It was another awesome weekend. I know it has been said a lot but it is an awesome bike race. I was on a 120mm ’06 Stumpy but a guy on an NRS took the Oldest/Smallest bike crown, he was flying as well. All the stages where great IMO, although stage 5 takes the biscuit. I haven’t ridden 20 ft wide grass tracks since I was ten. Stage 4 drop in was greatly improved by someone about three places before me blowing through the tiny little catch berm at the bottom. Such fun riding overall. The injured guy was camped next to us, he did his collarbone and a rib, not too bad considering how bad the crash looked

Sanny, this[/url] is one of my favourites, better than Ullock imo

Place fell – hart crag & the lower scalehow beck trail is pretty nice, a lot more relaxed trail than a lot of the Lakes…

..or so I’m told…

Not really that helpful but I feel the need to mention how awesome Freiburg is.

Pretty sure he is just in a river bed there, what with the built up banks and all. I think there are some bits like that up the top of Langdale and around the Helvelyn side of Thirlmere. I don’t think it is a trail as such though

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Josh, Summer[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

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Ste, Summer[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

From just before the rains came

Quite fond of this one:

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’More of a lifestyle thing’[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

Sadly not. Anyone have any idea?

It was absolutely brilliant. Certainly the best day racing I have done. I, and I think most others found it pretty brutal though. Stage 1,2,3 & 5 where awesome fun, stage 4 a bit tough. I wasn’t expecting the stages to be as long as they where mind, more tiring than the climbing for me. I simply didn’t have enough upper body strength to attack for a whole stage, hence my fairly huge crash at the end of 4.

I wouldn’t let the timing issues put you off. JC and CCA took it with good grace, and Parr has said the final results will be out by the weekend, but for me in the upper 200’s, it makes little difference. The only problem I have with the series is why they picked those weekends, I can’t make it to another round until Dyfi…

Apologies for the complete thread hijack but seen as there are a few Lakes locals on here – Do you think having a crack at Coniston two weeks on monday is a good idea – will there be many walkers about? will I be hated by all and sundry?

As for Sty Head – Look how good it is:
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Esk Hause[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

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Sty Head[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

Meehaja – That is a pretty good plan. I contacted the organisers and they say you need to pay 5 euros for a day license, and then have the dr’s note, which it seems could be 30-50 euros more. At this point a ‘Provisional Race License’ from BC seems best. Does anyone know if that will cover it?

Casual bump

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Alpine Cal[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

Only a few moths to go!!

Pretty pleased with this one from an ace sunday in the Peaks
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Strawberry Clough Forever[/url] by DavidRMartin[/url], on Flickr

Interestingly, two of the fastest riders I know ride Stereos, so y’know…

Spent a fair bit of time trying to keep up with the twelve50 boyos on their Stereo’s. They do pretty much everything on them. Trail centers, Snowdon/Lakes big stuff, Peaks & Cheshire XC and racing (and winning) DH and Enduro races. I would give them a call if you are based in the North West, I think they have a demo day coming up soon aswell?

From holidays in Albania & Montenegro last summer, but I only just got round to sorting them, so it still counts right?

FAIL EDIT : They are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidrmartin/sets/72157629263033259/with/6853429553/

Winter is balls in comparison

Indeed, it were good. I didn’t realise they had so much nice beer there

Hoping to do Inners, CYB, and the final round (Dyfi would be ace) if funds and work/uni allow. I have seen there is talk of 8 minute stages for the CYB round. Should be ace.

07′ 120mm S’works stumpy with 140mm revs for me. Inverse mullet bikes ftw!

Sanny, from the top of Scafell Pike head NW on the paths towards Great End, then down to Esk Hause then back on yourself to Sty Head and on to Borrowdale. Flipping brill descent, allthough pretty tech and a tad scary in places. Probably one for a weekday aswell. I have been fancieing COnsiton for a long while now. Was thinking up Walna Scar then along the crags, down then up onto the Old Man, before heading down the mine track. One for a dawn raid this summer

Quite like this spot. 15 minutes of downhill singletrack to warm applestrudel in the morning. We just asked the farmer if camping next to his field was ok, and it was

Cheers guys. Yeah, the lack of much on google earth and geograph is what prompted the post really. This looks promising mind. I think a boat ride might be a good way of avoiding the Bad Step. That bit of rocked scarred me as a ten year old, I could happily not go back. So climbing out of Coriusk would be best you think Druidh?

