Discussion
I have a coast 2 coast ride planned later this year which i'm riding with some buddies over a couple of days so we can enjoy it rather than grinding out a long single day.
I have planned out a slightly different day 1 from the traditional route to try to minimise elevation for one of the guys who gets battered by hills due to some leg issues. Day 1 does however end with a ride up Hartside Pass which I have provisionally mapped to take us up the main road (A686) rather than the narrow switchback road to the west as it looks a little more forgiving from a quick scope out on google street. I was therefore hoping that someone who is local or who has done it before can confirm that this is the case.
I appreciate that its a big old climb whichever way you head up but just trying to make it a little easier if possible.
I also wondered how busy the A686 gets riding up as i'm trying where possible to keep us off anything too busy - I do however appreciate that there aren't that many alternatives.
Cheers for any thoughts
Pot Odds
I have planned out a slightly different day 1 from the traditional route to try to minimise elevation for one of the guys who gets battered by hills due to some leg issues. Day 1 does however end with a ride up Hartside Pass which I have provisionally mapped to take us up the main road (A686) rather than the narrow switchback road to the west as it looks a little more forgiving from a quick scope out on google street. I was therefore hoping that someone who is local or who has done it before can confirm that this is the case.
I appreciate that its a big old climb whichever way you head up but just trying to make it a little easier if possible.
I also wondered how busy the A686 gets riding up as i'm trying where possible to keep us off anything too busy - I do however appreciate that there aren't that many alternatives.
Cheers for any thoughts
Pot Odds
I did the C2C last year as group leader and we rode up to Hartside on hardtail mountain bikes; group ability was mixed to say the least and they all managed fine. I'll dig through Strava and post the route.
https://www.strava.com/activities/611214101
https://www.strava.com/activities/611214101
Edited by TheFungle on Thursday 30th March 21:51
I did it last year on a hardtail MTB C2C off road. Not that bad although steep but with correct gearing not an issue.
Also depends where you've come from & where you are going, it wasn't even half the mileage we rode that day from Penrith, as someone has said there are much steeper climbs en route. I wouldn't take a major diversion to avoid it as these are the Pennines...
We did find it quite traffic free but coaches are the biggest pain as they take an age to pass being long and going uphill. Just look forward to the 50mph you'll be coming down off the top on the other side
Also depends where you've come from & where you are going, it wasn't even half the mileage we rode that day from Penrith, as someone has said there are much steeper climbs en route. I wouldn't take a major diversion to avoid it as these are the Pennines...
We did find it quite traffic free but coaches are the biggest pain as they take an age to pass being long and going uphill. Just look forward to the 50mph you'll be coming down off the top on the other side
Thanks all for your feedback - particularly chicken chaser who had done both the 686 and 68.
Downhills sound nice but I'm a bit of a pussy - i've not topped 40 on anything yet and have no aspirations to do so. My self preservation kicks in at motor vehicle speeds in lycra as I wouldn't fancy cheese grating myself - like i said, bit of a pussy
.
We will all be on road bikes so no triple rings just a 32 bale gear.
Accommodation and transport booked and paid for now so its game on !
Thanks again
PO
Downhills sound nice but I'm a bit of a pussy - i've not topped 40 on anything yet and have no aspirations to do so. My self preservation kicks in at motor vehicle speeds in lycra as I wouldn't fancy cheese grating myself - like i said, bit of a pussy
.We will all be on road bikes so no triple rings just a 32 bale gear.
Accommodation and transport booked and paid for now so its game on !
Thanks again
PO
Edited by Pot Odds on Wednesday 5th April 07:26
I did the C2C a few years ago with a group of teens from a local charity. Hartside was easy compared to some of the other climbs the 2 guys who planned the route put upon us! Not particularly steep, just a longish grind and the day we did Hartside it was monumentally pouring down with rain and visibility was nil :-(
OK so I'm hearing that Hartside is long but that there is steeper stuff on the C2C. So where are the steeper bits and how bad as I don't want to chuck anything too major at the chap with the poorly legs.
I went up whitedown lane last year on a ride down to box hill and at 18% it was a real b
h - I'm not sure my pal would relish too much like that. We are flexible on routing - its kinda a c2c from maryport to newcastle/sunderland but were not dead set on following the traditional route.
Cheers
PO
I went up whitedown lane last year on a ride down to box hill and at 18% it was a real b
h - I'm not sure my pal would relish too much like that. We are flexible on routing - its kinda a c2c from maryport to newcastle/sunderland but were not dead set on following the traditional route.Cheers
PO
Never ridden Hartside, but have ridden millions of hills and competed on a few
If you are ever worried just make sure you have a low enough gear to fall back on , like you have , dont think about it crack on, it will be straightforward.
I've seen people push up steep hills, when they have a 32 to fall back on, I dont get it, its all in the mind, if you aren't the best climber, just knuckle down, pace yourself and enjoy it. With modern gearing options as long as you have some fitness and arent 15 stone + you can get up anything .
