Too Early for a YD300 thread?

gypsumfantastic · Post by **gypsumfantastic** » Tue May 24, 2016 10:58 am

Morning All

I hope everyone is well, is anyone else doing the YD300 and can you offer a newbie any tips or tricks of the trade?

I've been riding my bike lots over big hills, map reading and accruing the kit I'll likely need along the way. I'm still at a bit of a loss regarding stuff like food and water stops and final kit choice. Does anyone have any tips on pacing and breaking down the task into manageable mental chunks?

Then there's bike choice, I'm 80% sure I'll be doing it on my normal mountain bike rather than my fat bike despite the fact it handles like a pig when loaded. Despite the extra weight I reckon that the extra stability and low gears of the fat bike will be handy when tired.

I think what I'm trying, rather ineloquently, to say is heeeeeelllllppp! I'm starting to feel the first rising tingles of a blind panic and I'm trying to head it off before it starts.

Any tips / reassurance would be great.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:29 am

The route this year is a bit different to last year's due to some access issues in the early section, it now goes further east and loops around Nidderdale before rejoining the original route at the top of Park Rash. There's about an extra 15-20Km to get here compared to last year. Last year a lot of us got to the Dales Bike Centre for grub but the extra distance might make this a tough ask.

Stuart posts out an email with some basic details about refuelling points but depending on how quickly or slowly you ride there can be long sections without shops/cafes/pubs.

From memory there's the following resupply points, look at the GPX file to figure out where on the route they lie.

Pateley Bridge - convenience store in the garage at the bottom of Greenhow Hill. Cafes in the village.
Buckden - pubs, cafes, village store. Water tap in public toilets in main car park.
Askrigg (off route by about 500m) - cafe, village stores
Castle Bolton - cafe in castle, water tap in public toilets.
Grinton - pub, Dales Bike Centre (with cafe)
Reeth (off route by about 1km) cafes, pubs, shops. Not sure of all opening hours
Langthwaite - pub
Gunnerside - pub (long serving times last year)
Muker - pub
Hawes (off route by about 2Km) cafes, pubs, chippy
Bainbridge - pub
Stonehouses - pub (doesn't serve food nowadays I understand)
Dent (off route by about 2Km) cafes, pubs
Ribblehead - pub, burger van
Feizor - cafe
Stainforth - cafe by caravan park
Malham - cafes, pubs
Kilnsey - cafe
Grassington - shops, cafes pubs

I'm looking at creating a set of Points of Interest for Garmin devices for the Dales - one of those ongoing jobs!

The route has about 40% of road. Other than a couple of short sections (the descent to Gunnerside Gill is one of the hardest bridleways in the Dales and the descent off Whernside is a little tricky) there's nothing particularly technical, but some of the climbs are very long - The Roman Road out of Bainbridge takes an hour for example! The route is fairly weather proof, not too many sections that get boggy. I'd look at good rolling tyres rather than something aimed at trail centre type usage.

Hard to know what gear you need to take, up on the tops can be quite brutal even in summer if there's wind and rain but the first day last year was lovely sunshine.

It was my first ITT, it's a tough one, there's a lot of climbing. I'm doing it again this year so will see you there!

gypsumfantastic · Post by **gypsumfantastic** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:55 am

That's Magic! - Cheers

I've ridden most of the route from Buckden to Ribblehead and Dent including Cam High Road I've topped 3000m climbing in a day twice in the last 4 weeks as well as riding 4 100km+ rides. I'm recovering faster than ever so I think I'm as physically prepared as I'm going to be, I've a couple more weeks to fit in some more rides in a bid to silence that annoying voice in the back of my head telling me I can't do it.

Are you taking food and a stove with you? I'm thinking that a warm supper and breakfast will be all I need between pub / shop / cafe stops and frankly the less I'm carrying the better. I carry my mylar blankets, first aid kit and emergency bivvy bag as a matter of course so they'll be able to augment my bivviy bag and blanket should I need them.

The drop down Bunton Hush into Gunnerside is brilliant, I'm assuming that there isn't anything more technical than that.

I have my trusty Maxxis Ikons on the normal MTB (with Geax AKA in reserve) and I have some minimally knobbled tyres for the Fatty if I decide to take it, both of which handle the road pretty well, I'm happy on either.

