The Calf and Bowderdale

Time has passed and the blog has been neglected Four weeks off the bike after the WildBoar 24 to recover from an overuse injury which flared up on my ankle and calf followed by miserable weather hardly proved inspirational. The injury made my training for Mountain Mayhem non-existent but I did manage to recover in time and make a show of sorts. I did start a report but it is still sat unfinished, a project for a rainy day perhaps…..

With the weather almost summer like of late we have enjoyed a decent ride or two. Last weekend saw us tackling High Street which was a great day out despite the summit being somewhat wintry. I took the easy option and got a lift home rather than riding back as intended- I was a little cold and damp. A far cry from the midweek Garburn ride which was much more to our liking

I suggested The Calf and Bowderdale ride for this weekend whilst enjoying a post ride pint of Hawkshead Gold at the Eagle and Child on Wednesday night. Pridds posted the ride up on the forum once it was decided to go ahead. It gathered a bit of interest and gained another number when Tom got in touch asking if I was up for a ride on Sunday. With eight of us and the weather looking favourable things were looking good.

Tom and myself were to ride to the Sedbergh meeting place, the 13 miles from my house involves good lump of climbing so I aimed to get away around 8.30 to allow us plenty of time to get there for ten. I needed to stop to adjust a cleat at the top of the Greyhound but we still managed to reach Sedbergh in little over an hour. With 30 minutes to kill we had a shopping spree in the Spar before finding a café for light refreshments. Whilst sipping my coffee and trying in vain to eat the large slice of carrot cake I saw they had maps on sale. After my last minute search for a paper map had been fruitless I thought it wise to buy one in case the GPS let me down and the others were relying on me for the navigation. I could have saved myself the expense- at the first “which way?” incident nearly everyone pulled out a map…….

We made way to Loftus Hill car park at ten and met Pridds, Stu and Steve. After introducing Tom and some pre-ride banter there was no sign of the others so I decided to check in the other car park. Sure enough Lisa, Jonboy and Matt were there. We made our way back to the proper meet point and after some last minute toilet trips we were off, the early morning cloud had burnt away and it was looking like it would be a scorcher. I had my winter gear in my pack just in case though.

After a short section of tarmac we were heading up the grassy slopes of Winder. The heat was already telling and with no shade on offer even Tom broke a sweat at one point I’m sure. A regroup at the top gave everyone a chance to catch their breath before we headed on upwards. Calders came into sight and looked a testing climb from distance- I had only ever ridden down it. Tom took the lead and for a short while I tailed behind him but soon ran out of lung power and took to pushing. Tom however powered on and cleaned the whole section, no mean feat given the steepness and also the loose surface near the top.

Stu managed to puncture yet again at Bram Rigg, he is having a bad run at the moment. We had carried on to the summit of the Calf as he repaired it. But after snapping off his valve he had to ring through for the cavalry to take him another. Pridds elected Tom We took time out for a spot of lunch and took in the distinctive dales views- the rolling grassy hills such a contrast to the more rocky Lake District to our West.

Refueled we set off on the long descent down Bowderdale. I seemed of been cursed with a serious case of rut phobia, and found myself with a complete lack of balance. When I needed a rut there was none there for me- on a fast section of singletrack my front wheel washed out and slid off the edge resulting in an abrubt stop as I hit the ground hard. My thumb got bent right back which was rather painful but everything else seemed fine and I gingerly set off again, taking a while to get any sort of rhythm back. We had a regroup around two thirds of the way down. Lisa was struggling a little but rode better than me at least making it own unscathed.

Eventually we hit tarmac and the grassy bridleways that took us round to Ravenstonedale. A welcome beer garden greeted us here and it seemed rude not to indulge, a pint of cider went down well but with hindsight a few miles down the road maybe wasn’t the best of choices. Snacks, drinks and even ice creams were enjoyed in our extended break with the sensible ones taking shelter from the blazing sun before we managed to drag ourselves away.

A few miles of tarmac beckoned which ended with a decent climb to burn off what we had just put back into our tanks. I wasn’t sure of what to expect with the bridleways which returned us to Sedbergh. The dry sunny conditions obviously made them much better than a wet and miserable day but they were a pleasant surprise with one section in particular being the highlight of the day. The swoopy section was fast and fun and the dark and technical drop through the woods grin inducing and despite its short length well worthy of a return sometime. The remaining miles were more of an undulation but were pleasant enough although maybe not for those who were tiring quickly in the afternoon heat but we managed to reach Sedbergh with everyone still pedaling.

After a quick debrief at the back of Matt’s camper Tom and myself bid our farewell’s and set off on our journey back to Kendal. The big slog backup towards the motorway seemed longer and steeper than it had as we flew down it in the morning but it was clinically dispatched before a quick refuel and the next short climb up to Roan Edge where we took a right turn to climb the bridleway over Lambrigg Fell. It was Toms first time on this btrail and he remarked it was just like Southern Scotland with the rolling hills and heather. It was certainly nice, my camera gave up the ghost which was a shame as it was a lovely evening to be there. The rocky descent back to tarmac provided the last thrills of the day before roads took us back to the top of The Greyhound for a fast descent back to Kendal.

A long day in the saddle with 50 miles and 6700feet of ascent making itself felt once back home. Providing my knee holds together (it started to hurt the last few miles) it should go some way to ensuring I survive more than a few hours at SITS which I stupidly entered solo after enjoying the WildBoar…..

Explore posts in the same categories: MTB