Velotastic Peak District Riders Challenge
The Velotastic Peak District Riders Challenge
By Simon Whiten
Velotastic launch their Peak District Riders Challenge
Fancy taking on a bit of an extra training challenge sometime over the next few months?
Velotastic is based on the edge of the Peak District and it is where they do their riding and test their products. The area has some ‘stunning rides and cracking climbs’ that though not particularly long, are steep and relentless; we can attest to the fact that there there is not much flat riding in the Peak District…
So Velotastic have set up a challenge ride as a way of showcasing what the area has got to offer and to give you a reason to visit the Peak District. The premise of the Velotastic Peak District Riders Challenge is to ride fourteen of their favourite climbs – some well known, some were the area’s best kept secrets, and all are on tarmac so can be ridden on a racing bike – in one day, naturally also travelling between each one by bicycle.
There is no prescribed route so that part of the fun of the Velotastic Peak District Riders Challenge is meant to be going back to basics and getting your map out.
The Velotastic Peak District Riders Challenge can be started and finished whereever you want, doing the climbs in any order and riding any legal route between them. In total there’s over 200 km of riding and 3,700 metres of climb, depending on the route taken, so they promise a good day in the saddle.
Veotastic are obviously counting on you using Strava (with the superb derivative Veloviewer with whom they set-up the challenge) or similar to record your times.
The Climbs
The climbs are: Abney, Beeley, Cat & Fiddle, Curbar, Froggatt, Home Moss, Mam Nick, Monsal, Riber, Rowsely, Sir William, Snake, Strines, Winnats…
| Abney |
| 7 km, 274m, 3.5% avg. One of the Peaks hidden gems a lovely climb with nice views over to the Eastern Edges. |
| Beeley |
| 2.6 km, 182m, 7% avg. One of our regular climbs back over to Chesterfield. |
| Cat & Fiddle |
| 2.3km, 127m, 5.5%avg. One of the Peak District’s classic climbs. Very open with big sky views over large swathes of moorland. |
| Curbar |
| 1.6 km, 181m, 11.3% avg. A sharp (31.6%) start that eases off to a steady climb. |
| Froggat |
| 5.7 km, 251m, 3.9% avg. Sheffield’s answer to the Poggio. |
| Home Moss – |
| South 4.3 km, 206 m, 4.7% avg. This climb has an alpine feel to it and looks longer than it is. |
| or North |
| 4.7 km, 348m, 7.3 % avg. Used on the 2014 Grand Depart and used to be used on the Leeds Classic back in the 90′s this is one of the areas iconic climbs. |
| Mam Nick |
| 2.1 km, 206m, 9.7% avg. The back way up the shivering mountain – Mam Tor. |
| Monsal |
| 0.4 km, 63m, 14% avg. One of the Peak’s famous hill climbs. Has the added bonus of a café at the top. |
| Riber |
| 1.7 km, 148m, 8.6% avg. The figures hide a brutal climb that is that steep that on one section the path by the side of it conveniently has steps on it if you fancy a sit down. |
| Rowsley |
| 1 km, 139m, 13.3% avg. A little belter of a climb. Used in one of the early nineties editions of the Tour of Britain. |
| Sir William |
| 2.2 km, 218m, 10% avg. Avoided by a lot of local riders as it is a leg breaker on the bottom section. |
| Snake |
| 6.1 km, 348m, 5.7% avg. Another climb that’s got an alpine feel to it. |
| Strines (Ewden Bank) |
| 1km, 130m, 13.1% avg. Known locally as ‘deliverance’. Descended on the Grand Depart 2014. |
| Winnats |
| 1.9 km, 227m, 11% avg. A dramatic climb up a narrow pass. |
For more information see Velotastic
