Half Day Gravel Wednesdays
Posted By Gravel Union
On the 15th October 2019
Event Title:
Half Day Gravel Wednesdays
Date:
Multiple Dates
16 October (next week)
20 November
18 December
15 January 2020
26 February 2020
18 March 2020
15 April 2020
20 May 2020
17 June 2020
15 July 2020
19 August 2020
16 September 2020
21 October 2020
18 November 2020
16 December 2020
Distance:
50km usually
Location:
Leeds
Country:
United Kingdom
Altitude Gain:
Route dependent
% of Gravel:
Try to find as much gravel as we can in and around Leeds!
Bike Ridden:
Mason Bokeh
Tyre Width:
WTB Venture 47mm tyres
At the beginning of 2019 I was sat with a 1 month old baby in my arms whilst looking outside, it became apparent that getting out to do long rides as I used to wasn’t going to happen! Like everyone in this situation, I had to find a way to fit in work, family life and cycling.
I run my own graphic design business which takes up a lot of my time, so busy is good right? In short, yes, but the downside is long hours sat at my desk looking out of the window wishing I was outside exploring. I had been thinking for a while that by taking some time out of the working week to do something you love could help get the creative juices flowing, whilst not impacting on my family at evenings or weekends. This is when I came up with the idea of Half Day CC, a monthly bike ride fixed in the diary to take a half day and ride.
Firstly, I set myself some parameters. The location had to be around my studio (in the centre of Leeds), the route be around 4 hours in length and, most importantly, I wanted to set off from a coffee shop and finish at a pub! So far so good. I then started looking into gravel routes around Leeds, but there didn’t seem to be much to work with. I live in Otley, north of Leeds, so tend to stick to the usual gravel and road routes into the Dales. I decided to look at what other people I knew on the gravel scene were doing locally, I did a lot of Strava stalking! Again, they were all heading into the Dales which is understandable, there are some great gravel routes and the scenery is amazing. I, however, wanted to explore what was on my studio doorstep. This is when I came up with the idea of plotting a different route each month with the sole purpose of finding new gravel. The routes are based around North, East, South and West Leeds, with the first Half Day CC ride being North Leeds, the next month East Leeds and so on.
I set out plotting the routes using good, old fashioned Ordnance Survey (OS) maps, gravelmap.com and Komoot. Gravelmap.com is a great resource, especially as local rider Gideon Jones has plotted out a huge amount of the gravel and dirt segments - thanks for that! I find that OS maps are best for locating bridleways and to see a general overview of the route. Komoot is great for inputting all the information and breaking down the surfaces, though it takes a bit of practice to learn how its automatic routing works (and how to override it when necessary).
After a few solo ventures, as well as rides out with local gravel expert Carl Hopps, I announced on Instagram that May 2019 would be the first Half Day CC ride, exciting! This would be followed by the 3rd Wednesday of every month thereafter. The first Half Day CC ride explored parts of North Leeds we had never previously ventured to - we started at La Bottega Milanese coffee shop before heading out via the Meanwood trail on a path none of us had done before. The path was on a steep bank, which proved to be very technical and slippery, and we had to bunny hop a few tree trunks! We worked our way through small alleyways, gravel paths and roads to Roundhay Park where there are multiple gravel and dirt paths. This was when the hustle and bustle of Leeds was left behind and the landscape became green. The route took us through fields around Shadwell as well as long stretches of fine, flat, loose gravel paths. We ended up at the massive iron gate houses of Harewood House. This was a fun section with a long gravel descent down into the grounds of Harewood, if you dared to look up you could see the imposing house standing proud. As soon as we were in the forest we were up climbing again, through a mix of gravel and dirt. We ended up half way along Eccup Lane, so we darted down the lane then up Bedlam Lane to find Bank End, a gnarly, bumpy segment with 2 gates and sheep to weave around. This took us to one side of Golden Acre park, a popular place for walkers and dogs! We negotiated undulating grass, gravel and dirt as we aimed for Cookridge, with its easy to navigate road and gravel paths. There was one descent that took us all by surprise though, on Bar Lane, as soon as we started it we knew it was going to be technical and bumpy but fun! The gravel was big and loose, as soon as your wheels hit it you could feel the bike moving around. This lane took us down to the Leeds/Liverpool canal tow path, which was a nice relief from bouncing around, though we had to watch out for runners and other bikes!! The tow path took us all the way back to The Brew Society pub for a pint.
Each month our numbers have increased and I find it amazing that I see people returning as well as new faces. I wasn’t expecting much, after all I was asking people to take a half day off work, but the response has been incredible. So many people got in touch and wanted to be a part of this. We have now done North, East, South, West and are now back to North again.
The CC in Half Day CC stands for ‘cycling collective’ rather than ‘club’. I’m keen to share the rides with everyone and for people to put their own routes forward. Some riders who can’t make it to the midweek rides have used and adapted the route for their weekend rides, which I find incredible.
If you would like to join a bunch of like-minded people and recharge the batteries, why not take the afternoon off and join us once a month? Find out more details on our website.
Tom
Half Day CC
https://halfday.cc/