by the Londoner
📏Distance: 170 miles ⏱️ Duration: 3 to 5 days 🚴 Difficulty: Expert 🚲 Terrain: Road and Gravel
One can mark his fortieth birthday in a number of ways: get an orange McLaren or a red Ferrari (or any other sports car for that matter); Get a tattoo/body pierced (or any other regrettable decision); An intoxicating weekend in Vegas; A boozy weekend in the Scottish Highlands; Or simply take your group of cyclists, and make them go through 280km in three days.
As you may have guessed, the latter is exactly what we did. The Londoner takes his ill-trained cycling group to a particularly tough cycling trip, on the first weekend of July. And yes - it probably took a few weeks of recovery to share the event with you. Three days of riding, from coast to coast through little under 6,000 feet of climbes at the Yorkshire Hills. Way of the Roses - a journal.
What is the Way of the Roses
The reason this cycling route is called the Way of the Roses, is due to the fact it connects the city of Lancaster - the House of the Red Rose with York - the House of the White Rose. The War of the Roses was the facto the first English civil war, between the Houses of Lancaster and York, that started in 1455, and ended only in 1487. It was bloody and full of intrigue, deceptions and changing allegiances, which makes GoT look about as silly as Love Island.
The strongest Lancaster kings were Henry IV and V (the latter won the Hundred Years' War at the famous Battle of Agincourt against the French). However, when Henry V died, his son Henry VI, who ascended the throne as a baby, was surrounded by regents and his reign was marked by instability and the loss of most of the English territory in France.
The next thirty years in England were marked by a bitter civil war: Margaret, Henry's mum on the one hand and Richard Duke of York who had a claim to the crown and also managed to get killed in one of the battles, on the other. Later, Richard's son - the new Duke of York - Edward (who was also appointed king at some point) took it upon himself to complete the mission. A change of allegiances, out of which the prize for the most treacherous one goes to the Earl of Warwick, who betrayed the Yorks and made an alliance with the House of Lancaster. Later, the execution of Henry VI, the coronation of Edward's brother (who was also killed) as king - Richard III (the bloke from "A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!") And finally the rebellion of Henry Tudor.
Henry VII ended the War of the Roses by defeating Richard at the Battle of Bosworth, marrying Edward's daughter and forming House of Tudor with the Red & White rose. hurrah!. And for those of you who aren't satisfied with this extensive state of play - Shakespeare wrote a lot about this all ordeal, feel free to browse through his writings.
D Day minus one
The journey north towards Morecambe begins on a Thursday. The Londoner and his friends are schlepping quite the gear to Euston Station. It turns out that places for bikes need to be prebooked even with East Anglia, but miraculously all the pairs find a place on the 3pm train.
Just before Lancaster there's another surprise for the future peloton: most trains from Lancaster to Morecambe are canceled. And so, the three guys (one is already there and two more are on the way) have to cycle five unexpected miles, bags and all, to reach the desired destination.
Morecambe is a beautiful seaside town, whose main artery is the waterfront. Equipped with a wide promenade, it hosts the ITV crime drama - The Bay, and even the future peloton had to concede their evening walking route to the filming crew.
The group takes a pass on the restaurant of the prestigious Midland Hotel, the most prominent Art Deco hotel in Europe, due to "tired looking" food. They return for dinner at the excellent Morecambe Hotel, the gastropub which is the house pub of the UFC fighter Tyson Fury, who has adopted the town as his first home.
Day 1 - 63 Miles to Pateley Bridge
The first day begins placidly. The hotel staff wakes up early for the group's benefit, in order to give us breakfast ahead of the other guests influx. Our departure is delayed, last night's beer and wine taking their toll (bad idea). Under gloomy skies, the group finds the starting point of the next 170 miles, and poses for the camera with the event's kits (brilliantly custom made online on Owayo without any designer fees that the big brands charge) .
The tradition of dipping the rear wheel in the ocean is avoided due to the crazy low tide, which brought the sea back about a mile. R, who is still in a good mood, sprays some puddle water on the Londoner. Okay, enough play, Common!
The first 12 miles, along river Lune , through Lancaster, pass like a breeze. ”I told you it's an easy route,” the Londoner shows off on a picturesque bridge, about five miles before the beginning of the ascent to the formidable Yorkshire Hills. The ascent to Hornbey is still bearable, 500 feet above sea level with a good amount of sheep constantly bleating (As was Y for some strange reason...). Meanwhile, the weather is getting a little clearer and warmer.
