We set off at 7.30am having already driven 45 mins to get to Hope every Sunday before it gets too busy. I love whatever route we decide to do, great company and someone will chirp up with an idea and we're off.
We ride all morning and chat to each other, other groups of riders and the odd walker (I spoke to some lovely people today out walking while waiting for puncture repairs).
The last downhill is what I really enjoy and I'm sorry to say I want it all to myself. The anticipation builds through the morning and then we're at the top of the last decent. The buzz is unbelievable but when it's busy and there are walkers and riders coming up I hate it. It's like I've had something taken away from me.( I've gone back up to do it again and get a good run in)it's like I can't go home without doing it.

Today was a bad day, I'm usually a very considerate rider. I always slow down and pass very politely but today it was too fast and too late and very nearly a nasty accident. I slowed down as much as possible but went through a group of walkers and riders just too quick.
The walkers were not happy at all and there were some very angry shouts after us down the trail.
So if you were riding up from Hope via the long tarmac section up to Whinn hill I apologise.

If it was possible to have it clear I could ride that last downhill over and over untill I got it nailed perfect and as fast as possible.
This gets me round to a question. Is it wrong to want a section of trail all to yourself?

No. But it is a really bad idea to ride dangerously when other people are on the same path…

How would you feel if that was your Mother?

It's not wrong to want it to yourself, but it is wrong to ride a shared trail so fast you can't slow down in time. It might have been better to apologise then and there rather than on a mountain biking forum.

i got shouted at today by some walkers while doing the bronte big k apparently i was going far too fast down a tarmac road… 😯

You need a DH bike and a DH track…

If my mother could ride that fast I would be really impressed.

Wait until a really shitty day in winter, then you will have it all to yourself. Maybe you could change the route a bit so the final descent wasn't such a popular trail?

Bit of a dick move to nail it if you know there may be walkers/riders/etc coming along.

So that's it then, unless I can guarantee there wont be anyone on the particular section of trail I want to ride (in the most popular national park in the country) I should stay at home or go to a comp letely sanitised trail centre. That doesn't sound all that appealing some how.

The big thing about mountain biking is the word Mountain. I'm not a lover of going up hill just to go up hill and after a long ride with plenty of up I like to finish with a nice down.

So the next time I see any of you lot going downhill at more that a sedate walking pace I'll let you know about it.

So the next time I see any of you lot going downhill at more that a sedate walking pace I'll let you know about it.

Next Tuesday, Rosebury avenue N1. 8.47 am.

I'll **** you up like I **** Lanesra up.

No one said that you should stay at home or go to a trail centre. Just that you should ease off a bit on popular trails on a Sunday. True, no one who's replied knows how fast you were going, but you stated that you nearly had a nasty accident. I know exactly where you're coming from, and we all get carried away sometimes. Must be frustrating to have such nice trails to ride but not be able to completely let go.

So that's it then, unless I can guarantee there wont be anyone on the particular section of trail I want to ride (in the most popular national park in the country) I should stay at home or go to a comp letely sanitised trail centre.

Well you could at least give yourself a fighting chance of getting a clear run, rather than going when you'll pretty much guarantee getting people in your way (yet still not being prepared to give way to them).

A nasty accident would be running into someone no matter what speed. I'm riding a bike wearing a helmet and covered in armour, not a match for a tee shirt and trousers.

That's exactly the point I want to make, no being able to completely let go, so frusrating.

Take a chill pill Dr Dolittle.

Take a chill pill Dr Dolittle.

Do you realise this is an internet forum?

Yeah i do realise it's a forum for discussion I thought. Wasn't expecting threats.

Go somewhere a bit quieter or do it in an evening/very early morning.

Wasn't expecting threats.

It's a joke mate. I'm not really going to cause harm to you. That's ricockulous!

But then again you did threaten me

So the next time I see any of you lot going downhill at more that a sedate walking pace I'll let you know about it.

So you're **** dead mate.

Bikebreaker, if you're talking about Jacob's Ladder, I was up there in June last year and other than two walkers who came up just before I set off down it, there wasn't a single walker or biker on the whole descent!

Secret – did it on a Thursday 😉

get you lights on and head up on a monday night!!

