Did you take part in our Ride in 2021?
If you did, it was great to have you along for the ride, lots of you said how much they enjoyed the route. And if you didn’t make it, not to worry, you can now go out and take on the challenge any time you fancy it.
Made of Stone was the first post-lockdown RideStaffs ride we organised in 2021, and now you can tackle it any time you fancy. So here’s a quick overview of how to find your way around the route and if you want, a couple of suggestions for stops en-route too!
A note about safety before we start:
When we did this as an organised ride there were of course signs on the route for the participants and to warn other road users. As you’ll be flying solo on this one, it’s up to you to decide if the route is right for you in general. And it goes without saying that you need to be heading out prepared for all the weather conditions you’re likely to experience on the day.
Right, onto the route:
Before we get into the nitty gritty – The route has a couple of minor tweaks from the one we did on the day of the official RideStaffs ride. The main one is the removal of a section that takes you past the JCB factory – our ride passed there early on a Sunday morning, but at other times traffic can be heavy and quick there so we’ve opted for a more scenic route with a little ford to negotiate instead!
The Start
Our ride begins (like all good rides should as far as I’m concerned) with a good strong cup of coffee.
Bear in Stone is the destination and as a popular coffee stop for cyclists throughout this bit of the world, they’re used to folk clip clopping in for an espresso. If you are getting caffeinated before your ride, the first half a mile or so of your ride is then spent looping around the one way system in Stone to get nearly back to where you started. If you’re not – you can just pick up the route from the top of the high street.
Up, up and away!
Stone is in a valley, keeping things flat isn’t really an option unless you’re keen to spend your day up and down the A34, so the ride begins with a bit of a climb. I say a bit of a climb, in truth you don’t really get any respite until the 4 mile point as you grind your way up Fulford Lane. Once you’re at the top though a look back on a clear day might let you see as far as Wales.
Early Rewards
The good thing on this ride about bagging 500ft of climbing early is that it sets you up for a pretty cushy next dozen or so miles. So once you (carefully) cross the B5066 after 4 miles, relax, because the next 13 miles descend on average at about 1% and the route has been designed to minimise junctions and keep your momentum.
Bear right for (more) coffee
All that downhill fun comes to an end as you enjoy a brief encounter with civilisation in Uttoxeter. Just off the route at the 17.2 mile point is the original Bear Coffee – it’s played host to a number of RideStaffs events over the years – where you can get coffee or something more substantial (I’m a bit partial to the shakshuka if you’re ever taking me out for lunch)
Dig in, pray and look to the heavens
After making your way through Uttoxeter you’re heading toward the half way point of the ride. Whether or not you’ve stopped in Uttoxeter, these relatively flat roads are a good opportunity to feel the muscles in your legs working a little again. That’s good preparation for what lies ahead in the second half of the ride.
The largely flat roads come to an end for the day as you ride through Denstone village (where there’s another excellent farm shop/cafe combo) and turn towards Alton, the climb to which is a little aperitif compared to what lies ahead.
The village of Alton is followed by a short descent down Nabb Lane (take care, it’s a single road with passing places) before rolling roads bring you past Croxden Abbey. Croxden was the 12th Century home of Cistercian Monks and was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1538. As you roll past the Abbey, take a moment to look up and to your left, because nestled on that hillside amongst the trees is the road to the Raddle, and that’s where you’re headed next.
The Raddle and beyond.
The hamlet of Greatgate comes just after the 30 mile point and features a cute little cobbled ford just before you begin the next climb. If you don’t fancy the cobbles, there’s a little bridge to the right you can use instead. Then it’s up, up and away!
The Raddle is a climb we’ve used a number of times in our RideStaffs Spring Forward sportive and it’s a bit of a stinker for a number of reasons. Firstly it’s steep at the bottom so it steals all your speed, forcing you out of the saddle to grind your way around the hairpin as you try to cling to a little forward momentum. Secondly it’s got a pub half way up which is always going to provoke mixed emotions (history is split on whether the pub is named after the hill or vice versa).
And lastly, there’s a sting in the tail with gradient on the last bit of the climb kicking up into double figures once again (as if you’ve not suffered enough!). We made a little video about the Raddle as part of the build up to our Spring Forward sportive one time, you can watch the video here.
We’re not done yet!
Now, if there was any kind of justice in the world you’d be treated to a lovely sweeping descent after all that grind, but not here. Hopefully the excellent views towards the Peak District are some reward as you track along the top of the ridge for a mile and a half before finally descending as you approach the next big climb – Huntley Hill.
A mile and a half in length, Huntley Hill is a a drag of a climb with a sting in the tail. Along the way there are more great views into the peak district, but with 35miles in the bag by this point, you might be spending more time looking at your front wheel and wondering ‘are we there yet?’. But at least this climb has an immediate descent as reward made all the more pleasing by the wide swoop and curvature of the road.
One last push to the top
When I devised this route for the Made of Stone ride in 2021, I was surprised to find that the section of the route from Cresswell at 39miles up to Rough Close. The literal high point of the ride is essentially one climb. There’s just enough occasional respite or actual descent to give the impression that’s not the case and that can mess with the head a little as you begin to question whether you’re running out of gas. But fear not, this really is the last big push. Once you reach the B5066 to Meir Heath, the hard work is done for the day. From here it’s all downhill to Wedgwood before tracing your way along the valley back through Barlaston and on to our finishing point. The ride ends at the Borehole, brewery tap of our friends at Lymestone Brewery.
Places to Eat:
Along the way there are a few options for fuelling up on this ride. Bear and Lymestone are old RideStaffs favourites, but there’s a couple more you’ll pass along the way that you could try too.
Bear, Stone:
On the high street, this is the official start point for this route. They do a great espresso any day of the week, but also lots of tasty ride fuel from the portable (chocolate brownies) to the substantial (shakshuka is my current fave)
Strawberry Garden Centre, Bramshall.
15 miles into you ride, this one is a fairly traditional garden centre cafe that reminds me of the type of place we’d head to on club runs in my youth.
Bear, Uttoxeter:
Only off the route by a few metres, this is the original outpost of the increasingly giant (but still cuddly) Bear empire.
Denstone Hall, Denstone
Cake and Coffee to a hearty steak and ale pie. Just remember, though, the serious climbing begins once you leave Denstone!
The Raddle, Hollington:
They promise an extensive menu from local suppliers with a specials board that changes daily. Plus real ale and a great view. Oh, and if it’s all too much they’ve got log cabins so you can have a lie down!
The Borehole, Stone:
There’s always a warm welcome at the Borehole and on colder days that comes in the form of a real wood fire. Drop in as you complete your ride for a pint of something brewed just meters away and don’t forget to grab a bottle to take home too!
Other Useful Links:
How to Climb Quarry Bank (AKA The Raddle) with Liam from Holohan Coaching (ridestaffs.co.uk/made-of-stone-ride-the-route)
Getting fit for the Made of Stone ride – a guest blog by Alex Byles (ridestaffs.co.uk/guest-blog)
