Something was going around my mind all the times I have been watching your videos Leonard, but I was not able to pinpoint it. Finally today I did figure out, you are the @savagegeese of cycling. Superb videography, super sound mixing and of course the calm wording. Excellent job, thanks for your work looking forward to your videos.
We've got some tough climbs in the MidAtlantic of the US, Leonard. They don't hit the 20 percent mark but go on for two miles or more at 12-18 percent. Adding the distance makes it harder as you have to add stamina to the mix for making it up. Great video, sir.
I think the two stages in Yorkshire in 2014 are still two of my favorites. Especially stage 2. It was epic. Only bummer was Cav crashing out. Cheers Leonard and great video!
I've only recently discovered your videos - they are a joy to watch,so scenic( I must admit I watch things like the Giro as much for the scenery as the racing). I know the Whitby area very well as I play at the folk festival there every year but dont get much chance to cycle there. Near where I live in Leeds is Otley, which always features in the Tour de Yorkshire and has produced some fine cyclists. There's a hard climb there called Norwood Climb, going out of town towards Harrogate. This is the one I test myself on - I can get up it,just about, but it's a killer - it has sections of around 17%,near the bottom, so it demolishes your confidence before you start,as it's quite long. Beautiful area though and not much traffic. By the way, Yorkshire is a big county, and there are areas of it that are VERY flat - round Goole,Selby,York for example. Thanks again for the inspiring videos!
Hi Gloria, thanks for the comment. It’s no secret that I love Yorkshire. You are lucky to live there. Next time you are in Whitby, take an extra couple of days and bring your bike. I’ve also seen the flatter parts of the county: I was at uni in Hull and used to cycle around The area- Beverly, Cottingham, etc.
having done all the climbs in northumbria, north pennines, ny moors, dales, lakes, my top 8 for toughness are... hardknott, wrynose, great dunn fell, chimney, caper hill, blakey bank, the struggle, park rash.
The satisfaction I get from cycling Leonard is just to get on my bike and ride I have learned to accept my older age now and not to bust my guts out on those long hard long climbs. I still take on the 5-6% but keep a good eye on my heart rate etc. We went out last month with the group and had some challenging 10-12% climbs I made it ok but decided to cut back on these challenges and just enjoy my cycling. I think sometimes you need to accept your limitations. A great vlog Leonard I always look forward to watching. Cheers.
Very good philosophy, Allan. I too sometimes go out for a flattish ride just to enjoy the cycling but living where I do on the edge of the South Downs a hill is never far away.
Great overview of some tough climbs in the Yorkshire area! We have a couple on the Isle of Wight that almost rival this. They’re just inland from the Randonee route as it goes through Ventnor... circa 1.5 km at 10-14% with 25%+ sections... only for those with a screw loose like me 😂
Excellent video Leonard. I've been down the Rosedale Chimney on a loaded touring bike (Trek 520 would you believe?) and found that going out the other side of Rosedale is a climb almost as bad I ended up using the 24" gear (2 feet) for most of it.
HI Leonard, absolutely superb video. I seem to read a lot of murder mysteries set in Yorkshire and this gives me a better idea of the terrain and towns. Also, some of my ancestors, in the 1800's, came to Canada from Yorkshire. One day I hope to visit., but, 33% grades are a lille beyond me😀
If you like reading novels set in Yorkshire, you should read Bram Stokers Dracula. It’s actually set in Whitby. I expect The Count would find the climbs fairly easy!
You want to check out a few in Lancashire too. The Rake in Ramsbottom, short and tortuous. And one I used to do when I was younger, Shaley Brow near St Helens, Max I believe is 30%
Absolutely love Whitby, I grew up around that area (live in the midlands now for my sins) Next time you're in the area Leonard get yourself out in the Danby direction on your bike you'll love it! Also the hill down Onto the sea front in Runswick bay is another short killer.
