Setting myself a challenge........
Discussion
Ok,..... coming up to 60 in a couple of months......
Between the ages of 12-15 in the sixties I was quite a keen cyclist, often cycling between 60 to 120 miles in a day...
I haven't been on a bike (other than riding a few yards around the block) for over forty years, but I am setting myself a challenge (borrowing my son's Halford's Carrera bike) of riding to Sheffield and back via the Snake pass (going) and Woodhead pass (return)..according to the AA it is give or take a mile or so 120 miles...and I specifically would like to do this without any training at all, not even a two mile ride.... just pump up the tyres and go..that is part of the challenge..
Of course Mrs WR, my lads and girlfriends etc, think I am mad and have visions of me expiring on the bike a la Tommy Simpson.
I shall be setting off around 6.30 in the morning, aim to be in Sheffield for lunchtime, and back home for between 6 and 8 at night. I plan to wait for a nice sunny day next month, to give me maximum daylight hours.
I plan to take a photographic record to prove to them I have not cheated, (Which I wouldn't anyway)
I am not especially fit, but about average for my age I would say.
The only thing I anticipate could stop me would be mechanical failure or extreme saddle soreness, but I am determined to push through any pain barrier by wearing three pairs of underpants...
Thoughts?....
Anyhow, I'll let you know how I get on.....
Between the ages of 12-15 in the sixties I was quite a keen cyclist, often cycling between 60 to 120 miles in a day...
I haven't been on a bike (other than riding a few yards around the block) for over forty years, but I am setting myself a challenge (borrowing my son's Halford's Carrera bike) of riding to Sheffield and back via the Snake pass (going) and Woodhead pass (return)..according to the AA it is give or take a mile or so 120 miles...and I specifically would like to do this without any training at all, not even a two mile ride.... just pump up the tyres and go..that is part of the challenge..
Of course Mrs WR, my lads and girlfriends etc, think I am mad and have visions of me expiring on the bike a la Tommy Simpson.
I shall be setting off around 6.30 in the morning, aim to be in Sheffield for lunchtime, and back home for between 6 and 8 at night. I plan to wait for a nice sunny day next month, to give me maximum daylight hours.
I plan to take a photographic record to prove to them I have not cheated, (Which I wouldn't anyway)
I am not especially fit, but about average for my age I would say.
The only thing I anticipate could stop me would be mechanical failure or extreme saddle soreness, but I am determined to push through any pain barrier by wearing three pairs of underpants...
Thoughts?....
Anyhow, I'll let you know how I get on.....
Thanks for the encouragement and advice...
I did walk the Pennine way twice (270 miles) in 1974 and 1975, which was a challenge in itself I suppose, I guess I want to find out if I can still do it, more curiosity than anything else.
The reason I chose Sheffield is it was one of my favourite rides and I'm treating it as a trip down memory lane.
Anyhow, as I said, watch this space.......
I did walk the Pennine way twice (270 miles) in 1974 and 1975, which was a challenge in itself I suppose, I guess I want to find out if I can still do it, more curiosity than anything else.
The reason I chose Sheffield is it was one of my favourite rides and I'm treating it as a trip down memory lane.
Anyhow, as I said, watch this space.......
bbc said:
Dear Wacky,
The negative aspect. I think you are completely bonkers. I don't know where you live, but the climb out of Glossop is a pig, especially if the wind is in the wrong direction. The traffic on the Snake can be horrendous (too fast, too close, too big), the Woodhead is the same - I know you know, but it may be a bit of a shock when you're on a bike, not in a car. I think 12 hours will not be long enough for someone who hasn't ridden for a time - anytime after 30 miles your arse will ache, your haemorrhoids will hurt like hell, your hands will be tender, etc. Please, please, please have a plan B arranged (which would involve someone picking you up when it all goes horribly wrong).
The positive. Do it. Just think how good you'd feel mentally if you completed it (the arse may not feel so good). How you'd laugh at the doubters and naysayers on your way to A&E. It would certainly put you off riding a bike again for a while.
Don't worry about the Snake Pass, I have probably cycled over it (and Woodhead) over thirty or forty times as a kid, I used to live near Glossop and know the area like the back of my hand. I haven't decided what day to do it yet, but it will definitely be midweek. I am not kidding myself it will be easy, but I am confident it will be within my capabilities.The negative aspect. I think you are completely bonkers. I don't know where you live, but the climb out of Glossop is a pig, especially if the wind is in the wrong direction. The traffic on the Snake can be horrendous (too fast, too close, too big), the Woodhead is the same - I know you know, but it may be a bit of a shock when you're on a bike, not in a car. I think 12 hours will not be long enough for someone who hasn't ridden for a time - anytime after 30 miles your arse will ache, your haemorrhoids will hurt like hell, your hands will be tender, etc. Please, please, please have a plan B arranged (which would involve someone picking you up when it all goes horribly wrong).
