| Date: | Saturday 19th, June 2010 |
|---|---|
| From: | Manchester |
| To: | Sheffield |
| Mileage: | 51.51 miles |
| Ascent: | 2477 ft |
| Total miles to date: | 294.34 miles |
| Total ascent to date: | 11,652 ft |
Manchester to Sheffield
OK, so the pleasant evening in the pub watching the football didn’t quite work out thanks to Wayne Rooney and his misfiring team mates, but this morning did, as advertised, dawn as the last day of our ride.
Breakfast though, revealed a group of very weary riders, with everybody complaining of aches and pains following yesterday’s mammoth effort. For Richard Moss it was all over, as he reluctantly pulled out from the ride. A visit to the doctors revealed he was suffering from both shingles and tonsillitis, so clearly the right decision had been made, notwithstanding his disappointment.
For the rest of the riders it was up and away for the final time, leaving Premier Inn Heaton Park (I had to give them a plug as they were fantastically accommodating to us, treating us like VIPs from start to finish, thanks from all the team) as we set out through west Manchester out towards Audenshaw and on towards Stockport before heading west to Marple.
The riding was tough on busy city streets, stopping constantly at lights, but slowly but surely the roads quietened as we headed out through New Mills and Furness Vale, including the short sharp shock of the aptly named ‘Dan Hill’.
A final charge into Buxworth and we were met by members of Dan’s family as we lunched at his Aunt’s house, and for this rider at least the great feeling of seeing my wife and kids again after nearly a week away. We were also joined at this point of the ride by Dan’s cousin Dave for the last afternoon – a fair effort as he had driven from Kent that morning, parked in Sheffield then ridden over to meet us!
The morning had been mostly steady and flat, but the final afternoon included a couple of stings in the tail and the first came just a few miles after lunch. The climb out of Chapel-en-le-Frith up the A6187 was not the steepest climb we’d attempted all week, but it was long and seemed to drag on forever. But digging in, spinning a tempo and a healthy amount of banter saw even the most tired riders to the top. Indeed, by now the atmosphere and excitement amongst the riders resembled the first morning.
Following the epic descent of The Strines, a 20% ‘fall off a cliff’, which tested both nerves and brakes, we pedalled on through Castleton and the Hope Valley, joining up with roads we had trained on during the past six months, heading for our last stop in Hathersage.
With several of the rider living in this area and the coffee shop having been a regular stop on training rides, a fantastic crowd greeted us as we arrived in Hathersage with great cheers as we rolled in for our final coffee and cake stop of the week. More of the riders were reunited with their families and a party feel ensued until, for the last time, the call of “saddle up” went out.
Now Hathersage is a lovely place, I really recommend you visit, but what it does have is a ruddy great hill to get out of it! This was the last hurrah, the final climb and we toiled and sweated and puffed and ached our way up it until all that was left, save a few small lumps in Sheffield, was a gentle downhill ride towards the finish.
Even so, there was still time for a little last minute excitement, as myself and Glan Saxton narrowly avoided disaster with a car that pulled out of a side road without looking, quickly followed by a puncture. But we all trundled down to Hunter’s Bar and rose towards the hospital as a group, with Dan leading the way.
Following a minor confusion - when everyone realised we didn’t know exactly which way we should be approaching the finish (!), quickly resolved by a call to the crew - came the moment we’d been riding towards.
Dan led the riders into Weston Park Hospital to rapturous applause from the waiting crowd. After 294 miles it was over. Champagnes was sprayed, loved ones reunited, beers sunk and backs slapped. Everybody agreeing, without exception, that we’d had an experience of a lifetime.
All that was left now was to party the night away at the first every Danny Porter Foundation Charity Dinner & Auction.Hathersa
Stuart Grainger