Has Stuart sent the email yet as I've not seen anything?

Feeling a bit less fraught now

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Tue May 24, 2016 11:59 am

gypsumfantastic wrote:I've topped 3000m climbing in a day twice in the last 4 weeks

Impressive. I think I've done 3,000m+ about twice in the last 5 years.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Tue May 24, 2016 12:07 pm

Nothing more technical than Bunton Hush, on a scale of 1 -10 if BH is 10 then there's nothing else harder than 5 or maybe 6

Didn't take a stove last year, just stuff I could eat cold like wraps. Last year I got to Gunnerside and decided to have an evening meal - it took an hour to arrive

Didn't get told that when ordering. Muker is about half an hour further on, Ian B ate there, don't know if the service was more prompt. Ikons should be fine, I'll probably go with a Bontrager XR2/XR1 combo, I used XR4/XR3 last year and were a bit draggy.

With the route changes, there's a big gap between Bainbridge and Feizor for on route resupply. Most bivvied between the top of Cam High Road and Ribblehead BTW.

Not seen an email from Stuart so you haven't missed it.

gypsumfantastic · Post by **gypsumfantastic** » Tue May 24, 2016 1:08 pm

Richard G wrote:
gypsumfantastic wrote:I've topped 3000m climbing in a day twice in the last 4 weeks
Impressive. I think I've done 3,000m+ about twice in the last 5 years.

Cheers - they were tough days out with many of the Dales biggest hills

whitestone wrote:Didn't take a stove last year, just stuff I could eat cold like wraps.

My stove and burner, although small, take up a fair chunk of space for something I'll use probably twice hmmmmm, going to have to weigh that up carefully.

whitestone wrote:With the route changes, there's a big gap between Bainbridge and Feizor for on route resupply. Most bivvied between the top of Cam High Road and Ribblehead BTW.

Looks like the pub at Bainbridge will be getting some hammer, although carrying a full load of water up Cam High road with 160km in the legs isn't going ot be easy. I had scoped out a couple of places to crash in roughly the same area, at present anticipating only needing a bivvi bag, blanket and sleeping mat.

What did you do regarding rest stops? Did you plan any or just wing it depending on how you felt?

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Tue May 24, 2016 1:27 pm

Other than a stop at DBC which was planned, I stopped at Askrigg to get more water, it was pretty dry last year and there's a couple of hours' riding to get to Grinton/Fremington/Reeth. Then stopped for food and more water at DBC. Evening meal at Gunnerside, I might have been able to get to Bainbridge for last food but it would have been touch and go. Bivvied at the top of Cam High Road. Stopped for breakfast at Feizor. Stopped for an ice cream(!) at Grassington. All in all it was about ten hours of non-riding but there's opening/shutting gates as well in that total.

I spent longer at Feizor than I should have - I was not far off paying up and setting off when another rider came in and we had a chat, pretty nasty weather around then as well.

On the new route you've a long section from Pateley Bridge to Buckden without resupply (there's a pub in Starbotton but no cafe or shop), another from Buckden over to Castle Bolton (though you can nip in to Askrigg), then the long section from Bainbridge to probably Feizor which is going to be at the end of day 1 and early day 2. For me this was about six hours of riding but with the course changes it's nearer five hours now.

Even though I used it all, I probably took too much gear last year so I've managed to cut things down a bit since then. Live and learn. A lot does depend on the weather though, I really wouldn't want to be on the tops in wind and rain without a decent weight waterproof - I had to scratch on the Braunton 150 because I'd only got a lightweight waterproof top.

gypsumfantastic · Post by **gypsumfantastic** » Tue May 24, 2016 2:30 pm

If the weather is too crappy to kip on the tops then I plan on dropping down and trying to kip there.

Also isn't there the Station Inn near the Viaduct too? I saw some folk camping behind it 3 weeks ago.

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Wed May 25, 2016 4:22 pm

I've just joined the party. I must be goddamn mad.

fatbikephil · Post by **fatbikephil** » Wed May 25, 2016 6:05 pm

I'm in as compensation for not making the Highland Trail plus I know most of the trails within about 20 miles of Hawes so know what to expect. Not sure if my dodgy back will be sorted enough to make this but as there is no carrying I should be OK. finishing on the Sunday does seem a bit optimistic however! My parents have a static caravan in Hawes so if it all goes pair shaped I've got an easy scratch option.