The ascent to Clapham is also okay, at least another 500 feet. The Colombian suffers his first puncture which is quickly repaired by a nice assistance car operator who precedes his group of women on road bikes, who have not yet been seen on the horizon. The same affable Englishman will meet the group after the next draining climb of 800 ft. "Climbing's done for today right?" the Londoner naively asks him, a question which brought a wide breamed smile on the Englishman's face: "well you still got Settle, don't you?" He laughs and offers us a drink. Check him out if you're planning a trip, he earned our gratitude by helping and well deserves the mentioning - Mark from Velo Coaching.
Settle is a sleepy town that will be remembered forever in the peloton's nightmares. The steep ascent - 12% gradient - ends at about 1,300 feet above sea level. The group also meet here the guys with the white shirts from the Hull Cycling Club who will play with the gang a game of Cat and Mouse for the next two days, hereinafter "the white shirted beer-bellies".
And if you thought that was the end of the climbs - think again. The climb to Cracoe is a relatively simple, 245 ft, But the ascent to the summit leading to Pateley Bridge another is 740' that for some reason no other blog mentions. The advice is not to do the descent to Pateley Bridge when it's raining. You easily reach a speed of 30/40 mph, and it's on a major road with -18% gradient slope. Beware.
The scheduled arrival of 5pm ran two hours late, and the Harefield Hall Hotel's dinner certainly justifies itself as the best in the area. The peloton manages to stir up the place with an iPad showing footy, Italy vs Belgium, in the Euros quarter finals. They also crash a next-door-table engagement proposal, the couple didn't imagine that the happy event would be overshadowed by six cyclists of different nationalities.
Yesterday's evening lesson had been well learned - one beer is enough, make the bike lighter for tomorrow, and hop on to bed. That's along with Bengay's deep heat treatment.
Day 2 - 67 Wet Miles in the Yorkshire Plains
The peloton starts the second day with premature optimism in regards to the cloudy skies and the forecast, but as they climb out of Pateley Bridge - the downpour begins, and it seems like it's going to be one of those days, when everything, but everything - is wet.
The rain calmed down a bit towards the next massive ascent - a whopping 19% gradient over 400 feet, followed by rollercoaster descents after moderate ascents, towards - you guessed it - a town called Watergate. The descent / ascent parade continues on till Ripon, a place where the Colombian (who experienced another puncture yesterday, this time without the help of the kind Englishman) had to buy new tyres. H (not the notorious Line of Duty one) brings on tomatoes, peppers, bananas, apples and dates from Ripon's farmers market, and the group enjoys a respite from the rain in front of the cathedral. Ripon is the smallest town in Yorkshire, but is well equipped to be a stopping point.
When the white shirted Beer-Bellies cycle past the square shouting "Why don't you guys rest a bit" while waving goodbye, the group realises it's time to give another push and leaves the Colombian to catch up (don't worry, he has such abilities).
After an intense ride at a pace that would not embarrass an experienced peloton of about 25 mph (and a reunion with the Colombian), the loss of the main road, and the help of an old school map (since the rain locked the Londoner's mobile), the group realises that the hourglass is running out for Y.
Y, the optimist needs to get to York by 3pm, to hand over his Fit to Fly PCR test, as he has a flight to catch in two days. And if you think this is cutting it fine, that's exactly the moment that R disappeared.
A wet WhatsApp chat reveals that R found the Dunesforde winery, whose vineyards were planted in what is now the northernmost wine making region in England. The winery has only been around for about five years, and is trying to make Tuscan-style wines. When negotiations with R stagnate, the group decides to split up - two guys stay behind with R, taste some wines and mostly are tasked woth making sure he gets back on the saddle, while the Londoner and the Colombian accompany Y on an intensive ride towards York.
It’s hard to describe the moment of entry into York, after 50 odd miles of wet riding. The Way of the Roses becomes one with the zigzaging road of Rawcliffe Park and heads on to the town center via the river Ouse. The feeling that surrounds the Londoner and the Colombian as they pass through the city walls is supreme. They are elated as they navigate - wet and breathless - among the thousands of people who fill the alleys of the city, Covid or not. Yes, York is such a place - happy and full of life, bridging the gap between the historical heaviness and the English girls who walk around on a rainy day in minimal attire.
In 1068 the city saw a vigorous suppression of the Northern revolt against the Normans, by William the Conqueror. In 1199 the Jews of York were massacred and about 150 of them were killed, in what would become the first deportation of the Jews in England. It also saw bloodshed in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and again in the reforms of Henry VIII. In 1644, during the English Civil War, York was a stronghold of the Monarchists, and bloody battles took place around it.