The positive. Do it. Just think how good you'd feel mentally if you completed it (the arse may not feel so good). How you'd laugh at the doubters and naysayers on your way to A&E. It would certainly put you off riding a bike again for a while.
I do understand the sensible thing to do would be to build up slowly, five miles one week, ten the next etc, but the way I plan to do it adds to the challenge aspect for me.
Thanks for your input anyhow....
Really fired up for it now....can reasonably easily manage Snowdon, Scafell Pike, Helvellyn, Ingleborough etc, (at least I could two years ago) I don't anticipate any problems other than saddle soreness, there's life in the old dog yet...I'm allowing myself plenty of time, if I get back at 10pm so be it.
Appreciate the tips though...I'll post some pictures up the day after...
..I'm allowing myself plenty of time, if I get back at 10pm so be it.Appreciate the tips though...I'll post some pictures up the day after...
OK folks, update from my original post:-
So, decided to get on and do it, rather than thinking about it, the weather was set fair for Tuesday (yesterday) so my mind was made up.
Some basic comments, before I add the photos:-
Total mileage covered was approx 120 miles, over SIXTY miles of these were spent walking along pushing the bike as I was in complete agony with aching limbs and severe saddle soreness. I KNEW after one mile I'd made a big mistake, but was DETERMINED to carry on and finish the job, also wanted to prove my doubters wrong...
I set off at O5.40 Tueday and arrived back at 04.15 Wednesday, nearly 24 hours later without a break, (other than refreshments)
A special mention for "The knights of the road", HGV drivers, they ALL gave me a very wide berth...
, so fair play to them as they thundered past in their 44 ton trucks.
Anyway, here's a photographic record...remember, I had not sat on a bike since 1969, and had no training whatsoever, not even half a mile..wore ordinary clothes and shoes, and borrowed my son's bike.
Would I do it again?...No way. I don't want to sit on another bike as long as I live.
Was I foolhardy and stupid...Certainly, yes of course.
Have I any regrets?.....Definitely not.
Start of journey....05:40 Tuesday 04/05/2013
Rochdale town centre, early morning:-
Rochdale town centre...note the time....by now I just wanted to give up, I was aching all over and saddle sore....
Passing under the M62 motorway at Milnrow, near Rochdale...in serious trouble by now.
Between Oldham and Ashton under Lyne with Hartshead pike in the background.
On Lees road, approaching Ashton under Lyne
At the summit of Mottram Road, Stalybrige, after pushing it up the long two mile drag.
At Mottram-in-Longendale
Glossop town centre.
The bottom of the three mile drag up The Snake Pass...(There was no way I could have ridden up here like I used to do forty odd years ago, so I pushed the bike up all the way)
On the long long drag up The Snake pass
Prospect of Manchester city centre in the far distance from halfway up the Snake pass with Glossop in the foreground.
The summit of the Snake pass...(1680 ft above sea level)
On the descent towards Sheffield, one mile from the summit on the Yorkshire side.
Pretty little waterfall on The snake pass...(woodlands valley)
Refreshment stop (Giant burger with lots of fried onions...yummy..
Approaching the Ladybower reservoir.
The Derwent reservoir....(seen in the 1955 Dambusters film, with "The Dam" just out of shot around the corner.
The Ladybower reservoir looking towards Bamford/Hathersage.
Oustside the Ladybower Inn (Note the time, I wanted to be In Sheffield for 1pm, but it was a long fifteen miles away...seriously worried now.....)
On the outskirts of Sheffield, with a further eight miles to go to the City centre.
Parts of Sheffield in the distance
Hillsborough shopping centre
Hillsborough main street...(Note the tramtracks, which I got stuck in sending me over the handlebars ripping all my clothing...lol!
Finally heading home...(on the way to Stocksbridge...by this time I was in severe pain and ended up pushing the bike the remaining forty miles home.....
A well earned refreshment stop approaching the summit of The Woodhead Pass.....( I was concerned now as I expected to be home by 6pm...it was now around 8pm...I had thirty five miles to go and no lights on the bike.
