It was my initial intention to take on four climbs on Dartmoor; Rundlestone, Dartmeet, Widecombe and Haytor Vale. As it turned out I only managed the first three. My knee started hurting on the Widecombe climb and I thought it was better to end the days riding on a high rather than grovelling my way up to Haytor Vale with a knackered knee.
Rundlestone
I started out early and
was on the base of the first climb up to Rundlestone by 8am. The
weather was a bit chilly but otherwise perfect for a days riding on
Dartmoor. There was a bit of a breeze but nothing too strong. I
figured Rundlestone would be the longest climb of the day so it was
good to get it out of the way first.
The gradients encountered on the road up to the top of Rundlestone aren't necessarily that steep. I think they top out at around 13% This is a long climb however and the steeper sections go on for long enough to start sapping your energy the further you climb.
The views up the top
were spectacular and unlike my last attempt when low cloud obscured
the view of pretty much everything I was able to spot the
transmission mast that marked the top of the climb pretty early on. I
could also spot the long stretch of road snaking its way up to it as
well unfortunately which was a bit off putting. I've never ridden up
Mount Ventoux but I reckon Rundlestone may be the South West
equivalent.
Apart from being passed
by some ultra fit roadies on carbon fibre road bikes I was the only
cyclist on the hill and there weren't any pensioners on shopping
bikes to over take me this time around. There was only the sound of
bird song, the wind, my gasping for breath and a squeaky pedal cleat
to distract me from the task at hand.
As I reached the top
the gradient slackened off and with a final click up a couple of
gears I was at the summit of the climb which is marked by the start
of a private road leading to the communications mast. It took me much
longer than the twenty eight minutes Simon Warren managed it in but
that came as no surprise. I get the impression he is fitter and
ligher than me.
I didn't film much of
the descent as I wanted to conserve the battery in my helmet camera
for later in the day so you'll just have to take my word for it when
I say the views on the way back down to Tavistock were stunning,
especially at high speed.
Starting off early
meant I could get back to the car in Tavistock and make a move
towards the second climb of the day at Dartmeet before the traffic in
Tavistock got too bad. Don't get me wrong, I like the place but there
are so many pedestrian crossings it sometimes seems to be down to
luck as to whether you can actually escape the place.
Dartmeet
The drive across
Dartmoor to Dartmeet was great fun. It was such a clear day you could
see for miles and blanket speed limit of 40mph suits my underpowered
little Fiat. Not sure some of the impatient motorists who passed me
would agree. It was good to see lots of other cyclists out on
Dartmoor as my drive to Dartmeet went on. It was also good to see
most of them were struggling with the gradients as well.
Dartmeet is an ancient
little place on a crossing of the River Dart. You descend into
Dartmeet via a steep road, cross over a little stone bridge and the
climb starts straight away. There is a car park at the bottom but I
thought I would try the tactic of driving to the car park at the top.
It would give me a chance to recce the climb and have something to
aim at up top, namely my lunch.
The climb up from
Dartmeet is only short. It starts off at a 20% and stays there but
there are plenty of bends in the road to help you break up the climb
into manageable chunks. After parking up and rolling down the hill I
tried to warm up a bit in a big car park in the bottom. As soon as I
rumbled over the cattle grid at the foot of the climb it became
apparent it hadn't done much to help. I was soon in bottom gear and
gurning like a fool as I span my way up to the top.
Having the car parked
at the top proved to be a real advantage. It meant I knew exactly how
far I had to go and psychologically it gave me a bit of a boost as
the only way I could get to my car and move on to the next climb was
to get to the top of the hill. It is a tactic I'll be using on other
climbs where it is possible.
The climb up from Dartmeet was over relatively quickly. It isn't that long a climb and after a brief rest and a look at the scenery at the top it was back into the car and onto Widecombe-in-the-Moor for climb number three.
Widecombe
Widecombe in the Moor is a pretty little place seemingly populated exclusively by coffee shop staff as I don't think I saw a single building there that wasn't used to sell hot drinks and cream teas. I can't imagine they all commute there as Widecombe is hardly easy to get to. The climb out of the village is slightly less appealing on the eye and rises up in plain site as you drive through the village. In fact it is a rather daunting site. Having covered a few miles in the car after an early morning start I was starting to feel a bit knackered and the Widecombe climb had last hill of the day written all over it. It was another 20% gradient hill and as I got my bike out of the car at the top of the hill I realised I would be pushing my luck, and my knee, if I tried to tackle the Haytor Vale climb as well.
A high speed ride down the hill into the village was followed by a quick turnaround where I stopped briefly to turn on my helmet camera and then straight back up again. Well, straight back up with a bit of zigzagging thrown in. Maybe its just me but some hills with a gradient of 20% seem steeper than others. The fact that the whole climb is there for you to see as you attempt to winch your way up it is also slightly off putting. At least on Dartmeet I had a pleasant valley to ride up through with lots of bends to hide some of the gradient. On the Widecombe climb there is no hiding place and as I reached the top I was going so slowly I was only technically a cyclist because I was on a bike. Walking would have been faster. Knowing my car was parked just over the final rise did help keep me going but it didn't help me go any faster. Chris Boardman when he was at the height of his powers climbed Widecombe in four minutes ten seconds according to the little black book of pain. I don't think the local buses that were going up and down the hill could manage that time. I certainly couldn't (not that I was trying). My knee had started throbbing half way up and as I reached the car I decided that Haytor Vale had better wait for another day. Best not to push my knee too far too soon.
Still, three climbs
ticked off the list in one day and some fantastic weather and scenery
to ride through means I'm pretty pleased with how the day went. The
Dartmeet and Widecombe videos will be up in the next couple of days
once I can get my video editing software to stop crashing.
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