De La Mere is of the lake in french innit. There is a lot of trees gone but it should be a good opportunity for new stuff as people are saying. Is there any more to this Mr Sorrel story then?????

Want to go touring again so bad. Here is Cal and I’s ‘alpine dirtbags’ set up:


And in action:



Best thing about it was you could take all the touring gubbins of and we had mountain bikes fit to take on the lifts and ride down anything. There is some more pictures here, here and here if anyone fancies a look

EDIT: apologies for oerdoing that post slightly and not being much help at all…

Mother Love Bone are pretty damn good and mostly overlooked, allthough I guess they did pretty much become Pearl Jam, so they have only got themselves to blame.

I also thought Kula Shaker were miles better than any of the Brit Pop bands they were thrown in with.

Watching the sun set from a sleeping bag at the top of Newlands is pretty top notch. Bit of a walk from the pub at Buttermere though

Interesting thread this is. I have been with bicycle up Sgorr Ruadh near Stratchcarron. The bottom 700 meters of it are nice singletrack, including That Descent, but the top 250 is across scree and grass and you are riding on a bearing as opposed to any trail. Probably worth doing once though.

A track marked down Sgurr na Fearstaig caught my eye a while ago, googlemapping it looks kind of promising.

Not munros, but the descent eastwards of the Sgurr na Feartaig ridge looks promising on googlemaps aswell, and I have allways wondered if a lap of the Re Cuillin is a goer?

I think the ‘upkeep’ of trails is a completely seperate issue to access. Similar work has been carried out on footpaths (Place Fell) is one, and feel certain that the majority of walkers will feel the same way about this upkeep. Freinds of the Lake District might be worth contacting as they mention they ‘work closely with the national park, and are on the Lakes Park Partnership’

Any other ideas?

OK, I ride the Lakes a lot, and I’m not ashamed to say that I’m gutted at what has happened to Walna Scar. That is the side of the fence I am on, however, reading it through it is not obvious what I should do to get involved in this kind of thing.

I reckon there are a lot of people who will read this thread, but don’t have the time to work out how or what to do to give mtb’ers more of a voice. So, i appreciate it is asking a lot, but if some could post some simple instructions detailing WHO TO CONTACT and WHAT CLUBS/GROUPS etc to sign up to, that would be super super brill.

I had 130mm AM Bombers on the front for aaagggeees across the alps a few times etc. It was ace, and the bombers are a really tall fork for the travel. It takes a bit of getting used to the wandery handling, but on the downhills it is way good. Recomended

The Dandy Warhols covering Hells Bells is pretty superb

Brilliance

Yep, the Twelve50 lads are boss. Pretty much everything you’d want from a bike shop. Allthough I did not know about the beer….

Calling CYB a bmx track as probably a bit harsh. It is still brill, but I was really gutted when the old Adams Family, and penultimate Karimor descents got upgraded. I just hope the Marin dosen’t go that way, as at the moment it is a great ride.

Milt, you couldn’t point me towards this facebook page could you, I can’t find it for the life of me. Cheers

Anyone? Can’t just be me getting paranoid about huge piles of gravel?

Yeah, its allright taken slowly. There are a few bits that those guys just jump off/over which I didn’t fancy having a go at, but my braver mate cleaned nearly all of it with some track standing and a little bit of euro hopping. It is a really good, though way techy/steep ride that.

I can’t do it all, but it is pretty good trail if you go Kentmere-Garburn-Along the ridge to Highstreet-Nan Beild-Haweswater-Up to the top of Gatescarth then back over to the top of Nan Bield again, then down the pass. Plenty of gnadgery stuff with a nice drawn out descent to finish it off. You get more time with gravity on your side than on the traditional 3 passes route.

Good theory that. The Marin trail is normally pretty good in this kind of weather. There is a tea shop by the bridge in the village to warm up in.

I think it is brill. Along with Dirt and Wideopen it feels like a magazine about mountain biking by people who genuinely love doing it, as opposed to a magazine about bits you can buy for your bike. I disagree with the comments that it repeats itself although I have only got the mag since the late 20’s. I also think it stands up really well to being re read. Last year I travelled 2 hours out and back every weekend, and re-read through my entire ST stash. A bit sad but thoroughly enjoyable. In short, it is boss.

Sauze d’oulx is grand. Went a few years ago and you could only ride the one side of the hill above Sauze, but the 5 or so trails were class. Apparently it is a bit more linked up now, so could be promising. Google Alpi Bike Resort or some such. There was a good hike a bike up to a peak to the east of the resort with a decent down to the village aswell.

A few crap photos