Ryedale Rumble 2008
Source: British Cycling Yorkshire Region
Event Date: 27 July 2008
PLEASE NOTE: Entries will close on Saturday 19th July, so register NOW for a last minute place in the event!
The Event in Brief:
For 2008 the sister event to The White Rose Classic has evolved! With a new venue at Gilling Castle, full changing & shower facilities, SportIdent timing, T-Shirt, food before and after the event plus well-stocked feed stations. Riders now get even more for their money including hills!
The same organising team take their experienced crew to the stunning North York Moors to send you up some of the most spectacular if steep terrain in Ryedale. The new routes combine the classic sections of last year, Blakey Bank, Wheeldale, Rosedale Chimney (now at 100 miles!), with a new outward section that includes the awesome climb of Boltby Bank and a new return that ends with the climb back to the castle complete with its very own hairpin!
Three route options let you choose from 90, 135 & 188 km, all of which include the market town of Helmsley, the wild moors of Bransdale, the renowned valley of Farndale and the picturesque village of Hutton-le-Hole. If in doubt visit the website for guidance as to which route is most suitable.
Ryedale Rumble Reccy Ride (6th April 2008)
Richard Bernard gives a blow by blow account of the route, ridden in a snowy early April.
8.30am... We all gathered at Gilling Castle...a very grand setting for a superb sportive, usual nervousness when meeting strangers, met up with Matt and Bob, and you may all be wondering why lads with such cycling connections would ask bog standard weekend warriors like us to promote their event? Well the answers pretty simple.....riders very akin to us represent over 90% of any sportive, we are the guys who ride Triple Chainsets or Compacts, we are guys who will suffer badly on such demanding terrain, and at the end of it all - if we have trained properly and dug very deeply we may not have been forced to dismount on such steep ascents, and after all the suffering we may go back home with a huge feeling of self satisfaction and achievement! If Matt or Bob were to ask some of there top lads to do the Reccy Ride then most probably you would end up with stories of Standard 39x23 being enough and an average speed of 20mile/hour very achievable......well not for the standard sportiver!
Matt and Bob were very keen to show the gearing we were all equipped with...all apart from Luke had Triple Chainsets...Luke had a Compact! And even that got major respect from me...I knew the climbs and I knew how savagely steep they were!
5 riders got set to go...2 Cars...one backup 4x4 with food /drink and spares etc...One minted Mercedes for Matt and Bob and Co to get the correct photo snaps.
Temperature 2 degrees...Weather Prediction - SNOW / HAIL / SLEET/ WIND Route - Outrageously Savage!
OFF WE SET...
Above: Brutal Hairpins on the Chimney
GILLING - BOLTBY
It was dead cold to start off with, and it was very early on that I made it my business to start yapping to the lads and getting to know them, I always feel that after the ice is broken and people start to relax then the group merges naturally, I made it clear to all that it was a Reccy Ride, we were all there for a good time, a laugh and joke and most importantly to help try and promote this area to all our cycling buds out there, everyone was pretty comfortable, Luke looked like a Pro on the bike, some guys just look so natural on a bike, we all headed past Ampleforth...then onto Wass, we were now coming across moderate steep small climbs but we soldiered up them at a fast pace in the Big Rings...even although I felt I was pushing too hard so early on I didn't want to fall off the back so early on...we then passed by Byland Abbey, very beautiful this ancient place is, off passed Kilburn after a few more tricky climbs and lovely little back roads...then you see the White Horse! Amazing! I just can't get my head round a community doing such a thing...even in Bygone times! Regardless of this it is quite simply a very unique monument and one which amazes. We were riding in the most quiet little country lanes when we suddenly came to a T junction with the busy A170 at the foot of the infamous Sutton Bank (Caravan Killer!) , thankfully we are only on this road for around 5 minutes before taking a right off it at Sutton under Whitestone Cliff...back on lovely little country lanes..through the quaint little villages of Thirlby...always looking up at the cliff face...this cliff face must run for around 10miles or so...near vertical at partsand very spectacular...but all the time the feeling of utter dread is awakening...as that vertical but spectacular cliff face is very soon going to show its true form...and its true form gets realised just past the small country village of Boltby...it has 2 names this 1 km stretch of Tarmac Insanity... BOLTBY BANK (aka SNECK YATE BANK)
Above: Boltby Bank