I think a few folk from Scotland are in. I'm looking forward to it!

HopeValleyPaul · Post by **HopeValleyPaul** » Thu May 26, 2016 2:41 am

Really looking forward to this as well. Don't know the Yorkshire Dales at all, I'm sure this will be a nice gentle introduction.

ianfitz · Post by **ianfitz** » Thu May 26, 2016 8:19 am

HopeValleyPaul wrote:Really looking forward to this as well. Don't know the Yorkshire Dales at all, I'm sure this will be a nice gentle introduction.

Not to worry Paul. You'll have seen nearly all of it by the time you finish. A great introduction

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Thu May 26, 2016 9:16 am

ianfitz wrote:
HopeValleyPaul wrote:Really looking forward to this as well. Don't know the Yorkshire Dales at all, I'm sure this will be a nice gentle introduction.
Not to worry Paul. You'll have seen nearly all of it by the time you finish. A great introduction

+1 to what Ian says - look in any of the Dales MTB guidebooks and it will take in some or most of many of the route/loops especially those close to the watershed/British Divide. There's a few sections where, even on a clear day, if you stop and look round then the only sign of human activity are the track you are on and the dry stone walls, all the Dales themselves are hidden as they are steep sided but look on a map and you'll be less than 3Km from habitation in any direction.

The route is slightly less serpentine this year due to heading over to Nidderdale near the start and a few rationalisations later on - last year there were a few points where "If I turn right it's just 500m to rejoin the route 10Km further on"

Not sure of the proportion of road on the new route but last year's was around 40%

gypsumfantastic · Post by **gypsumfantastic** » Thu May 26, 2016 2:29 pm

HopeValleyPaul wrote:Really looking forward to this as well. Don't know the Yorkshire Dales at all, I'm sure this will be a nice gentle introduction.

A gentle weekend spin round the dales will do you good! The northern loop of this route is my stamping ground and you're in for a treat

dlovett · Post by **dlovett** » Fri May 27, 2016 10:13 am

It will be great, I did the 200 last year, epic doesn't do it justice. I'm so looking forward to it.

gypsumfantastic wrote:Morning All

I hope everyone is well, is anyone else doing the YD300 and can you offer a newbie any tips or tricks of the trade?

I've been riding my bike lots over big hills, map reading and accruing the kit I'll likely need along the way. I'm still at a bit of a loss regarding stuff like food and water stops and final kit choice. Does anyone have any tips on pacing and breaking down the task into manageable mental chunks?

Then there's bike choice, I'm 80% sure I'll be doing it on my normal mountain bike rather than my fat bike despite the fact it handles like a pig when loaded. Despite the extra weight I reckon that the extra stability and low gears of the fat bike will be handy when tired.

I think what I'm trying, rather ineloquently, to say is heeeeeelllllppp! I'm starting to feel the first rising tingles of a blind panic and I'm trying to head it off before it starts.

Any tips / reassurance would be great.

dlovett · Post by **dlovett** » Fri May 27, 2016 11:51 am

Thanks Whitestone very useful, I've got them all plotted on the Garmin now.

whitestone wrote:The route this year is a bit different to last year's due to some access issues in the early section, it now goes further east and loops around Nidderdale before rejoining the original route at the top of Park Rash. There's about an extra 15-20Km to get here compared to last year. Last year a lot of us got to the Dales Bike Centre for grub but the extra distance might make this a tough ask.

Stuart posts out an email with some basic details about refuelling points but depending on how quickly or slowly you ride there can be long sections without shops/cafes/pubs.

From memory there's the following resupply points, look at the GPX file to figure out where on the route they lie.

