Is Area 51 rideable again? I assume if that is, the other trail next to is is back in commission?

Don’t tend to head up to Holmbury – can’t stand YP & BKB. It’s reaching the point where the vegetation should start receeding enough to to ride Wet & Wild and Crackpipe again though. 🙂

Rode crackpipe and it was running pretty well, the rain has cleared the trail pretty well and the bracken wasn’t a problem either. The previous time I went down it it was a bit of a jungle.

BIG off OTB on Eric today. Mashed my thigh – big bruise and hard to walk but very lucky nothing broken. Shook me up a bit though. Was able to ride back down supernova to car, but v painful drive home.

Now lying in the sofa watching golf with ibuprofen, ice and the remote!

Eric has a real hold on me at the moment. Oddly I was chatting wit a guy at the topt who told me that he had had a bad fall on it last year. Seemed like a bad omen and it was.

God it hurts when it goes wrong. Oddly was looking to buy some knee pads yesterday but said that I normally hurt my thighs/hips more than anywhere else.

🙁

Glad you’re ok, yeah it bloody hurts when you hit the deck. I was over there on Tuesday and the roots were pretty greasy from the fresh rain.

Eric is just a test of confidence. As soon as you panic or put a foot down etc, you’re knackered. Very rewarding when it comes together.

Thanks AT. Conditions wee great. Had about an hour mucking about on Ts, Daddy’s Jumps, Curly Wurley before Eric. All bloody mental with Eric starting with the steepish corner at the top and then making a complete hash of the corner just before all the jumps. Fell right over the corner straight into the hard bank on the far side. Lucky to avoid the bike which stayed up high!! Felt a bit vulnerable sitting there on my own wondering how bad the damage was!!!

God it hurts when it goes wrong. Oddly was looking to buy some knee pads yesterday but said that I normally hurt my thighs/hips more than anywhere else.

Ain’t that the truth. MTBing is weird how it can go from all great and happy to all tears and agony in just a snap of the fingers, you’re hitting the jumps, you’re going well and then WHUMP ! You’re down and it hurts !

I feel your pain GWS

Tactical injury ahead of 3 days of Ryder Cup in lame attempt to have Mrs TMH bring you snacks and beverages. Nirvana had some more fb / instagram videos up from last weeks freeride practice. Thats a ride I’ve joined a few times just to watch

Even worse, menthol ibuprofen gel is not great if it catches you gentlemans’ parts 😯

Very odd feelings going on now!!!!

You can get shorts with padded hips (Troy Lee Moto has removable ones).

I binned it on a night ride a week ago, just toward the end of supernova there is a tree sticking out on the right, it now has a lot of bark missing 🙂

Jambas, she is away this weekend so already had a pink ticket for lots of riding and golf, so a bit silly to screw it up this morning. Was having a lot of fun up to that point too?

Will go and have a look at the nirvana videos

Sounds a bit ouchy! At least you didn’t break anything. I’ve only been down eric a couple of times and really slowly at that.

Hope you have recovered Dango. I think I saw you lot going out as I finished last week.

I had a very close shave with a tree on T right fork earlier too. Was determined to stay off the brakes but cut it very fine!!

Haven’t ridden Eric for a long time – it ended up just being a horrible rut. The aptly named ‘next to Eric’ has been ok though – still loamy & fluffy. Re-rode Indian Summer recently too, that’s still fun, the stepdown at the end has been re-worked too.

It took a while but I finally hit the first gap on Rampage as well. The run out is more scary than the gap itself 🙂

You are too kind HN!! But it does feel more rutted and a little harder.

The run to the RHS looks nicer and I had some time to examine it while sitting down!!! 😉

Just back on the original topic for a moment. I rode Proper Bo yesterday which was flowing nicely and had a few easy jumps/small gaps.

Did you do the little jumps on Dads Jumps too?

Agree that PB is running nicely now. Have had my moments on those jumps too including a big wipe out on the middle one with the berm!!

Rode at the weekend – first time in a while.

I see the trail pixies have finished off the line on the Northern Monkey hillside, just what was needed, another massive industrial scale excavation jump line on a hillside with touchy access & a pissed off home owner at the bottom of the hill.

