Thursday 14th May 2009
Hardly any walking!
This weeks ride started from bakewell's dissused railway station, once and impressive structure, it is now a industrial/office complex, and has the Monsal trail running through where the tracks were.
This ride can be an energy sapper, as it seems to be all uphill. The early part is along the railway track, then we leave and climb up onto Longstone edge where the quarries are. What can only be described as the worst descent in the Peaks was our way down, almost arrow-straight it is a mix of small stones, slippery white slab rock and large boulders. I hated every bit of it, and was just glad to be down, what now follows is an energetic mix of tracks that go through woods, water splashes and up the longest most demoralising tarmac climb I know.
At the end though there is a treat in the descent through the woods from Ball Cross back down through the golf course to Bakwell station. Some locals have built a cracking set of small jumps that wind down into the very rutted but fast finish.
There were no falls and no injuries, no punctures and no mechanicals!
My rating:
I only walked the bit that had us all off, getting much better at climbing, new skillls are helping.
Hardly any walking!
This weeks ride started from bakewell's dissused railway station, once and impressive structure, it is now a industrial/office complex, and has the Monsal trail running through where the tracks were.
This ride can be an energy sapper, as it seems to be all uphill. The early part is along the railway track, then we leave and climb up onto Longstone edge where the quarries are. What can only be described as the worst descent in the Peaks was our way down, almost arrow-straight it is a mix of small stones, slippery white slab rock and large boulders. I hated every bit of it, and was just glad to be down, what now follows is an energetic mix of tracks that go through woods, water splashes and up the longest most demoralising tarmac climb I know.
At the end though there is a treat in the descent through the woods from Ball Cross back down through the golf course to Bakwell station. Some locals have built a cracking set of small jumps that wind down into the very rutted but fast finish.
There were no falls and no injuries, no punctures and no mechanicals!
My rating:
I only walked the bit that had us all off, getting much better at climbing, new skillls are helping.
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