Over the years we’ve happily allowed people to bring their pets (well dogs) along with them on club rides, but we’ve come to realise that as much fun as it is to ride with your mutt it’s not exactly a recipe for the most enjoyable ride all round. Even the best trail dogs can be unpredictable and make other riders feel nervous, not to mention scare the local wildlife of which there’s quite a lot.
So, from today onwards we won’t be allowing any pets on BCC organised rides.
Thanks
Last Sunday saw another successful Away-day to a firm BCC favourite, the Quantock Hills.
The weather was frankly stunning with a slight chill to the breeze but bright sunshine – a perfect, clear, Spring day. There had been substantial rainfall overnight so the trails were all a little wet, but that did little to dampen our sprits. It only seemed to dampen our shorts.
From our rendezvous at Triscombe Stone car park, ride-leader Chris immediately brought out the Big Guns with a decision for us to negotiate The Chimney via some very slippery, sinuous singletrack. The previous night’s precipitation had made it all a little dicey, but all riders successfully navigated the infamous steep, rocky trench with nothing more than the odd dab to spare our blushes.
From there, a long fireroad haul up through Great Wood to another highlight of the Quantocks – Dead Woman’s Ditch* – another long, rock-strewn trench made more difficult by the rain. Yet another long haul upwards, this time up onto the exposed tops of the hills with their fine views over the Bristol Channel, and then another magnificent descent, this time down Somerton Combe complete with its optional 2ft drop-off halfway down. Here we had a bite to eat and engaged in some suitably heroic photography. One of the most evil climbs on the Quantocks then ensued to take us back to the top via Lady’s Edge* to Bicknoller Post. Another pause here while the majority of us stuffed lungs back in and heart-rates returned to something like normal. Then the long scenic route along the spine of the hills via the Ox Drove back to the car park at Triscombe Stone.
A select few then opted to extend the ride by heading off for a second attempt at sampling The Chimney’s unique delights. In the car park at its bottom, all felt we’d made a better job of it that time. After a few minutes’ wait, two of our number failed to emerged from the woods and a three-man search-and-rescue party was duly despatched back up the hill (on foot) only to discover Al manfully fitting an emergency inner-tube to Marjory’s burped rear tubeless tyre.
We’d lost a lot of height there, so to save the usual long uninspiring fireroad climb back up to the top a new ascent was recommended and investigated via St Johns Well. It was noted that this climb was steep in places and uphill in others…
Back to the car park for tea and biscuits from Geraint’s catering wagon. It was agreed by unanimous decision that he can come again.
Thanks to all who came, especially the drivers, and Chris with his inspirational ride-leading abilities.
(* renamed “Dead Person’s Ditch” and “Person’s Edge” so as not to offend the delicate feminist sensibilities of our female contingent).
This month I’ll be leading a ride across the Quantock hills starting from Triscombe car park. To avoid parking issues we’ll aim to leave The Cheese and Grain car park Frome by 8am.
As always you will need a good quality, well maintained bike with plenty of brake pad material, a helmet and suitable clothing (No Denim!!) and spares i.e. – spare tubes, power links etc. There is no bike shop or cafe on site!
We will car pool as much as possible to keep costs down, can anyone who can drive and take bikes and passengers please let us know.
Meet: Frome Cheese & Grain 07:45
Distance: 14-18 miles (can add more if need be 
)
Climbing: Plenty!
Time: 2.5 – 4hrs (I expect it to be more like 4hrs)
These tails aren’t officially graded, I personally don’t think the trails I intend using are anymore technical than the trails we use around Longleat on our Tuesday night rides with the exception of ‘The Chimney’ which you wont have to ride if you’re not confident.
Description
The Quantock Hills are an area of wilderness and tranquility. Panoramic views lead you through coast, heath and combe. Explore and you will find rocky Jurassic coastline, exposed heathland summits, deep wooded combes, undulating farmland and attractive villages all within this protected landscape.
The Quantock Hills are an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), which means that its distinctive character, natural beauty and cultural heritage are so outstanding that it is in the nation’s interest to safeguard them.
Our ride will lead us in and out of various combs as we make our way across the hills so expect plenty of climbing and have a good meal the night before and a good breakfast the morning of our ride. We will reach the farthest point from our cars about lunchtime and wont be passing any shops so bring something to eat with you and plenty to drink.
Whatever the weather forecast on the day you will need to wear something windproof as an outer layer and / or carry a waterproof, the weather can changer quickly and at this time of year there Will be a cold wind!
For February’s club ride we’re going to visit Swinley Forest, which is full of great single track that is guaranteed to make you smile all day long.