In the village of Boltby you'll climb fairly steeply to start off with then you'll crest this initial leg warmer...then the sight awaits you...a 160 metres climb in 1km...No corners to rest on...just straight on up...90% of the climb in full view and getting steeper the higher you go. The worst thing about this climb for me is that even on the shallower lower section the brute reduces me to my lowest gear! And that's not good considering it gets way steeper! We all hit the foot of the climb, no hiding here, everyone on their own...Luke and Ashley took off on the climb, myself/John and Steve were twiddling away here...about a 1/3rd of the way up the climb it relents for a very short time...enough to gather your thoughts for the next part...from here on in its just survival...looking up only kills confidence as it reaches to the heavens so swiftly, it really becomes a trial of getting one pedal over another..Luke and Ashley were now nearly at the top of the top visible part of the climb...I was just behind John and Steve when Steve suddenly dismounted...I continued up just at the back of John...Matt was here at the very steepest pitch capturing all those 'traumatising, agonising' moments on Camera (I bet he had a few laughs seeing those), I then reached the flatter section at the top of the visible part of the climb...it really is a trial of determination to get up that horrendous part...you then turn the corner and expect a complete levelling but not on this climb....up again it rises at 25% for another 50 yards or so before letting you off the hook...it was a good feeling to reach the top I tell you...turns out that Steve had thrown up violently on the climb. Something John was concerned about as he knew Steve was an extremely fit lad...anyhow we regrouped at the top and congratulated each other on the success.
Boltby Bank Verdict - I've been up most tough climbs in the UK, and this has to be the toughest opening climb in any sportive in the UK..I see around half the sportive breaking down even here...it's just so relentless and horrendously steep...I put it on Par with Honister Pass on the Fred Whitton Challenge.
Above: It's not just about huge climbs - the moors have stunning scenery and idyllic villages at every turn
RIEVAULX ABBEY - GILLAMOOR
After the horror of Boltby Bank we made our way down to Rievaulx Abbey via a network of small country lanes, On the Ryedale Rumble route you will make your way here via a Ford and a very steep descent and climb but on this occasion the Ford was way too deep and we had to bypass...the sight of this Abbey is mesmerising... it truly is a piece of genius... even though it is in ruin there's something so historic about it all...make the most of the sights because very soon it's back to more steep climbing... you climb up from the Abbey to the Helmsley via a winding 15-20% climb... it was a real leg sapper and is one of those climbs that's gets all too easily forgotten in such a route, but I assure it will cause discomfort! After this its one of those brilliant very fast descents into Helmsley... you can really let it go here. Make the most of it again as once in Helmsley it's a sharp left for Castleton for the enormously long climb into stunning Bransdale. Personally I'd never been up here and boy did it not make me happy... most probably the most beautiful part of the NY Moors. We were all putting in a fair pace here...Steve was off the back here...and I knew he was suffering...we all slowed down here to let Steve recoup but it looked as if Steve had caught a sickness bug...and this particular route was going to have very little sympathy for such things. The climb into Bransdale was a mixture of short sharp sections followed by huge long drags. As soon as you thought you were hitting the summit another huge drag presented itself so alas Steve succumbed to the nature of this beast and surrendered graciously...he hopped into the 4x4 and decided to make the most of it all. At the very head of the valley John took us up a small detour (a 25% detour, right enough) up to a Church... we decided to have a spot of refreshments there, it was a natural viewpoint and it was simply stunning, the rest of the lads were all in good spirits here, Ashley seemed to be having a ball, Luke was just enjoying the whole experience, John was explaining many things about the area (him being a local lad an all) and it was just real nice up there, the skies were clear and the visibility great. Off again and straight into another 25%er...Matt was waiting with his camera... we had all sussed out by now that whenever we see Matt with the Camera then expect suffering! We started the climb out of Bransdale...fairly steep at sections but you are rewarded with a very fast stretch of road down to Gillamoor.. John told us its all downhill here... so I was very surprised to see a climb ahead of me all too soon... I turned to John and said "Is this your idea of Downhill!" ...he just laughed and said "If I can do these stretches on the Big Ring then its downhill to me!" . Its not all downhill here but John is correct, its one of those roads where even the uphill sections can be took a great speed... we were now approaching Gillamoor and the sharp turn which would lead us up to our next Trauma! We were now ready for Farndale....