The summit of The Woodhead pass looking towards Lancashire.
Longendale reservoir on the descent westwards.....
Longendale Reservoir looking backwards towards Yorkshire.
Going dark now, around 9.30 with 25 miles still to go, and aching all over.....
On the long drag out of Rochdale, at Norden around 3am, pitch black with no lights on my bike.
In the middle of the "Ow'd Betts" moors with the sun about to rise....(still pitch black)
Rawtenstall town centre...deserted, just starting to go light.
Finally home 04:15, after nearly 23 hours, by this time I was halucinating with lack of sleep, had blisters on blisters and literally couldn't have walked another step having virtually walked home from Sheffield, other than about ten miles...(give or take)
So, decided to get on and do it, rather than thinking about it, the weather was set fair for Tuesday (yesterday) so my mind was made up.
Some basic comments, before I add the photos:-
Total mileage covered was approx 120 miles, over SIXTY miles of these were spent walking along pushing the bike as I was in complete agony with aching limbs and severe saddle soreness. I KNEW after one mile I'd made a big mistake, but was DETERMINED to carry on and finish the job, also wanted to prove my doubters wrong...
I set off at O5.40 Tueday and arrived back at 04.15 Wednesday, nearly 24 hours later without a break, (other than refreshments)
A special mention for "The knights of the road", HGV drivers, they ALL gave me a very wide berth...
, so fair play to them as they thundered past in their 44 ton trucks.Anyway, here's a photographic record...remember, I had not sat on a bike since 1969, and had no training whatsoever, not even half a mile..wore ordinary clothes and shoes, and borrowed my son's bike.
Would I do it again?...No way. I don't want to sit on another bike as long as I live.
Was I foolhardy and stupid...Certainly, yes of course.
Have I any regrets?.....Definitely not.
Start of journey....05:40 Tuesday 04/05/2013
Rochdale town centre, early morning:-
Rochdale town centre...note the time....by now I just wanted to give up, I was aching all over and saddle sore....
Passing under the M62 motorway at Milnrow, near Rochdale...in serious trouble by now.
Between Oldham and Ashton under Lyne with Hartshead pike in the background.
On Lees road, approaching Ashton under Lyne
At the summit of Mottram Road, Stalybrige, after pushing it up the long two mile drag.
At Mottram-in-Longendale
Glossop town centre.
The bottom of the three mile drag up The Snake Pass...(There was no way I could have ridden up here like I used to do forty odd years ago, so I pushed the bike up all the way)
On the long long drag up The Snake pass
Prospect of Manchester city centre in the far distance from halfway up the Snake pass with Glossop in the foreground.
The summit of the Snake pass...(1680 ft above sea level)
On the descent towards Sheffield, one mile from the summit on the Yorkshire side.
Pretty little waterfall on The snake pass...(woodlands valley)
Refreshment stop (Giant burger with lots of fried onions...yummy..
Approaching the Ladybower reservoir.
The Derwent reservoir....(seen in the 1955 Dambusters film, with "The Dam" just out of shot around the corner.
The Ladybower reservoir looking towards Bamford/Hathersage.
Oustside the Ladybower Inn (Note the time, I wanted to be In Sheffield for 1pm, but it was a long fifteen miles away...seriously worried now.....)
On the outskirts of Sheffield, with a further eight miles to go to the City centre.
Parts of Sheffield in the distance
Hillsborough shopping centre
Hillsborough main street...(Note the tramtracks, which I got stuck in sending me over the handlebars ripping all my clothing...lol!
Finally heading home...(on the way to Stocksbridge...by this time I was in severe pain and ended up pushing the bike the remaining forty miles home.....
A well earned refreshment stop approaching the summit of The Woodhead Pass.....( I was concerned now as I expected to be home by 6pm...it was now around 8pm...I had thirty five miles to go and no lights on the bike.
The summit of The Woodhead pass looking towards Lancashire.
Longendale reservoir on the descent westwards.....
Longendale Reservoir looking backwards towards Yorkshire.
Going dark now, around 9.30 with 25 miles still to go, and aching all over.....
On the long drag out of Rochdale, at Norden around 3am, pitch black with no lights on my bike.
In the middle of the "Ow'd Betts" moors with the sun about to rise....(still pitch black)
Rawtenstall town centre...deserted, just starting to go light.
