Yesterday morning I decided to get out and blow the post Christmas cobwebs away. I am currently staying at my parents in north Leeds over the festive season and decided to get out and have a look at one of my old short routes.
The route takes me from the rather nice Leeds suburb that my parents reside in, past Eccup reservoir, through the Harewood estate and back through the hamlet of Wike. Probably no more than 10 miles in total, but I used to run it several times a week on my old Team Marin as a teen.
The bike for the task at hand was my newly built 2001 Klein adept, I would of kept it retro, but it was the only bike I had bought up to Leeds with me. Configuration wise it was running a set of Pace RC40's and mixed modern Deore/XT components in a 1x 9 style due to me lacking a suitable sized front deraliuer at the time of the build, and having not quite gotten around to doing anything about it. Keeping a small bit of retro spirit on the bike, the rear cat eye lamp dates from the days of me riding this route on my Team Marin.
The weather was a little harsher than when I last did this route, 10 or so years ago, however it was amazing how unchanged it was.
It had been snowing on and off for a week, there was still a reasonable amount of snow on the ground, despite the constant thaw/freeze. Indeed it was the thaw & freeze that was presenting the biggest difficulty. The surfaces were either covered with packed down snow or sheet ice, or in some places loose powder over sheet ice.
The type of surface made no apparent difference, this wintery covering topped it all from the smooth tarmac to the rutted mud tracks. I actually welcomed seeing the odd patch of deep mud where I knew that traction wouldn't be so much guess work.
The path from Eccup reservoir into the Harewood estate. Showing the compacted snow/ice.
Taking it steady due to the conditions I crossed the Icy path into the Estate of the queens cousin, Lord Harwood. I thought to myself it must be the weather that is keeping it quiet. I barely saw another person on this section which used to be thick with walkers. Stopping briefly to blow my nose, I took the opportunity to have a nosey into the newly built village/TV studio set of the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, The whole place is uninhabited and simply built for the filming of the soap. That said they have made a good job of it and I suspect when/if they decide to move it on it would be a rather nice little village to live in.
The Purpose built Village of Emmerdale.
The first people I met on the ride were a couple of ramblers who questioned whether I was brave or crazy. A question I was asking just minutes earlier whilst descending a glacier like surface to the stream at the bottom of a small valley.
Back up the short climb from the stream, passing the entrance to the Emmerdale set and it is all down hill from here.
The surface still snowy and dangerously icy in areas. The temptation was there and the grip was feeling constant and providing confidence. Faster, faster, a small hop over a rut was landed fine, no issues with grip. I reached the small bridge over the stream, gripped the bars tight and went for it, glided over the sheet ice deposited on my chosen crossing point and flew up the slight climb the other side of it. All was good!
At the bottom of the run I took a nose blowing/photo opportunity stop at the rather picturesque ornate bridge that marks the end of the downhill and the beginning of a long climb.
The climb away from this tranquil stop always used to be the relative killer of the route. In the summer, it was hot hard work, in the wet it was slippy this time it was crazy. The melt water from the snow had covered the entire path, and then been frozen solid, leaving a 1-2cm thick layer of ice across its surface. Non the less I went at it, the back wheel span out on numerous occasions but I was able to reach the top without giving up & losing balance... although it was ropey!
At the top I met 2 lads on bikes about to set off on a descent along the route I had just climbed, I gave them fair warning of the slippy nature, but no more than 10 yards down one of them came off, no injuries other than pride.
I reached the gates where the estate is bordered by the Harrogate road, turned and took a view up the valley, this is what I miss living in London I thought to my self.
I Crossed the main road and headed on the short distance down the back roads to the small Hamlet of Wike, home to 4 houses and 3 golf courses.
I stopped off at the old petrol pump for a refuel (blew my nose again) and then made my way to my favourite bit of local singletrack.
This section of bridleway between Tarn lane and Wike is simply superb to descend, flowing, tight, a few twists the odd things to hop and then a series of small drops as you reach the lower extents. However to climb the same route has always been a ball ache. A series of large steps, leads to tight twisting path through mud that without the assistance of gravity is very sapping on the legs.
Either way it marked the end of off road, ahead of me lay tarmac to my parents house, a train back to London and then life back in the city. It is with great fondness that i remember this short route, and with great sadness that I see it so infrequently these days.
The last section before the road to London called.
The bike performed well, I think my modern 2008 epic would have handled better, but I sure as hell missed my old Team Marin on the climbs.
