If you go down to the woods today.,.,.,..,

Whilst I'm not pretending that West Wales is perfect in every way, it is perfect for trail building and after a lot of hours and many miles of surveying to find the making of a good spot, we have selected our new trail. The dogs and I have enjoyed looking for the ideal place a great deal and have seen huge amounts of Ceredigions Wildlife along the way. I wanted a spot that was going to be fun and flowy as opposed to a mentalist down hill only trail, I want it to be a combination of pump track, jumps and North shore. The kind of place that I can call in on the way home from work and scare myself a little. With that in mind, here is what I wanted as a canvas.

• Not too far from home-Max 5 miles.
• At least partially tree covered to stop the rain/frost from killing the jump faces.
• Nice amount of undulation.
• Sizable enough to keep adding bits, as time allows.

And,,,,,,

• Preferably with 'nice dirt' !

All the above were checked and so time to get the hell on with it then ! Literally hours for walking around looking, stopping to scratch the beard and trying to imagine the line. Once the start point was decided upon it became much easier. The small side branches of soft wood trees are way nasty if you land on them and I spent a couple of hours trimming them flush with my trusty Silky fox saw. (they are brilliant, get one) It was great to look down the line with nothing obstructing. Looking down the start run it was easy to see where to start putting the fun bumps, the tree spacing meant that every time there is a root I will just add a mound. These will either act as a 'pump' or a jump depending on how quick you hit them. By the time you get to the first really classy feature, you should be near warp speed ! Then the choice of jump, rock garden or wall ride are on offer. NICE ! Every feature has to have as much opportunity to ride as many ways as possible, due to the fact that the run lengths are short and it will help keep it fresh and fun.

 Just being in the woods is an antidote for so many things, but having the feeling (like when you were a kid) that you can build anything you like and anything is possible, is really sweet. Especially when you have your kids, dogs and a couple of buddies along too ! Try it yourself, it's the biz. 



I will do some time lapse when the North shore stuff is being built so that you can have a go if you fancy. 

 Funky stuff, like this !!!!

Plenty of good info here from the IMBA and you can find some wicked youtube trail builders guides too. Most trail centers have maintenance and dig days, so if you don't want to dig your own spot, you can go and meet some good people and put a bit back into your sport. 

Some of the fundamentals that are worth considering.

Well spring has sprung and it’s been dragging me out of my winter cave to see what all the tweeting is about. The couple of hours extra evening is making a big difference, as is the hugely welcome lack of rain. Last week I spent the day at Pureride HQ in the spring Sun fettling the hire bikes ready for the new season. Llanerchaeron is never a bad place to be, but with the combined sound of the river, birds and gears clicking away it was a joy. The warm spring Sun was a treat, but the Bacon rolls and damn fine coffee were the icing on the cake. Don’t you just love it when people surprise you with unexpected delicious stuff.

Apart from a little battle damage caused by ‘enthusiastic’ mountain bikers, My fleet  of Forme bikes have done extremely well.  Nothing more than a cable change and standard maintenance. Impressive considering how many miles that they covered. Judging by customer feedback for last year, so were the people that hired them. Tons of enthusiastic comments, so happy days.

Like most folks, my spring ‘to do’ list has plenty of the mundane on it, but it also means that I will soon start having kids down to learn to ride. I always use the same method and so far, have always had a result. It’s big fun and I’ve never failed to enjoy meeting the next (insert hero cyclist name here). Although the amount of sessions that I coach a child for can vary considerably, they all come at it with a smile, determination and some guts.  I wish I looked at every challenge that needed addressing in a similar way. Maybe it will wear off on me ? I’ve never charged for this service and I’m glad because a fiver here or there can’t compare with an unexpected crumble/cake/picture or bottle of Cider.

I will try to keep this blog fresh with reviews, local rides and rider profiles, fun cycling stuff etc. If you have any contributions or would like a topic covered please forward to me, it would be great to share.

Ceredigion is gaining (rightfully) more riders who see what an appealing destination it is with it’s endless quality riding, great food/accommodation and fun stuff to do. The county is also home to a rich bag of local riders from those massively committed to competition, to those brave enough to use the bike as primary transport. Not to mention those who wait for spring Sun !  Let’s hear from all of the above and keep Ceredigion cranking. Contact details HERE