We’re going to meet Sunday 13th February in Frome at the Cheese & Grain at 7.45am, aiming to leave 8am, that should get us there 9.30am, riding by 10am. We’ll ride for 3-4 hours in total. There is a café on site, however we won’t be in the area for the cafe until after the ride so please bring food and drink to eat whilst riding.
As always you will need a good quality, well maintained bike with plenty of brake pad material, a helmet and suitable clothing and spares i.e. – extra spare tubes due to the type of terrain, power links etc. There is no bike shop on site.
We will car pool as much as possible to keep costs down. If anyone would like to drive and take bikes and passengers, please let us know.
There are no car parking charges, but each rider is required to purchase a day permit, which costs £2.00, these can be bought on line here .
As always please let us know if you’re coming, and if you need anymore info, by using the club forum or by sending us an email.
Cheers!
We’ve been talking about trying this for a few months, to change up the ride away a little bit,we thought it would be a good way to start 2011.
THIS IS A NIGHT RIDE SO YOU’LL NEED A GOOD SET OF BIKE LIGHTS. THE CLUB HAS 2 SETS THAT CAN BE USED UPON REQUEST.
As always you will need a good quality, well maintained bike with plenty of brake pad material, a helmet and suitable clothing and spares i.e. – extra spare tubes due to the type of terrain, power links etc. There is no bike shop on site.
We will car pool as much as possible to keep costs down. If anyone would like to drive and take bikes and passengers, please let us know.
We’re going to meet Saturday evening in Frome at the Cheese & Grain at 5.15pm, aiming to leave 5.30pm, that should get us there 6.30pm, riding by 7pm. We’ll ride until we’ve had enough, and on the way home we’ll stop off for a beverage of choice at a pub that will be named at a later date. So you may want to have a quick change of clothing depending on the weather.
Here’s Pete riding the trail in earlier in the year…
Trail Details
Please Note: The trails are more difficult during and after wet weather when tree roots and rocks can become slippery.
The first part of this signed route runs around the spectacular Ashton Court Estate where you can cycle through wonderful woodlands away from busy roads.
The yellow trail in Ashton Court is a great place for youngsters or inexperienced riders to have a go on the rough tracks because the route is not too technical – A new ‘figure of eight’ link has recently been constructed and signed in Ashton Court to create a separate circuit in the Estate.
More adventurous mountain bikers can follow the pink trail in 50-Acre Wood to test out their skills in more rugged terrain. A 400m section of off-road track has been created so that novices can extend their ride into 50-Acre Wood over relatively easy terrain and return to Ashton Court via Weir Lane.
Check out the club forum to arrange transport etc…
After much discussion over a nice cold drink, we’ve decided we’ll travel to Brechfa to try our riding skills out on another of Welsh riding centres.
It will mean another of Pete’s early Sunday 7am departure’s, as it is another 2.5hr drive.
The Drop Off Cafe Double Decker Diner says it’s on site at weekends, however we should take food and drink for the day just in case it’s not.
As always you will need a good quality, well maintained bike with plenty of brake pad material, a helmet and suitable clothing and spares i.e. – spare tubes, power links etc. There
is no bike shop on site.
We will car pool as much as possible to keep costs down, can anyone who can drive and take bikes and passengers please let us know.
We plan on riding the following Red Graded Trail –
Trail name: Gorlech
Centre:Brechfa
Distance:19km
Climbing:1071m
Time:1.5 – 3hrs
Red Trail Grade (Difficult)
Description
Named after the river Gorlech, what this trail delivers in views and scenery it certainly backs up with terrain and excitement.
Taking design and construction to new levels, the trail is a hard, fast, all weather surface which becomes more and more exciting as your skill level and speed progresses.
Soon you’ll be railing the perfectly sculpted berms and huge switchbacks, jumping the step up jumps and tabletops and grinning all the way to the bottom of the exhilarating final descent.
Calling a trail as a roller coaster ride is a knackered old cliché, but there’s no other way to describe the unique Gorlech ride. Every climb drops you into a madder, faster descent on the far side. The stone clad berms, kickers, tables and stump jumps just keep getting bigger and bigger every time in a mad mountain bike crescendo right up to the end. A truly unique skill and grin building experience!”
More info to follow as the time gets closer, any questions please ask…. oh and here’s a short video to get you in the mood…
Every now and then we try and do a bit of a special club road trip, where we get away for an overnighter and make the most of a weekend. Some months back we’d hit the Peak and had a great time, so with winter approaching and knowing just how much fun the Peak isn’t in winter, we thought we’d head back before the winter months set in. We’d also heard good things of Rowan Sorrell’s work near Bacup at Lee and Cragg quarries, so a plan was hatched. A day at Lee/Cragg and a day in the Peak.
