A year with the trans Pennine Cycling Club
2014 was of course the year the world famous Tour de France came to our region and what a truly memorable experience it was with crowds lining the route, which covered many of the roads so familiar to local cyclists.
Once again the Trans Pennine CC organised the David Geldard MBE Over the Edge charity cycle ride which has raised over £180,000 for the British Heart Foundation since its inaugural event in the mid 1990’s.
Whilst the Trans Pennine CC is predominantly a road/touring club our members also enjoy off road cycling, illustrated by ou Wednesday evening MTB rides and day rides at Gisburn Forest trail centre.
The basis of a cycling club is the ‘Sunday’ road ride among which have been visits to ‘Last of the Summer Wine’s Holmfirth, Bolton Abbey, Haigh Hall and in homage to Le Tour one of our members devised a ‘In the wheels of the Tour’ Etape which covered part of this year’s stage 2 including the ascent of Holme Moss providing an interesting if somewhat demanding day’s cycling.
For a number of years a regular annual feature of the TPCC calendar has been the visit to the Mallorca training camp which of course includes serious cycling and also involves soaking up the holiday atmosphere of this Mediterranean Island.
The Great Manchester Cycle (closed road event) was once again fully subscribed with approx. 7,000 cyclists taking part on a traffic free course of 13 miles the only gradient on the route being the climb over the Mancunian Way which was negotiated twice per ‘lap’. Needless to say our club was well represented on the 26 and 52 mile routes, some members managing quite respectable times bearing in mind ours is not a ‘racing’ club.
We always support local Audax and charity events and this year rode the Walter Pilkington (Bury), the Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfulness (Hebden Bridge) and the Manchester 100 (in aid if Christies Hospital).
This year’s reliability rides of 30 and 50 miles (no lunch stops on route) provided an opportunity for members to stretch their legs and these rides will hopefully become a regular feature in 2015.
Our year with the Trans Pennine closed with our xmas lunch and the traditional festive tinsel ride.