Ride 066.

Date:   23rd January 2006            Distance: 14.75 miles

Oz's falling off day

Kildale Station car park on a bitter January morning, a strong smell of farmyard in the air, or maybe there was a fault with the car park toilets, either way it an incentive to gear up and get out without the Terra Trailblazer's customary 45 minute faff about. Turning right at the end of the road elicited one or two knowing groans but for the most part they remained unaware of the leg-burning, lung-busting horror to come. The turn onto the Baysdale Abbey road brought realisation, along with pain, nausea, excessive mucus production and profanity. Simon scored a personal best by pedalling the whole way but spoilt his moment of glory by collapsing in a heap at the top.

Leaving the tarmac for moorland bridleway, we crossed Battersby Moor and Ingleby Moor en-route to the remote Armouth Wath, on a resurfaced track, plodding into a chilling headwind, even having to turn cranks on the downhill sections. A quick breather before another grueller leaving Armouth Wath and gaining Baysdale Moor, then a big ring, tail-wind blast across the moor, eventually dropping down to Bern's Bridge at Great Hograh Beck. The eroded, rocky gully is a good test of skill and technique, I went first and demonstrated the technique of going over the handlebars, luckily I carry the camera so no embarrassment could be recorded. Everyone failed the descent but we had fun trying.

From the bridge we followed the Skinner Howe Cross Road brackets path, that's what it says on the map, how a 15cm rock and rut track through the heather was ever a road is beyond me but it gives great riding, pleasantly technical but still flowing - well mainly. Some more body/heather interfaces were in evidence, particularly from Oz who seemed to be going for a personal best in keeling over sideways. We all emerged, relatively unscathed on the John Breckon Road (a real road this time) then a speedy descent through the ford at Hob Hole before the gruesome ascent up to the Baysdale bridleway, knowing the cafe was only two hills away helped but not enough.

An unremarkable ride to the old barn on the Baysdale track, then a quick push onto Kildale Moor before another technical (translation:  falling off a lot) track delivered us to the infamous "Field Of Heavy Gravity", which we crossed in the rather more amenable direction. One last pant up to Warren Farm, almost smelling the coffee by now, and a zip down the road through Little Kildale and directly to Glebe Cottage for refuelling.

 Height Profile: (click to enlarge)

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