Merida Marathon 75km - Builth Wells, Wales - 13th April 2008
With huge amounts of forward planning (2 days!) Rich and I signed ourselves
up for the first Merida Marathon of the year in Builth Wells. With a long
drive ahead of us we set off straight after shutting up the shop on Saturday.
With only a pit stop in Manchester for dinner (thanks Mum) we continued on
through endless A roads to pitch camp at midnight at the local rugby club.
It was a sign of things to come when I woke in the night due to rain pounding
on the tent! Fortunately it was a glorious start to the day, though the camp
site had started to look like Glastonbury in parts. We fuelled up on a monster
breakfast and filled our packs with most types of available energy products.
The longest distance at this event was 75km so it was a bit of a relief to
do the first chunk of climbing on the road which got you out into the proper
countryside before stringing out into the singletrack.
With there being over
800 riders in the event it was soon obvious that the rain soaked trail was
not standing up very well. It was not long before then was mass hike-a-bike
to get to the top of some of the hills. Having started in summer, winter soon
closed in with heavy sleet and the mood went from a Sunday on the bike to a
trudge. Fortunately the skies cleared before the ‘wooded singletrack’ which
was super technical due to the mud and exposed roots. All this was in the
first 25km and by this point you already felt that you had a long ride in
your legs. Never have I done so much riding with no grip on either wheel.
Crabbing down the hills, frame filling up with mud is only fun for a while.
It was not long before I was dreaming of fire roads to get some miles under
my belt. When I eventually peeled off on the last loop to do the full 75km
then was a definite feeling that you were one of the only few that were
bothering. After 2 more climbs and 2 slithers with some great views over
Builth Wells, I crossed the line feeling tired but chuffed! The word on
the street was that it was the hardest marathon that they had done, 100km
ones included, and I had to agree having done the last 100km in Ruthin
last year. So after all that mud and pain will I be going to the next one?
Of course I will!!
Rob
Orange Mountain Bike Demo Day - 6th April 2008
Despite having to crawl (wheel spin up) along forest drive due to the freezing
conditions, we arrived at Dixons Hollow to set up for our first Orange demo day.
Fourteen pristine mountain bikes were waiting to be ridden. Fortunately it did
not take long for people to show up, despite the horrendous forecast for the day.
As I am sure you will have seen if you have been to the forest recently, we were
following the big yellow signs for the demo route for the day. This gave about
a very varied two mile route in the forest on which to test all the bikes from
groomed tabletops and berms to rocks and roots later on. Due to the copious
amount of snow the loop was trickier than usual. Throughout the day everyone
got a chance to get used to the route and explore the differences between the
bikes. It soon became clear that the 5 was the apple of everyone’s eye with
its perfect balance of weight and travel for a do-it-all trail bike. With only
one short snow flurry to spoil the fun, everyone had a great day and we are
looking forward to next year.
Rob
Hebden Bridge - 30th March 2008
A route well trodden by Rob due to its easy access, Hebden Bridge is an old favourite
with a few challenging climbs and some “add on” descents at the end. The day again
for some unknown reason was bathed in warm sun, though apparently it should have been
raining at least half the time. The first climb up a fire road led to a very soggy
descent down a field. An abundance of ground water was to be a theme of the day.
After a photo op at “the Slab” (see bikes about to take off below), we headed off
into a strong head wind. After crossing a reservoir we started the days hardest
off-road climb, a series of switch backs which seem to get increasingly steeper towards
the top with a few “could make you dab if you’re unlucky” rocks lying about. This
lead into a frankly stupid mostly downward ride through a bog - I fell in a couple
of times. We headed on and despite warnings, I rode into a swollen stream and didn’t
make it across. The trail then contours via a mix of singletrack and short road
sections to a short descent which has two switch backs right on the edge of a cliff.
Normally this is great and takes about two minutes, for some reason we managed to
spend about 40 minutes messing about due to a puncture, coffee and some sun-bathing!
We decided the “add on” for the day would be the Blue Pig descent. This did
entail one of the most heart-breaking road climbs I have ever done to gain the height,
but turned out to be well worth it. Having obviously been paved at some point, many old
drainage ditches and edges allowed for boosted jumps into slightly dubious landings.