On a more positive note the other non jump line trails that are appearing on that hillside are still fun, and there appears to be a couple of others coming out of the ground & some very old trails coming back to life.

Oh, and someone has rebuilt the jump at the start of Evian so it’s no longer a death trap 🙂

just what was needed, another massive industrial scale excavation jump line on a hillside with touchy access & a pissed off home owner at the bottom of the hill.

Yep, does seem a bit ill advised given it’s stupidly wide as well. Will be a shame if the landowner takes offence at the jump line and just fells the rest of the trails on that side as they’re some of the best in the area, particularly new stuff like twitchy strider. There’s also probably enough jump wannabe whistler stuff around the area.

Sounds like I need to spend some time over that side – not the big jumps mind!!!

Land owner for those bits I think is ‘Jim’ now (not 100% on that). He was apparently shown those trails and was sympathetic while concerned, but if things are pushed too far, well we know his attitude to mountain bikes.

Gave up with Evian at the weekend. Big queues for it and people walking back up to session it. Concentrating on the jump at the start I guess, while the rest of the trail needs a bit more work (and someone flattened the jump I could actually do 🙁 , and then there’s that short cut line but I’ve already moaned about that 😉 ).

DK – I am lucky (at the moment) to be ale to sneak out mid-week. I am amazed at talk of queues! Never seen them ever. Wow!

Sounds like lots of changes at Evian and N Monkey. I hope Jim keeps,his cool.

@teamhurmore

Did you do the little jumps on Dads Jumps too?

I’m not 100% sure I know which ones they are so possibly. There was one bit coming down from Pitch that was nice and bermy and was going pretty fast and all of a sudden there were a couple of jumps that I’d not seen before, just about managed to take the chicken line in time! I don’t mind a bit of a jump if I know it’s there but not confident enough to take one on blind. Had already stacked it twice whilst at a virtual standstill, one of those daze!

I take it you’re all healed up now after your off?!

Seems that people are taking yoghurt pots as a shortcut to Holmbury Hill as this is the 3rd time it’s happened whilst I’ve been riding down it recently. Obviously they have rights to do this albeit a bit on the kamikaze side.

We made him aware that paths with berms is probably not a good place to walk, all very pleasant and gentlemanly of course. Lucky we weren’t hooning it!

Yep, does seem a bit ill advised given it’s stupidly wide as well. Will be a shame if the landowner takes offence at the jump line and just fells the rest of the trails on that side as they’re some of the best in the area, particularly new stuff like twitchy strider. There’s also probably enough jump wannabe whistler stuff around the area.

It’s huge, even when it was being dug earlier this year it looked a bit OTT. The jumps are pretty big too, a step up from the old Milestone jump line. I guess it’s great people want to build, I think it’s just a bit questionable what they are actually building.

Some of it is downright stupid too. The end of the new jump line is a big double/hip you hit flat out – there is a questionable lack of run out which then forces you onto the original NM trail right at the exit of a blind corner. High speed crash waiting to happen.

Evian was running ok this weekend, it does need a bit of love in the middle section, but i’m sure it will bed in.

The straight line at the end doesn’t bother me anyway, the last few corners are hammered.

I’m in the same situation as OP. I had a session with Nathan from bikeskills which was great, but now I have to practise. The mate I ride with thinks that session turned me into a pro, and takes me to what, for me, is the big stuff, he doesn’t quite get the concept of ‘building up’ both technique and confidence.

I don’t know the area too well (only ridden 4-5 times there), do any of you have gpx files of the rides that have come out in this thread? It would be very much appreciated.

Here you go: http://my.viewranger.com/route/details/MTAwOTEy

This has all the ones I’ve talked about. Think you have to login to download the gpx. It starts in the youth hostile car park although the gpx starts a little later as I forgot to start strava. It also goes through the walking bottom car park so you could just start it from there.

Great thanks! If anyone wants to join happy to not ride alone

AT – leg still v painful esp at night but ok to ride. Hard to sell that to my wife! Not sure which trail you are referring to with berms and surprise jumps (sounds like PB itself). Could be T trail right fork. 2/3 little doubles about half way down before exiting on to far forest road??

