What the...Hills (continuation)

Flash was followed, on the eastern side of the A53, by two successive 12%+ hills at Gamball's Green, the first of which I conquered thanks in no small part to a particularly vocal (and I may add, ugly) canine's impressive display of fangs and barking ability; the second I barely got over only because a particularly lovable car driver was breathing down my neck as I inched my way up.

(Above: Gamball's Green)

Crossing Staffordshire into Derbyshire, I reached Buxton after a few more uneventful miles.

(Above: Buxton)

The water was so popular, they named a town after it. Seriously though, Buxton is a handsome town with Roman footprints all over it. A sense of deja vu overhelmed me, reinforced by the Georgian buildings, the spa waters, and a crescent: Bath Lite is what it was. There was a lot to see in Buxton, but I've got miles to go before...(you know the rest). After a short break and a cursory tour of the place, I moved on.

(Above: The Buxton Crescent, built in 1780-90 to rival Bath's Royal Crescent)
(Below: The attractive restored Opera House)

I then took a road southeast of Buxton more or less in parallel with the A515. It was also the first time in a while that I've had a chance to use my 53 x 14 for an extended stretch. After a singularly ugly climb out of Brierlow Bar on the B5053, the landscape reverted from rural to rugged, climbing in and out of deep canyons presumably carved by the network of rivers in the area.

(Below: At the top of an uphill towards Longnor, on the B5053)

Needless to say, I was, at this point, totally "knackered," as the English might say. Overextending myself had been such a defining feature of my personality, but going on a ride as hard as this at my current state of cycling fitness was ridiculous even by my standards.

(Above: Near Glutton Bridge. Even the roads had their opinion of me...)

I'd covered 50 miles and 6,500 feet of elevation on 3 hours of stationary-bike training. I imagined myself some doomed character from a Euripidean or an Aeschylean tragedy, being punished by the Olympian gods for my hubris. "Just let me finish this ride...," I pleaded to no one in particular, "...and I promise to ease into things from now on." Ha! Who was I kidding? Take away my impetuousness and you'd be left with someone whose idea of a long ride is an 8-mile ride around a reservoir. On a mountain bike. With a picnic spread waiting at the finish. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I was in the midst of these fatuous musings when a peloton of about 40 grim-faced racers came flying down a hill. With about 10 miles to go, they looked so strong.

(Above: And down the stretch they come...)

I entered the final phase of my route after a right turn from Longnor for what looked like, on paper at least, a straight shot across to the A53. But the road was a mocking procession of at least 5 hills of equal length and steepness. Not too steep, mind you, just pesky. Soon I was back in the River Dane area at Greens and into Cheshire. It was deja vu all over again as I climbed up a 10% hill I enjoyed descending several hours ago. The flashback-in-reverse continued on the run back to Macclesfield. I next climbed a long, steep--and horribly busy--stretch of the A54 between Allgreave and Brooms. But all good things come to an end and I darted out of the A54 into the straight road to Sutton, from where I practically freewheeled back to Macclesfield. WHEW!!!

(Above: One in a series of interminable and identical hills on the road from Longnor to the A53)

Post Scriptum: It dawned at me that the secret to enjoyable riding in the Peak District and its steady diet of short and steep climbs is recovery. The hills come fast and furious that one's legs only has the ensuing short descent to get ready for the next burst of effort. The hills were not very protracted--the peaks themselves top out at 1,300-1,600 feet, and the roads carved into them a couple of hundred feet lower; thus a climb would rarely gain altitude in excess of 300-400 feet. But grades of 10%, 12%, and even 15% were very common, putting a premium on leg strength.

Last Updated: May 16, 1999