Ride Reports
Saturday 10th June 2017
A Ride by Adam Hindle
A ride last Sat. RT in a downpour. Brilliant. Seven hardy souls/dwarfs set off from Escape Bikes in Ingleton. Weather was awful but I really didn't care a jot. Sometimes you are just up for it, whatever the situation. As ever, a mixed bag of RT beasts were in order; Glenn, Sue and Rick on rigid 29ers, Prof on an old skool Orange rigid 26er, Michael and Paul on flatbar CXers, and myself on the new Reilly with big knobblies. Not a suspension unit in sight to dull the experience.
From Escape we headed on road to Ingleton and Clapham, where we took the offroad tunnel onto the Pennine Bridleway going north. Going was fine, if rocky/wet/overgeared (me). Over the fell we dropped back down to the B6479 then up the other side and onto a trail I've forgotten the name of. Puddles were big and numerous, and we soaked ourselves like intoxicated alcoholics. Off the fell we headed to the Ribblehead viaduct, and into a swarm of miserable walkers doing some event or other. Loads of them. Millions of miserable souls, trudging pointlessly through the bleakness. We smashed through them with grace, positivity and politeness, following the Dales High Way (DHW) towards Dent. Off the top of the fell Glenn fell off on a section of turf that would do Lords CC justice, and we laughed, as he did. This clearly inspired Paul to mimic his antics on the upcoming descent, as he tried hard to throw himself into as many natural features as he could; rocks, walls, gates, trees. The descent down towards Dent was good fun, if somewhat technical on fully rigid non-bouncers. Everyone managed it though, so a good effort all round. At the bottom of the DHW we joined a section of pure rufty-tufty; obscure, tricky, steep and ace, which spat us out, covered in cow muck, onto the Deepdale road. This tough little climb was soon dispatched and we flew down into Kingsdale, blinking the rain away and dreaming of towels. Glenn and Mick then blasted off, missing the turn onto the last offroad section leaving the rest of us to roll the last easy bridleway back down to Escape, hitting every puddle we could, like kids in wellies. Back at Escape we hosed the bikes down, dried ourselves off and enjoyed a celebratory pork pie (except me). Thanks to Paul at Escape Bikes for parking and hospitality.
[if anyone wants to replicate the route then the GCC FB page has the route]
From Escape we headed on road to Ingleton and Clapham, where we took the offroad tunnel onto the Pennine Bridleway going north. Going was fine, if rocky/wet/overgeared (me). Over the fell we dropped back down to the B6479 then up the other side and onto a trail I've forgotten the name of. Puddles were big and numerous, and we soaked ourselves like intoxicated alcoholics. Off the fell we headed to the Ribblehead viaduct, and into a swarm of miserable walkers doing some event or other. Loads of them. Millions of miserable souls, trudging pointlessly through the bleakness. We smashed through them with grace, positivity and politeness, following the Dales High Way (DHW) towards Dent. Off the top of the fell Glenn fell off on a section of turf that would do Lords CC justice, and we laughed, as he did. This clearly inspired Paul to mimic his antics on the upcoming descent, as he tried hard to throw himself into as many natural features as he could; rocks, walls, gates, trees. The descent down towards Dent was good fun, if somewhat technical on fully rigid non-bouncers. Everyone managed it though, so a good effort all round. At the bottom of the DHW we joined a section of pure rufty-tufty; obscure, tricky, steep and ace, which spat us out, covered in cow muck, onto the Deepdale road. This tough little climb was soon dispatched and we flew down into Kingsdale, blinking the rain away and dreaming of towels. Glenn and Mick then blasted off, missing the turn onto the last offroad section leaving the rest of us to roll the last easy bridleway back down to Escape, hitting every puddle we could, like kids in wellies. Back at Escape we hosed the bikes down, dried ourselves off and enjoyed a celebratory pork pie (except me). Thanks to Paul at Escape Bikes for parking and hospitality.
[if anyone wants to replicate the route then the GCC FB page has the route]
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