RIDES | Britain’s best routes

RIDES “I used to swim BRITAIN’S BEST ROUTES 70-80km a week, but by 2004 I’d had enough”

and I did the Marathon in four hours 12 minutes. I’ve done a little bit of swimming and it shouldn’t take much practice to do a reasonable swim time in the triathlon. I’ve just got to sort my cycling out now.”

Good progress The Ripon Revolution will help, and once over the shock of the cruel first climb — I also had him do it without a warm-up — Parry makes good progress on the rolling parts of the route towards . With the sun making a brief appearance he’s enjoying SUNDAY 23RD JUNE 2013 | RIPON RACE COURSE himself by the time he stops near

Sponsored by Boardman Bikes the town’s famous Black Sheep ENTER brewery to discuss the next ONLINE section of the ride. INFOTAINMENT “What could be nicer?” he www.cyclingweekly. asks, looking round. “I definitely Steve Parry co.uk/sportives liked that last bit more than the hill. I feel OK on the flat, but I’m Age: 36 glad I had the bike properly fitted Born: Liverpool to me,” he adds. Occupation: TV commentator and co-founder of The bike in question Total Swimming, www.totalswimming.co.uk is a Boardman AiR 9.4, Medals: One Olympic, six European and three “YORKSHIRE REALLY IS BEAUTIFUL — MY FATHER-IN-LAW HAS BEEN TELLING ME FOR LONG ENOUGH” which Parry picked up Commonwealth Games from Sportive Nation

49km in Stockport, where he had an Ride distance expert fitting and a wee bit of I stopped in 2005 coaching on basics like getting I really couldn’t be in and out of pedals and riding bothered to do any sort on tri-bars. of training. But I’m 6ft 4in Parry hadn’t quite mastered and my weight went up to 18st. using his gears by Masham, with Steve Parry Then I saw some photographs of tending towards the ‘big ring myself and decided I didn’t want and push it’ approach, but the to be this big fat oaf in all the next section was a crash-course THE OLYMPIC SWIMMING bronze medallist turned TV WHERE TO? Parry got to the top of the hill pictures of my kids growing up, in gear management and by the commentator will be riding Cycling Weekly’s Ripon Revolution A two-and-a- without walking. I’ve just realised so I started running to train for end he had definitely got the half hour ride it’s not on the Ripon Revolution the London Marathon, and now hang of it. sportive on June 23 — he recces parts of the route around the route either, we join that about I’m going to have a go at a couple The roads we’re on today form hilliest part a mile further on, but I haven’t of triathlons,” Parry explains. the crux of the Ripon Revolution T’s only my third time on “I rode a BMX when I was of our Ripon the heart to tell him. Either that He also missed the burn. sportive. The Epic and Standard this bike, and I’ve never a kid, and I rode a bike around Revolution or I’m scared — Parry is a big “Yeah, I hadn’t felt that since route both go through Pateley ridden a bike up a hill,” the campus when I was at an sportive route lad. In fact, it wasn’t so long ago 2004. It’s good. I’ve done the Bridge, and the short course Steve Parry gasps at the American university, but that’s that he was a big lad who was Marathon now, and I’m going to reaches Kirkby Malzeard, which top of the longest and it,” he tells me. Parry was a getting bigger. That’s what, in a do the Dambuster and Vitruvian is just south of Masham. The ride steepest slopes out of world-class swimmer with a roundabout way, led him on this triathlons. I’m doing the Ripon reflects the section where most of PateleyI Bridge, where long and bronze medal at the 2004 Athens ride today. Revolution sportive to help build the hills are, as Parry finds out. steep hills are the only way to Olympic in the 200 metres up my cycling between the Following the River Burn get out of the locale. I feel guilty. butterfly, the event he was the Retiring type Marathon and the triathlons.” valley west it’s steadily uphill, I knew Parry was new to cycling, 2002 European champion in. “I used to swim 70 to 80 Marathon training helped but the spring sunshine feels but not quite ‘never ridden up a The butterfly is an essay in kilometres a week in training, but Parry lose weight. “I went from good. Things get steeper as Parry: rediscovering the burn Photos: Chris Sidwells Chris Photos: hill’ new. pain, which is probably why after 2004 I’d had enough. Once 18st down to 15st in 14 weeks, the road crosses the Burn then

62 JUNE 6, 2013 www.cyclingweekly.co.uk www.cyclingweekly.co.uk JUNE 6, 2013 63 RIDES | Britain’s best routes RIDES | Britain’s best routes North Yorkshire 30.5 MILES (49KM)

