Day off tomorrow and no chance to get out on the bike this weekend.

As a change to the salt flats of Suffolk I thought I might give the course at Hadleigh a go.

It’s a 160mile round trip with it being about 1hr 40 each way.

Is it worth the jaunt?

Chap I rode with the other week said it was worth visiting, if only for the experience of riding the course – a lot of climbing apparently.

I have to be honest and say the climbing is part of the draw.

Yep, it’s a good track. Can you combine it with a detour via Tunstall on the way back?

It’s a great race venue. For a ride, I’d want to tie it into other venues too. The cafe is nice and there are great showers.

The course is brilliant. Easy enough to ride but built to instill a good bit of fear!

GB

Hmm. With the exception of Tunstall is there anything else that could tempt near by?

Just ridden it this morning for the first time. Worth it for the experience and if I was local I’d probably be on it regularly. Not sure it’s worth a big drive. The climbs are pretty tough but quite dull. Smooth surface and short and steep with very few obstacles. The only challenge is the liberal dusting of loose pebbles. There are some fun downs ranging from very easy to omg. Most look worse than they are so for me needed a bit of plucking up of nerve. Have come away feeling pretty knackered. Nothing like Cwmcarn or Afan but then it isn’t supposed to be. Nice views over the estuary.

went there a few weeks basck whilst over in the UK. met one guy there who regularly drove down from Bury St. Edmunds!!! 😯

if things are that bad, then maybe it’s worth the trip.

very easy to omg.

really… OMG? the only one that i couldn’t get my head around was the north shore jump. but otherwise it was all easily ride/rollable. even the GF slipped happily down the slabby bit to the south and at the start (perhaps riding in the alps has toughened her mental nerve… she found the XC nightride back from the pub at midnight more challenging 😕 might have been the IPA). however if you are riding a XC bike with the saddle up your arse i can see that some bits might be a bit woooarh. massive respect to those that can and do ride the track with such a bike.

lots of short, attacking style climbs, some with small obstacles thrown in which helped make it a little more interesting.
some of the sections are worth riding again, such as the swoopy and the rocky trails over the back (near the tree drop thing i mentioned earlier).

after two laps i could see the advantage of a dropper post.

the skills area and pump track were a bit meh. not a massive amount to play on in the skills area. the drops are odd in that there is no run out and the smallest is already pretty big. the pump track is more suited to a BMX than a MTB.

it’s worth it to say you’ve been there and to experience it. doubt you’ll want to repeat a 160 mile trip to ride it again.

nickjb you weren’t on a Whyte were you by any chance? I went down there this morning. Think it’s good for what it is but not worth a huge trip really. The biggest thing to worry about is the amount of inexperienced riders attempting things beyond their abilities. The first time I was down there I had to give first aid to a lad that went OTB on the Olympic ring drop. We had to lift him out on a spinal board and the air ambulance was landing for another casualty further down.

The north shore jump is actually one of the easier features. You just need to hit it at a decent speed and that carries you over.

I went down with some mates on those “coached” sessions they had down there. I certainly don’t think it was worth the round trip from Nottingham. Wanted to see what it was like first hand. Took the hard tail as a long travel full sus bike makes it all a bit pointless. I’m not sure where I’d be in the country if that was the best riding I could find in an 80 mile radius but if I was there, I’m not sure mountain biking would be my main passtime.

It was built to challenge xc bikes at speed while making room for spectators and I think it did that well. I just don’t think it lends itself to becoming a new trail centre for the weekend warrior.

I’d say there are several bits tougher than the north shore gap Alpin:

Springs to mind for a start!

I’m local and ride there quite a bit. It’s not a bad venue really as long as you remember it’s a race course and a little different to the average trail centre.
As for a 160 mile round trip to ride it, I don’t know. You may love it as it’s a challenge to try and get multiple fast laps in or you may hate it as it lacks a bit of flow (in my opinion of course!).
Not much else nearby that I can think of, Rendlesham /Tunstall as mentioned above or maybe epping forest.

@njee…. i found that easy… small drop with with a bumpy landing. in some respects the line next to it is harder as it requires you to hold the right line for longer. probably different for those in the pic on a racey hardtail

i’ve more of a problem with gap jumps than drops. can ride and jump tables, but gaps give me the shivers if i’ve no-one to follow. just a head thing, really.

another section where the “easy line” is technically harder than the “hard line” is that steep chute just off to the right of that picture. the easy line has a tight right hand switch back, whereas the hard line is a straight run down the slope. 😕

nickjb you weren’t on a Whyte were you by any chance? I went down there this morning.

no. A spesh.

The biggest thing to worry about is the amount of inexperienced riders attempting things beyond their abilities.

That’s a good point. I saw a few offs on some quite innocuous bits and lads struggling to even get round the banked turns. I caught one group up and the chap at the back shouted to his mates that there was a ‘fast lad coming through’. First time anyone has ever called me that.