Back home, in the warm, but already missing the county of my birth.
The route takes me from the rather nice Leeds suburb that my parents reside in, past Eccup reservoir, through the Harewood estate and back through the hamlet of Wike. Probably no more than 10 miles in total, but I used to run it several times a week on my old Team Marin as a teen.
The bike for the task at hand was my newly built 2001 Klein adept, I would of kept it retro, but it was the only bike I had bought up to Leeds with me. Configuration wise it was running a set of Pace RC40's and mixed modern Deore/XT components in a 1x 9 style due to me lacking a suitable sized front deraliuer at the time of the build, and having not quite gotten around to doing anything about it. Keeping a small bit of retro spirit on the bike, the rear cat eye lamp dates from the days of me riding this route on my Team Marin.
The weather was a little harsher than when I last did this route, 10 or so years ago, however it was amazing how unchanged it was.
It had been snowing on and off for a week, there was still a reasonable amount of snow on the ground, despite the constant thaw/freeze. Indeed it was the thaw & freeze that was presenting the biggest difficulty. The surfaces were either covered with packed down snow or sheet ice, or in some places loose powder over sheet ice.
The type of surface made no apparent difference, this wintery covering topped it all from the smooth tarmac to the rutted mud tracks. I actually welcomed seeing the odd patch of deep mud where I knew that traction wouldn't be so much guess work.
The path from Eccup reservoir into the Harewood estate. Showing the compacted snow/ice.
Taking it steady due to the conditions I crossed the Icy path into the Estate of the queens cousin, Lord Harwood. I thought to myself it must be the weather that is keeping it quiet. I barely saw another person on this section which used to be thick with walkers. Stopping briefly to blow my nose, I took the opportunity to have a nosey into the newly built village/TV studio set of the ITV soap opera Emmerdale, The whole place is uninhabited and simply built for the filming of the soap. That said they have made a good job of it and I suspect when/if they decide to move it on it would be a rather nice little village to live in.
The Purpose built Village of Emmerdale.
The first people I met on the ride were a couple of ramblers who questioned whether I was brave or crazy. A question I was asking just minutes earlier whilst descending a glacier like surface to the stream at the bottom of a small valley.
Back up the short climb from the stream, passing the entrance to the Emmerdale set and it is all down hill from here.
The surface still snowy and dangerously icy in areas. The temptation was there and the grip was feeling constant and providing confidence. Faster, faster, a small hop over a rut was landed fine, no issues with grip. I reached the small bridge over the stream, gripped the bars tight and went for it, glided over the sheet ice deposited on my chosen crossing point and flew up the slight climb the other side of it. All was good!
At the bottom of the run I took a nose blowing/photo opportunity stop at the rather picturesque ornate bridge that marks the end of the downhill and the beginning of a long climb.
The climb away from this tranquil stop always used to be the relative killer of the route. In the summer, it was hot hard work, in the wet it was slippy this time it was crazy. The melt water from the snow had covered the entire path, and then been frozen solid, leaving a 1-2cm thick layer of ice across its surface. Non the less I went at it, the back wheel span out on numerous occasions but I was able to reach the top without giving up & losing balance... although it was ropey!
At the top I met 2 lads on bikes about to set off on a descent along the route I had just climbed, I gave them fair warning of the slippy nature, but no more than 10 yards down one of them came off, no injuries other than pride.
I reached the gates where the estate is bordered by the Harrogate road, turned and took a view up the valley, this is what I miss living in London I thought to my self.
I Crossed the main road and headed on the short distance down the back roads to the small Hamlet of Wike, home to 4 houses and 3 golf courses.
I stopped off at the old petrol pump for a refuel (blew my nose again) and then made my way to my favourite bit of local singletrack.
This section of bridleway between Tarn lane and Wike is simply superb to descend, flowing, tight, a few twists the odd things to hop and then a series of small drops as you reach the lower extents. However to climb the same route has always been a ball ache. A series of large steps, leads to tight twisting path through mud that without the assistance of gravity is very sapping on the legs.
Either way it marked the end of off road, ahead of me lay tarmac to my parents house, a train back to London and then life back in the city. It is with great fondness that i remember this short route, and with great sadness that I see it so infrequently these days.
The last section before the road to London called.
The bike performed well, I think my modern 2008 epic would have handled better, but I sure as hell missed my old Team Marin on the climbs.
Back home, in the warm, but already missing the county of my birth.