I just say managed it a few weeks ago on a ride from Scarborough to Saltburn... it’s worth pointing out I was on a XC Cannondale in the Granny gear all the way. Almost checked into St Oswald’s cemetery on the way up.
living in Yorkshire its savage whichever way you look at it. Boltby, Blakey, Hob hill ford, Tubs either way but, the UCI are going what I consider the easier way up, Grinton Moor, White Horse, Sutton bank, staxton all training hills for me but, the hill reps are done at Bulmer bank and Terrington.Just done the UCI stage course with Struggle events which was 127 miles (we are Brits!!!) with Cray, Tubs and Grinton thrown in for funTour De Yorkshire is next week which is 70 plus miles of climbing and should be a great rideThe struggle Dales is also coming up in may with the Moors in July they are great days out if your into climbingyour never more than a few miles from 20% plus in Yorkshire on any ridegreat Vid
love the climbs. I am by no means a climber but the science of suffering is part of the cyclists world. I am lucky that where I live has many tough climbs. I have never cycled in Yorkshire, but of course it's on the bucket list. the feeling of completing a major climb, pushing what you never thought you could, is when you find yourself.
@@jollygoodvelo I could do an 80 mile flat ride and not remember it. do a 20 mile ride with something juicy in the gradient department, remember it forever.
I live in France now, but even with all the great cycling to be done here, nothing beats my home county Yorkshire. I'm going back for a week as of tomorrow and on the 12th I'll be in Whitby!!! I'll raise my cup of tea to you Leonard while enjoying a fish and chip lunch at The Magpie 😋 hehe
I’m envious: living in France and then back to Whitby. Fish and chips in the Magpie- heaven! Make sure you have a pint in the Black Horse and a sticky bun in Sherlock’s, too! Have fun,
Great video and i love the drone footage. I have done buttertubs twice the first time i had to push for a small section so i had to go and do it again. But i have to say here in Cumbria we have our fair share of climbs that test the legs and make you wonder what the hell you are doing on a bike.
Thanks Ian. I would like to try that, although is already sounds pretty hard. I hear the Tour de Yorkshire will be going through Whitby again this year, although from the South this time and climbing up Lythe Bank.
Totally agree with you my family live in Whitby and I've cycled Blue Bank that was a killer. My Aunt lives behind Whitby in Littlebeck and that's a 33% hill out of there and I tried it and came off !!
We have family in York so spend some quality time in North Yorkshire. The road down to Robin Hoods bay gives you a burn walking back up let alone cycling. Some of the climbs in the area make me wonder how on earth they lay the tarmac let alone ride up it. But could these Yorkshire hill whippets do a 30 mph downhill slalom swerve shimmy to avoid the pony shite in the New Forest? I like to think not lol Great footage Leonard 👍🏻 Bram would be proud.
A small corner not many people outside Sheffield are aware of is Bradfield village and the villages nearby such as Ewden and Balderstone, it’s difficult as their are so many steep hills and they are long and impossible to avoid. 50kms of this and you do some serious climbing, it well worth a visit. Not too far away is Holme moss,Holmfirth then Halifax which has incredibly difficult climbs. I now reside in France and tell the locals of these climbs and it’s not until they look on strava do they realise.
Leonard, have you ever been into Robin Hood's Bay? A lovely little olde worldy place (at least in my memory) that I used to visit often though never on a bike. My grandad used to be the local bobby there so my Mum would love going back for visits and showing us where she would play etc. The main street walk from the bay to the town is steep and cobbled - it was hard enough walking up it.
Hi Charlie, I forgot that you are from around there. Didn’t know you grandad was the village bobby, though. I’ve been to Robin Hoods Bay many times but always in the car. As you say the walk back up is pretty tough.
I have quite low gears on most of my bikes, though climbs on an old 5 speed BSA Javelin were hard work. The Aberystwyth mountain road up to the top of the Elan Valley is quite a long climb with 900 feet of elevation over 3 and a half miles, starting off gradual and getting quite steep though I could just about keep a 30/32 going at 90 rpm for a time trial. On my other road bike I have a 24/34 so I can take my time on the climbs
Nice video sir leonard I enjoy climbing mountains if only given a chance go to uk or europe to climb, there I dont have money to travel. For mean the mean time I will enjoy here in Philippines :)
I’ve walked from Whitby to Robin Hood Bay and back, about 14 miles and walking up the steep hill in Robin Hood Bay is bad enough so I can’t imagine cycling up it. 😳
Hi Leonard. Your in God’s country up here. Ps it’s my-tham-royd. Then we scoff Teacakes. Love the drone shots over Whitby. What month do you visit? Kim
Try Cumbria or Devon, they ae just as tough - Porlock Hill in Somerset is one, (Not the toll Road) and in Cumbria Honister and Hardknott are pretty hard.