Above: The short route
FARNDALE - BLAKEY BANK - RALPHS CROSS
I'd been up Farndale before and I knew it started with one of those very long 'uncomfortably' graded climbs... and it was now going to my time for extreme discomfort, the pace the lads set up here was fairly high, especially for what awaited at the end! Before I had just taken it real easy up here as I was just preparing myself for the Terrible climb of Blakey Bank, but now I was holding on for grim death. I managed to stay within 5 yards of the other 3 lads but I had to continually shift into bigger gears just to try and hold on...it was obvious that this was my 'bad' moment in the ride! As it levelled off a bit I managed to fully hook up but it had really taken a toll on me...Farndale is fairly similar to Bransdale, a huge stunning valley. You do get some lovely panoramic shots going up there I tell you, but what we started to see wasn't exactly 'panoramic'- more like scary black demon skies - and we were heading directly into it. After the initial tough drag it drops you down into Low Mill, from here you start to ascend again, sometimes steeply, it was here that me and John decided to ease off and let Ashley and Luke get on with it, myself and John were both contemplating the impending torture and both decided that energy conservation was going to be our strategy. Luke and Ashley went off the front at about 50 yards...we came to the end of the valley and we regrouped, we looked over to the other side of the valley - a small grey road snakes its way right up over the entire Dale!....Yeah this was the nightmare of Blakey Bank... ramp after ramp of sustained 20-25% ... although its only a 250 metre climb it looks a hell of a lot more. we took the 25% descent into Church Houses and I decided to stop and take off my head warmer. wrong time to do that as exactly just at that moment the hailstorm started. Off we set for the ascent of Blakey Bank, just as we left we heard Matt say "Welcome to Hell! " and I reckon he wasn't far off the mark, a hailstorm after 50 miles of extreme terrain and we were just going to start the ascent of not only one of the most difficult climbs in the NY Moors but also a drag afterwards up to the highest road in all the NY Moors on Blakey Ridge at Ralph's Cross...a place where there is absolutely no shelter whatsoever and could be a candidate for the most open, windswept area in all the UK... yeah that could be hell!
The climb starts gently than jumps into a 15% gradient...you then pass a turn-off to the right and see the 20% sign...suffering commences! This climb ain't the steepest in the NY Moors buts its very, very long and extremely relentless and with high winds, hail and sleet it really started to bite. About half way up this brute you think you're nearly at the top...you then see it just going up even steeper than before. There are many parts of 25% on this climb but its something in the way it never allows a rest that sucks the life out of you. Luke and Ashley took a fair bit of time out of me and John on this climb but we were more 'surviving' than anything else. After what seemed an eternity we seen the Main Road...and the bugger doesn't relent until it makes contact with the main road!...Me and John had seen Luke and Ashley with bikes pointing to Hutton Le Hole but we signalled the other direction...straight into that hail onslaught...off up to Ralph's Cross past the Lion Inn Pub...trying to set a good pace here into the wind and the hail...I think we put so much energy into this more to keep warm...this drag goes on forever but eventually we reached the crossroads. Ashley and Luke told us that they really suffered on Blakey Bank and nearing the top they were nearly spewing!
If I had attempted that climb at that speed I'd be dead! Matt / Bob and Co were all waiting on us...the weather lightened up a bit there and we stopped for much needed energy replacements...Bob asked if we were going to call it a day and although it seemed a good idea at the time how the hell could we come all that way and not test our Brake Hoods / Calves/ Thighs to the absolute maximum on one of the most outrageous climbs in all the UK? On the Real Ryedale Rumble Route it will be here that you will descend into Castleton and have a trumble (trumble meaning many short steep climbs) through Danby and Glaisdale before heading back West...but on our shortened version we were heading straight to Rosedale from Ralph's Cross....and every single cyclist in the UK should know what resides in Rosedale...
