All courses are run at both Lee Quarry and Gisburn Forest. The plan is for them to get started on the trail construction just as soon as the snow and ice have gone. The new skills area at Lee Quarry will be one of my main training locations. As well as five new skills lines featuring drop offs, tabletops and berms there are also plans to build a Pump Track at Lee Quarry.
Work should be complete by April this year. Cragg Quarry will also be developed with red and black graded trails and Rowan thinks that this area will be the jewel in the crown of the whole project so far. Think rollers, berms, jumps and tons of flow all with the biggest views you can imagine. There are also plans to form a volunteer trail building group for the area to help shape the trails that we will be riding in the future.
More details will emerge over the next few weeks. Tickets are already on sale and I will of course be helping and will have a role in the lead up, as well as at the event itself. The devil makes work for idle wheels so I went out to the woods with my bike and video camera today and tramped up and down having some fun and getting some clips in the snow and sunshine.
I live up a hill so all rides start with a descent and end with a climb. It was fun, apart from the face plant into a wall! Luckily I was saved by my beard. Took a break from moaning about the snow today and went for a ride in it. It was pretty hard to find the trail in places and the climbs had to be walked. Rode some fun descents though and took the Ragley Ti down some tech steps just to keep my hand in. At times the sky and all of the ground was the same colour and I felt like I was free falling.
A beard full of snow and ice is a great feeling and like all good natural fibres it provides good insulation and breathability. Have to say I feel sorry for all the beardless gents out there. Your faces must be freezing.
