[Closed] FoD - Year 2000 downhill trail

The top half is toast, as far as I can tell. The enduro course sort of joins onto the last bit towards the bottom where you have those steep run offs. It's a cool section but not as it was 🙁

Bum! Yeah, it was the top section that was just full of fallen trees and loads of offcuts. Oh well, guess I can cut that out of my group ride...
Shame cos it was an awesome trail and not often used due to its distance from the other main DH runs.

Thanks mokl.

If you can imagins stood at the top of the old section, if you ride along the fire road to the left there is a new trail which is the end of the enduro track. It's still worth doing, although completely different to the Y2K. It's steep and swoopy, and you can get nice speed through the top section. I pretty much always add it into my rides.

Just to clarify, this is the bit which joins the old Y2K at the bottom. It runs down the same bit of hill, just a bit further along.

I kinda know where you mean (did the Endurance race a few years ago). Isn't that all over a bit too quick though for the effort to climb back up to then go off and do Henry's/Rollercoaster? Y2K made a bit more of the hill.

Don't think this bit of trail has been there long, but may be mistaken? It is probably as long in length as Y2k, but lacks the rooty corners etc. Not sure which bit Henry's/Rollercoaster is! Would be interested to know in case I haven't ridden it actually.

OK. I'll probably go and do a recce before the group ride to check it out.

Henrys is a good swoopy trail out on the way to Dowies at Elwood. I've heard it called rollercoaster and stinkies too.

For Clarification, which is the Y2K?

Is it the one that ends up right near the main road, in a big clearing, having descended a final steep chute? Very steep and tight in places, not really a DH bike course, much better off on a small chuckable short travel bike?

Yes Mark. Used to have a bit called The Skip in it. Was used back in the 90s for downhill series. Can't recall why it was called Year 2000 now but it was nothing to do with the millenium (surprisingly)!

mokl - Member
Don't think this bit of trail has been there long, but may be mistaken?

The bit you're describing was used in last year's Enduro for the first time I believe.

EDIT - Pete beat me to it...

Err, yeah. I used to start it right from the tarmac to the campsite and go along a swoopy bit of trail and then over a fire road to start Y2K. From that direction I could then get onto Y2K proper or if I went left a little way down the fire road and then right I'd be at the top of the more open hillside that the enduro/endurance race uses/used (back in 2008 when I did it). Y2K then joins the bottom section of the more open steep bit and then they end close to the road in that little clearing.

The trail had a couple of hairpin bends and tracked across the hill in both directions to make good use of the hill and give a good long ride down.

It's sort of here - http://www.streetmap.com/idld.srf?x=360670&y=211690&z=120&sv=360670,211690&st=4&ar=Y&mapp=idld.srf&searchp=s.srf&dn=796&ax=360670&ay=211690&lm=0

I used to start it right from the tarmac to the campsite

The owners of Worcester Lodge used to regularly 'speak' to cyclists riding in that area and it was marked as 'out of bounds' to cyclists on the maps handed out at Pedalabikeaway. I think they got fed up of telling us not to cycle there in the end... 😉

I usually head out to Dowies after doing the aforementioned downhill bit. I cross the road then usually end up doing a longish climb up to a quarry then across towards Elwood via fireroads and edge of Nags Head from there. Is Henry's in this vicinity, or am I off the mark? I find this part of my loop a bit dull, so would be cool to add some variation in there.

Top of Henry's is about here - http://www.streetmap.com/idld.srf?x=359035&y=209817&z=115&sv=359035,209817&st=4&ar=y&mapp=idld.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=796&ax=359035&ay=209817&lm=0

Drops you down to the road so that you can cross and use the Family cycle trail to get up to Elwood. Henry's starts at a big thick fence post and runs along the fence line to start with. At one point you need to keep high rather than take the obvious downward route.

Yes Mark. Used to have a bit called The Skip in it. Was used back in the 90s for downhill series.

Cheers Pete

So what's happened then? I've not ridden that course since the back end of last summer, but it is/was/always will be one of, if not my favourite bits of trail anywhere! Steep, tight, technical and practically nobody knows about it... Everyone I've ever taken down it in the many years I've ridden it, has always grinned from ear to ear after, and I probably rode it first time back around 99/00 myself!

I usually head out to Dowies after doing the aforementioned downhill bit. I cross the road then usually end up doing a longish climb up to a quarry then across towards Elwood via fireroads and edge of Nags Head from there. Is Henry's in this vicinity, or am I off the mark? I find this part of my loop a bit dull, so would be cool to add some variation in there.

You can make that journey quite a bit more interesting with a few deviations. I used to follow my nose, and invariably ride the boring bits too, but when I was shown all the more interesting bits to link it up, it's quite a good ride.

That's my next task. Find the interesting bits between Broadwell jumps/bottom of Y2K and the top of Henrys.

wasn't y2k the name of the event organisers? vague recollection and could be very wrong on this?