Blakey Bank Verdict - A daunting sight when you see the climb in its full entirety from the opposite side of the valley, it looks very steep and it is! Its not as steep as the other monuments on this ride but it makes up for that 'small' weakness with the sheer length and unrelenting nature of the climb, it gets steeper the higher you go and the self doubts start to really awaken on this brute. It's a very welcome sight to see the T junction with the main road as the climb just 'sucks the life clean out' and will expose very swiftly any weakness that any rider may have...I see this having a devastating affect on the Sportive... it will thrill the successful riders and give bags of confidence and self elation but on the flip side it will cruelly sweep aside any rider who may be suffering or who has not shown enough respect for her gradients.
Above: the Medium Route
ROSEDALE - HUTTON LE HOLE
We started the run down from Ralph's Cross down into Rosedale and I was the coldest I've ever been on the bike in my entire life...the descent is a super-scary fast one...for the first time in my life I experienced Bike 'wobble'...but didn't really know if it was true bike wobble or just me shaking with the cold! I know that many reading this won't believe me but I was actually looking forward to the Chimney! Just to get some heat into me. All too soon we were in Rosedale and at the dreaded sign. Matt was waiting with camera. He took a few photos at the famous sign then drove on up the climb a bit so he could get the 'real' shots. Now for anyone who has never seen or experienced Rosedale Chimney Bank then it really is quite difficult to put this into any perspective. Previous to this climb I had experienced Hardknott Pass and thought there was absolutely no way on earth could there be a steeper paved climb....so I thought! My first experience of this climb came 3 years ago when I decided to check the climb out in the car with my family...bad move!
1) My car near blew up trying to get up 2) My heart was thumping with panic 3 ) My wife was going to kill me! But more catastrophic was the physiological blow it gave me..I honestly thought "No way will I be able to cycle up that!"...However the next day I cycled down it (its absolutely terrifying descending that), then I sussed the climb out! From there I worked out how to crack it...and I've cracked it twice since...Was it going to be 3 successes in a row for me now?
I stopped near the bottom to take off my head warmer again...John did the same...Luke and Ashley headed on up...off me and John went...3rd lowest gear....2nd lowest gear...then just as you approach the cattle grid into lowest gear...nowhere to go....this is where it ramps to 25% to the 1st corner of the switchback.. I could see Matt taking photos of Luke and Ashley at the top of the switchback and he looked miles up! Me and John Turned for the 33% push to the 2nd Corner...now Matt was waiting for us with the camera but for anyone attempting this climb it is absolutely imperative to swing wide here onto the wrong side of the road and just hope for no cars coming down...there's no way your getting up the insides of the bends here...they are near vertical! No carscoming down thankfully but now for the true test. The next 400 metres is the steepest section of road I've ever seen or likely to see...it really is a miracle to get the pedals round and also a marvel of tarmac adhesion... you will probably be pulling on the brake hoods like never before, most of the climb will be done out the saddle as the front wheel will just lift clean off the road if you try and sit it out...the goal here is to reach the next part of the climb where it veers off to the left...as it relents here to around 20% and the climbs cracked!...but its getting here what's the problem...Matt was shouting words of encouragement to me but if being totally honest I knew I was going to make it...as long as I took my time and spent 100% of my efforts effectively....there were another couple of cyclists on the climb when we were on it and they had failed..as I say its my familiarity with the climb which helps me...I reached the 20% section and thanked the lord I'd made it...a few more efforts and a chance for my heart rate to get back down below 200! We all regrouped at the top and gave each other a well deserved handshake...that was the last of the big hitters and we had all survived them...good show! But not much time was given for celebration as mother nature decided to unleash her fury...and she hammered us with the most brutal of hail and sleet storms. It was a nightmare...John was leading the way here and he was going about 40 mph just to get out of this storm...the sleet and hails were hammering so hard off us that it stung like hell... It really was a testing time. It seemed we were up there an awful long time before we all finally arrived in Hutton Le Hole and that's when the weather relented again...