Pateley Bridge - convenience store in the garage at the bottom of Greenhow Hill. Cafes in the village.
Buckden - pubs, cafes, village store. Water tap in public toilets in main car park.
Askrigg (off route by about 500m) - cafe, village stores
Castle Bolton - cafe in castle, water tap in public toilets.
Grinton - pub, Dales Bike Centre (with cafe)
Reeth (off route by about 1km) cafes, pubs, shops. Not sure of all opening hours
Langthwaite - pub
Gunnerside - pub (long serving times last year)
Muker - pub
Hawes (off route by about 2Km) cafes, pubs, chippy
Bainbridge - pub
Stonehouses - pub (doesn't serve food nowadays I understand)
Dent (off route by about 2Km) cafes, pubs
Ribblehead - pub, burger van
Feizor - cafe
Stainforth - cafe by caravan park
Malham - cafes, pubs
Kilnsey - cafe
Grassington - shops, cafes pubs

I'm looking at creating a set of Points of Interest for Garmin devices for the Dales - one of those ongoing jobs!

The route has about 40% of road. Other than a couple of short sections (the descent to Gunnerside Gill is one of the hardest bridleways in the Dales and the descent off Whernside is a little tricky) there's nothing particularly technical, but some of the climbs are very long - The Roman Road out of Bainbridge takes an hour for example! The route is fairly weather proof, not too many sections that get boggy. I'd look at good rolling tyres rather than something aimed at trail centre type usage.

Hard to know what gear you need to take, up on the tops can be quite brutal even in summer if there's wind and rain but the first day last year was lovely sunshine.

It was my first ITT, it's a tough one, there's a lot of climbing. I'm doing it again this year so will see you there!

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Fri May 27, 2016 11:59 am

I'm pleased to see how many options there are for food etc. In Wales I always have to go overkill with the amount of food and caffeine I carry.

fatbikephil · Post by **fatbikephil** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 10:19 pm

Note the route also goes close to Hawes which has various pubs, a cafe which stays open until 9 doing pizza (amongst other things) and a chippy open until half nine. As well as the large total altitude gain, YD hills are brutally steep!

Richard G · Post by **Richard G** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:02 pm

Just made my outline plan. Feel a little better now that I've got an idea of where I'll stop for food etc.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 11:17 am

I posted this http://bearbonesbikepacking.co.uk/phpBB ... =15&t=7797 this in the routes section, it refers to this article http://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/1452 ... o_traffic/ about a bridge closure on the route. It *should* be fixed by the time of the YD300, I'll check with our man from the council this weekend, but it's likely there'll still be pedestrian/cyclist access unless the repair works take longer and block it completely.

fatbikephil · Post by **fatbikephil** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:50 pm

At least there is a reasonable alternative route via the B6479 if it ends up fully closed. It would be nice to think that this weather will persist until then

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Fri Jun 03, 2016 1:58 pm

htrider wrote:At least there is a reasonable alternative route via the B6479 if it ends up fully closed. It would be nice to think that this weather will persist until then

Shouldn't be a problem on the day, as you say, don't turn right to Settle but go in to Helwith Bridge and down the B6479 - no significant difference in distance

I was out above Hetton and Kilnsey and along Mastiles Lane last night - everything is bone dry. About ten days ago I went through one beck that was over the axles, last night there was nothing in it at all.

HopeValleyPaul · Post by **HopeValleyPaul** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 7:42 pm

from the met office today

"Saturday 25th June
After a dry start, there is a risk of showers later in the day. Winds will remain light.

Issued at: 1617 on Mon 20 Jun 2016"

Given the recent weather, this sounds ace.

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:04 pm

I did the Sue Ryder Three Dales Challenge yesterday which does a few of the same tracks and it's pretty dry again, the only wet bits were the becks, showers aren't going to make a difference.

Starting to get my kit list finalised - though it might be a close run thing for one bit of clothing to get delivered in time

Also my new crankset will arrive tomorrow so once that's fitted I'm good to go.

Only question is: club kit top or BB top?

About ten days ago I did last year's YD200 route as a practice run/shake down with most of the kit I intend to use this coming weekend, the only thing I didn't test was the bivy kit as I rode it in one. Biggest mistake was taking a wolfing down a handful of Jelly Babies about two hours from the end - I got a blood sugar crash just as I started the last climb up on to Rylstone Moor

HopeValleyPaul · Post by **HopeValleyPaul** » Mon Jun 20, 2016 8:25 pm

whitestone wrote:I did the Sue Ryder Three Dales Challenge yesterday which does a few of the same tracks and it's pretty dry again, the only wet bits were the becks, showers aren't going to make a difference.

Cheers, Thats good to hear, my bit of the peak district has turned back into a swamp over the past 2 weeks!

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