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The info:
The Mary Towneley Loop takes in some of the best scenery &
off-road riding the south Pennines has to offer. Traversing the
hillsides and crossing the valleys between Rossendale, Burnley,
Hebden Bridge, Todmorden & Rochdale. The entire route is marked &
the riding surfaces are good ..!. The Pennine Challenge followed the
route in a clockwise direction, the route crossed high exposed
moorland which can be made even harder by the wetness of the
terrain. It is a strenuous and demanding day out. |
IT'S
SUNDAY, SO ITS ANOTHER EVENTS DAY
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~ Bicyclemania Ride ~
Normally riding around the Mary Towneley Loop you will have to open
& shut about 47 odd gates, but when your in a mass Enduro challenge
it will drop considerably, I only opened & shut 6 gates & it make a
big differences. The weather was brilliant, hot, dry, & very sunny,
great for the beautiful views but it's down-side was making sure you
kept on taking on the liquids. Each rider was given a laminated
number to attach to their bike & told to slow down or stop at each
marshalled check-point so their number could be logged. Their was a
maximum cut-off time of 12 hr's allowed, & the organisers laid on
transport back to the start venue at the halfway point if you had to
quit.
~ Pit Stops ~
The food & drink stations all had a good supply of stuff to
re-energise you and sent you on your way again following the fully
waymarked Mary Towneley Loop. That said you had to keep your eye out
for the 'Pbw' small blue and white acorn discs, and
take care not to follow the other signs. Some off the signs had gone
missing and the organisers and placed route markers for you to
follow so in some areas it got a bit confusing. The last section of
the route was well marked with arrows.
~Heat Take It Toll~
The very warm weather collected about 25 riders who decided to
retire from the challenge and about 19 odd riders failed to start. |
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Full route map
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