Rosedale Chimney Bank Verdict - Quite Simply this is the steepest road in all the UK, Its such a remarkable ascent and one which truly has its place in Cycling Lore, this climb destroyed half the Milk Race when they went over it years ago, don't think the continental pros had seen anything quite so steep! There's 5 'special' climbs in the UK that I reckon most cyclists should at least experience at least once...Hardknott Pass / Wrynose Pass / Rosedale Chimney Bank / Bwlch Y Groes / Bealach Na Ba...all very infamous for their individual characters, but one things for sure, the Chimney's the steepest. For any devout UK cyclist it really is one of the Island's compulsory Sacrificial Pilgrimages which must be at least attempted just once in a lifetime!
Above: The Long Route
HUTTON LE HOLE - GILLING
Bob and Matt knew we had suffered under such conditions and asked if we would like to stop in Hutton Le Hole for some hot refreshments - a very noble gesture but since we were only 18 miles from completion and we were so cold we decided to crack on and just go for it, we had some food then off we went with John leading the way down to Keldholme. We then made our way via another collection of lovely little country lanes towards Nunnington, now the distance and the efforts were starting to show cracks in the armour, the rolling back roads were now much sorer than usual but this is to be expected after such a run so early on in the year, but it was at Nunnington that our fears were realised...if you look at the Ryedale Rumble Route Profile you will see only a couple of 'small' bumps nearing the end...the first of these humps was at Nunnington, its one of those very long slogs, one which would be very easily ascended in normal conditions but here it was starting to become very uncomfortable. I felt not too bad here but I noticed that Luke had started to fall back slightly and John was putting a pace in, we descended rather steeply off this and Luke asked "how long to the finish?", I replied "probably around 5 miles or so".
We then made our way to Hovingham where it seemed like we were cycling up the driveway of Buckingham Palace or some other grand illustrious gardens, but fairly shortly the gorgeous gardens turned into a most horrid enormous leg sapping grind. John and Ashley were hammering up here and I could see Luke was starting to really suffer, I stayed with Luke and just tried to 'talk' him through this last hurdle, John and Ashley were around 100 meters up font...as we crested that last grind we all regrouped. It was here it decided to start snowing, and I mean real snow. Luke asked again "How long now?", I asked local lad John how long it would be. John's answer, "Maybe 5 miles?" - that felt like a death blow. I had just told Luke it was around 5 miles about 5 miles ago! Nothing for it though and we were all running low on reserves so it was just a case of getting on with it. We came into a little village and there was a Stone Sign saying 'GILLING'...we had thought at one point that Gilling was a mirage and it was never really there! We then took the small turn off for the steep and fairly cruel small hairpin 15-20% climb back up to the Castle.
SUMMARY
I believe a massive plus for this ride is the traffic and general road structure and surfaces, the whole of the NY Moors is littered with gorgeous small country lanes which are very well surfaced. There's hardly any traffic at all...on this whole 116 mile Sportive you will be on a 'A' road for around 2 miles max...the other 114 miles will be on blissful country lanes with high hedgerows passing through quaint little villages with thatched roofs.
The scenery is tremendous, there's no other place like the NY Moors in all the UK...and in July the heather will be in full purple bloom - sensory overload! Its so remote,quiet and peaceful up on them moors. You'll be overwhelmed with the sheer vastness of it all.
The route:- The Rumble Organisers have created a route which is as demanding as any sportive should ever be, the climbs of Boltby Bank / Blakey Bank / Rosedale Chimney Bank are off the very toughest pedigree that the area (or any other area) can offer, and its not just steep climbing, the route is intertwined with long mesmerising moor climbs, and stunning landmarks like Byland Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and the White Horse of Kilburn. I've cycled extensively in the NY Moors I reckon this route captures all the area has to offer, a great blend of scenery, visitor attractions and of course brutal ascents! And you can opt for any one of 3 routes, all with varying degrees of difficulty to suit different abilities and aspirations.
Sun 27/07/2008 - Ryedale Rumble
The sister event of The White Rose Classic has evolved with more hills and more rider cossetting.
Starts:
27/07/2008 07:00:00
Difficulty: Advanced
St Martin's, Ampleforth Preparatory School
Gilling Castle, Gilling East,
North Yorkshire,
YO62 4HP
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