Hill Training

In preparation for cycling 50-60 miles a day on a fully loaded bicycle for 6-7 consecutive days up hill and down dale on the Pennine Cycleway I thought I better start doing some hill training. I know I can do the distance but want to make it a pleasant journey rather than an outright struggle to complete each day. To this end I have devised a 38 mile loop that goes from Prestwich to Rivington and back and hope to complete it once a week or so.

I did part of it yesterday and only cut it short because I promised to meet my wife, daughter and associated nieces at Rivington Great Barn. So I completed 22 miles of mainly up (some of it very steep 'up'), on a fully loaded bike and averaged 11 mph. I am hoping to do the whole loop at an average speed of 13 mph but we'll have to see about that.

This is the elevation profile going from Prestwich through Bury, Brandlesholme, Greenmount, Hawkshaw, Edgeworth, Turton Bottoms, passing Turton and Entwistle reservoir into Belmont and finally the very fast (42mph fast!) down section to Rivington and a lovely ice cream. A very nice ride indeed.