Inaugural ‘Girls At Moelfre’ DH Weekend – 20-21st June

Girls – fancy dipping a toe into the Downhill waters? The inaugural Girls at Moelfre DH weekend takes place on the weekend of 20-21st June near Oswestry. It’s a super chilled, girls-only weekend, with all abilities welcome – particularly DH newbies.

There’s a all-day uplift running on the Saturday, and a dual-slalom competition will test newly-acquired skills on the Sunday. It’s thirty quid, which sounds like a bargain to us, and all proceeds go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

The event is the brainchild of 17-year-old Lucy Buckeley. She’s only been downhilling for a couple of years, but already she’s thrown herself into trail building and getting more female involvement in DH at her local trail, Moelfre. After attending Rachel Atherton’s 2014 Red Bull Fox Hunt she began planning an all-girl event in her neck of the woods.

It’s designed to be an event about community and support, not competitiveness and racing – Lucy kept the entry fee at £30 to make it as inclusive as possible, and any profits are going to Macmillan Cancer Support. Participants and spectators alike are encouraged to come and camp over the weekend to join in the relaxed party atmosphere.

F-riders-inc and MTBuplifts have come onboard, and Bluegrass Helmets and Zimtstern are donating race prizes. There are now over 70 girls signed-up, although there are still places available.  MTB Instruction is also providing coaching sessions on the Saturday, with a few places still available.

In the future Lucy would like to expand the event to create a “Girls at …..” series, which would take places at a few venues across the country, giving more girls the opportunity to get into downhill in a relaxed friendly environment.

For more details check their Facebook page or call Lucy on 0797 207 5879. You can also email on girlsatmoelfre@hotmail.com.

Barney Marsh

Barney Marsh takes the word ‘career’ literally, veering wildly across the road of his life, as thoroughly in control as a goldfish on the dashboard of a motorhome. He’s been, with varying degrees of success, a scientist, teacher, shop assistant, binman and, for one memorable day, a hospital laundry worker. These days, he’s a dad, husband, guitarist, and writer, also with varying degrees of success. He sometimes takes photographs. Some of them are acceptable. Occasionally he rides bikes to cast the rest of his life into sharp relief. Or just to ride through puddles. Sometimes he writes about them. Bikes, not puddles. He is a writer of rongs, a stealer of souls and a polisher of turds. He isn’t nearly as clever or as funny as he thinks he is.

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