{"id":856797,"date":"2025-09-27T20:42:35","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T19:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/?p=856797"},"modified":"2025-09-27T20:42:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T19:42:35","slug":"carshare-blog-to-weekend-of-4th-5th-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/856797","title":{"rendered":"Carshare blog to weekend of 4th \/ 5th October, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Winter Monday Series commences Monday 29th September.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Willy Kitchen writes:<\/div>\n
In something more than its twentieth year, the curiously great, yet decidedly undervalued, institution that is the \u2018Winter Mondays\u2019 series of road and trail races commences its 2025\/2026 iteration next Monday 29th September. The first race is the traditional running of the Midhopestone Road route from Bolsterstone Church. You will find full details of the first race on the Dark Peak calendar<\/em><\/u><\/span>, and of the rest of the series up to Xmas\u00a0here<\/em><\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/a> and, soon enough, on Nicky Spinks’s website too<\/a>. <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We owe a huge debt of thanks to Nicky, and to her erstwhile side-kick Keith Holmes, for the organisation of the series – and for many years some particularly fiendish hill rep sessions too – over the last seventeen years, having taken the series over in 2008 from the original, inimitable Carshare, Dave Tait, who is credited with their very first incarnation, sometime in the early noughties (we suspect).<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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As Nicky herself notes, \u201cI started running the Winter Series in 2005 to 2006 when I needed to get faster for the Paddy Buckley. I don’t know when Dave started it. Keith would know as he was there from the start. There was also Rus Beresford and Ian Winterburn and Darren Unwin They were so accommodating to me on the hill sprints and I started doing an early start on the races as I was so slow (and got lost) so they were waiting around for hours (or came searching) for me.\u201d How the mighty are risen!<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We\u2019re really keen this year to encourage a few more participants at both road and trail races. These are an excellent way of gaining or maintaining fitness through the winter months, adding leg speed, and\/or gaining more confidence in night-time nav.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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There\u2019s nothing especially difficult here, although a few routes would benefit from a daylight recce, and we\u2019ve also added a few more descriptive details in the different calendar entries to assist the newbie, as well as providing the usual route maps.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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This year, we\u2019re returning to a \u2018Monday evening only\u2019 format, with start times between 6pm and 6.30pm – typically the slow and more infirm at 6pm, flabby middle at 6.15pm, and relative whippets at 6.30pm – which will hopefully result in a more or less sociable chasing finish. There\u2019s also a special dispensation for the over 70s, who are welcome to set off at any time before 6pm on the relevant Monday, with a view to finishing at some point before 7.30pm.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Willy Kitchen, who is taking over the organisation from Nicky and Keith, will be at the start point for each race shortly before 6pm, with shiny new clipboard for self-recording of race times. He\u2019ll typically aim to set off with the 6.15pm starters, so if you are a later arriving whippet, please just add your name to the clipboard list (look for the blue, slightly battered, Skoda Roomster), and we\u2019ll be sure to count you back in before we go home.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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For safety reasons, we ask that you observe the following kit requirements, for the respective category of races:<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a01) Road races. Every third week from Bolsterstone Church. Reflective vests and head torches must be worn. Please also carry a mobile phone in case of mishap.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\u00a02) Trail races. Two in every three weeks, from a variety of starting points to the west and north-west of the city; many of which will be familiar to members from a range of club races and social runs. Full details and direction of travel are indicated in race descriptions and on maps. Please carry full FRA kit as a minimum, as well as a head torch and mobile phone in case of emergency and\/or torch battery failure.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Willy will also ask you to make a note of (a) your mobile phone number, and (b) an emergency contact number, in case of mishap. Nicky is, by no means, the only person to have gone astray on both road and trail races \u2026<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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We\u2019ll also be encouraging regular carsharing, so please keep an eye on announcements here, on the DP Facebook page, and club WhatsApp groups.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Finally, for any first-timers, be prepared for a good deal of futile gaming from old-timers, as they try to earn weekly bonus points (for improving performance from week to week). We\u2019ll hold off that particular quirk of the series though until we\u2019ve got the results service up and running on the website. In the meantime, you can have a look at Nicky\u2019s set of past results if you really want to know more.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Looking forward to seeing a few more of you on the hill this Winter Mondays – and if you have any immediate questions, please do email me at willykitchen@me.com<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Past Races<\/span><\/div>\n
Great Longstone Chase – the last of the weekday evening races. Lewis Roberts 1st, Guy Ward 2nd with Tim Rutter and John Hunt also in the top ten. Harriet Wingfield 2nd woman and Rachel Rose 2nd W40. Further back in the field Bob Bryan, Dave and then Mike Arundale were 1st, 2nd and 3rd M70’s respectively. Results\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n
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Groovy Kinder Love – Pennine’s AL from Hayfield. Helen Elmore 1st W50. Results <\/strong><\/a>\u00a0The shorter Groovy Baby Love was won by our dear departed Josh Williams with Lawrence Piercy 3rd and Jane Crowson 1st W60. Results<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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Totley Exterminator – Wins for Felix Watts and Sally Fawcett with Neil Northrop 3rd overall and 2nd M40, Helen Roberts 2nd woman and Chris Ledger 2nd M60. Results\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n
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Three Shires – The final penultimate Lakeland Classic with a major route change as it is now run anti-clockwise. The two Dark Peak performances that stood out were those of 2nd woman Poppy Wardley and Lotte Sykes who, as well as being the 1st WU23 and 9th woman to finish, was also the 1st Sykes. Kudos! Results<\/strong>\u00a0<\/a><\/div>\n
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Stanage Struggle – A strong showing by DPFR with 8 or the first 11 finishers. Felix Watts 1st (again), Lewis Roberts 2nd and Luke Wilkinson 3rd. Joseph Dale 1st M40. Izzy-mai Wilson 1st WU23 and Jane Crowson 1st W60.<\/div>\n
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Peris Horseshoe – Rob Greenwood 2nd and 1st M40.<\/div>\n
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Upcoming races<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sunday 28th September – Ilam Three Peaks<\/div>\n
Sunday 28th September – Wirksworth Undulator.<\/div>\n
Saturday 4th October – Curbar Commotion.<\/div>\n
Wednesday 8th October – Hunter Wreck Race, Andy Harmer’s excellent race over the moors in the back of beyond. A fully functional compass is advised, as is the knowledge of how to use it. Details here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/div>\n
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\u00a0JimP<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Saturday 27th September, 2025<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter Monday Series commences Monday 29th September. Willy Kitchen writes: In something more than its twentieth year, the curiously great, yet decidedly undervalued, institution that is the \u2018Winter Mondays\u2019 series of road and trail races commences its 2025\/2026 iteration next Monday 29th September. The first race is the traditional running […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":504,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-856797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-carshare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/504"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":856798,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856797\/revisions\/856798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dpfr.org.uk\/wp_dpfr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}