There’s a spell between Christmas and New Year, a few days when the festivities and walks are done, friends and relatives have left for home, a spell when you feel stuffed having over-indulged… know the feeling? A day out on the bike would be the perfect antidote and shed some of chunk. There was also a bit of pressure to ride the months randonnee*.

Now my mate Alan likes climbing hills, so the fast day on the big ring to the Fylde that I’d planned turned into a granny bash round the Yorkshire Dales. On the 28^th, Saturday, the weather was dry and, being warmer, there was little chance of ice. Alan had a few routes planned, all would involve 3,000m of climbing. The most challenging went to Otley, into Wharfedale via Greenhow Hill, over Fleet Moss, Yorkshires highest road, and back from Hawes using The Coal Road with a finale on Newby Head. When I suggested hitting the hills in the morning and enjoying a tailwind back from Otley, he readily agreed.

The tail wind up Newby Head and over The Coal Road meant a nasty header on Fleet Moss, although the snow, from ten days earlier, had all melted.

Fleet Moss – a beast.

Once down into Wharfedale it seemed that Otley and Ilkley road clubs had issued an edict to pedal to Kettlewell as the pleasant stretch, by the river, was full of riders. We stopped for breakfast in Grassington and, after a 10 day spell off the bike, the legs felt tired. Worrying as we weren’t even half-way. Good then that only real challenge left was Greenhow, from the ‘easy’ side, and a trundle back through Hellifield avoided the climb over to Settle from Airton.

Ride stats:

The great thing about Saturdays ride is the PB descending The Coal Road – my device shows 84.8kph!

Recovering over a bowl of soup Alan casually asked what the plans were for Tuesday, New Years Eve. With a great forecast somehow the ‘Fred’ was mentioned, despite the risk of overnight frost we’d take a chance, it was settled, we’d ride the ‘original’ with a start from Ambleside at 7am. Along with his ‘Struggling Fred’ 200, Alan runs this as a permanent event, a brevet populaire of 170km, although as only one other rider has done it we should maybe dub it unpopulaire! Still there are 3.5 AAA** points available for the climbing, which makes Alan a happy man.

Blimey it’s really cold! At Brathay we sat in the van as I faffed around with the gps – ‘memory full’. As the organiser, Alan could validate the ride and tag me on strava, so after a couple of minutes I gave up and we set off. We soon warmed up. On Kirkstone the temperature inversion meant the higher we climbed the warmer it became, there was no ice on the road. In stark contrast the valley floor around Brothers Water was dusted with a white frosting and the temperature dropped back below freezing. The roads were gritted…

In Keswick (50km) we stopped for coffee and an egg bap. Borrowdale was crazy with cars and, as it’s steep and narrow, Honister can be hazardous when they meet and block the road. On the steep ramp at the bottom only a couple of cars passed us and there were no issues. We dropped off Honister into the shade then, when you reach the lakeshore, the valley opens and the sun and walkers were out in force. No ice cream van tho’!

Honister

Newlands and Whinlatter passed by before the welcome stop for tea and mince pies at the village shop in Lorton (90km). Our ‘hot’ meal would be at the 5 star Woodlands Tea Rooms at Santon Bridge (135km). By 3pm we reached the food, a huge pot of tea and a 40 minute break. “You’re riding over Hard Knott? But, it will be dark!” we’re asked… “We’ve got lights.”

Dusk on Hard Knott, the last car climbs by and we have the road to ourselves. Carefully down in the dark. Along Cockley Beck, blinding each other, a van stops in the narrowest section, completely blocking the road. There are no more cars as we start to climb.

Alan’s always ahead, he’s built for climbing. Then he shouts “It’s ice!” I carry on up until my back wheel spins, I put my foot down, and I’m off. We both walk, teetering along, at times almost slipping over, half on the road half on the grass…

We walked down, all the way down. What normally takes fifteen minutes took the best part of an hour, no prizes here other than the lanterne rouge. We continued walking along Little Langdale, now in freezing fog, tentativeley using the front brake to see if the wheel locks. As a ‘brevet populaire’ we had over 17hrs to complete the ride, so we had time a plenty - no heroics. Finally, where the road rises towards the pub and houses the fog relented, we remounted and rode carefully on. I guessed the main road would be gritted and as we swung right towards Coniston, it was…

Here’s the segment…

Coniston to Ambleside over Hawkshead Hill is a bus route and, instead of swinging left towards the Drunken Duck, we stuck to this through Hawkshead, less wary now of ice.

Safely back, it proved to be a great day on the bike and an epic finale to the year.

Winter Fred Whitton - Dancing on Ice

A very cold, blue sky day until dark. Then a very icy walk over Wrynose Pass and Little Langdale. Only 1 fall onto bum ! no damage to bike

Steve Scott

*In the audax world rides only make points if they are over 200km long – a ‘randonee’, and there is a time limit giving a minimum average speed of 15kph. There’s also a thing called Randonneur Round the Year [RRtY], a 200 or more each month for a year. Btw last season a guy from V(elo)C(lub)167 did 10 of these every month for the year; an Ultra RRtY; chapeau! He rode our Tour du Lakes as one of these where the quality of the climbing came as a bit of a shock.

** AAA – audax altitude award. Hilly climbs get these and there’s a series of awards for securing points with a trophy for the most gained over the season.Simply put you get 1 point for every 1,000 metres climbed although this is distance related to make only hilly climbs count. The 2019 winner climbed 265,000 metres; it was Alan.