It's hard to put this history in today's context: York has been named the safest city for travelers by Condé Nast magazine, and 92% of its residents have expressed satisfaction with life in it, in a 2018 government survey. In 2021 Londoner and the Colombian found here Cresci, a real Neapolitan pizza place with friendly staff that allowed them to dry out their wet gloves on top of the pizza oven. Cold Morety and superb pizza, while the duo awaits the rest of the peloton members. The second day is almost over, one last effort and that's it.
This last effort into Pocklington wasn't easy. Although the rain stopped, the beer & pizza lay heavy on the guys' bellies, the rest cooled them down, and the 11 miles to Pocklington broke the bunch's spirit. There were some nice gravel roads, and for the first time the Londoner's Specialized Diverge was an advantage. The light at the end of the tunnel was a prebooked massage with Amanda from "Peace of Mind". She runs her own business and waited for our late arrival on a Saturday eve - absolutely brilliant, give her a shout if you're around.
Day 3 - Final 43 Miles
The third day started lazily, the weather was good enough, but K, one of the peloton members quits over injury, and it hits the morale of the gang. The climb to Huggate is the last serious climb of this route (well, there were a few smaller climbs towards the end, but hey - we're pro now), and the last two days had taken their toll. The knees of two members of the group are having a hard time coping with this 580 steady ascent.
Parking next to the grazing bulls (and perhaps the choice of red riding jerseys for the last day was not the best), the gang manages to reenergize and keep on the hard 15 miles. As we ditch the rain clouds, the sun is blazing, and the route turns "London flat". The main roads turn into quiet country roads, allowing a paced ride.
A stop for one last coffee on the road (a watered down perfect coffee, in a place that only ever meets cyclists) and the group continues. The hills have long since disappeared in favor of farmland, and occasionally the peloton members are forced to cross a railroad track, in scenes that seem to have been taken from the movie "Stand By Me". A good decision by R to leave the photo-op before the train passed bye, and we keep on going.
A small ascent in Burton Agnes area and the affable Englishman and his peloton of "biking women" catch up with us towards the end of the route. Well done to them, they've taken on this route bravely and seem to have complained much less than our peloton.
.
I wonder if when Napoleon entered Paris victorious, he felt as elated as the group felt at the entrance to Bridlington, and to be precise - on the way down to the coast, to the end point. The Londoner and Colombian leave the group behind and cycle all the way into the sea. After drying their feet, the group takes its victory photo (see above), and sits down to eat fish and chips with a Coke, which at this point tastes absolutely delicious. Until our ride comes back to take us back to the train in York - the peloton members congratulate the Beer-bellies on their arrival (with a little "what took you so long" banter) and discuss the route with a young brother and sister who did it in just two days. Respect.
In York we will catch the rain which we managed to ditch roughout this perfect day, and wait for our London-bound train at the grey York station with quite a few rounds of G&T.
During three days we cycled through 170 miles (or more if you count Thursday), with climbs of about 5,900 ft in total. In the last two days we have cycled 177 km, while in the corresponding stage of the Tour de France they did "only" 175 ...
Did it give us increased self-confidence, or a sense of success? The answer to this question is individual to each and one of the peloton members. Indeed, at the age of 40, we set a goal of doing one of the hardest (and most beautiful) ways in England, and we made it. It took a lot of willpower, true grit and mostly friendship (because the muscles were long gone somewhere in Settle). until next time!
Some insights for those of you who wish to take on the Way of the Roses:
- Use a licensed company that will move your stuff around from one hotel to the next and provide assistance if needed (We used Pedal Power, who were spot on). If you can afford it (or a large group) use a license assistance operator, such as Velo Coaching).
- You're not going to be ready by cycling in London, without doing serious hill climbing. Our group meets every Sunday for a 15-30 mile ride, and we were still not ready. At some point the muscles fail, so make sure you're mentally ready to keep going despite that. Remember that pushing the bike uphill on foot is nothing to be ashamed about, but make sure you do practice at least four months in advance, on a weekly basis!
- Do it Eastbound. We can't think of what would have happened to us mentally if after two long days of flatland we were to encounter the Yorkshire Hills. There's a reason why most people do it from West to East.
- Be ready for every possible weather. It's England. We got four seasons over three days. When it's pouring - no waterproof will stay waterproof, so have plenty of changing attire.
- Bring nappy cream. You can thank me later.
- Good luck!
More Photos:
