steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
Meet at 10:30 am ready-to-ride, Sun 31st Jul by the side of the cafe veranda, overlooking the big field.
For those of you who have already been to Pines and done the regular trails, you won't see much you recognise. A few of you have been with me off-piste before and have seen some of the more interesting and stretching stuff there is. Yes, there is some fast-flowing singletrack, but also lots of technical stuff. Anything that is tricky has a way around it. Nobody will have to ride outside what they are comfortable with just to stay with the group. Because it is that time of year there is a lot of brambles, nettles and bracken. But most of the really bad stuff has been cleared by @myapes and me. So there is a hole through the forest that is as tall as me and as wide as him.
Eyewear is strongly recommended, helmets mandatory; there are a lot of low hanging branches.
Today @myapes and I put together a circuit that is about 22 miles long (plus any sessioning). It has new bits that I have not guided before and the route is also different to previous rides. The vast majority of the obstacles are avoidable, the jumps are all roll-able if you prefer. If you don't fancy even the alternative route then do what I did at first, walk the bike down the worst bits! Usually, the camaraderie of supportive riding buddies gives everyone a skills boost! If you are comfortable with a red trail anywhere then you should survive this. (I was going to say "will" survive this, but @Ashley M and @DaveDog didn't, they are OK now though).
I have done quite a few of these rideouts in the Pines area and judging by the feedback, they have always been good fun. Allow 3.5 - 4 hours as there is always a lot of piss-taking and general chit- chat taking place.
The off-piste trails are only maintained by @myapes and me and, we assume, a few others unknown to us, so there is a lot of shattered wood about, plus the brambles. Those without tubeless tyres and sealant, come prepared. For a good part of the ride, we will be leaving the Sherwood Pines area and into the area owned by the National Coal Board (for the “EMTB” section). The NCB seem to neither know nor care about who rides there, but they don't look after it either.
The postcode for Sherwood Pines is NG21 9JL, but ignore the sat nav when you turn off the public road and just follow the signs for the car park. Your reg no will be scanned on the way in and you pay £8 at the pay station before you leave. Don't forget or you will get stopped at the barrier, get blocked in and have to walk all the way back to pay! (And then back again).
There is a full-service bike shop on site, plus café and a very good toilet block, loads of parking available.
PS: A recurring concern is that some of you may get lost due to a failure to follow a simple rule "Look out for the guy behind". There are no signposts, many sharp turns into bracken and the trails are hidden, there are multiple cross roads and the trails are not worn in yet, so the one you want could be any of them. Make sure the rider behind makes the turn!
Despite that simple rule, on previous rides we have lost members of the group and not found them again for a good 20-25 mins. (The record is losing half the group within five minutes of me explaining the rule).
Please trust me on this; if you get lost in the new areas, there is a good chance that you will have to find your own way back. Those who are not lost will have to decide how long to spend looking for you. So be nice to everyone you meet!
If you bring bare legs, expect to collect some scars. If it is warm and humid on the day, you may wish that you had used some insect repellent.
For those of you who have already been to Pines and done the regular trails, you won't see much you recognise. A few of you have been with me off-piste before and have seen some of the more interesting and stretching stuff there is. Yes, there is some fast-flowing singletrack, but also lots of technical stuff. Anything that is tricky has a way around it. Nobody will have to ride outside what they are comfortable with just to stay with the group. Because it is that time of year there is a lot of brambles, nettles and bracken. But most of the really bad stuff has been cleared by @myapes and me. So there is a hole through the forest that is as tall as me and as wide as him.
Eyewear is strongly recommended, helmets mandatory; there are a lot of low hanging branches.Today @myapes and I put together a circuit that is about 22 miles long (plus any sessioning). It has new bits that I have not guided before and the route is also different to previous rides. The vast majority of the obstacles are avoidable, the jumps are all roll-able if you prefer. If you don't fancy even the alternative route then do what I did at first, walk the bike down the worst bits! Usually, the camaraderie of supportive riding buddies gives everyone a skills boost! If you are comfortable with a red trail anywhere then you should survive this. (I was going to say "will" survive this, but @Ashley M and @DaveDog didn't, they are OK now though).
I have done quite a few of these rideouts in the Pines area and judging by the feedback, they have always been good fun. Allow 3.5 - 4 hours as there is always a lot of piss-taking and general chit- chat taking place.
The off-piste trails are only maintained by @myapes and me and, we assume, a few others unknown to us, so there is a lot of shattered wood about, plus the brambles. Those without tubeless tyres and sealant, come prepared. For a good part of the ride, we will be leaving the Sherwood Pines area and into the area owned by the National Coal Board (for the “EMTB” section). The NCB seem to neither know nor care about who rides there, but they don't look after it either.
The postcode for Sherwood Pines is NG21 9JL, but ignore the sat nav when you turn off the public road and just follow the signs for the car park. Your reg no will be scanned on the way in and you pay £8 at the pay station before you leave. Don't forget or you will get stopped at the barrier, get blocked in and have to walk all the way back to pay! (And then back again).
There is a full-service bike shop on site, plus café and a very good toilet block, loads of parking available.
PS: A recurring concern is that some of you may get lost due to a failure to follow a simple rule "Look out for the guy behind". There are no signposts, many sharp turns into bracken and the trails are hidden, there are multiple cross roads and the trails are not worn in yet, so the one you want could be any of them. Make sure the rider behind makes the turn!
Despite that simple rule, on previous rides we have lost members of the group and not found them again for a good 20-25 mins. (The record is losing half the group within five minutes of me explaining the rule).
Please trust me on this; if you get lost in the new areas, there is a good chance that you will have to find your own way back. Those who are not lost will have to decide how long to spend looking for you. So be nice to everyone you meet!
If you bring bare legs, expect to collect some scars. If it is warm and humid on the day, you may wish that you had used some insect repellent.
. Going to Dalby Forest soon to see how their trails compare !
