Skip to main content

Coming to an end

My bike has gone online to be sold today


Ludlow blur
 Hopefully winter will be hitting the Alps soon, but in the mean time I have been back in the U.K visiting friends and family.

Me and my Dad hit up Mortimer's forest for our classic autumn ride checking out the new trails he's found.  There seem to be more each visit.  A great sign of the building community of trail builders in the boarder Counties.

This past weekend I went to North Wales to visit some past haunts.  Over the last 5 years I had only visited North Wales to complete International Mountain Leader courses, so it was nice to be finally back how it should be, with a mountain bike. However, over those 10 years many of the trails have been exposed to all the finest weather of North Wales, and many, many bike tyres.  Penmachno was basically a solid stream, but a fun roller coaster despite getting soaked in under 2 hours.

After a big meal, plenty of ciders and a sleep in a local Betws-y-Coed bunkhouse we headed across to Llandegla as my mate was taking part in a Halloween night time enduro. The trails are perfect for a good laugh.  Wide, smooth and with features to boost off all over the place.  Unfortunately, as good as the flow was, every descent seemed to have a nasty climb 3/4 the way through in an attempt to make the "descent" longer.  Not the greatest trail centre, but it did the job for my mate, his mates and the night race.

Night time enduro team
On the way back to Herefordshire I stopped off at Eastridge near Shrewsbury for a bit of a challenge.  There's trails all over the place if you know your way. I don't, so I stuck with the marked red and had a blast.  Slippery roots a plenty and even some quite steep descents for such a small hillside.  The local's are really spoilt in this area!
Wonderful Shropshire morning light, but mud tan inducing trail conditions

Now my bike is online, hopefully the snow will arrive and I won't need anything till next spring, it's been a superbly "epic" riding season showing that there are many good trails close to home in Savoie & nearby boarding countries, but it's also given me a taste for southern exploration!
CHEERS!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What guides do between work in the peak of July

Summer is here, and after fantastic spring riding in Southern France and then all over Valais, Aosta and Haute Savoie with good friends it's been time to get back to summer guiding, taking hikers around the Tour du Mont Blanc circuit.  There's much worse things to do, but with three weeks off the bike I was itching to get back on some trails. With a carefully planned week between tours I was excited and made some plans to hit up some classic lines, and some new stuff too. It's mid July now, so in Chamonix valley you have to think carefully about where to go to miss the crowds, and to avoid going on the bike ban trails (July & August).  Luckily it's still easy to find quiet trails in nearby resorts, or to simply drop round the back of a hill away from the frontside lifts. It went a little like this: Day 1- La Thuile with Wayne of newly qualified French legal mountain bike guiding service  Chamonixmtb.com  . Enduro race venue at it's best, rough and raw.
1 comment
Read more

Provence Posing

Early spring road trip with Team NL The Dutchies had work to finish before they'd start the mammoth 14 hour drive from under the sea to herb filled mountainsides.  Work for us guys in the Alps is more seasonal & temporary, as it is for some Easyjet pilots which meant that the native English speakers left for 'The South' a day earlier. Digne les Bains was the rendezvous location for Saturday night but this meant going so close to Gap and Lac Serre Poncon. The lure of a trail in the Haute Alpes ( the northern most department in the Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur Region ) was too much. 3 of us wild camped lake side with giddy excitement for what lay ahead. Rob & Ben knew each other from ski touring & paragliding, but had never ridden together, nor had Ben ever met team NL.  Rob and I briefed him on the impending fun. In the morning, a classic was called upon to give Ben his first taste of Southern singletrack. Mont Colombus, and a few hours later aft
Post a Comment
Read more

Servoz storm destruction

Deep in Servoz below the Fiz 75% of trail is ok. But where it is washed away is really bad. Click here for photos What rode was as good as ever for this begining/end of season trail 1hour & half pedal from Serviz village.
Post a Comment
Read more