Dan Hunter will be leading the XC Ride Away this July, here’s what he’s got in store:

Hello I’ll be leading the July 11th XC ride away, across the Marlborough Downs and Ridgeway – so don your beards and prepare your retro steeds for a 17 mile trip across the neolithic landscape.

The Route: Click here for a Goolge map of the route and parking location

Difficulty: easy/moderate – highly recommend this ride for beginners who are comfortable riding the distance, but all are welcome.
This route is largely open flint covered tracks so little technical skill is required. I would say half of this route involves climbing, but again this all non-technical. There is little in the way of singletrack but the open countryside and views are fantastic.

Duration: 2:30 – 3:30 hours (Depending how long we stop for)

Travelling: 1hour 10 mins drive from Frome.

Ride start time: 10:15 – 10:25

Food: There is a café half way round for food and drinks, but riders will need to bring enough while riding, as its not always open. If its hot ring plenty of fluids regardless.

Clothing: Depends on the wether of course, but it is very exposed so bring a summer jacket or gilet if it looks chilly/wet or some sun tan lotion if it looking sunny.

Meet up: The ride is open to all members & non members, please let us know who coming by the Friday evening so we can arrange lifts etc, we’ll be meeting in the Frome car park near the Cheese & Grain on Sunday around 8.30am to leave for 8.45am, although your welcome to make your own way to the parking spot near Marlborough if your coming from elsewhere.

Check out the forum to arrange travel arrangements by clicking on the image below:

Today Ben, Will and I have been hard at work making a new notice board for the Allotment.
The weirdest thing has been happening though…. rather than being the ones doing the wolf whistling (well you know what builders are like…) we’ve been getting loads of attention from passers by.
I think it’s something to do with the way Ben hold his drill….

There are still some tickets left for this event so why not come along and eat some great food, have a laugh and raise some money for local good causes at the same time!

Gardens open at 6.30pm.
Pre performance sit down supper £5.
Theatre £10 adults, 9-15yr olds £5

For more information and tickets ring 01373 832 113 or visit this website: http://www.bath360.co.uk/whats-on/elizabethan-evening-goes-victorian

We’re always busy working on projects, from kit design to fund raising efforts and everything in between. Check out the Projects page of the website to see some of the stuff we’re working on right now. If you’d like to get involved send us an e-mail or write something on the forum…

Hello

We’ve agreed to help set up and pack away for this years Elizabethan Evening in Corsley at the weekend (12th and 13th June), and we need all the help we can get!

We did the same last year and were kindly rewarded with a donation of £500 (which paid towards the Ride Leader Training)!!!

All you need to do is give a few hours to help put out chairs, benches and tables on Saturday – then put them away again on the Sunday.

Each day will start at 10:00am and finish around midday (we were given bacon baps last time!)

please please please put your name down bellow if you can make either, we will need all the help we can get!

Full event details here: http://www.bath360.co.uk/whats-on/elizabethan-evening-goes-victorian (it’s a great event!)

We are currently fund raising to buy a brand new (4.5mtr x 4.5mtr) event shelter for use at races, dig days, TickerTapes, dinner ’til dusk and all other club events. We will also be commissioning a feasibility study and overview plan of MTB trail development at Longleat soon so are fund raising towards this Also. This is something that will really help us move the development of XC, Skills Area and DH trails forward…

So who can help?

Please check out the Forum here or leave a comment below…

Thanks!

Today was as hot as a dig day ever was,
the midges were militant and the flies were pretty aggressive too.
We raked and raked and raked then did a bit of digging.
Just a bit.
Not much.
Well… about 10 to 15 barrows (x 5)
We built a sweet little berm using nothing but soil (and sweat), rode it a bit then went home.
Beans.

The next round of the 2010 BCC TickerTape DH Series* is on BBMS and thanks to all the recent hard work we’ll be using the brand new bottom section for the first time!

(it’s fast, off-camber and super flowy)

* well, it makes it sound “Pro”…

Its Dig Day this Saturday and there’s plenty to do!

