Just One Frame 2

Tim, Matt & Ian - Strawberry Clough, Edale

Good trails, good company and good weather collided in a perfect way out in the Peaks. We have waited a while for the perfect winter sun conditions to hit in the North West, it has been a damp, grey winter. I had forgotten how good riding in the sun is until we had this one day of wall to wall sunshine in mid february. It is fair to say I have neglected the Peaks, and instead headed north to the Lakes or west to Snowdonia for big days out on bicycles. This was a great ride however, with the trails frozen enough to roll fast, but just damp enough to plaster on the shit eating grins. Some old classics, some secret singletracks, and some 'straight down a field' action to finish. It was good one.

Just One Frame

Josh finds a tiny bit of BC

Trails are the reason I mountain bike. New ones, old ones, good ones. Every little trail is different, taking you down (or up) the mountain in its own unique way. Sometimes trails take you somewhere else entirely. Another trail, another mountain range, another continent. Somehow the 400 meter stretch of trail, hidden out on Grizedale Forest's western ridge took us a good three thousand miles. Neither of us has been to Vancouver's North Shore, yet we agreed it felt 'a little bit BC' in that small part of the woods. Perhaps it was because of the North Shore's continuing exposure in the magazines and websites of the mtb world, perhaps the lack of light through a long grey winter caused internal compasses to go awry. Either way, it was a great 400 meters of trail. So great we rode it twice.

Not Racing #2

8:15 pm on a friday evening and I am one of a group of 14 bicyclists stood in the fog and drizzle . My bike is somewhere ahead in the dark. We have just walked up a course containing pretty much every mountain bicycle based test known to man. A rocky opening which would be far from charitable if things go wrong. A road bit with a van. A kissing gate, some rock, some root, an awesomely silly 50 meter stepped climb and a whole load of muddy singletrack goodness to the pub to finish it all off. Now we are going to race back down.

Back Covers Are The New Front Covers

Never has a truer word been said.

Good new arrived through the online post last week in the form of the 17th Occasional Wideopen Magazine. Even if the guys at Wideopen got a bit sloppy with their timekeeping this year, the magazine they put out is always a pleasure to read. A mountain bikers' mountain bike mag. Highlights have got to be the Enduro Des Nations report (Must do that one day) and the feature on Les Gets locals. Even if you are not into DH, get it downloaded.

The most excellent news of all was news that Matt and I's 8 attempts at getting a good autumnal drifty shot were not wasted, and ended up on the closing page of the magazine. Ok,ok, it is not the cover, but it is the first time a photo of mine has seen print 'just because', so pretty chuffed with that. Getting roosted by twigs and leaves over and over seems worth it now. Hopefully a few more shots will see the printed light of day this year.

So there you have it. Go and read Wideopen 17 here

And while you are at it, why not check out Matt's excellent bike shop Twelve50 Bikes Tell them we sent you.

Not Racing

If you ask Dirt Mag what two of the most important things in mountain bicycling are at the moment, I give you any money Mates Racing and Enduro feature highly. With The Woods being a bang on trend sort of place we knew this already. A such Dave W and I headed out into the dark dark woods to represent Pretty Sweet in a bit of Nightime Mates Enduro(TM).  Read on to find just how good it was...