Cardie Hill climb (climb to Buzzards), Zoom or Bust, Blue return, and Blue Velvet will be used for the race so will be closed to general traffic-diversions will be in place. Trails all open Sunday as usual.
So if it’s start/finish at the Hub assume it will go up the fire road at bottom of Spooky climb?
11k isn’t that long – what is the Hub > Spooky bottom in height gain?
wont be there cos of a dam wedding . Got 3 this month and 1 next month.
Do people not realise how important biking is to me. Have a wedding on a Thursday ( wait, training that night with the bunch), a wednesday for gods sake. GGrrrrrrrrrr
Yeah I did wonder, the whole of the red route has around 450m of climbing (There is a about 350m height difference between the Hub and the top of Spooky Wood) and its 18km, so the same amount of climbing in 11km would have meant for probably a lot of steep fire road.
Any way I’m looking forwaard to it. Hope there is some nice techy singletrack on the way down
If its finishing into the field at the bottom, I imagine it might take in some of the horsey trails below road up to buzzards plus a little bit of new stuff to link them. Sounds like a great course. Zoom or bust is ace although the roots might get a couple of victims in the wet.
I don’t think I could handle anymore steep fireroad than what’s already in the course!
There’s nothing too techy, but plenty nadgery descents to keep you on your toes, combined with some classic flowy bits, and two major climbs which combine to make a brilliant loop.
Zoom or Bust used to be a lot more Nadgery, it’s been sanitised a bit recently, some of the big up and over roots have been cut out (the horror !) But wide smooth hard pack with bermed corners, it is not.
please dont let there be any “fresh cut or new natural sections” or anything else that turns to mud then gravy after 5 drops of rain.A course that will last all day if when it rains.
Is it all wheels on the ground stuff? Was hoping for some jumpy droppy bits.
Me too, its the only thing I’m good at!
Shirley the dual slalom section towards the end will have a couple of jumps!
Mr Gracie, how are you getting on?. Ain’t seen you in a looonnggg time, need to get out soon, Greg here btw, remember?. I was out with you way back when. Used to ride with an angry ginger geordie!.
Mr Gracie, how are you getting on?. Ain’t seen you in a looonnggg time, need to get out soon, Greg here btw, remember?. I was out with you way back when. Used to ride with an angry ginger geordie!.
Hey Greg yeah I remember back in my dayglo Gary Fisher hardtail days!
Drop us a PM and we’ll catch up are you coming to Glentress?
Zoom or Bust?? Never knew there was a trail down that way – always that that was a little practice loop in there that brought you out at the top of Janet’s(?) Brae/Buzzard’s nest car park?
When did that all change? (only been at GT once this year and it was an aborted trip due to a friend becoming unwell).
zob is a little further along the forest road than the skills area. you pass a walkers path on the left and its a little further on. if you get to t black route single track you have gone too far. it hasn’t really been sanitised, just had a bit of a tweak because it was so churned up in places. still plenty tricky when its a bit damp.
In fact, I remember well the first use of this in the SXC course a few years ago which was why it was built, and it was well tricky, big exposed droppy roots.
It has bedded in and widened of course, but some roots have been cut out and gravel thrown down. Rides much easier than it used to – and if anything I am less capable than I used to be.
these things will get easier when people ride round obstacles rather than over them which then means you have to go back and work on them. but i do know i haven’t taken any big roots out and its not something we generally do. some of the changes were made if i remember correctly because it hadn’t quite turned out the way Andy had wanted it to. he had wanted a more flowing trail iirmc. these things evolve, doesn’t mean to say they have been sanitised. and I’m sure you are both better riders than you were which also makes things seem easier. its still great fun which is all that matters.
ZoB is the only time I’ve ever walked away from a trailbuilding session.
I’d agree that it needed some tweakage, but what got done has taken away much of the technical aspect which made it a challenging trail to ride fast. I’ve only ridden it twice since, and it’s no where near as interesting a trail to ride.
Yeah, have to say I agree with that too. It’s “nicer” but it’s definately not as interesting. I thought it needed a wee bit of drainage, maybe a bit of scraping, and some of the shortcuts sorted and that’s it