Having not really felt that my “game head” had been at all present during the ride so
far I could feel it making a necessary appearance to guide me down. With a map session
and some luck, a route containing a few more top-end descents could be made around
Hebden Bridge.
Tom
Wales 2 - 22-23rd March 2008
Coed Y Brenin
After the success of our first tip Fulford Cycles decided a return to Wales would be a great way
to spend the Easter Bank Holiday. We had two days to try out another two Welsh trail centres
and make a welcome stop at the pub for a Sunday roast.
Our first days ride was around the Coed Y Brenin trail centre. We chose two
medium length routes, the Tawr trail and the MBR trail. This decision was much helped by the
friendly Forestry Commission staff who seemed to be hinting much would be lost if we were
to spend out day set in only one part of the forest. As it turned out this was true, the
Tawr trail was excellent, with many great downhill sections and most climbing kept to
fire roads. A couple of sections which particularly stood out were the Rocky Horror show
and the Flight path. The Rocky Horror show was very loose and very fast, it seemed safer
the less you used the brakes. The Flight path was more technical with plenty of rocks gardens
to ride through. All in all the Tawr trail had a lot to teach us about riding rocks well.
The MBR trail, after a quick lunch of sausage sandwiches, was a more mixed bag
of trail types. The most technical section was a descent through a wood which had plenty of
rooted, muddy and rocky sections to keep you happy. Mostly a “just let the bike roll over it”
approach was adopted by myself which seemed to work throughout. The weather held for us all day
despite terrible predictions on the news. It began to snow only as we arrived back at the car
park, just in time for coffee and cake at the visitor centre. There are plenty more trails in
the Coed y Brenin forest which we didn’t ride that day, making a return trip highly likely.
Tom
Wales 02 - 06th March 2008
A cunningly planned week off allowed Fulford Cycles to head over to Wales
for five days of top class riding. The week was varied - a downhill day,
three trail centres and an ascent of Snowdon. There was a general theme of
excellence in everything we rode. Apart from the top end riding, Wales
provided refreshing beer, great food and some amazing views.
Day 1: Cwmcarn Downhill Day
A lengthy trek from York brought us to Cwmcarn, a forest in south Wales with views over the Bristol channel. After the initial disappointment of not being booked on the uplift, we resigned ourselves to a tough day of dragging ourselves to the top for each run. The track itself has two distinct sections, a flowing twisty wooded top half and a very quick open bottom section. After the first run it became clear we would be speeding up all day long - I decided it would be a brilliant idea to have ACDC playing on headphones inside my full face for the second run. The music convinced me I was a better rider, and for a short time I flew down the track. Unsurprisingly I came to a stop on my face after a series of three small drops placed in quick succession. Body armour saved the day and we headed up for another run. Rob was growing ever more confident on Gloria his Giant DH bike, jumping further and landing on things "you wouldn't even look at on my other bike" keeping a grin on his face all day. A great start to the week.
Day 2 Climachx Trail
After a quick stop at my parent’s house for dinner/Mothers day we decided to take in the Climachx trail on the way up to a cottage in North Wales. This trail centre boasts "the longest downhill in Wales". Keen to see exactly what this entailed, we headed into the hills. The trail centre itself is not too big, but worth riding round for the sections of singletrack. The final descent is absolutely amazing - twisting through a forest on terrain scattered with slate, it is fast and keeps you on your toes until you reach the fire road at the end. We liked it so much we climbed the forest a second time to have another go. As with most trails we were both faster on our second run, "you can mountain bike only using a sixth sense". Highly recommended to anyone who can get there.
Day 3: Pemachno Trail
After arriving at the cottage in north Wales it became clear that there must be a large amount of riding to be done near by. The Pemachno centre is quite large with two choices of route. As is characteristic of most of the Welsh trail centres, seemingly endless fire road climbs are rewarded with twisty, fast singletrack, which somehow magically makes you forget the climbing. Riding around the centre a combination of stunning views and great trails made for an excellent day. One or two sections had me riding on my forks to prevent untimely take off on a number of the corners of the
twisting trails. The final descent was again a stunner. Once you start, it grabs your attention completely. One stupid attempt at a jump left me with one hand as my only point of contact with the bike, a concerning few second later I regained control and wobbled on. The second section of the descent started with some uncomfortably sharp hairpins followed by a flowing rocky section, again amazing. Give it a go.
