Last weekend’s dig and ride days were a great success…

We got loads done thanks to a really good turnout and some ace sausages (thank you Mark)! 

By mid day on Sat we’d significantly improved the drainage on both BBMS and Spoons then raked and remarked both.

The afternoon was spent renovating 143; an old favourite with lots of flow, some nice undulating corners and floaty jumps.

The jump spot was also the subject of some hard graft thanks to Chris, Garry, Jack and the other usual suspects. 

Over the course of the weekend we met 10 new people, 1 even helped dig all day Sat despite having hoped to ride (thanks Adam!) and has since joined along with two of the others.

It’s great to see that we’re still growing despite the time of year.

To see so many people getting stuck in is also fantastic, it’s what we need if we’re going to succeed.

Sunday was spent riding the trails, unsurprisingly 143 saw the most action leading to a relaxed day of sessioning and the freelap staying in my bag.

There’s something magical about riding homegrown trails with friends, and what a large group of friends this is becoming….

Last night we ran our second weekly night ride.

It was wet and very cold.

This week only 2 of us showed up, Chris Sheppard and I.

Chris managed to go over the bars twice, and I managed to come to a standstill mid way through a large axle deep puddle resulting in two wet feet and a jammed mech.

There was ice on the ground by the end of the ride and even the trees were shivering.

We rode for exactly 1.5 hrs by which time my lights ran out and my right foot ceased to feel as if it was a part of my body.

We finished at the pub by the open fire with a pint and some chips.

We’re still scoping out the best route but once we’re happy we’ll publish the details of the ride so that more can come and join us each week…

That’s right we’re having a blow out 42.8571429 % SALE here at the BCC. From now until March ‘09 we’ll be offering Full Membership for just £20!!! Don’t worry if you’ve recently joined up; we’ll be refunding the difference to anyone who joined since October this year. 

Even more impressive is our offer of Full Membership for £15 if you join during one of our Dig Days. We’re growing fast (just under 40 members) but want to encourage even more people to take part especially during these wetter months. We will of course gladly accept the full amount from those happy to contribute to what we’re doing, but for those of you who have been sitting on the deer fence we hope that this will help.

… woods today (well tomorrow),

You’re sure of a big surprise (hopefully not that big especially as we do this every month).

If you go down to the woods today (again it’s actually tomorrow),

You’d better go in disguise (although funny some warm clothes would probably be better).

For every member that ever there was (we hope)

Will gather there for certain because

Today’s the day (see comments above) the BCC members work on their allot-ment.

(You can make up your own second verse)

Sausage time for me-mbers;

The BCC members are having a lovely time today (I can’t emphasise enough that it’s not actually today).

Help them build some super lush trails,

And see them work hard on this Saturday.

See them gaily gad about (unlikely…).

They love to eat and dig,

They’ll be wearing lots of layers.

At four o’clock they’ll pack up and leave

They’ll go off home to bed (they’ll probably eat dinner and watch some TV first)

Because they’re tired BCC me-mbers.

In the short time that we’ve been working on our little allotment it’s been very fruitful; 

We’ve had days of digging, riding and banter

We’ve jumped, drifted, crashed and tried again

We’ve sawn, raked, dug then raked some more

We’ve eaten sausages, cakes, pasties and drunk tea

We’ve had a blast!

But Winter is now here, a time to prepare for the spring and summer ahead; when the real harvest can be had

Our existing trails aren’t yet robust enough to be reaped all year round so we must step back to see how we can improve them

We must improve drainage, collect wood and make markings

It’s the time to build shelters,  dig more drainage and gather rocks

Most importantly; it’s the time to plan ahead

Over the next two months we will be forming and then committing to a plan for the entire allotment, an exciting prospect, but one of such importance

We have a growing membership base, pledged support from a renowned trail builder and importantly; we’ve just negotiated a 3 year licence

We also have a blank canvas on which to work, and heaps of enthusiasm

Please help us to make the right decisions by telling us what you think we should create, how and where (just leave a comment below)

Today Neil, Ian and I were lucky enough to walk around the allotment with a renowned trail builder.

We had our eyes opened to just how big an asset our little area of woodland is, what great potential it holds and how lucky we are to have it.

We were mesmerised by how much there is to learn about building truly sustainable trails, and how simple changes can make the difference between a great trail and one doomed to erode.

We came away from our walk with a new found enthusiasm but twice as many questions as we’d had answered. 

Our plan now is simple; identify what everybody wants from our little allotment then work hard to make it happen.

What’s great is that this particular trail builder wants to be a part of what we’re doing, something we could only dream of not so long ago.

Today was a very good day.

This months BCC Weekender has been rescheduled for the weekend of the 22nd-23rd November. It’ll be the same format with a day of digging followed by a day of riding. We’ll be cooking sausages and making cups of tea for all those that get stuck in on Sat and we’ll set up the timing system for those that fancy training on Sunday.

If you’re not a member please do come along anyway - we’d be glad to meet and show you what we’re up to. You’ll even be able to join as we’ll have forms that can be filled out on either day (just remember to bring your membership fee). 

There’s lots to be done so please come along and we’ll lend you a pair of gloves….