RetroBike MTB Series Rd 1: Long Mynd ~ 29/03/14

The Retrobike National MTB Event Series 2014

Round 1: Long Mynd ~ Shropshire

:: Date: Saturday 29th March 2014
:: Time: 10am for a 10:30am start. We really do need to be riding by 10.30. Honest.
:: Meeting at: A different meeting point from last year.It's back to the Car Park at the junction of Easthope Rd and Lion Meadow, CHURCH STRETTON, which was the meeting point for the 2012 ride.
:: Postcode: SY6 6BL.
:: Grid ref: SO 453936
:: Map link: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie ... 5&t=h&z=17
There is a car-park charge of £3.50 for the day.

:: Terrain: Open exposed moorland, the key word being EXPOSED.
Not particularly rocky, very retro-rigid friendly, long descents more than pay back the effort of the climbs.

:: NO HELMET, NO RIDE



:: Route: Total distance for the day is approx 22 miles split 12, morning / 10 afternoon, with lunch at a great pub at Marshbrook. Pre-ordering is essential and a menu will be posted two weeks before the ride.
The route provides a wide variety of riding and should set you up nicely for the rest of the National Series.

:: Directions: As stated above in Church Stretton. The car-park is next to a supermarket, and there is a bike shop within 3 minutes walk open from 10.00, so emergency spares and food aren't a problem. Also a bike shop next to the pub at lunchtime just incase. Public toilets on Easthope Rd next to car-park.
There is a station within 5 minutes walk but I've no idea of the service.

:: Accomodation: Stacks of camping in the area, including an outdoor pursuits centre that has pods as well as a camp site http://www.camping-shropshire.co.uk/ This is about 15 minutes cycle from our meeting place.



Please sign up on this thread if you are thinking of joining the ride.

Hope to see you there.

Put me down for a provisional.

I'm in

I'm in men!........thermoplastic black adder cod piece and leather flying hat as usual?.......

I'll be there for this one

This thread has gone a bit quiet! I'm in .

I'm in to will be with Weeman

I don't think I'm going to be fit to ride by the 29th (that climb out of Stretton is a doozy!) as I've still got a week an a half until the plaster comes off, but I will do my bestest to meet you all for lunch at the Pub in Marshbrook. I'm only 20mins away in Shrewsbury so it would be rude not to try to get down to provide some support at least.

I asume we are talking the Station Inn?

Hello everyone.
Three of us spent yesterday doing the Mynd recce. I just love this hill. We have a terrific descent in the morning and a choice of two equally memorable ways off the hill at the end of the day (time and weather being the decider). That is the good news. Unfortunately this means climbing The Mynd twice. There will be much walking.
The plan is to leave Church Stretton at 10.30 (no later). We have a 25 minute road ride to get warmed up eventually taking a bridleway that skirts the contours to the southern end of The Mynd. The morning's climb gets us up to the Glider station and we then come back down Minton Hill (not Batch) to the pub at Marshbrook. It took the three of us ( and we are certainly no racing snakes) 2.5 hours to cover this 10 mile stretch so with a large group it would seem realistic to allow 3.25 hours. So three quarters of an hour at the pub should get us back on the bikes by 2.30.
The traditional post-pub climb now starts, back up to the Gliding club and then northwards along the top to the trig point at Polebank. Continuing north we eventually drop down into Batch Valley and then a mile or so of road back into Stretton. We took 2 hours for this 12.5 mile stretch so it seems reasonable to expect the group to be back at the cars for 5.00. And this is why it is so important get away by 10.30.
The total distance we clocked at 22.5miles with just over 3000ft of climbing. The route takes you over the entire length of The Mynd south to north. Hopefully the weather will be kind because the views are terrific.
The climbs are memorable, and the downhills dramatic. This is old-school mountainbiking about as far as it is possible to get from Trail-Centre riding.
The pub is located on the same side of the Mynd as Church Stretton, so should anybody need to get away early, or decide to stay in the pub rather than climb back up to the top, there is the option to cruise back a couple of miles along the valley to the carpark.

I'm looking forward to this very much, and will post the lunch menu up in the next week or two.

Rob

Rob


will we pass the Challenger Tank again ?