Thinking of doing the Midlands race here, can anyone tell about the course?

Does it still have the old landmarks in it?

Anyone?

Jim
if you know ER from old then you’ll know theres multiple options for routes.
The last XC race there about 2 years ago can up with a monster course which split people about 50/50, some loved it some hated it.
On xcracer they make reference to back by popular demand, so it might be a techy /hard route.
But as ever with ER you will be either going up or down, it ain’t Thetford!

There’s a lot of trail building gone on there over the past few years with some great new downhills and, more recently, some nice bits of singletrack joining them up. A lot of it is work in progress but the “Eastridge Trail Partnership” have regular dig days. The old tracks are still there, except for where felling has trashed them. I think the waymarked brown route follows a lot of the old Nationals course.

I love the place but don’t ride there as often as I could/should. Heading there tonight actually – it’s great in the dark too 🙂

As speshpaul says, it’s a tough place to ride, never mind race. Especially given the relatively small height gain. You’re always cllimbing or descending with very little let up.

Heading there tonight actually – it’s great in the dark too

I’ll be about tonight as well, but then i’m already here:-)

Speshpaul – are you local then? Have you done any of the trail building days? I keep trying to make them but work silly hours and haven’t managed it yet.

Yeap, very local.
I’ve done a fair bitn over the years i guess you’ve ridden some of handy work.
I haven’t got anything to say about ETP, i guess we have different views:-)

Ah ok. I guess maybe we should leave it at that then 🙂 .

I sort of re-discovered Eastridge recently, having mucked about on it a bit around 10 years ago. A few of the guys I ride with have done a lot of work up there (Nick S, etc) and it seems to be a fun, under-rated place to ride. V nice if it’s your back yard 🙂