Bennyboy, where are you based? I’m in Anstey, of XC racing persuasion and looking to get out a bit more often off road now it’s drying up. Mojo has been missing of late.

Also check out the FNSS races starting soon. great little series on a Friday night.

bennyboy1 – Member
Thread resurrection – so I moved to Leicester last week from the rolling Oxfordshire Chilterns & Cotswolds. Am a keen xc racer, happy to head out on all day xc rides of up to 100 miles. More than happy riding into rolling countryside and natural terrain, doesn’t have to be mega tech or anything to put a smile on my face, am fairly easily pleased!

Which STW riders are still on here? Any Leicester mtb club rides I could join to get some local routes and riding buddies?

POSTED 1 HOUR AGO #

As asbrooks said, Scandal on the first page of this thread has his email in his profile, so drop him a line if you are interested in a very mixed group for Wednesday night rides. If you are a super-fit whippet you might find waiting for the rest of us frustrating, but we can show you the good bits and you could use us as a bit of a stepping stone if you like.

Anybody know of a good 30mile ish off road route in Leicester that would be good when dusty on the gravel/fully rigid bike?

Drop bars to make good progress and make the singletrack a bit more technical feeling

bennyboy1 – Member
Thread resurrection

Used to live in Leicester for 3 years but thanksgod moved to some more joyful area – Sheff/Rotherham.

Try Godiva Trailriders. They are Cov but they are riding quite a lot around Nuneaton.

To be honest Leicester is not the best and most challenging area for riding, but if you will turn into single speeding all the sudden it start to make much more sense…

Used to ride a lot one loop starting in Groby, next to school play filed, around Martinshaw Wood, over to Lady Hay Wood, across the field, up and down to Newtown Linford, cheeky path along Bradgate Park all way up to Hunt’s Hill carpark, down the hill along Bradgate on the permissive path to Hallgate carpark (that is probably the best downhill in the closest proximity of Leicester – over the road to Swithland Wood, around Swithland, into Woodhouse Eaves, permissive path along Beacon Road, Beacon Hill, around Bacon Hill and down to the Thorntree Farm. Then if you are still OK with rather uninspiring road/fields to Woodhouse, Swithland Reservoir, Rothley, bridleway to Thurcaston, Cropston, along Cropston Reservoir, to Anstey on bridle way, up the Bradgate Road and back then to the field you exited from Lady Hay Wood. Returning via already done Lady Haywood and Martinshaw.

It is pretty OK on single speed or crosser.

Cheers!
I.

Yeh the FNSS races are great fun

Also an XC racer, Loughborough based.

down the hill along Bradgate on the permissive path to Hallgate carpark (that is probably the best downhill in the closest proximity of Leicester

That’s been blocked by Bradgate Park Trust in a direct action against mountain biking after a cock and bull story about a bike running over a prize goose that belonged to a ranger (I kid you not).

In any case, it was far from the best descent in the area.

dannyh – Member
In any case, it was far from the best descent in the area.

You said it 🙂

Not my headache anymore.

Still shame they blocked it.

Cheers!
I.

In any case, it was far from the best descent in the area.

In the summer months there’s some super fun single track. You can go as fast as you like.

Thanks for the ideas chaps. I went for my maiden explore yesterday and ended up out round Indersby/ a few miles short of Hilton on the Hill. Didn’t really find any off road stuff but useful in starting to build up my mental map of villages / connecting village lanes. I also saw signs for Cafe Ventoux in Tugby, looks like a nice mid ride stop off.

Thanks also for the FNSS suggestion, looks ace for a local series. Courses appear rather 90’s xc from the pics but am certainly interested in giving some of the rounds a try, the ethos of the series looks great!

Tilton, Tugby etc are the East of Leicester. It’s more an area of long distance pub rides with nice sandstone villages and cracking on and getting miles in. Nice in a scenic and ‘covering the miles’ way.

NW of Leicester is more where we are based. Woodlands, quarries and granite are the order of the day in our patch, so actually amazingly different to east of Leicester in geological terms!

There’s nothing to rival rampage, but there are some nice techy bits in some of the woods.

dannyh do you ride with dirtlab?

Dannyh-useful to hear, I will get round to NW Leicester to check some of that out, sounds good. I enjoyed the Houghton on the Hill location from a scenery point of view but agree with you, somewhere more to get the miles in.

Am planning following NCN64 to Melton Mowbury and back at the weekend, again to familiarise myself with the area really and enjoy the views along the way.

South Leic’ rider here (Lutterworth atm)
Only recently signed up on here so thought I’d say hi.

I’m more of a trail/enduro rider than XC whippet but I’m planning on doing some more FNSS this year after a 3 year break. They’re a good craic and the courses can be quite varied.

As everyone else has said, the best riding is really NW Leicestershire. I had a nice XC ride exploring between Bardon hill and Thornton Reservoir last weekend.
If your south of the city you can do some good hill training sessions on Croft Hill.

My usual riding buddy lives up in Newtown Linford so we know the Bragate Park situation well. Its just not worth riding there. Everyone connected to the place seems to have a bee in their bonnet about us “lethal, maniac” bikers.

Benny,
There’s also a Midland Bike Orienteering series that runs nearly year round.
If you can read a map its an enjoyable alternative to racing around XC tracks.

The top boys are properly quick. Last one I did I think the winner covered 65km in 3hrs!
There are also humans to compete against too though.

Good way of exploring new areas.
http://www.midlandsmbo.co.uk/about.html

I’m guessing you have looked here
Midlands rides
The toughish route is worth a go went it has been dry for a while

yes,me

I don’t to be the new guy that stirs the hornets nest but how exactly have cyclists been barred from Bradgate Park when there are clearly marked bridleways extending through the location? Even the Westonbirt National Arboretum in Wiltshire has accessible bridleways running through it… How is Bradgate more exceptional than the National Arboretum??!

I don’t to be the new guy that stirs the hornets nest but how exactly have cyclists been barred from Bradgate Park when there are clearly marked bridleways concessionary horse track extending through the location? Even the Westonbirt National Arboretum in Wiltshire has accessible bridleways running through it… How is Bradgate more exceptional than the National Arboretum??! It’s not. It’s just ruled by very old very NIMBY people and run someone lacking a spine.

You’re ok to stick to the tarmac path. But riding is banned anywhere else in the park.
I might be wrong but I think the tarmac path is the only official bridleway type path.
The other tracks are footpaths.

TBH its no great loss to not cycle there. Its too busy with dozy pedestrians and nervous Dear to enjoy.

I’m on the southern edge of Nottingham if you wanted to come up this way for some xc stuff bennyboy1. Best singletrack is north of city centre but dome loops to south too.

So then a brief Leicester update – I’ve continued exploring East of the city, had a lovely 45km spin yesterday taking in the Roman road gravel tracks out to Glooston, thoroughly enjoyed it out that way (the lovely bright Spring sunshine helped). The mile munching 29’er xc race bike seems a pretty decent choice for the riding round here.

Also had a family walk round Bradgate Park last weekend and saw a couple of cheeky mtb’er pushing their bikes up the main hill just below the tower, I presumed that they weren’t going to push back down! ;-D

Anyway, thoroughly enjoying the exploring at the moment. Will contact some of the Leicester based STW’ers above to see about a local ride (JamesD – in a few weeks I will look to take up your offer of S Nottingham trails). I’ve also pencilled in the upcoming FNSS XC races so look forward to giving them a try (won’t make tonight’s though).