Bikepark Wales – No-uplift!

Headding up to BPW this week but want to spin the legs a bit in prep for the mini-enduro in a few weeks. Going to take the full face for the decents, but just wondered if people have cycled UP before, and if so is it worth taking a light trail/xc helmet for the climbs, or are they just fire roads I can hang my helmet off my bars/bag for?

There’s 2 routes, 1 is woods, 1 is fireroad.

Both are climb climb climb.

The woods one is slightly more interesting. Just.

It’s a lot of climbs for not a lot of down.

Pay the £3 and get the uplift.

Yes.

20-25 minute climb on the fireroad at a gentle and steady pace, 20-30 mins on the singletrack.

Singletrack’s more interesting, but unsurprisingly also more physically demanding.

I wore a full-face first time there and an open-face second time round (when I rode the climbs). Not sure what the official line is regarding wearing a lid, but I personally wouldn’t take a second one purely to ride the fireroad up.

Saying that, if that’s what you’re intending to do during the enduro, the practice probably won’t hurt. 😉

Why wear a helmet to cycle up a fireroad?

Why wear a helmet to cycle up a fireroad?

I wouldn’t, that’s my point. I didn’t realise there was a singletrack climb too though so that’s worth keeping in mind. Would love to do the uplift as it’s more the descending I want to work on, but it’s pretty much fully booked until May or something ridiculous (or at least was last time I checked)

But you can still pay on the day and get on plenty of lifts. MAybe not so much at weekends… but you’d still get several.

Ah ok, worth keeping in mind, especially towards the end when (hopefully) people are headding off!

But you can still pay on the day and get on plenty of lifts. MAybe not so much at weekends… but you’d still get several.

This is true too. Certainly after lunch. 🙂

Yes mbqwerty as weeksy says you don’t have to have the day uplift pass to use the uplift you can buy a card on the day when you sign in and they punch it each time (think its £4per lift and up to 5 per card)
Although if you you do have a day pass you do have priority over pay as you go.
but has never been a problem.

don’t be put off!

Just ride the singletrack, its not a terrible trail, just a means to an end. The push up / fireroad is super dull. The worst part is the wind swept flat / slightly uphill stretch from the singletrack / push up to trailhead. I wouldn’t bother with the fullface, ride it in a trail lid and remember how to breath after the climb up.
There’s a certain satisfaction in riding up and the overtaking the fully armoured up mincers bimbling down following their uplift.
And the BPW beer tastes better after a few climbs 😉

I’m sure a helmet is compulsory even when climbing. Never seen it enforced tho

The official line is-helmets must be worn at all times.
The single track climb is much nicer than the road and I’m not built for climbing 🙂
Once at the top, It’s worth sessioning the top 1/2, down to road crossing as the bottom 1/2 of the climb is steeper.

I’ll get a few runs up the hill then, but if my legs start to go a bit, will try squeeze on a couple of uplifts if I can, cheers for the advice!

I follow the fireroad that runs alongside the official climb. I dont mind the fireroad climb to be honest. 1st part is steep loose stuff. So while I can get up it, I normally push up this small part as it wastes too much energy for me.

I think Ive managed 5 climbs before and Im about average fitness.

Having said that, I did 4 this weekend and was finished on the last run! 🙂

If you think you are likely to fall on your head while peddling up a single track climb than wear the helmet. If this is the case however I would recommend riding back down the fire road 🙂

I’m sure a helmet is compulsory even when climbing. Never seen it enforced tho

I have seen people without lids on be told to stick their lids on or be removed from the site. BPWs rule are quire clear, if you don’t like their rules don’t go there. Don’t be a ****.

The thing I do when riding up at an uplift venue is, after a while I see a bus and think “That would have cost me £5 to get to the top.”. And then I think “I wouldn’t ride up this hill for £5”. And then I get the next bus.

yourguitarhero – Member

Why wear a helmet to cycle up a fireroad?

1) it’s the rules and
2) you might get run over by an uplift bus

1) **** rules
2) no I definitely won’t

is there a big Glastonbury style security fence round Gethin nowadays then?

Sad times

RIP common sense 😥

mtbel – Member

2) no I definitely won’t

Watch your back, Tally’s always up for a challenge

Aye, I’d pay* to see him drive his Landy up the 39 steps

*well I might pay my tab a bit sooner

do folk really ride to Walkerburn to push up the uplift road?

Dunno, I’ve ridden up it and seen people pushing further up but I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone push from the bottom. Wouldn’t be too shocked if some folks do though

The thing I do when riding up at an uplift venue is, after a while I see a bus and think “That would have cost me £5 to get to the top.”. And then I think “I wouldn’t ride up this hill for £5”. And then I get the next bus.

Same. Been to BPW twice. Both in the week. Never booked. Prob had to wait once or twice for the next bus but the option of riding up to the top makes that seem a small price to pay. I don’t mind riding uphill at all, but if I’m at BPW I just want to do loads of runs and not get cream crackered on a boring fire-road.

Theres a quicker way to the top other than the fire road. Steeper but quicker.

Up the uplift fire road then turn off left past the old cottage thats on Blue Belle, up to the mid fire road. Fire road from end of A470 up to the top section of uplift road.

I actually quite like climbing but having done it once at BPW I wouldn’t choose to do it again. That’s not what I go there for.

Do it regularly. Just use my normal trail helmet and avoid the blacks, I save them for uplift days. The climb isn’t that bad, varies along it’s length and the last bit is just a spin along an open fire road to the start. Usually get 6 runs in before I cry ‘enough’. Works out at roughly 36 miles in the day, so not a short ride by any means! No worse than a big day at Afan for example.

Did the OP really ask if anyone has ridden UP? what is cycling coming to when people expect a lift up the hill……

what is cycling coming to when people expect a lift up the hill……

<isn’t sure whether trolling but decides to play it safe and not respond>