Thanks Rickos. Will have a sniff for Henry's when I next head out that way, but have a feeling I might already do it, or at least I do a reasonably interesting bit very close to where you point to on the map. I think you might be right about y2k, mrmo.

Anyone fancy a spin one Sunday and maybe share some cool sections with me that I don't already know then I would be well up for it. Pretty much an XC boy though, definitely not a jumper!

By the way, does anyone know if the lawnmower trail has ever recovered from the tree felling? If I wasn't so lazy I suppose I could check for myself lol! I only ever rode that on one occasion but thought it was pretty cool.

p.s. Still would like to know where Dungeons and Dragons is, cos I ain't the foggiest idea.

@mboy, the trees on the hillside were harvested last year. The last time I attempted to do it the huge ruts from the machinery and disruption of the soil from the felled trees made it impassable or had eliminated the trail 🙁 I think "The Skip" was the steep bombhole-y bit that had a very tight and steep approach through some trees that I used to mainly chicken out of?

I knew a load of trees that side were harvested, but I must've ridden there August/September last year, and the DH trail I'm thinking of (which I think was the old one you guys are on about) was still all there, though getting to the top of it wasn't the easiest...

May well be coming down to the FOD this Sunday mokl (though can't guarantee it) if you were up for some trail sharing knowledge perhaps.

Year 2000 was the name of a cycle events company run by Gerry McGarr of Glos City CC in the early/mid 90s, he put on some series with stages in the FoD, one event had the start/finish along the fireroad by Worcester Lodge (above the waste/recycling facility) and used a downhill as the start. I did this event when I had a spotty face and glasses, on my Cadex CFM1 (still got it).
The track alot of people refer to as the Y2K (including myself) was not actually used by the Y2K, maybe a few sections at the top. It has another name which I cannot remember, but as the original Y2K is never used, we might as well leave it as that.
The "Skip" is further around the hill and joins the new Y2K very bottom, as mentioned previous its been trashed up there due to felling, we had to remove a load of logs last year for the RDFCC Enduro, which used the new Y2K.

PS this area is being used for an event on Sunday

Lawnmower is back up and running, rebuilt by Neil, more technical and less flowy than previously, but still good. That area was like a nuclear bomb has gone off when they felled it. I had a go at rebuiding it from the bottom up and couldn't find any of the tracks once I was out of the trees.

@mboy, unfortunately I am attending a 2 year old's birthday party on Sunday (my nephew), so unfortunately I won't be able to get out and will be working Saturday. Free for the following few though.

Fair play to those that work on and repair the trails, can't wait to get back up to the Lawnmower.

p.s. Still would like to know where Dungeons and Dragons is, cos I ain't the foggiest idea.

One of the fun things here (and I guess in other areas too) is that different people make up their own names for different trails. One of those is Dungeons & Dragons; I have been told which one it is, one of the Jones trails if I remember rightly, probably the Buckstone (but my memory isn't what it used to be these days... 😳 ).

Bit like H's (Henry's) being called the Rollercoaster, Eddy's being called The Velvet Garden, and so on. Even the various Enduro courses over the last few years have run along bits of Rich's, The Christmas Trail, and now Y2K amongst others! All good 8) Most get named after the people who first set them out but sometimes the names are based on a simple story eg a trail being started by a guy (Matt) who was lodging in one of the StapleEdge bungalows and was mowing the green when he just set off into the woods with the mower to start what became the Lawnmower Trail!

amt27 wrote:

Year 2000 was the name of a cycle events company run by Gerry McGarr of Glos City CC in the early/mid 90s, he put on some series with stages in the FoD, one event had the start/finish along the fireroad by Worcester Lodge (above the waste/recycling facility) and used a downhill as the start. I did this event when I had a spotty face and glasses, on my Cadex CFM1 (still got it).

Yeah. I rode several of Gerry's Year 2000 xc races (Hopton, Chepstow, Colstey & Shobdon to name a few.) They were good events and Gerry was a sound fella. I did a couple of his midweek guided rides in the FOD too. One of them was filmed for Heart Of The Country - so there was my 15mins of fame. 😀 (Must still have the video somewhere - LOL!)

I really oughta start going back down there again, so much good riding to be had.

WOOP! I was in the Forest ce soir and Y2K is back up and running. I love that trail, so thank-you to the trail pixies wot fixed it. They've even built a berm and rebuilt an old jump.

Marvellous!

😀

You've just made my evening! Can't wait to get down there again now...

Rode it sunday, tis sweet. Its been cleared again near the bottom, opposite back of hopewell colliery. Agreed the jump's nice too.

Henry's starts at a big thick fence post and runs along the fence line to start with. At one point you need to keep high rather than take the obvious downward route

so after the small field, you come across the fenced area and go right, then keep left...?

so far ive gone right then down to the right and gone left...so frustrating riding that far then missing the junction!