LOFTHOUSE Armathwaite Gill flows into the FEARBY Nidd just below Lofthouse, but It’s not enough for a pub just to be a pub upstream from its confluence, these days, they have to offer more, and about half a mile north-west of none try harder than the Black Swan in the village, it passes through How Fearby. They organise the annual Yorkshire Stean Gorge. There’s an adventure Festival of Ales each year, they have guest centre there from where you can beer weeks throughout the year and even explore this steep sided chasm, offer a downloadable walks service on their 26 metres deep in places, and its website — www.blackswan-masham.co.uk. network of caves. You can walk along the gorge path or do an aerial tour of its sides using the via ferrata. www.howstean.co.uk

“The bike feels fast — I’ve just got to get KIRKBY MALZEARD Malzeard means bad clearing in some more hills done” Norman French. 900m climbs the valley side past later on Twitter of climbing never stops, even along Leighton Reservoir. But Parry has for that; looking in total the really bleak bits, discovered the little chainring and cool while I’m even going up that first is spinning nicely. “I’m liking the suffering,” Parry hill. “I really enjoyed lower gears,” he confirms as he promises. that,” he says. “And I’m rides past. looking forward to doing START/FINISH He’s got a block headwind to Baptism of fire some more cycling now. The contend with now as he climbs It’s not easy but he makes it to bike feels fast, I’ve just got to higher, and once out of the 429 metres, the highest point get some more hills done and I valley shelter, approaching High of the ride, fighting gravity, think I’ll be OK. I enjoyed it a lot Ash Head Moor, it howls across wind and weather all the way though,” he adds. I think cycling PATELEY BRIDGE This was an important crossroads in NEXT the bleak landscape blowing with cheerful determination. It’s has a convert. early Yorkshire Dales life between needle-sharp rain in front of been a baptism of fire. Parry set Ripon and the Grassington area, and WEEK it. I told Parry earlier that this himself 20 miles to ride today — The Ripon Revolution and upper . The Irish track section was one of the Brownlee remember this is only his fourth The cyclo-sportive takes place Archbishop of York granted the town medallist brothers’ favourite routes, and bike ride since tootling around on Sunday, June 23, starting and its market charter in 1320. Caroline dead on cue Olympic triathlon a Florida campus and being a finishing at Ripon Racecourse, Ryan on the champion Alistair comes flying BMX street kid — but he’s going which is between Ripon and the route of the out of the wind, down the hill to clock up 30, and half of them A1. There will be three distances: Ras na nBan Parry struggles up. “I’ll have him are uphill. Short, 65 miles; Standard, 77 My training bike The descent to Lofthouse is miles; and Epic, which is 102 Training route steep and tricky: you lose all miles long and contains 5,962 feet Steve rode his Boardman AiR 9.4. It’s an aero- the metres gained in nearly 14 of climbing. framed road bike, the same as the Brownlees use Start in Pateley Bridge and go north over River Nidd then turn kilometres of climbing in just The worst of the climbing but with mechanical Dura-Ace equipment, Mavic left where main road bends right. This is Parry-killer Hill. It two kilometres of steep bends comes first, so you do the Ksyrium wheels and a pair of Profile clip-on tri bars. climbs 210 metres in 2.34km, nine per cent average, but most and rutted surfaces, but Parry Masham to High Ash Moor that of the gain comes in the first kilometre, which has sections descends like a pro and keeps dished Steve Parry out a good of 20 per cent. Continue over the summit to join the Ripon things rubber side down, ready solid dose of pain, early on. There Revolution route at the sharp dip for Skelgill. Continue north- for the last section. are hills along the rest of the west then north through Kirkby Malzeard to Masham. Turn left This will be one of the route but the final part is quite on A6108 and continue straight where the main highlights of the sportive, and it’s flat. Parry will ride the sportive, road bends sharp right. Go west through Fearby gorgeous today when the valleys and if they aren’t trotting around and Healy then take left fork over the River Burn and the tops have two different the globe on triathlon World Cup and climb up over High Ash Head Moor to worlds of weather. duty you might see the Brownlees Lofthouse. Turn The road runs alongside the coming the other way on their left and follow River Nidd then past Gouthwaite long Sunday ride. the Nidd back to Reservoir and back into Pateley Go to cyclingweekly.ipcshop. Pateley Bridge. Training log: Parry is a cycling convert Bridge. Parry is all smiles, he co.uk/shop/sportives to enter. Memory-Map with Created AM46/13. copyright. © Crown mapping Survey Ordnance

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