Sherwood Pines off-piste Sun 13th Jun'21, 10am

[steve_sordy]

I was at Pines today, just checking the route (and practicing the new bits so that I look like a better rider than I am. )
The trails were firm and grippy, but drying out rapidly. By Sunday, there will be zero mud and with some dusty trails.
The weather forecast for Sunday says it will be 26degC and mostly sunny. Looks like it's going to be hot and sweaty.

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I recommend that you use some protective eyewear, there are a lot of twiggy branches and brambles sticking out that will whack you in the face. I have cut back the worst ones, but it's a big forest and the undergrowth is sprouting rapidly. I mentioned before that there is a lot of shattered wood, so those with tubeless tyres check your sealant levels. Those using tubes, come prepared!

I am so looking forward to this!

We have 8 definites

@steve_sordy
@myapes
@Ashley M +1
@DaveDog
@RsGaz
@Shog46
@Djwwestwood

And 4 possibles

@Blokie
@Doomanic
@Tunny
@JetSetDemo

 

[j_s]

I missed this. Unlikely I can make it but its a slight possibility.

 

[steve_sordy]

Just received a message that @Blokie has had a bad off at Pines and will be unable to ride "for some time".
Healing Vibes.

 

[steve_sordy]

Update:
We have 8 definites

@steve_sordy
@myapes
@Ashley M +1
@DaveDog
@RsGaz
@Shog46
@Djwwestwood

And 2 possibles

@JetSetDemo
@j_s

Edited later

 

[Tunny]

Sorry guys i can't make it. I already have plans for BPW

 

[Doomanic]

Me neither; bike is in the shop and my son has CV19 symptoms…
Getting him tested this morning.

 

[steve_sordy]

Me neither; bike is in the shop and my son has CV19 symptoms…
Getting him tested this morning.

Fingers crossed!

 

[Doomanic]

He’s tested negative. Yay! My bike is still in the shop though. Boo!

 

[steve_sordy]

He’s tested negative. Yay! My bike is still in the shop though. Boo!

 

[Zimmerframe]

Well if Doom's isn't going, I'm not going.

 

[Doomanic]

You would have to set out 10 days ago anyway Frenchie.

 

[Zimmerframe]

You would have to set out 10 days ago anyway Frenchie.

Well it's a bit late to tell me that now isn't it !!!

 

[steve_sordy]

Update:
We now have 7 definites:

@steve_sordy
@myapes
@Ashley M +1
@DaveDog
@Shog46
@Djwwestwood

And 3 possibles:

@JetSetDemo
@j_s
@RsGaz


And 1 maybe:

@Zimmerframe (if he gets his finger out and sets off now)

 

[steve_sordy]

Reminder:
Meet at 10am ready to ride Sun 13th June by the side of the cafe veranda, overlooking the big field.

Postcode for Sherwood Pines is NG21 9JL, but switch off 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 and you pay £8 at the pay station before you leave.

For free parking see the alternative location on post #7.

The route is about 19 miles long (plus any sessioning). The vast majority of the obstacles are avoidable, all are roll-able. If you don't fancy the alternates then do what I did at first, walk the bike down the worst bits!

Allow 3.5 - 4 hours as there is a lot of piss-taking and general chit- chat taking place.

There is a lot of shattered wood about, so those without tubeless tyres and sealant, come prepared. For part of the ride, we will be leaving the Sherwood Pines area and into the area owned by the National Coal Board. The NCB seem to neither know nor care about who rides there, but they don't look after it either.

Protective eyewear is strongly recommended.

 

[The Hodge]

Hope you all have a great day ..look forward to seeing some pics / vids (?) later ..

 

[Tonybro]

Have a great day... I'll have to try the location some day but it must be nearly three hours from me...

 

[Shog46]

Great day Steve thanks for organising the ride, a pleasure to meet you all and look forward to the next one sometime ?

 

[steve_sordy]

It started well, the 7 definites all turned up. We were also met by @Rahr85 who couldn't ride due to his bad fall at BPW. He turned up with his dog to wish us all well, nice of him. Healing vibes!

Team photo:

I'll do my best with the names and Forum names, but please sing out if I got it wrong and I'll change it later.
From, left to right
Sean (@Shog46), John (@myapes), Dave (@Djwwestwood), Sue (Ashley's +1), @Ashley M, Dave (@DaveDog)

The weather was great, trails were dry and spirits were high. Then about 40 mins in we came to this:

It's a 40' high descent into the old trackbed, we were on our way into the National Coal Board territory. It is a tricky descent at the best of times, but when it's dry the soil is like talcum powder. The whole trail is off camber and the bike wants to slide off left, even if you are stationary. There are several rock steps to cross over and with no grip to catch you. There is a last rock slab that is fairly flat and it represents your last chance to bail out if you are not heading in the right direction (the bit between the two birch trees). The wrong direction is to the right of the picture. Go there and you have a 7-8 foot drop off into brambles and nettles.

