Have discovered what the "red" run at Haldon Hill is good for - quick night-time blasts 8)
Been up about twice a week for the last 4 weeks, and even though it's a pretty average/boring route in the daylight (not to mention getting stuck behind v. slow moving people at the weekends), it's well fun at night.
Tonight's max speed - 24.6mph on the section leading down to the old freeride area.
The new trail certainly does have its uses, all weather night-riding being one of them. The section your talking about 'Angry Mans Gates' is probably the best bit they built.
As I live at the bottom of Haldon, it's my regular ride if I want a quick blast. I cycle up too, which is a good cardio work out!
I view the new section as akin to a 6 mile long pump track - good for speed and trying to ride as smoothly as possible without too much braking.
I did it a week ago wednesday, much better in the dark!
Start & finish at the pub in Kenn.
agree better in the dark.
well done ...you are a hero! but pedal harder and you might become a legend.
Btw if you go 0.1 mph faster you'll be eligible for a blue peter badge.
'Angry Man's Gates' Ho Ho, is best bit they built. Heard there may be a 'short technical skills loop' on the cards.....
[Apostrophe needed in Man's?]
we only use it for nite rides now since they remodelled it, and for that use it is ace but its just so unbelievably dull during the day, such a shame as it has/had real potential for being a good red run not a pavementesque trail.
well done ...you are a hero! but pedal harder and you might become a legend.
Btw if you go 0.1 mph faster you'll be eligible for a blue peter badge.
Oooh, handbag 😉
it has/had real potential for being a good red run not a pavementesque trail.
Agreed, they really should have remodelled the old run, and added parts of the new one to it. They were obviously going for the lowest common denominator, i.e. beginners, familys, etc. Nothing wrong with that, but it kind of ruined it for more skilled riders.
the unofficial stuff is still worth going up there for though ... at the moment... 😕
Yes, but I've been trying to avoid all the off-piste stuff recently, as it gets really badly chewed up in the winter. Which will make it more likely that the FC will try and come down hard on riders who go off the official tracks.
I tried to chat to one of them the FC bods the other day about the state of the trails - i.e. the crapness of the sanctioned ones, and that being the reason that people go off them. But he just said it wasn't allowed, they had made good provisions for all riders, and that 'something' was going to be done about the unofficial trails soon 😕
I can't see that they'll dig them up like they did the old red run, as it'll cause too much damage, but do they have the power to fine people, or ban them from riding on the land? Does the fact that some of us (me since 1993 ) have been riding up there for nearly 20 years, have any bearing on the matter?
they told us a while ago that they had orders to destroy all the unofficial stuff, would be a crying shame if they did.
i'll be up there tomorrow taking the mrs for a spin around the red run, so apart from nite rides there is something else its good for.!