The Peaky Finder

Have I created a monster?

Yesterday was the first time, I actually mumbled ‘oh shit’ to myself when I rocked up at the Ashbourne Leisure Centre car park. As I turned in and the access road narrowed I was faced with a jam and a lot of riders milling around which gave it away. I did manage to probably get the last space but there were other riders that rocked up after me that had to find a space elsewhere. It was completely unexpected and a problem I didn’t forsee, so sorry to them if you missed out on the roll out. Obviously great so many turned out but it creates an extra headache for the next one….but for that there is always a plan 😉

I think a combination of the weather and the popularity of riding in the area just created a perfect storm and everyone decided to come along and give it a go which was ace to be honest. It was like a flash mob 🙂

I gave everyone a briefing on the steps to Leisure Centre like some leader lol. There were yet more newbies, which was great and even more women too and after the obligatory group photo x 3, as I couldn’t fit everyone in, I sent them on their way.

I’d hooked up with Claire and Grahame again for the day and we set off after the main peloton had departed. As we rolled through the tunnel and onto the Tissington Trail proper, I was surprised how quick the big group has dispersed.

Past the initial flurry of cyclists, walkers and runners the trail opened up and gave us time to soak up how good the weather was with clear blue skies and a light, fresh breeze just enough to keep the tights and gloves on.

It didn’t seem to take long to reach Tissington village where the trail car park had been completely refurbished and we exited left and took a right to descend to the ford and cross the B4056. Grahame and Claire opted to get wet feet. I chickened out and took the bridge.

Across the road, the next sector took us on a meander around the edge of a field before popping out on a the short road climb into the village of Bradbourne. From here we dropped and then climbed up to the outskirts of Carsington Water where we found some actual wet mud which was enough to christen Grahame’s brand-new gravel bike.

Hitting Carsington Water early doors I think was good call as I have no doubt it would have been pretty busy later on given the weather. You think a ride around the edge of a reservoir would be flat but not here. It’s peppered with little punchy climbs and descents to keep you working but the number of gates are a bit over the top in my opinion, especially if you’re trying to encourage cycling around there.

At the far NE end of the water we left the trail and began the first major climb of the day from Hopton village towards the High Peak trail. It wasn’t as steep as I expected to be honest and tapped out a nice pace all the way up its 10% gradient through the tree-lined ascent.

We were now on the High Peak trail heading west and the wind was pretty strong along here in places but the views were stunning. I’d never ridden the trail this way before and felt just slightly downhill.

After Longcliffe we reached a rather innocuous turn off onto NCN 548 which was the start of the new gravel sectors I’d added in for this edition all the way to Hartington village. We enjoyed a fast descent initially but the rest of the route was a rollercoaster of gravel heaven. It was tough at times, some of the climbs were a bit knarly and rocky in places but the descents felt like Strada Bianche. It was a great stretch of byways and will definitely use them again for the ride.

After a steep and fast descent into Hartington we began the trek out of the village to Pilsbury Hill. Through a series of gates we hit the climb which was steep but I was still able to tap out a nice pace again. However as we reached the plateau over the top and rounded a left-hand bend, the second, even steeper half reared up in front of us which I didn’t expect. Tough but great views though so worth the effort. It felt very remote too. So quiet.

From here it was nice straight descent to the Tissington Trail which tested the legs with a short but super steep climb up the embankment from the road. After a short ride through the car park at Hurdlow we left the trail and took an anti-clockwise loop through more remote lanes to the very top of the course. With the wind in our faces I was looking forward to the taiwind home now.

We turned off the lane and took a short track to the top of the trail and then it was right and a speedy ride back through Hurdlow to Parsley Hay where we stopped for a coffee.

Refreshments done, we set off past the High Peak Trail turn and through the cutting and had to endure a bit of wind and a 1-in-100 (1%) climb for a while before the true descent kicked in and we were able to get a lick on back to the car. I saw a sign that said Ashbourne 11.5 miles but the last half and hour went by in a flash. It wasn’t all fast though, we had to slow down for plenty of walkers and horse riders too.

The tunnel was a welcome sight when we got there and bookended a superb ride. I really enjoyed thanks to the weather and my ride buddies Grahame and Claire.

See you on the next one

Paul