Hebden Bridge to Sheffield, TdF 2014 Stage 2b

For enthusiastic amateurs and old men such as me - The second part of Stage 2 over 2 days. Hebden Bridge to Sheffield route completes the Stage.

If starting from The Robin Hood, enjoy the sweep down into Hebden Bridge that starts your day - you are about to climb Cragg Vale - the longest continuous climb in England, 968ft, over 5.5 miles. Actually it's not too bad, just very long, and you get to shoot down into Ripponden as your reward. The rest of the day is a slog. If there is an opportunity to divert the route up a difficult climb, the massochist that designed the stage took it. In truth, when you get to Sheffield there is an extra loop out an back that I've missed out. Having reached the station, I'd thought I'd done enough. It was a challenging and (for me) a tough four days' cycling to get here, but very satisfying.