Day 4: The Marin Trail
For some reason I was more amazed that we were riding a trail with a major brand sponsor than where we were when we first turned up. A slow process of waking up followed on the trail (after some of the Welsh beer and a big dinner the night before). A slated rocky corner caused me to crash fairly early on, on the upside I found a small hand pump, something I'd needed for ages. Rob dealt with the rocky corners better than I did throughout, although we did end up using the found pump for a pinch flat about half an hour later. There was a picture postcard view of a distant mountain with a lake and forest in the foreground from one fire road section. The final descent was again the big highlight. This was ridden as hard as possible
by both of us as it was a little easier to deal with than some of the previous trail centres. After packing up a drive into Betws-y-coed set the scene for our next days ride.
Day 5: Snowdon
A friendly shop assistant in Betws-y-coed pointed out that Snowdon was open to mountain bikers at this time of year and that there is a bridleway to the top. After Rob had bought the map, and made up his mind (and put some blinkers on) the destination of our final days ride was set. I was feeling quite tired from our week so far, so the thought of riding up the biggest mountain in Wales was a little daunting. We suited and booted ourselves in body armour again and started off up the mountain. It is a long climb. I was surprised at how much we actually rode up. Toward the top the weather closed in and we struggled on foot up some very steep loose terrain. After some debate about how far away the top actually was, we finally reached the stone steps which lead to the cairn on the summit. We estimate it was a three and a half hour climb. The descent was all over far too soon. The top section we had struggled up was technical on the way down but we both rode it all. After a quick pat on the back and ensuring our fingers were still working we continued. The next section was paved with big rocks, making it very uncomfortable on a hardtail. Rob was waiting at the bottom as I took a few comfort breaks and eventually got down. After that the trail opened into some of the best riding of the trip. Quite loose and rocky in general, it was punctuated with big boulders making for a few decent challenges. Managing to take off was somehow more satisfying than it had been at the trail centres and generally riding pieces well was a great thrill. All in all we took around 40 minutes to get down, but this included several long photo-op stops. A cafe at the bottom supplied us with great coffee and free cake (!!!) to round off an amazing days ride.
Wales was spectacular throughout, we shall certainly be back.
Tom
Pen y Ghent - 24th February 2008
This week saw our intrepid adventurers head over to Pen y Ghent in the
Dales. A classic and a favourite ride we were both looking forward to a
great day from the start. The first climb came as a bit of a shock as it
always does, much height is gained quickly. After a short road blast,
passing a heavily armed farmer, we arrived at the "trial-sy" section of the
ride. A mixture of short steep climbs and contouring which has many rocks,
ruts, streams and boggy patches making for many small challenges and some
pride if you can stay on the bike without "dabbing" for any length of time.
This eventually led us to Hull Pot, a big hole in the ground and a stop
for lunch. The descent from Hull Pot to the road is rocky, fast and a lot of
fun. We stopped to session one particularly rocky corner, an S-bend which
throws you off a boulder into some fist-sized loose rocks. After passing
quite a few walkers at high speed we stopped for a coffee at the Pen y
Ghent cafe. Coffee is fast becoming indispensable on our rides.
Pen y Ghent's second loop is a grassy climb which allows you to take in the
outstanding views as well as a very tasty descent. A long, fast swoop down on grass, with many options
on lines brings you to the top of one of the best pieces of singletrack
around. Closed in between two dry stone walls, it is rocky, a little loose
and very exciting. Pedalling into it, you can choose lines in some parts
where as others are obscured until the last moment by the walls. This
ended one of our best rides this year. A highly recommended route for
anyone.
Tom
Dalby Dig Day - 17th February 2008
Team BDB (Fulford Cycles MegaAvalance team) made a first outing together to Dalby forest this week. We all started the day by giving a little back to the forest, helping SingleTrAction to build a new trail. After much digging which produced about 25 meters (or about 15 seconds) of new trail and a little light banter we headed over to Dixon’s Hollow to start the day’s ride. There were many reasons for this being an exciting ride, the authour got to try an Orange 5, and we had a new addition to our team, John from Continental footwear shop Ruby Slipper (three doors down). We spent our afternoon cherry picking trails, mostly the black run descents from many options Dalby offers. The Orange 5 proved a very different steed to my trusty hardtail allowing for a more exciting/lazy/direct choice of line. John on his first outing “in a while” managed a heroic effort on all fronts even after an early tumble, which to be honest was more due to us making him try a black run descent as his first of the day. Highlights included the run from the bottom of the North Shore (old black route), which was very fast in the frozen conditions and the White Cliff run, now re-named the Screamer due to the authour’s tendency to scream like a little girl every time he rides it. We ended the day discussing our exploits in the Dalby visitor centre, including Team BDB having ripped down a tree that was “a bit in the way of the new trail”. Heres to many more team rides and trail-building to come.