We’ll be aiming to continue work on the new bottom section of BBMS which will include; bench cutting the new line, building a catch berm, building up a drop and then continuing to clear the trail to the very bottom.

Hopfully plenty can make it out, it should be great weather and would be ace to be able to open this new line by the end of the day. Oh, you might need insect repellent though but dont worry if you haven’t got any – we’ll be selling it on the day!

See you there… (starts at 10:00am and finishes at 16:00, any help during this time is greatly appreciated)…

Yesterday we completed the lower section of puppets, raked and groomed the whole trail and then smiled as we imagined racing it in two weeks time at the next TickerTape.
We drank tea, ate chocolates and debated the ethical robustness of GM food (I know….not what I was expecting either).
The afternoon was spent trail doodling, sketching a new lower section for BBMS with our tyres.
Turns out we did a pretty good job, getting the feel and flow just right, so we raked it to unearth the ground features and define the trail.
Clearing loam (a foot deep in places) really takes it out of your arms and back, but seeing the trail evolve is infectious so we carried on raking until we couldn’t anymore.

Tomorrow’s ride will be a cracker, great weather and great singletrack… yum

Here’s all the details you’ll need (thanks to Mark Amor) :

We’ll be looking to do 2 loops on Sunday with time for us all to enjoy the free ride section once we reach the top. There is a café for food and drinks, but riders will need to bring enough while riding.
The ride is open to members & non members, we’ll be meeting in the Frome car park near the Cheese & Grain on Sunday around 8.30am to leave for 8.45am.

Twrch Trail – Cwmcarn

• Overall grade red/difficult
• Distance 15.5km
• Time 1.5 – 2.5 hours
• Climb 300m

Here’s the blurb about the trail from the website:

This is a superb trail of the very highest quality that is not for the faint hearted. Virtually the entire route is on purpose built singletrack through a mixture of broadleaf and conifer woodlands and open ridge tops.
The riding varies from open and flowing hard pack to tight technical and rooty and is rideable in all weather. In places the trail hugs the sides of some very steep wooded side slopes, demanding concentration, whilst in others it sweeps along open ground giving you the chance to take in dramatic views of the Bristol Channel and the surrounding hills

Bike Trail Grade

Suitable for Proficient mountain bikers with good off-road

riding skills. Suitable for better quality off-road mountain bikes.

Trail & surface types

Steeper and tougher, mostly singletrack with technical sections. Expect very variable surface types.

Gradients & technical trail features (TTFs)

A wide range of climbs and descents of a challenging nature will be present. Expect boardwalks, berms, large rocks, medium steps, drop-offs, cambers, water crossings.

Suggested fitness level

Higher level of fitness and stamina.

Check out the club forum to arrange transport etc…

Today 8 people made it out to the DH dig day

(given that it’s Easter weekend that’s pretty good – what with so many people being away)

Everyone worked hard through the rain and constant bullying – “I can’t see any digging!!!! Chedge stop standing there, Ben jump up and down on the mud, Josh…Josh….JOSH!!!!”

By the end of the day we’d finished the massive berm at the bottom of ‘Battery Hill‘ (on ‘Puppets‘), dug up two monster stumps and started the long loamy raking mission to clear the bottom section of the trail.

The lads below had become a trail digging version of the A-Team, so it seemed only fair that they get to name the feature they’d worked so hard to make. After everyone had a go riding it, giggling like kids riding a massive new berm with a kicker at the end (!) they had made their decision…..

What I hadn’t expected was that they would choose to call it “Weeeeee Boing“, yes, as in the sound of someone riding the berm whilst saying “weeeeee”, then “boing” as they jumped off the end. And Yep. I know…. no really.

But do you know what? It’s a great name because as far as I’m concerned they, and the others who worked hard on it last dig day, have earned the right to call it what ever they like.

Well done Ben, Ben, Ian, Josh, Max, Robin and Sam – you’ve made a monster and then gone and called it Betty.

(Puppets is now officially open again, although the bottom section will still need some work to finish it off)