Other thing to bear in mind is if you like climbing out the saddle is rear tyre grip, my 4seasons are fine in anything, but my other bikes 23c vittorias break traction very easily out the saddle on slippery hills. I remember our club hillclimb last year, steep 17% hill, with about 22% in places. It started to rain as it approached my turn and I knew that my rear tyre wouldn't grip out the saddle due to the rain and steepness and my 39/26 was to high to stay seated....panic
Edit: sorry just re-read it was for your mate
If you are ever worried just make sure you have a low enough gear to fall back on , like you have , dont think about it crack on, it will be straightforward.
I've seen people push up steep hills, when they have a 32 to fall back on, I dont get it, its all in the mind, if you aren't the best climber, just knuckle down, pace yourself and enjoy it. With modern gearing options as long as you have some fitness and arent 15 stone + you can get up anything .
Other thing to bear in mind is if you like climbing out the saddle is rear tyre grip, my 4seasons are fine in anything, but my other bikes 23c vittorias break traction very easily out the saddle on slippery hills. I remember our club hillclimb last year, steep 17% hill, with about 22% in places. It started to rain as it approached my turn and I knew that my rear tyre wouldn't grip out the saddle due to the rain and steepness and my 39/26 was to high to stay seated....panic
Edit: sorry just re-read it was for your mate
Pot Odds said:
OK so I'm hearing that Hartside is long but that there is steeper stuff on the C2C. So where are the steeper bits and how bad as I don't want to chuck anything too major at the chap with the poorly legs.
I went up whitedown lane last year on a ride down to box hill and at 18% it was a real bh - I'm not sure my pal would relish too much like that. We are flexible on routing - its kinda a c2c from maryport to newcastle/sunderland but were not dead set on following the traditional route.
Cheers
PO
Its a while since I did it, but I remember a particularly steep section not long after Hartside. From the summit, we rode down the A686 and then turned right before Alston on to a much smaller road which I think is part of the Pennine Way towards Garrigill. At Garrigill we went around in a U and then turned right towards Nenthead on a road which crossed the B6277. All of that road from memory was uphill, with the part up to the B6277 particularly steep.I went up whitedown lane last year on a ride down to box hill and at 18% it was a real b
h - I'm not sure my pal would relish too much like that. We are flexible on routing - its kinda a c2c from maryport to newcastle/sunderland but were not dead set on following the traditional route.Cheers
PO
towser44 said:
Its a while since I did it, but I remember a particularly steep section not long after Hartside. From the summit, we rode down the A686 and then turned right before Alston on to a much smaller road which I think is part of the Pennine Way towards Garrigill. At Garrigill we went around in a U and then turned right towards Nenthead on a road which crossed the B6277. All of that road from memory was uphill, with the part up to the B6277 particularly steep.
You Garrigill is the worst bit.I also found the bit just before Crawleyside bank at Stanhope rather unpleasant, The bit that didn't appear to feature the c2c official map. It was a bugger of a hill made worse by the fact i wasn't expecting it!
Once you get past Crawleyside you have about 35 miles of easy gradual downhill to the finish though.
I actually live about 300 yards from the c2c track so use it quite a bit.
ED209 said:
You Garrigill is the worst bit.
I also found the bit just before Crawleyside bank at Stanhope rather unpleasant, The bit that didn't appear to feature the c2c official map. It was a bugger of a hill made worse by the fact i wasn't expecting it!
Once you get past Crawleyside you have about 35 miles of easy gradual downhill to the finish though.
I actually live about 300 yards from the c2c track so use it quite a bit.
Was just going to suggest missing out Garrigill, it is quite steep. GarrigillI also found the bit just before Crawleyside bank at Stanhope rather unpleasant, The bit that didn't appear to feature the c2c official map. It was a bugger of a hill made worse by the fact i wasn't expecting it!
Once you get past Crawleyside you have about 35 miles of easy gradual downhill to the finish though.
I actually live about 300 yards from the c2c track so use it quite a bit.
Also you could uses the old C2C route from Rookhope to the back of Blanchland to miss out the 'fun' going up Crawleyside. But if you are going to Stanhope then veer off the C2C route after Rookhope to Eastgate, its a cheeky climb and its not much further to miss it out.
Garrigill is the worst part, although you can avoid it relatively easily, and I'd suggest doing so if your mate suffers with hills.
Crawleyside next worst, 16% towards the bottom, then levels off to 8% ish for a couple of miles. Decent cafe at the top tho, and then it's pretty much downhill all the way from there.
I live next to the c2c line at Stanley County Durham so travel the part round crawleyside, down to Washington fairly regularly, so if you need any info on that bit feel free to ask. I've done the full c2c a few times too, including a one-dayer, so know the route ok
Crawleyside next worst, 16% towards the bottom, then levels off to 8% ish for a couple of miles. Decent cafe at the top tho, and then it's pretty much downhill all the way from there.
I live next to the c2c line at Stanley County Durham so travel the part round crawleyside, down to Washington fairly regularly, so if you need any info on that bit feel free to ask. I've done the full c2c a few times too, including a one-dayer, so know the route ok
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