November 2011

25-11-11 - Dalby Forest - 19.20 Miles

A gentle ride around Dalby planned with Marc and Colin on a fairly decent day too. We set off from Dixons Hollow for a change to have a peddle around the red route taking in sections of the red and world cup course. Marc was sporting his new Reverb dropper post so we were expecting big things.

Worry Gill was conquered once again by me and Colin with Marc saying not today even though he now had all the tools for the job. We continued on and even tried to make Marc lead out on sections but he was having none of it.

After a while I stopped to get some shots of the boys on a section of the red we have no photos and soon Colin arrived, we then waited, and waited, then waited a bit more before beginning to worry where Marc had got too. Colin peddled back and I stayed put, no sign of him. We decided the best course of action was to continue and head back to the car. At the end of this section there he was deciding tarmac was his preferred option to riding that section....

Marc was soon struggling, so the pace slowed but the fun factor still stayed high and gave me and Colin ample opportunity to catch up while we waited.

Once at the visitors centre it was time for a drink and bite to eat before the long tarmac peddle back to the car where Marc decided he would wait at Staindale Lake to avoid the big climb to Dixons Hollow. Colin and I cleaned this hill and to be fair it didn’t hurt half as much as it should. Once the bikes were loaded we set off in search of Marc and to our amazement he too had made the climb. Good lad now get that turbo trainer out and get spinning.

Simon Richmond

20-11-11 - Coed Llandegla - N/A Miles

After hearing about a new section of the already good red/black route at Coed Llandegla, a ride was quickly pencilled in. On the day, thick fog tried to put a downer on it, but blasting through it found Wales to have slightly better weather for once. Arriving to find the car parks heaving with bikers, it seemed everyone had the same idea of trying out the fresh new trail. Once the group made their introductions it was time to set off.

Heading out and up, the long climb split us up a bit. With bikers as far as the eye could see, it was more like a busy motorway than a trail centre, which may account for the road rage towards Richard near the top whist waiting for us all to regroup... Once at the top we jumped straight into the first downhill and surprisingly found space between groups to have a nice clear blast.

Everyone down safe it was then time to hit the black route. Heading down fast I tried to stick with Ian, having been warned he was fast up and down the hills! I didn't do a bad job seeing as I had been off the bike for a good month, only losing him after hitting traffic near the bottom. On to the "Drop Shore" I went ahead to get some photos, only for my camera to fail but I enjoyed watching every one take on the 12 foot high north shore like it was walk in the park.

It was then my turn to be chased by Ian and Richard on the next downhill, managing to just keep ahead before we hit the killer climb back up. With a broken chain on Duncan's bike, it gave the front runners a good rest stop near the top. After a few more ups and downs we came to the start of the new section...

We could see a group of riders weighing it up, as the start is a steep rocky drop onto board walk, but without hesitation we all just went for it leaving the other group behind. After a long twisty north shore section with a nice drop off at the end we headed down with some fun tabletops and doubles, hitting a left hand bend with a choice of three lines, the far left drop-off catching a few people out.

More jumps and drops followed which then turned into another steep but satisfiying climb. Once regrouped and rested we headed on down again, with more well built jumps and doubles which had us all grinning from ear to ear at the bottom. What goes down must go up and so after a few more kilometres of mainly steep climbs we all regrouped on the fire road. While most of us were refuelling and telling of ours near misses, Gareth pulled out the biggest adjustable spanner from his bag giving us more to laugh about.

A few more ups and downs saw us back at the visitor centre for a well earned cuppa. At 21km the black route is now many of today's riders' favourite trail centre and for good reason; the trails are all well built, fast and fun downhills, with tough but rewarding climbs. I'm sure this will become a regular riding spot for the 'ATGNI' group.

James Wearn

12-11-11 - Gunnerside Gill & Bunton Hush - 19.69 Miles

Wild XC rides like this are made up in my view by the quality of the riding and the scenery on offer. Today’s scenery was supposed to be stunning but as we neared Reeth the fog got thicker until visibility was down to 10 yards, this was not forecast, what was the riding going to be like?

Undeterred we saddled up with Phil posing in his “Frogman” gear, Nick his usual laid back self in shorts and t-shirt and Paul sporting a new Reveb seat post .

We set off hoping for the sun to burn the fog away along the tarmac before heading out into the Dales proper, it was soon time to avoid the boggy sections, Paul found one and ended up exiting the front of his bike. After 4 miles Paul was suffering the relentless uphill push, 6 weeks without riding leaving its mark. We tried our best to motivate him on and get him to Gunnerside.

The weather was not improving and finding the bridleways was becoming difficult but we soon saw the landscape change from moorland to a moonscape, we had arrived at the mines.

Bunton Hush promised to be the highlight of the ride, like a hardcore untamed Lee Quarry demanding the up most respect and commitment in the damp conditions, line choice was key. Paul pushed down and Nick took as much of it as he could in his usual laid back style. Phil clipped in on his XC racer was not fazed and full marks to him, with me and the Lappy slithering sideways down shaley banks before tackling the final rock strewn descent to Gunnerside Gill.

We arrived at the bottom and the views of Gunnerside Gill which should have been spectacular where just a white out, the sound of the rushing water was ever present though. We followed the valley floor on a fast undulating track before eventually arriving at the road. Paul decided enough was enough and headed back to Reeth.

The rest of us climbed up the bank at the other side of the valley passing a stone shed with a steel door containing an animal that’s sole purpose that day was to escape and eat us, friendly it did not sound. Riding along the tops the bridleway kind of ended, we were just a little of course and the fast descent promised ended up being a free wheel down the road. Better exploration of this side of the valley on a better day.

We dumped the bikes and headed to the cafe for a well deserved brew and bite to eat. A ride to be done again in good conditions as it promised a lot but the bad weather and difficult navigation did not deliver on this day.

Simon Richmond