Finally home 04:15, after nearly 23 hours, by this time I was halucinating with lack of sleep, had blisters on blisters and literally couldn't have walked another step having virtually walked home from Sheffield, other than about ten miles...(give or take)
Edited by Wacky Racer on Wednesday 5th June 22:54
Edited by Wacky Racer on Wednesday 5th June 23:43
Edited by Wacky Racer on Monday 8th August 20:30
Edited by Wacky Racer on Sunday 3rd June 10:14
Rocksteadyeddie said:
Sounds a challenge. You'll be fine. Forget the neigh sayers and get on with it. Big difference riding 120 miles in 6 hours and doing it in 10. I rode that way as a warm up for my longest ride ever the following day when I rode from Sheffield to Newcastle. 170 miles on my own.
Maximum respect....I'm not the only mad fool on here then.....
Gizmoish said:
Insane. Presumably you walked up the hills and freewheeled down? Why didn't you just get a train home?
Tram tracks are lethal. They must have had them 40 years ago?
You'd have got up a lot more hills - and more than a mile - if you'd just done two or three practice rides first.
You're lucky you weren't killed on that road in the dark.
I'm sorry, I'm in awe of the effort and the sheer bloody-mindedness, but you're quite mad.
Good photos mind.
A couple of points:-Tram tracks are lethal. They must have had them 40 years ago?
You'd have got up a lot more hills - and more than a mile - if you'd just done two or three practice rides first.
You're lucky you weren't killed on that road in the dark.
I'm sorry, I'm in awe of the effort and the sheer bloody-mindedness, but you're quite mad.
Good photos mind.
The thought of getting the train home never entered my mind, even at my lowest point, I would have considered myself a quitter, and would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Mrs WR phoned me several times insisting she came and picked me up, and I told her forcibly if she did I would not get in the car, so she was wasting her time. Also the nearest train stations were probably over 20 miles away at many points.
Also, if I had done even a one mile practice ride, it would have been obvious I wasn't fifteen any more and I would not even have attempted it, so in that respect I was glad I didn't.
Appreciate the comments by the way....
Further update:-
After catching up on my sleep, I'm not feeling too bad, but having trouble walking due to the severe blistering, but I should be OK in a day or so.
I have to say maximum respect to these Tour de France riders who race hundred and odd miles a day, for days on end, they must really be superhuman, even allowing for all the intense training they do....
After catching up on my sleep, I'm not feeling too bad, but having trouble walking due to the severe blistering, but I should be OK in a day or so.
I have to say maximum respect to these Tour de France riders who race hundred and odd miles a day, for days on end, they must really be superhuman, even allowing for all the intense training they do....
dave_s13 said:
That is one hell of a long walk.
Can't say I'd have enjoyed that at all. Cycling it maybe, not pushing the damn thing along.
Actually being honest, what you've done is really just a bit daft, you exposed yourself to real risk of injury and stressed out your family with worry. It's a bit like someone entering a marathon with no training and then just dragging themselves round in 8 hrs, it's not a feat of athletic endurance, you just went for a massive walk.
All fair comment, appreciated, I certainly won't be doing it again, that's for sure..Can't say I'd have enjoyed that at all. Cycling it maybe, not pushing the damn thing along.
Actually being honest, what you've done is really just a bit daft, you exposed yourself to real risk of injury and stressed out your family with worry. It's a bit like someone entering a marathon with no training and then just dragging themselves round in 8 hrs, it's not a feat of athletic endurance, you just went for a massive walk.
..it was just something I had to do.And yes, I didn't enjoy it one bit, (other than the glorious countryside) but I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever..
Regarding the lights.....
Yes, I totally agree, but remember I fully expected to be home by 6.......(8 at the latest), it is light till around 10 so I never really gave it much thought, foolish on my part, in retrospect it was definitely a silly thing to do. Looking back I should have bought some in Sheffield, but other than the very last stretch most of the walk in the dark was fortunately on the safety of the pavements in well lit built up areas.
Yes, I totally agree, but remember I fully expected to be home by 6.......(8 at the latest), it is light till around 10 so I never really gave it much thought, foolish on my part, in retrospect it was definitely a silly thing to do. Looking back I should have bought some in Sheffield, but other than the very last stretch most of the walk in the dark was fortunately on the safety of the pavements in well lit built up areas.
Daveyraveygravey said:
Only just seen the thread, came here from the one about riding in the dark. Had to read every last word, great pics, mental in so many ways. Would love to know how many miles you walked pushing that bike! The bit about no lights though, jeez...
I estimate about sixty on the bike and sixty pushing it....(give or take)Planning a repeat for my 70th, but might set off a couple of hours earlier....
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