Just get a bell and ring it on the way down
everybody's happy

Last time I went down it, all the walkers stood back to watch us go down it, I think expecting us to fall. 😆

get you lights on and head up on a monday night!!

Jacob's ladder as a night ride, sweet!

Just keep flying down it, walkers only go out to complain at people.

double post

Last time I went down it, all the walkers stood back to watch us go down it, I think expecting us to fall

Had a couple of walkers do that to me in France, actually goading me to ride something I wasn't 100% on. Wiped the smile off tho – at the bottom I was going a bit quick and had to drift the back end round to make the switchback. One of them was standing on it 😀

Walkers in France are generally good fun I find, happy to cheer people on all the time.

grumm:
Go somewhere a bit quieter or do it in an evening/very early morning.

Are we talking about the trail or the forum now?

dick

meanwhile, on ramblers anonymous

We set off at 7.30am having already driven 45 mins to get to Hope every Sunday before it gets too busy. I love whatever route we decide to do, great company and someone will chirp up with an idea and we're off.
We walk all morning and chat to each other, other groups of walkers and the odd cyclist (I spoke to some lovely people today waiting for puncture repairs while out walking).

The last climb is what I really enjoy and I'm sorry to say I want it all to myself. The anticipation builds through the morning and then we're at the bottom of the last hill. The buzz is unbelievable but when it's busy and there are walkers and riders coming down I hate it. It's like I've had something taken away from me.

Is it wrong to want a section of trail all to yourself?

The moral of the story is if you want a trail to yourself, mid morning on a Sunday, in brilliant sunshine, at the end of the Summer, don't got to f**** hope!

a) Its a shared use path, there will always be the posibility of other users, keep your sensible head on accordingly. What if it had been a load of kids or grannies who didn't/couldn't get out the way?
b) Go on weekdays, then you can let it rip without seeing a soul all day!

Thats why I dont ride in the Peaks generally.

You were wrong to do it and the content of your first post confirms that you knew it was wrong.

If you want it to yourself, get some lights.

There's a letter in the current issue of Walk magazine (I was reading it in a cafe, OK?!) entitled "Down with cyclists". Some guy rantign about how he'd gone for a walk on the South Downs Way, saw lots of bikers and how rude they all were. "One of them even yelled at us to get out of the way"

Now I'm sure there's another side to that story as well but the point is that if you want quiet trails go out mid-week or early morning/late evening. There's a lot of trails around honeypot areas (like Hope or Ambleside) that I simply wouldn't bother with on a weekend even though they're fully legal – it's no fun stopping every few yards to try and get past a bunch of uppity walkers.

So would it be wrong to get annoyed to find people on the path if I rode down Snowdon at 1pm?

Its the nature of life in the UK that we share our outdoors with other users, the way I see it is we're sharing something fundemenatlly really good and not sitting at home/pub/bookies getting fat.

If it annoys you that much emmirgate to Alaska 😉

Bikebreaker, you are a cock. Blatting down a busy trail in the Lakes on a Sunday afternoon what did you expect.

All I can say is you were lucky the walkers weren't with small kids, as if you have hit one of them how do you think you would have felt.

Why not ride up turn round and do the 'last' downhill first thing – at 7.45am. Probably be clear at that time then you can go off and do the rest of the ride and pootle down it being nice to people later on at the end of the ride.

Think about what you are doing – the paths are shared, cyclists are probably the most venerable in terms of having access removed, especially if people don't play nice (or ride like a t**t).

So that's it then, unless I can guarantee there wont be anyone on the particular section of trail I want to ride (in the most popular national park in the country) I should stay at home or go to a comp letely sanitised trail centre. That doesn't sound all that appealing some how.

Good to see your sense of perspective is up there with your riding skills 🙂

Clearly trolling. So many in the net, scary!

you're riding the wrong trails, i was out Sat/Sun in the peak – we saw 2 walkers, they and their dog said hello.

or, go nightriding – the trails are quiet, you can get away with a little 'poaching', and it feels twice as fast at half the speed.

(it's the closest thing a mountain biker will get to jedi training)

(it's the closest thing a mountain biker will get to jedi training)

Great! now not only do I have to pedal faster to avoid the werewolves and zombies in the woods, but now darth vader will be personaly hunting me down.

don't forget the velociraptors…