Your first climb of Struggle Moors offers a gentle warm-up, but the 20 miles of undulating road over Bransdale needs to be ridden smart.
Up 't Moor
Bransdale is one of the most isolated valleys in the North York Moors, surrounded by high moors on all sides. The road takes you on a Northerly gradual uphill traverse for 10 miles. The valley suddenly ends and you're forced south back down the valley for another 10 miles.
There is no one iconic climb on Bransdale. There is however almost 2,000ft of ascent over 20 miles. There's plenty of undulating sections and some sneaky steep hairpins, including the section over Bransdale Road Climb (see Veloviewer above).
Stop Chewing the Stem
Leaving Helmsley, the road rises gradually allowing you a nice warm-up. There's a fast descent in the first few miles so rain in any early excitement and stay safe.
Reaching the North of the valley is where your warm-up ends and the double-digit gradients kick up. There's a few of these over the next few miles including the segment above (see Veloviewer) so keep your powder dry.
Bransdale is one of the most stunning sections of cycling terrain in the North York Moors. We highly recommend enjoying this as warm-up with your head up, rather than chewing the stem. You'll thank us for this advice on Rosedale Chimney later.
... Read the Full Struggle Moors Climb Guide>>
Your Say?
Have you ridden Bransdale? Let us know what you think of the climb in the comments section below.
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