Yorkshire Tour de France loop

Road Cycling: Halifax-Bradford-Oxenhope Moor-Hebden Bridge-Cragg Vale-Ripponden-Halifax
Distance: 70k
Stable weather had set in, I was in Huddersfield for the evening, the Grand Depart of the Tour comes this way in a couple of weeks, and some cycling training was necessary before our summer Alps trip. All in all, it seemed essential to get out for an evening ride, so I left (well after 6pm) from Greetland near Elland. Dreadful rush hour traffic, so I tried to escape up a side road above Halifax. This was steep, and it didn't work as it bought me back down in the middle of Halifax where the traffic was even worse. Indeed, the traffic was so unpleasant that I abandoned my plans to find Shibden Wall and instead headed straight for Queensbury via another steep climb out of Halifax. More traffic meant I missed a crucial turn and ended up in the Bradford suburbs (this area is essentially one giant gritty northern conurbation). A lengthy detour brought me out near Denholme and then finally the open moor as I headed along the Causeway to Oxenhope. This was much more like it: curlews and lapwing, soft sunshine and a low sun. Oxenhope was picture postcard, with a cricket match in progress, and I joined the Tour route (Stage 2) well before the first category 3 climb: Cote d'Oxenhope Moor! An Alpine style hairpin leads to a long drag before a superb descent, fast and long, with great views of the moors, all the way down to scenic Hebden Bridge. From here I continued on the TdF route to Myholmroyd and the turning for Cragg Vale, England's longest continuous climb. This is almost 10k, but so gentle that even I could get up it in a biggish gear at a reasonable pace. The traffic had died away by now, and I was enjoying myself. A sharp turn as the route briefly enters Lancashire, then another good descent to Ripponden. Another hill was inevitable, and the climb out of Ripponden (Category 3) is sharp enough to take the breath away. I was tiring after a long day, and yesterday's race, so was glad it didn't go on too long before leading to the descent back to Greetland.