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Hi
Looking at doing a corporate type bike ride trip for 8 and the plan outlined is as follows:-
Day 1 Middleton top to peak forest
day 2 peak forest to upper mill
Day 3 uppermill to Hebden bridge
Day 4 Hebden bridge to water foot
Any views on how difficult this will be some casual bikers- the aim is to have a challenge but not to kill anyone
Any ideas on accommodation gratefully received also
I rode a small part of the bridleway (around South Head near Hayfield in Peak Distric - maybe 5k) and it was excellent. For casual riders that section would have been hard work on some of the climbs and sections of the descents would be best walked.
Thanks- tbh the group is a real mix- some pretty experienced and the others can all do the likes of the monkey at cannock ok- it is more in relation to the endurance side of things- the plan is a leisurely pace with a pub stop etc but we want the mix of a challenge but also to enjoy it!
Have you planned out the daily distances and climbs ? That's going to answer your question to some extent, obvioulsy riding 5 days for 6 hours ins going to be tough for most casual riders. With 8 of you I think it would be pretty easy to have taxis organised to transport your gear between hotels/B&Bs.
Anyway sounds like a great trip.
First 3 days are in the late 20's with the first day being the easiest as its on railway lines for a large proportion apparently. The other 2 days look a little tougher but there doesnt appear to be too much on the interweb as far as route profiles etc
[i]The other 2 days look a little tougher but there doesnt appear to be too much on the interweb as far as route profiles etc [/i]
If you input the route into:
http://wtp2.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm
If will give you the profile.
But, IMO - if you are organising something as you describe you ought to ride it beforehand...
[i]First 3 days are in the late 20's[/i]
without knowing the people Id' say that was quite high for 'casual' cyclists. My wife rides 'once in a while' and finds 10-15 miles a challenge - doing twice that three days running and then ramping it up woudl be a big ask.
If it were me I'd look to do a 'taster day' for all/some of the participants at the sort of mileage you anticipate doing to see how things go and adjust your expectations accordingly.
[edit] and second doing a recce yourself - you don't need to do it in one go but you ought to at least pre-ride the whole route if you'll be leading it.
Your day 4....
The Mary Townely loop out of Hebden is a bit ...not that great... and I would suggest riding from Hebden down the canal to Walsden or even Summit before setting off onto the cross country stuff.
If you've got tired folk, I suspect they will welcome a relatively easy start to the day before climbing over Rooley Moor.
Deffo agree with wwaswas. Have ridden all those sections. Could become a painful grind after second day.
Paul
Thanks for the input- It isnt my event as such but on seeing the itineray last night I thought I would get the view of people who know the area.
We will be having a day out in the peaks to ascertain fitness levels etc and are considering shortening day 4 to 13 miles to go to Holme Chapel but will look into the canal out of Hebden also.