Stormy Times

We get to within a week of the first gravity mtb event of the year and the winds pick up again ad get it cancelled. Damn it! Carl and his team had ben working hard on clearing the remaining damage following Storm Arwen and everything was good to go ahead of Sunday’s curtain raiser. Alas fate gets in the way as storm Malik sweeps through and downs a few more biggies. The forestry already had a huge job clearing trees and making routes safe so good luck to them with the extra work.

Chopwell is titled as a Funduro which means it can be a nice introduction to the world of racing or it can be ridden hard by the fast people to get their skills back into shape. Choppaz has one main designated trail in the form of Transmission. This is cut into two distinct sections and there is nothing to bad in there for any rider to be worried about. The only danger comes with a sense of over confidence and banging over table tops too fast to crock a decent landing. There is a small section designated as black but let’s be honest it can be swept through without too much trouble. Those who stop to think are the ones who make mistakes.

With a no go in Chopwell attention now turns to the Descendant Enduro @ Descend in Hamsterley Forest. This ups the game and is always well attended as people get to ride some pretty tough trails on long runs. Stepping away from majority man made stuff and jumping feet first into roots and bumps makes for an exciting days racing. Last year there was a cheeky little uphill section which required people to peddle for, ooooh…5 metres or so, and boy did that get some comments! Those who kept momentum kept their eyes on the prize and did well.

Hopefully we’ll all get to see each other there.