"That's not just me in my capacity as a sack of custard talking" Hahaha. Hey! I resemble that comment! =D Yeah...I'm not that tough. There is a hill near here called Theta. Last time I tried to ride up it I fell off my bike. Sooooo...yeah, I'm not great at hills. =D
I live in Suffolk so a speed bump classes as a climb here but a few times a year when we visit our daughter down in Somerset I head over the the Quantock hills a small area that really packs a climbing punch, there is a shortish route I do of 39kms which has a total climb of 1100m the second to last climb being crowcombe hill topping off at 30% with a liberal scattering of steep 20% climbs, if your ever in that area I would give the mendips a miss due to the volume of traffic and head over to the Quantocks if anyone wants the route let me know and I will give you the Strava link
I’ve seen some of the climbs down there and they scare me stuff! Just over the border in Devon they are just as scary. Have a look around Linton/ Linmouth.
Living in the Nederlands I can't climb :( Can you recommend a part of the UK which is going to challenge but be kind (so not Norfolk and not Yorkshire) - I'm planning a summer trip. I was totally spanked in Torquay/Dartmooor in January.
I think the Dutch can be pretty effective climbers. If you are looking for somewhere in the UK to ride that isn't too difficult, my part of the world is not a bad choice. Base yourself in a town called Petersifeld and you can ride the South Downs and coast.
Rode up that hill many times when i was younger. Had to turn around once just over 3/4 of the way up to help push my mate up who was in tears struggling. He was training for the TV programme Gladiators at the time
25 - 30% climbs are not for sports riders. You can climb them in low gears as long as they aren't very long. Locally most climbs are not over 12% for short and repetitive instances of several tens of yards. There is one 1/4th mile 23% climb but I 'm at my limit until the last 100 feet when it reduces to 13%. The young men will often do repeats on this but I've never seen more than three. So these ultra-steep climbs should be reserved for those with younger hearts. I can still remember doing a ride up some residential streets a couple of miles from home that are perhaps 30% for a half mile or more but at 77 now I couldn't do that without injuring myself and with age usually grows wisdom and I want to continue to ride. Several of the group have ridden too hard and damaged their hearts. I am not that silly. Always ride within your capabilities. 118,000 feet of climbing this year is good enough.
Another fantastic video Leonard, makes me proud to be a Yorkshire man. Don't know if you have watched it but there is a good video of the coast to coast in a day we did the other week finishing in Whitby, some good drone footage also me and my pals at the end hoisting our bikes in celebration facebook.com/watch/?v=2425949941021899
40 miles from me... www.strava.com/segments/614827 Google maps... goo.gl/maps/MkXU3WyBF8p At mile marker 1.6 at exactly 3867 feet up a 112.5% grade and another exactly same grade buster at 3933 feet. I have driven it in a car and I was scared I would flip the car over backwards. The KOM who broke the record, YESTERDAY!, that had stood for 4 years, must have balls made of carbon fiber, did it at an average of 9.7mi/h and producing 443w average and did it in 15:12, 46 seconds faster than the record that had been held for 4 years.
Hi Nathan, is that a typo- 112.5%?? I'm guessing its 12?? Some people just amaze me with their climbing ability. When you watch some of the Belgian Spring Classics and see professional riders walking up climbs because they are too steep and then you hear stories like this is can only make the likes of me stand in awe.
@@jollygoodvelo Nope that isn't a typo. Click the link above and move the line to exactly 3867 feet. Strava will say 112.5% grade, although this morning I can only get the pointer to 3881 and it says 78.9% grade. It is really a steep climb like 300 feet up in a distance of about 290 feet. It is difficult to drive a car up let alone walk or ride a bicycle up.
