The Coal Road
4am and the city sleeps. We're getting battered by the cold, hard wind and rain from the west, but we're ready.
Cold Dark North lit up the NeilPryde marketing team's radar a few months previously while chasing inspiration on Instagram. What appealed to us was the passion to embrace unique challenges right on your doorstep - forget the temptation for warmer climes. Forget the cheap flights and remember all that comes with it; transfers, queues, the bikes box lottery. Forget the clichéd 'epic' rides on roads well-travelled.
After contacting Toby - the Cold Dark North founder - with an idea to come down and get involved, he told us about something else he had in the pipeline - the Coal Road Challenge. This was real UK riding.
105km of challenging terrain featuring two major climbs - Gawthorpe Hill and the eponymous Coal Road. The former takes you up to the top of the stunning and rewarding descent off Barbondale down to Kirkby Lonsdale. The latter is a meat-grinder up from Garsdale Head Station.
We arrived in a lay by in Lancaster. Fuelled by a few pre-dawn pitstops. There we meet Toby and his team who inform us that we'll have the benefit of a tailwind for the first 30 miles, followed by horizontal rain and a block head wind in the home straight. Fear starts to creep in as our crew are seriously lacking winter miles and - this being a reliability ride, not a sportive - we'll need to put the hammer down. This is no leisurely spin.
Some missing cleats mean we miss our start group. Not ideal. We get going with start group two and are quickly tucked in at the back for the first mile. Every rider knows that to get pulled along you want to be either in the midd-pack of near the front. We're at the back and yo-yoing - straining the elastic to the main group with each effort to stay in touch. The tautness increasing until...ping.
I lose my wingman. The miles pass and the constant attempts to bridge the gap sapped energy. The first hill does it. I was off the back. Unfortunately I'm not along for long and quickly pick up some other riders to share the pain with. We soldier on.
The turning point marks the beginning of a long arduous climb followed by a much-welcomes water stop. From there we head under a bridge and there it is. The Coal Road.
I'm not one for excuses, except when one's needed. Grabbing a demo bike and hitting the road without studying the ride info is never a good idea. If hindsight was foresight, then everything would be alright. Here I find myself over-geared. The Coal Road climb has me quickly maxed out on my 28 cassette. I curse the lack of a 32 bail-out and zig-zag across the road in a futile attempt to counteract the steepness. Gravity always wins.
It was tough for sure, but the 'leave home, come back stronger' manta rings true as always. For all the pain, the road and scenery brought pleasure. Bursting lungs and burning legs brings future fortitude. My final miles offered reflection. I was going to finish and drink a strong coffee. I was glad I came, glad I rode. I'll come back stronger.
I disrespected the Coal Road. Trust me, you don't do that twice.