DaveDog did it cleanly and made it look easy. I had a go, I've done it before (with a video to prove it), but today I just wasn't feeling it. After two attempts I bottled it and withdrew. DaveDog had made it look so easy that Ashley fully committed to it.
This is Ashley part way down:

The downhill left camber has already got hold of him and he is heading towards the wrong place. Here he is a bit further on:

He looks in control, but he should be at least 4 feet to his right. He is heading for a fall!

He went over the big drop went OTB and ended up in the brambles and nettles. Unfortunately he got more than just badly scratched.

We all thought he was quite badly injured (so did Ashley). But after 10 mins or so he got to his feet, but couldn't walk. He'd done something to his upper right leg. So the ride for him and Sue was over. We escorted him back to the main road in Pines and he was happy to ride one-legged back to the car park. He has just texted me and he assured me he is OK and will be up and about in a few days. Phew! Get well soon Ashley.

It was a bit of a shock to us all and the next big drop I had planned for us all was only done by DaveDog. We did all the other drops, but the ones that I normally will only attempt if I have stretcher bearers were off the menu for the rest of us today.

So with our numbers down to five, off we set. We crossed into NCB land and headed along the top of the cutting towards the desert. The desert is old heaps of colliery waste that has been bulldozed flat (ish) and then covered with sand.

My evening meal is now ready. I will post some more soon.

 

[Djwwestwood]

set of photos from the bottom of the downhill

 

[Djwwestwood]

Dave doing the steep bits with style

 

[Ashley M]

set of photos from the bottom of the downhill
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At least I dont look a knob on that one!!

 

[Rahr85]

Sorry to hear about the crash, hope you get better soon. Gutted not to be able to ride but it's only been 2 weeks since i broke my ribs so a bit early to be getting on a bike, was cracking weather.

I'll need to try out some of these places before it gets to winter and becomes the usual quagmire.

 

[steve_sordy]

We headed off across the desert. The deep sand cleaned our tyres of any sheep crap that may have been staining them, the climbs were hard going. We passed the oasis and headed down towards our destination. There is a half mile long swopping twisty, roller coaster of a ride that just begs to be ridden several times as fast as you possibly can. Everyone wants at least three runs. My miserable camera skills completely fail to capture the fun of this trail. I photographed everybody, but I will only show the best one. (myapes with shog46 in the background).

We headed back to Pines territory and had a look at another one of the stretcher bearer drops, that only Davedog had a go at and made it look easy. This is an earlier photo that gives you an idea; it was not taken on this ride.

From there we dropped off the trackbed down a smooth but loose gravel drop that looks to be about 25 feet high. The loose gravel means that once you set off you must not try to stop or the bike steers itself into the trees at the bottom. We doubled back and climbed back up onto another old railway trackbed. The bridge had no railings! We descended back down the side and here is myapes supervising Davedog. We all did this.

After this it was all fast single track, the fishbowl, the playground, blue trail red trail, more World War One trenches and riding along the ridge line of some defensive ridges built by hand over 100 years ago by troops in training in trench warfare. And some superfast gravity assisted winding, narrow single track that was strewn with roots, tree stumps and lots of dead wood.

Finally after 21 miles, the (sadly) reduced team made it back to the cafe for a brew. Sweaty team photo.

Apart from @Ashley M 's unplanned dismount and premature departure, the day out was absolutely brilliant. Great group of guys, thanks for the ride!

 

[steve_sordy]

set of photos from the bottom of the downhill
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They were taken at the exit from the DH Bike Park.

 

[steve_sordy]

Dave doing the steep bits with style
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That was the second of the ones that I don't tackle without stretcher bearers. I've done it about half a dozen times, but never on my own. I don't find the rocky bit hard, it's the bit before it that gives me pause.

 

[steve_sordy]

I've just heard from @Blokie who had to cry off the event due to a bad fall. a few days ago. he has just got back from A&E. His ribs were getting more painful and he was short of breath. Diagnosed with a couple of cracked ribs and heavy bruising. He was told to be off the bike for 6 weeks! Healing vibes Mark.

 

[johnc]

If anyone’s interested this was our route today.

 

[steve_sordy]

Try following that!

 

[Doomanic]

Is Sherwood Pines in Norfolk? Last thing I saw that flat was a pint of Greene King IPA.

 

[steve_sordy]

Is Sherwood Pines in Norfolk? Last thing I saw that flat was a pint of Greene King IPA.

Ask any of the team if they thought they had an easy ride.