We went to Leigh Quarry and rode over to Cragg Quarry too. It was raining but hey. Colin from White Nancies and Colin from Luton joined us. Steep climb to quarry. Slabs. Wet. Helicopter signs. Gravel, cloud, pushing. Cragg blast. Colin’s freehub. BMX track return. Playing in quarry. Colin on pump track. Singletrack back to cars.
We stayed at a nice B&B and had a curry. Birds old stomping ground. Nice pub, proper beer. Alex from Nancies. Curry, ace curry. More beer. Police on walk back.
We went for a ride in The Peak, from Hope. We had cake. Early start, frosty, sunshine, that road down alongside broken road. Roman Road, Hope Cross, Hagg Farm, Al bike broke. Ladybower, cafe stop. Climb, views, chats, friends. Mud. Sun. Wooping. Cafe and bike shop. Drive home.
Sunday October 10th Club Ride away
Ok it’s 2-2.5 hour journey and although I fully accept I am a bit OCD about early starts, I think we need to leave the Cheese & Grain at 7am to get a chance for everyone to make the most of the day ( the nights are closing in ) and I’m pretty sure Glencorrwg is in a different time zone too!
The trail is graded Red overall with an optional black section and some really sweet single track, boardwalks etc
Trail map HERE
Distance: 15km
Climb: 400m
Time: 1.5 – 3 hours
Start: Glyncorrwg Mountain Bike Centre
Overall grade: red/difficult
This is the most technical of all the trails in Afan Forest Park and is 90% purpose built singletrack.
A 6km sheep track climb gives fantastic views of Afan Forest Park, extreme exposure on tight singletrack means ultimate thrills and long, demanding descents with rocky steps to negotiate, all leading to one outrageous trail.
If you are up for it try out the optional new Black Run, graded black/severe!
As always you will need a good quality,well maintained bike with plenty of brake pad material, a helmet and suitable clothing and spares.
Just to be a bit prescriptive about it try and bring:
At least 2 tubes, patches, power-link or similar, a multi tool & pump & spare brake pads if yours are a bit dodgy.
Warm and Waterproof clothing of every possible description ( it’s Wales !) trail food and plenty of liquids.
We may go in two or more groups depending in what people want to do and how fit/delusional they feel on the day.
On Saturday Mark, Peter, Simon and I (aided by our ‘Pit Boss’ Juliet) took part in the Bristol Bike Fest – a 12 hour enduro. The day was hot, the course fast and our minds full of the expectation and pressure of Simon’s podium dream.
At 9am as Pete set off on our first lap it started a two hour loop of ride, lie down, drink, eat, toilet that repeated it’s self throughout the day.
At 20:35 the pattern changed. We’d all done six laps. We were all tired. Mark’s bike was broken. The realities of 11 hours of pounding the track caught up with us, 24 laps was to be our total. But then a hero came along.
Simon charged off, knowing he had to improve his fastest lap time by over 90 seconds to get back in time for his lap to count to our total. “Fly Big Bird, Fly!” we screamed. Onwards he battled, air escaping from his tyres as he slammed his bike into the dusty corners. Meanwhile back at the finish the crowd gathered, all wondering whether he would make it back.
With 90 seconds left we thought he’d failed
With 60 seconds to go he charged into sight, stamping on the pedals.
With 20 seconds left he rounded the corner into sight of the finish.
With the crowd roaring him on, Simon crossed the line two seconds after the end of the race.
Despite being stuck on 24 laps we all still felt elated by the beans that we’d all put in and how close Simon had come to sneaking the 25th lap with his storming run.
We’ll be back in 2011.
9 riders turned out for the ride away this month, 5 of us travelled in style in Chris Sheppards new bus/postal van/Ferrari (very handy for dodging down bus lanes).
We completed a “classic” loop of the Timberland trail, it was great, so great that Ian felt the need to leave an imprint of his face and the local Flora. After stopping for a bit of first aid and the very artistic application of some dressings we retired to the Cafe for some tea-hydration.
On the second lap we rode a modified loop to take in some more of last years Bristol Bikefest course. There was an impromptu group detour and some “lost sheep” that needed rounding up but no other major incidents – unless you count Marjory going over the bars…!
Back to the Cafe for more tea with Egg & Bacon rolls and a Caramac bar – burp! Nice.
Check out the calendar and forum for details of our next BCC XC Ride Away…