SC – might be going out tomorrow or Friday pm depending on work commitments. Will post on here. I am bored with riding on my own and need to be pushed a little!! AT looks quite speedy but we could easily make up a posse…

I can only make it weekends … live in south London, and get home by 7pm…

WTF viewranger doesn’t allow to download the gpx file, I think only the owners of the track can do it, I’ve tried both from web and app.

@teamhurtmore glad you’re on the fix. Just looked on strava and the trail’s called captain clunk https://www.strava.com/segments/11514010 it’s the one before the black route drop-offs and rooty bits.

I’m up for rides in the evenings. I’ll be over there tomorrow from about 4.30-5pm if anyone wants to meet up.

@spaniardclimber here’s a dropbox link to the gpx files (right click to save them): GPXie file

This one is more technical: GPXie file

Thx AT

CClunk – that was my other guess. Rode it the other day. A few years ago I was demoing a bike and managed to fall down most of the final section! Like all riders, I blamed the bike 😉

I’d been down CC before but following someone else so not really taking it in. I had 2 mates following me this time and knew it lead to the rooty droppy bit “drop your saddles boys” half way down I could here “why’d we drop our saddles for this” followed by “oh shit now I see why!”.

You did well to walk away from hitting the deck there, it’s sketchy AF at the best of times.

Just had a fun few hours. Amazing conditions esp over on W’fold which is bone dry even at the exit of Summer Madness and Charlie Bronson.

Evian, N Monkey, S Madness, Charlie Bronson (enough of the road climb back), found “three lost friends” 😉 (sshhh) heading back towards Evian (well done pixies and that fun jump is still there), second section after the fire road is hard to find though, Secret Santa (or whatever the name is, big gap jump and drop jump 3/4 of the way down), then back up to Pitch for Cpn Clunk, T trails then up Holmbury for the usual trio and back to WB CP.

Odd that CC top section was the only wet bit on the whole ride. Funny trail with three distinct sections – easy and flowy, mind the gap and oopps this is steep!! I was thinking of your mates AT!!

Its coming though as I did quite a lot of (v small) jumps today – progress. Enjoy tomorrow AT sadly I will be in the smog!

DK – saw the naughty line on Evian. Agree that’s odd, the bottom section is a bit straight anyway. Why miss a couple of nice corners? Not as bad as I was expecting though. Ditto the new gap on NMk. Dont understand that jump though as the run in must kill your speed? Still what do I know? Almost hit the very final big drop on the high line after the tree by accident. Phew, that was close!!

Get out there if you can. Conditions are awesome. Happy days!!

Anyway good places with small jumps to practice on. My list since starting this thread

Top section of Captain Clunk
Acid’s little jump on Res Dog
Dads jumps
T right fork
(the naughty “three friends” has a great safe jump in the little narrow bit)
Probably add P Bo there

@teamhurtmore sounds like you’ve got it sussed up there now. Think I’m gonna ride Swinley instead this evening as close to a few KOMs, bit addicted to Strava at the moment. Also a bit worried riding in the evenings on my own at Peaslake in case I stack it hard. Swinley gets a lot more traffic so more likely to be found!

Have fun. I know what you mean. I ride a lot solo and midweek, much less at weekend. Often feel vulnerable on stepper stuff eg when I crashed on Eric I felt v alone (and in pain). Ditto yesterday on Summer Madness with first go at the bombhole. What happens if I hit sofabear’s tree on exit of jump!?! Still I also enjoy the same commitment – I use to climb solo in the old days. It focuses the mind!!!

Enjoy Swinley. I have yet to get into strava and timing myself. Although for the first time ever, I did test myself against your 1:30 ish YP and failed miserably 😀 (it was a bit wet at the start so had crap start to the little jump!!)

Yeah it’s not ideal! Sod climbing solo! I did some coastal climbs years ago and it scared the crap out of me, how can it be safe?!!

That first bit of Yoghurts always gets me, my brain is still half asleep until passing around the sharp right hand corner with the tree.

You are still way faster than me. My excuse last night was the very first bit was (slightly) wet yesterday. 😉

In truth I have never been able to ride the bit to the jump flat out though!! Weird