Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

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freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

I'm at my brother's wedding on Friday and will have a day to spare on the Thursday so I'm planning a ride from Stalybridge upto saddleworth moors Holmfirth (via meltham) then back via Holme Moss before heading back to the hotel in Manchester. I'm assuming that the roads are OK to ride and that there are no restrictions given the proximity of the TDF. Any local advice to the contrary would be appreciated. I'm travelling up from the Cambridge area on Wednesday.
eileithyia
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Location: Horwich Which is Lancs :-)

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by eileithyia »

as far as I am aware restrictions are starting the preceding evening to the stage.... so you should be ok
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TonyR
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Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by TonyR »

The information I was given at the Tourmaker briefing was that the routes are open to cyclists right up to 3 hours before the peleton comes through i.e. when the first police car come through.
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

Thanks. looking like a nice day for a ride on Thursday then :D :D
mig
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Joined: 19 Oct 2011, 9:39pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by mig »

if you are going through meltham then try the climb up wessenden head out of there. you'll love that one! :wink:

ps. what gear ratios are on your bike?

pps. many of the climbs between saddleworth and yorkshire are badly potholed (i know everywhere else is too) but it makes for dangerous descents on t'other side (especially the top of the A635 near meltham.)
thirdcrank
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Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by thirdcrank »

I'd agree that there should be no problem on Thursday which is a good three days before the race will pass, but for anybody else reading this thread in connection with what will happen on the day, I think it's important to be aware that the trend seems to be towards closures taking effect earlier than anticipated. I'm largely getting this from some media hype emphasising all the trouble it's going to cause but, for example, there was an item on the Harold Bird Show (AKA BBC Look North ) where somebody who had been organising some sort of do involving spectators being bussed in to a community hall had been told that the relevant road would now be closed at 0500, effectively scuppering their plans, which had been based on a published later time. I've also seen something - probably from Leeds City Council - urging spectators to pick their spot early and then stay there because they won't be able to move.
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

Thanks mig. I'll check out wessenden. My gearing is a customised shimano 6603 triple (52/39/24) with 12-28 cassette. But I do have to get 100kg + up the hills. Last year this gearing got me up Wrynose and Harnott passes (but only just) going west to east. I rode this route in the opposite direction january of last year which convinced me about the 24 tooth chainring. We'd gone up to watch the revolution cycling in the velodrome and the weather indicated a window of opportunity.
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

This is my current route

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/458562970

The bit from Hadfield into Manchester is in case Mrs F get distracted doing photographs of hills and I hve to get back to the hotel on my own. Looks like I'm going down wessenden head road.
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foxyrider
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Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by foxyrider »

The worst bits of Holme Moss aren't at the top but the couple of bits between Holmfirth and Holme village - they ramp up unexpectedly sapping your energy before you hit the climb 'proper' which for the most part is a long drag.

I used 34 x 25/27 on it the other week without any problem other than the gale blowing down! :lol:
Convention? what's that then?
Airnimal Chameleon touring, Orbit Pro hack, Orbit Photon audax, Focus Mares AX tour, Peugeot Carbon sportive, Owen Blower vintage race - all running Tulio's finest!
Mark1978
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Location: Chester-le-Street, County Durham

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by Mark1978 »

I noticed when I rode some of stage 1 that tow away parking restrictions were in force on the entire route on Saturday but on the climbs it applied from Tuesday onwards. I would imagine Wednesday onwards for stage 2?
FatBat
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Joined: 20 Feb 2007, 1:06pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by FatBat »

As someone else has said, the road is open to cycles right up until the cavalcade comes through sometime in the early afternoon on Sunday. It will be closed to motors, except permit holders (permits have been given to people living in Holme village), on Saturday, so that might be a nice day to cycle over! Then again, there might be all manner of work going on, as various temporary viewing areas are being set up. And various road-side laybys have been blocked with dirty great lumps of rock to stop people parking camper vans in them.
mig
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Joined: 19 Oct 2011, 9:39pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by mig »

freeflow wrote:This is my current route

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/458562970

The bit from Hadfield into Manchester is in case Mrs F get distracted doing photographs of hills and I hve to get back to the hotel on my own. Looks like I'm going down wessenden head road.


if you are going down wessenden then there is a cattle grid on a bend that is difficult to see maybe a mile ish from the top. be careful as you will hit it at speed. also the short run on the A628 will be hugely busy with fast moving traffic and heavy lorries heading to a steelworks over the tops and then on to the M1. caution required even for experienced cyclists!!

enjoy the scenery though. wessenden is one of my old training areas.
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

Thanks mig for the advice on the cattle grid

also the short run on the A628 will be hugely busy with fast moving traffic


That's why its a short section, although this road is my preferred route to Manchester and I've followed cyclists up and down the whole road on many occasion (but not slipping my clutch :shock: :shock: )
mig
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Joined: 19 Oct 2011, 9:39pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by mig »

you're going right past my LBS gerry shields on that route. call in if you want owt 'retro'... :wink:

plus a few miles further on on the 'park bridge rd' section you may well be needing bottom gear for some short climbs!!! depends which of the lanes you go through. some cobbles down there too.

enjoy!
freeflow
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Joined: 29 Aug 2011, 1:54pm

Re: Any restrictions on Holme Moss?

Post by freeflow »

Had a great ride yesterday. The road from Stalybridge upto Saddleworth moor was a bit misty and drizzly but cleared up once at the top and remained dry with sunny intervals for the rest of the ride. I wore through a chunk of brake block coming down wessenden head road and from Holme Moss and that was because I wanted to keep my descent speed at not much more than 40kph. As I suspected the traffic through Holmfirth was pretty heavy but then relatively light for the rest of the ride. There were traffic lights halfway up Holme Moss where some kind of stand was being erected and that's where I met the only inconsiderate driver of the day. The lights weren't phased long enough for cyclists to get through so I met a car coming head on but who eventually gave way when I moved into the centre of the road. No other cars deemed it sensible to start down and I daresay the cars behind me going up were less than happy with the car who had decided to come down (judging by the horns behind me once I'd passed the car).

Other than that it was an uneventful but thoroughly enjoyable ride. Mrs F was waiting at Hadfield station as the weather whilst being OK for riding wasn't very photo friendly so I didn't have to mix it with the afternoon traffic to get back to the hotel. :D
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