meets the footpath again. As I went around Mam Nick towards Hollins Cross I came across one more person who held the gate open for me at the paved section and then there were four riders at the cross. It was 10am on a Saturday morning in May and I'd met seven people, even on FA Cup day this was strange. Lose Hill and Hollins Cross are normally covered in planks from the city dressed in their sunday best or cool-dude gear out for a sunday lunch and a 'little stroll' but not a soul today. And you see from the view towards Hollins Croos and Lose Hill it wasn't too bad a day, but you can see how empty it was:



From Hollins Cross I headed down to the Edale-Hope road under the rail bridge and picked up the bridleway to Hope Cross. Once I got to the crossroads for Hope Cross I turned left (Hope Cross is right) and headed down to Snake Pass. I like that run but I'm awful at it. I'm not a downhiller, one day I'll manage it with ease and it'll probably take all the fun out of it.

From Snake Pass it's off to Derwent through the forest and round the back of Howden Reservoir before tackling Cut Gate Path and Mickledon Edge. I stopped at the top of the hill on Cut Gate Path and had something to eat, it was exposed up there and fairly busy, a dozen riders must have passed while I ate. The view was great:



And check out the back pack, that's 10kg and I carried it all the way up. On the way up from the reservoirs, as the path winds I'd had trouble balancing in the wind with such an awkward weight.

Well, here's where I stopped having fun, I just can't get through the rocky peaty section over the top of those moors, I will do one day, I'm determined to enjoy it. And on the singletrack heading down towards Langestt Reservoir the heavens opened not with rain, which you can deal with, but with hail which is a pain in the bloody arse.

So I got to Langsett just as it stopped and headed up to the main road, the A628, you have to take the headgehog approach to crossing this road, just go for it, hesitate and you're roadkill. Pick up the Trans Pennine Trail to Dunford Bridge and head off around the tops of the reservoir skirting across the top of Harden Clough and round the back of Crossley's Plantation heading down to Holmbridge and Meltham. There was a bit of a road slog to get Slaithwaite before crossing the river and climbing back up again towards Pole Moor and then under the motorway to Penny Hill and Krumlin. On the final bridleway I made my first mistake, I missed the turning and went past the radio/tv mast but managed to find a different bridelway back down so it wasn't so bad, it was a wet route but a bit of fun before heading back into Ripponden.

When I got to the Golden Lion at Ripponden I had a surprise, I'd booked all my accommodation but they didn't have it. The landlords had only taken over a couple of months before, they managed to move a couple of people around and found me a bed which was good of them, they even provided a secure area to put my bike in and when they locked the pub up (I was fast asleep by this time) they brought it into the pub so I could leave first thing.

So day one complete, I'll tell you about day two soon.

Take care.




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