Hebden Bridge - Calderdale riding update

[GregMay]

Short version - don't come to stare, but come to help if you want.

Trails are pretty f00ked.

We've had bad floods as you may have seen on the news. Village still has no power, some bridges are not suitable for vehicular travel, some foot bridges used by bikers are a bit shonky looking. Most of the trails behind my house are now about 200m down in the valley floor. We've had landslides and major movement on roads and bridges.

IMGP0883 by Greg.May, on Flickr

Looking like it'll be late today early tomorrow before any power is back, and the shops just aren't going to be able to open any time soon. The Co-Op is giving out food to locals, few other higher cafes are providing for people helping, but otherwise there really aren't any services available. We've got more rain coming, and with a breached canal upstream of Tod and Hebden...it's probably not going to end well.

IMGP0826 by Greg.May, on Flickr

Give it a day or two if you were thinking of coming up to ride - but please do come then, spend money, help the shop owners that are re-opening.

The same goes for any of the other parts of Yorkshire, Lancs' and Cumbria that have been hit. Travel when it is safe to do so, but please do travel up.

Feel so useless TBH. Our home is fine, but everything else down low is done for.

[Chew]

Greg

Let us know how to help out and I'll be over.

We're ok where we are but those over the road on Copley Village are in the same state.

[GregMay]

Chew - Sowerby, Copley, Mythlm, Tod, Us. Go where is closest - bring implements to clean with and clothes that will get covered in sub standard. Just help whereever, and whoever you can.

It's getting there, just going to take a while.

I'm more worried about the rain that is forecast. We've two sections of the canal breached now.

[GregMay]

Separate issue:

PLEASE SHARE HELP FIND THESE Struggling for words here we got flooded on Saturday as did a lot of people. Last night we were robbed by the scum of the earth preying on flood victims. Please like and share to help find these bikes. I'll try list them properly with an edit later. Some new in boxes some customers bikes some reps bikes.
2016 Kona Process 153 medium
2016 Kona Hei Hei Trail medium only one in the country!
2016 Kona Process 111 medium
2016 Kona Precept 150 large (boxed)
2015 Mondraker Dune XR Large
2016 Cube Analog 19" boxed
2016 Cube Analog 21" boxed

Cycle factory Todmorden after clearing up after floods, really nice salt of the earth folk, if anyone can help contact on facebook address below.

https://www.facebook.com/cyclefactoryuk/

[Fat tyre kicker]

I've shared this on F/bk cheshire area

[Bearbonesnorm]

Words fail me Greg, I know there's some proper bastards in this world but that is truly low.

I've added a post to the 'bike and bivvy' fb page. Finger crossed that enough eyes and ears can turn the stuff up.

[smartay]

Feel real sorry for you guys up there, you need to publicise the amount of damage on national news to get assistance, unfortunately all tne news crews seem stranded in either York or Selby, which didnt even flood
Well done Mr May for your coverage, local councilor in waiting?

Stu

[GregMay]

Spent today smashing a shop to bits (quite fun)

Took off a flip load of plaster board, a floor, found a basement, drank some looted (handed out) beer, ate many free meals, then drank some free beer.

The community spirit here is unreal, really amazing to see people pulling for each other and not caring who or what they are doing. Myself Brant (ex On-One/Planet x) Ed Oxley (Big beard) and many other MTBers are just working for people, if we don't we won't have a town. It's pretty levelling on an ego scale.

I got a free hug from Ralph too:

https://www.instagram.com/p/_4BJykwduI/ ... kebikecake

Apparently anything less than 20s is not acceptable.

We're going to have an interesting 24 hours with the rain that is forecast. Fingers crossed.

[Taylor]

The community spirit here is unreal, really amazing to see people pulling for each other and not caring who or what they are doing. Myself Brant (ex On-One/Planet x) Ed Oxley (Big beard) and many other MTBers are just working for people, if we don't we won't have a town. It's pretty levelling on an ego scale.

I got a free hug from Ralph too:

We're going to have an interesting 24 hours with the rain that is forecast. Fingers crossed.

I found the same in Carlisle when I bailed out my parents house. All the kids I grew up with were there, we're all just a bit older, bit greyer, bit wrinklier and a bit fatter. I was in four different houses getting rid of all the damaged furnishings and fittings.

The free chuck wagons were a welcome relief.

We didn't have a Ralph though.

I'm also watching the forecast for the next couple of days but to be honest there's not a lot left to damage.

[DrMekon]

Not on the same scale, but the poor sods down by the river in Otley are having a sub standard time. Flooded in November, then again on Boxing day. We're on an amber for flooding tomorrow. The flood plain that carried it all in to the park was up for sale for housing development only last year

We're up the hill, and were only cut off for the day. Was disorientating to find that every road off of our side of the river was closed due to flooding.

[FLV]

My best to you all up there.

I grew up over the hill in burnley which seems to have gotten away with a couple of minor rivers running down the road incidents according to my two teenage boys (who still live there)

I considered coming up to lend a hand but am unsure where the line is with people turning up full of enthusiasm and good will and then needing feeding and taking in and becoming part of the problem.

Anyway, if there's a call for travelling volunteers I'm willing (please say so), otherwise, my best to you all.

[Wotsits]

I've got family in Croston, the police came round at the weekend & asked them to evacuate but they've moved everything upstairs & are staying put..
My cousin has been fascinated watching the Chinook trying to sure up the breached canal all day..

[GregMay]

Ok,

Update - trails are bad, but not all gone. So much water, so much more coming down, the village is doing much better - lots of work put in. We're even going to have a pub open on New Years Eve - albiet with not much beer or food!

Now, with that in mind we've a plan - a silly one, but one none the less.

A local coffee shop - a local bike shop - and local riders are getting together to do a thing.

Simple plan in the traditional Monday Night Pub Ride (MNPR) guise - meet up at the Shepherds Rest -http://shepherdsrestinn.co.uk/ - above Todmorden at 12 noon on New Years Day. We will ride up and over the tops, down some things, up some other things to arrive at the Organic House Cafe which has been one of the few cafes that have been capable of endlessly serving coffee and tea despite their ground floor being destroyed.

Travel to the valley is pretty bad at the moment, and access is needed for emergency vehicles, hence the start above Tod. Please note that the road from Mytholmroyd to Hebden is single lane only. The bridge at Elland is not in use. Please don't travel if it's not safe to do so. but if you want to donate, that would be ace.

£2 will get you a brew and a Cliff Bar, while you can stash your bike in bike stands local bike shop Blazing Saddles are providing while you natter away. This is not a cafe stop - there will probably ONLY be Cliff Bars, so think more like a feed station during a nice long ride. It won't be a long ride...

All profit goes to the Calderdale Flood Fund - I'm pretty sure you can donate more if you choose to on the day. They will be open from 12-3pm so even if you're already planning to be in the area, pop in, grab a piece of soggy floor and have somewhere relatively dry to stop.

In the spirit of the MNPR - Turn up with a bike, bring money for coffee and a brew.