Sunday is Dig Day
No really, it is.
People will try and convince you that it’s a great time to go Christmas shopping, but I can assure you that it isn’t.
Sunday is all about digging.
(and raking and sawing and, well you get the picture.)
Category: Building
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Skills area update
After last weeks meeting I have been speaking to a few local trackbuilders who are pretty experienced in this sort of thing,Things are looking good,with lots of contacts and information being given to me, I expect you all will have seen the play doh tv video on the site where we made a mock up of the skills area,we are starting with a loop that will cater for all from novice to pro,and each line will progress from the smallest of jumps and bumps on line 1,then gradually build up all the way through to the pro line that will have big doubles, step ups and hips for me to crash on,work is very much in progress watch this space!
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Calling all DH'ers or extra hands
Hello to all the gravity affected dudes.
This Sunday is the dig day at the woods. It starts at 10:00 then finishes before it gets dark and the wolves come out. It’s an excellent hangover cure and is cheaper than the gym.
We are going to be starting work on a few sections of Puppets, the new/old track that flanks 143. It’s going to be a lot of work and you may even get muddy! Don’t let that put you off because come summer it will be real fun to ride as ever. So while you are off your bikes, come and help make a track that you will be proud of when you are tearing it to pieces.
We also would love input into the start and end sections, so get those creative juices flowing!
I will hopefully see you there on Sunday. I will be present with my new wellies so please don’t laugh.
Cheers,
Neil -
Three guys, a girl and a mattock
The above (grainy) photo shows the first bench cutting on the new singletrack that was constructed last Sunday (along with a LOT of raking) by Me, Chris, Dave and Marjory (as well as Curtis as it began to get dark!).
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Save Still Woods
Many of you will be aware that the trails at Still Woods have been closed down, this is terrible news for the local riding community but not unsurprising given it’s scale and illegitimate nature.
The good news is that the locals have teamed up to save the trails, working hard towards a lease agreement (or similar) with the land owners.
Now this is pretty much exactly what us Longleat locals went through a couple of years ago, so we’ve offered to help in what ever way we can. We’ve sent over club documents, important contact info, and any and all guidance docs we could lay our hands on, hopefully this will all help them get to where they need to be quickly.
If you want to keep up to date with what’s going on or would like to help please check out their website below:
They’ve worked hard and fast to get themselves organised as quickly as possible, launching their website and producing a great document outlining their intentions (see here: http://www.bristoltrailsgroup.com/downloads/StillProposalfinal.pdf ). It’s clear to see that these guys respect the place and deserve to be taken seriously by the land owner and authorities. As has been proven many times before – when user groups and land managers work together everybody benefits. Lets hope that the land owner realises what a dedicated and passionate group of mountain bikers they are , and gives them the chance they deserve.
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Brothers Wells
You may have heard of Jack and Sam Wells, they’re brothers from Frome who are pretty flipping handy with a shovel and even more so with a bike.
Having suffered the loss of many a ‘secret spot’ the brothers Wells have decided to team up with the BCC to build some great freeride trails at the Allotment.
To give them some ideas, and show them something outside their normal frame of reference Chris Smith, Ian Crook and I took them to Glyncorrwg yesterday to ride Whites Level.
The weather was pretty bloody awful; raining sideways with the trails running fast (with water) . Jack definitely had the most fun on the climbs; pushing a big ring with road cassette whilst wearing the least technical clothing and biggest trainers he could find. To be honest all three seemed stoked to be spending so much time going up, at one point I heard Chris ask if we could session the climbs rather than do a full loop. All this whilst Sam was trying to convert Chris, Ian and I to many benefits of riding glove-less.
After The Black Run and Windy Point all three had cheered up no end, but that didn’t last long: Halfway through Energy Jack lost grip of his bars (due to hand cramp) and crashed onto rocks. Not good. Due to his distinct lack of gloves, Jack’s hand was gashed pretty deep as was his left knee. For Jack and I that was ride over, as we walked and rolled our way back to the Drop Off cafe. Ian, Sam and Chris went on ahead to sample the delights of Goodwood and the Darkside, leaving each with a rose tinted view of that first climb.
The Drop Off cafe was as welcoming as ever, and a hard place to leave, but with dinner to get back to and three hours of road works, side winds and rain to battle we headed off.
I think we all learnt a few things yesterday;
Ian learnt that the M4 goes all the way from London to Swansea,
Chris learnt that its almost impossible to find a back issue of MBUK that doesn’t have his face in,
Jack learnt that gloves are more than just a fashion accessory,
Sam learnt that 1 man, 2 bike relay riding is bloody tiring,
and I learnt that eating jam and coconut sponge with custard after a Drop Off main causes an almost instantaneous urge to sleep.
Jack and Sam will be working of their new trail very soon, so check back here if you’d like to be involved.
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First Stage Complete
First Stage: Tuesday 17th November – Route confirmed and first rake complete.
Second Stage: Sunday 22nd November 13:30 – More raking, bench cutting, log cutting. Volunteers very welcome!
(Feedback and suggestions for the name welcome)
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Trail Designing
Over the next few months we’ll be working to design and build three new trails / trail areas; project Groovy Blue, project Skills Area and project Spine.
Chris Sheppard, Chris Smith and Ian Crook will be leading each of these projects respectively, with the full support of the rest of the committee.
These projects have been the topic of discussed for some time, but with so many things going on in the club we’ve been unable to fully commit to any of them up until now.
We will be following the existing industry best practice so that we can ensure we achieve high quality sustainable trails. The Forestry Commission highlight 7 stages of Planning, Constructing and Monitoring Mountainbike Trails:
- Information gathering
- Concept planning
- Creating a specification
- Construction of the trail
- Interpretation and signs
- Completing the work
- Monitoring and maintenance
All three projects are currently hovering around stages 1-3, but we’re aiming to get to the end of stage 4 and start of stage 5 by April 2010. This won’t be easy, and will require a lot of fund raising, so we’d really appreciate your help. Keep checking the website for progress and please contact any of the project leaders if you have any questions.
Thank you!
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Plumbers needed!
With all the wind and rain we’re having the Allotment is going to be in a bit of a state by the morning. So if you’re thinking of riding it over the weekend please make some time to clear existing drainage and tidy fallen branches etc.
Weather like this is great for the DH trails as it helps them mature, but puddles just create a boggy mess, so with a bit of crafty forest plumbing we’ll be able to enjoy the trails through out the winter and look forward to even more roots by spring time.Cheers
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Skills Area
Over the past few months I’ve been working closely with the committee designing the skills area. The area will cater for all and help improve everyone’s skill level; from technical trail manoeuvres to getting your first few inches of air under your wheels. I’m really looking forward to getting this area built and am keen for your input, so if you’d like to get involved in any way please drop me a line.
Cheers
Chris
