We’re probably heading over early morning if the weather’s bad.
Will probably go on Saturday and bivvy if it’s going to be fine.

Couple of likely spots on the moor at the top of Cragg road.

How about you lot?

Riding up to Blackstone Edge in the morning on the MTB.

I’m going to be in West Vale on Sunday all being well. My mate has a house on the run down to West Vale lights, so I’m going to stand in his (elevated, yes!) garden and drink beer! 🙂

Got a load of mates coming from Manc to stay in Todmorden Sat night, heading over to Hebden on the Sunday. Still working out the practicalities. Going to have a fair few kids with us so need somewhere to watch that isn’t too remote or far to walk from Hebden centre. Any recommendations? I’ve got a feeling Hebden is going to be a bit of a nightmare on Sunday.

The other idea is to ride up over the moor to Blackstone Edge (those without kids in tow that is) and watch from somewhere near the road.

Once they’ve passed through anyone know if you’ll be able to ride down Cragg Vale after?

I’ll be there.
Any plans for a cycle on the Saturday?

Riding up on the mountain bikes from my mates in Shaw to somewhere along cragg vale.

What time are people planning to get there to get a decent spot?

@dazh I imagine it’d be a nightmare, I’d head back down Blackstone edge then pick up the PBW. There is a sweet descent into Summit, then back up the canal to Hebden.

Assuming you are on an MTB. Otherwise the sweet descent would be a walk.

Yeah, planning to cycle up Blackstone Edge to the top of Cragg Vale or further towards Ripponden if it’s busy. Current thinking is to go up first thing with packed lunch and a book!

Sounds like every mountain biker north of Manchester is congregating at Blackstone Edge! Could be a good party if the weather’s good. Would it be bad form to stash a crate of beer somewhere on the moor?

So how did it go for everyone?

Ended up on Moorside Road at Stanford, after an unplanned late start.

It was great – so many people they even closed the village to cyclists and walkers.
Hats off to everyone who carried their road bikes over the moors, top effort.

Met another STW’er, a HtN’er and really enjoyed it.

Shame to miss the fun at Cragg Vale, I hear it was a bit busy.

we were about 200m or so from the top of Cragg Vale.
it was a bit good, the atmosphere was ace and it was awesome to see so many people who were obviously not that serious about cycling getting into the spirit of it all.

I was at the top of cragg vale and got a good spot before the Police started diverting everyone over onto the grass.

Atmosphere was brilliant, sure I saw Mark there but didn’t want to say hello in case it wasn’t him 😆

Took 3 hours to get back to Bolton after that as they decided to close half of Littleborough off. The PCSO on traffic duty wasn’t half getting some stick.

Had a party/BBQ on our (super-sturdy) shed roof on Keighley Road in Hebden. It was ace – brilliant atmosphere all day and a great view. Headed down to the park to watch the rest on the big screen.

Wish it was going to come past here more often!

I was just after the turn onto A58 after Cragg Vale, had a great day. Got talking to a load of people, couples, families nearby, good job as everyone I was planning to meet cried off an early start after a heavy night before.

Hearing the crowd noise increase as the breakaway came up the top of Cragg Vale, watching the crowd go nuts one by one as they came along the stretch of Cragg Vale we could see, watching them round the corner and accelerate away past us and down the road, absolutely unreal. Then the whole thing got repeated 30 seconds later when the Peloton came past. A dog next to me joined in with the shouting too!

I rode from my house to Cragg Vale but got there late and ended up in the field which was a bit of a nightmare shouldering a road bike and walking through a marshy grass slope in my disco slippers 🙂

glad I didn’t take the car or the Mrs/kids as they wouldn’t have enjoyed it

Ran out of the back of the Crags, up past the House Of Shit, then up to Cock Hill. Great crowd there assembled over the few hours before things arrived, then amazingly quickly dissolved back into the hillside as soon as the bunch had gone through.

A great day. Managed to run back down to OldGate for beers whilst watching them go over Holme Moss on’t telly.

Hebden didn’t get on telly much as the copter was trying to work out which church in Heptonstall they were meant to be looking at, and I thought it was funny that the riders considered Cragg to be such an epic climb that they chose to have their lunch at the bottom.

We camped on the hill above Cragg Vale on saturday night and walked down to watch it about half a mile before the Robin Hood.

Fantastic party atmosphere all day; the whole family had a great weekend.

Wobbled over to the “Hinch” to watch the end of the stage and for a BBQ/beer/sit in the sun watching the band they’d put on. Happy times 8)

I watched from Cragg Vale and it was great. We were treated to a very good Yorkshire-meets-France sight of: a group of people singing along to a concertina-led version of Ilkley Moor Baht’at..great!

Rode over from Skipton to top of Buttertubs for Saturdays stage it was a fantastic atmosphere with great banter and very amusing seeing some of the caravan vehicles getting stuck on the last kickup and crowds Achem encouragement :lol:, never ridden in Yorkshire before and my legs certainly felt the 35 miles there and back over some big lumps. Headed to Bishops Abbey for 2nd stage before heading home.

Set up shop just west of the Spring Rock on the edge of Norland Moor. Got my timings wrong so we were there for 09:30 and the riders eventually came past 5 hours later. Was a great day though – people in the house opposite had a big beer fridge like you get in an off licence and were offering us and the kids beers and fruit juice, letting us use their toilet etc. Overwhelmed by the spirit of the event and that even in the (relative) middle of nowhere halfway between Ripponden and West Vale the roads were lined solid on both sides.

Highlight? The British police X5 driving past playing the Allo Allo theme tune loudly. Or maybe the Gendarme on the motorbike who stopped nearby and let my 4 year old have a play on his bike.

First road race I’ve ever seen (doubt I’ll see another like it) but even as a die hard mountain biker its made me tempted to get a road bike.

Rode up from my mates with him, his lad and his lads mate and found a spot on Cragg Vale about half way. We were there by 9 am but managed to pass the time with a good crowd and had a great time. Climbing back up Cragg at snails pace in the crowds was madness. Rode back down the mordor traverse to the back of the golf club by Hollingworth and it really did resemble a scene from lord of the rings with hordes of orcs wandering down the moors.

Got absolutely eaten alive by midgies though.

We were 2-3 miles up the road to Cragg Vale (walked up with a child, that was far enough). Great atmosphere, there was an impromptu game of street cricket going on between the cars, motorbikes, caravan-of-tat etc – that’s how we do the Tour in Yarkshur I guess.