Tom
Reeth - 10th February 2008
After a chilly start and narrowly avoiding a herd of sheep which had ambled onto a B-road we arrived at Reeth. The weather actually could not have been any better: warm with no wind, rain or even clouds. The days first climb up Fremington edge was relatively short and sharp, although it did see both of us on foot before we reached the top. After a short joining section on top of the moor we found our selves at the top of the first and best descent of the ride. A short, fast grassy section lead us to a rocky trail of switchbacks, with an intimidating drop on our right hand side (or so it seems while riding the track). We paused to session the section below a rock and small drainage ditch made it possible to jump into some quite loose stones, controllable but great fun. We then pressed on to our next off road section via a short road spin. A sign of the beautiful weather, even hikers were smiling and waving at us as we passed. After lunch we continued to climb and passed a controlled burning of the heather. This made for some light entertainment on the long but relatively easy climb to a place affectionately known as “the moon” due to it being extremely bleak. We headed on down the trail and I tried to jump off any little lip or berm, landing at one point in some very soft ground, happily speed carried me through. We then decided to head back to Reeth on the road, could not have been better weather for our chosen destination.
Tom
Hamsterley Forest - secret trails! - 3rd February 2008
This week Fulford Cycles headed over to Hamsterley to meet Adam, our friendly
Orange rep for a days ride around the forest. Adam showed us the bike he would be
riding for the day - a prototype multi-pivot Orange with a 2:1 ratio rear suspension.
We headed off into the forest on a rooted quick descent which saw Rich take a tumble
into a stream after "missing the rocks". We then climbed the other side of the valley
and headed to the first major "run" of the day. This was a longer more technical
rooted track which was miraculously dry and very quick. Following this we headed
down a trail which "looks like its going in the right direction". At the bottom
of this new section there was a steep roll down to the fire road below, Rob managed
an interesting crash which is on video below. After climbing up to half way in the
downhill track we were taken down the "Trail of Doom", which ended with Adam dropping
about 12 feet into an extremely steep landing. The jump impressed the rest of us
crowded at various vantage points. None one else even thought about giving it a
go. We then climbed back to the hamsterley DH hut to give another section of single
track a go. This sort of riding and cherry picking trails was a pleasant break from
our normal "route" based riding and meant we got in alot of good descending in the
day. Another ride thoroughly enjoyed by all, except the pheasant Rob killed on the
drive over.
Tom
Pateley Bridge - 26th January 2008
The first thing we noticed on arriving at Pateley Bride was the speed clouds were
racing across the sky. This was to be a very windy ride. After a short spin alongside
the Gouthwaite reservoir we arrived at the first climb of the day, through Middlesmoor
to the top of the moor above Scar House reservoir. The climb consisted of a steep
road section followed by a long off-road haul between walls, which thankfully kept
some of the wind off. The descent to the Scar House reservoir is excellent, large
loose rocks and plenty of boulders to boost off in a twisting speedy rollercoaster,
which was much enjoyed.
Lunch followed the short spin across the dam. Thankfully we found a small stone
hut with benches inside seemingly made for mountain bikers looking for a sheltered
(first time today) place to stop. Afterwards we headed up onto the moor, where the
wind became as difficult to ride in as the trail itself. We rounded the valley and
came to the final descent of the day. The trail had two distinct sections, a fast
forest road-like start with drainage ditches to jump, followed by a more technical
rocky winding path. The speed with which it was possible to attack the second section
more than made up for having nearly been blown off our bikes on top of the moor.
A short blast along the road brought us back to town after an excellent days ride.
Fulford Cycles Limited, 98
Main Street, Fulford, York, North Yorkshire (01904) 620349
Registered offices: 98 Main Street, Fulford, York, North Yorkshire (01904) 620349
Co. Reg. No. 5968831 VAT No. 698279173
