weekends in dorset
I might live in London, but there is an awesome train service and the countryside is better. So I’ve been home quite a bit. We’ve also been polishing off the trail season at home, had some really good final sessions. No pictures really [except a crap one by bryn] because as autumn dies and there are few sacred minutes of flow left you need to get your priorities right.
Weirdly home trails have actually be running best all year last weekend. So that’s pretty nuts. Also tarps mean the big line is going to run well into the winter I think. Been having plenty BBQs to counteract ones missed over the rubbishy summer.
Also went to Yeovil trails the other day, meet Will and Woody up there as they’ve been riding there quite a bit I think. You will know Yeovil trails from classic videos such as No Front Teeth – Luke Marchant section I think, and others that I can’t really remember exactly. Somewhere in Sprung, basically in old Alex Rankin films.
They used to be totally rad [2005ish?] but they have always been totally raped for some reason. After a while the locals up there just gave up digging so they are kind of random lumps. The soil is like Cothill and pretty good to put stuff up with, but dies pretty easy. Especially when ridden by trials motobikes!, quads!! pitbikes and big mountain bikes with downhill tyres. However some stuff gets built, like this mad contraption that somehow Will can air! That is such a shady transition and maybe 8/ 9 foot high.
This is Woody, who is another addition to the expanding obmx trails crew. Which is all good news and more people equals more digging, equals better ridden in jumps, equals more fun. Kids pretty good at X-ups too; doesn’t take too well to trails bullying at Yeovil; but performs well under nonchalant encouragement at the home trails. He will also do what is know in the industry as a ‘special’ radiator installation, on a sunday even, for only 80 quid an hour.
When I went up Yeovil I forgot to take the brush I was going to take with me, so ended up borrowing one off some kind mountainbiker guy to tidy up, and also wanted to smooth up some stuff and fill in some crappy wholes. I asked the other mountainbikers if they had any tools, or maybe they offered, but turned out they had one hand trowel and one saucepan as all the equipment to maintain the jumps. I might go up with a spade or two and I think it would only take about an hour to make those jumps look and ride really nice.
Home trails session was good times. Riding sweet and all in all a good time. Trains and such were going on, so we thought we’d crack out the over under. Pretty crazy really that is takes almost exactly the same time from the start to take two very different routes to the same spot. Next summer is the 4 up over under with one round the berm of the little one and one above, and one over the big one and one riding under them on that. Cool picture one day.
It gets dark quick these days, so it was time for bbq banana splits. Dialled: I love trails and I love the woods. Dig time soon.
luckily that isnt 30 seconds ride away from my halls….
yesterday had a fun session at the trails, amazed it was dry!
paddy’s at uni now, so is graeme, so technically the trails are now mine, winmill’s and mark’s when he is allowed out. root sections and rock gardens here we come.
couple weekends ago we went up to stay with aidan and chaz in oxford which was super fun. we went to cothill which then saw their unofficial jam which was pretty cool and then got a little loose at the carling academy which was also super fun. sunday saw churtsey which is amazing. crazy place. even more maaazing was aidan’s 3 over ultimate warrior….which is mahooosive….good name too.
since i didnt take my camera to trails yesterday, this will have to do for now-
rained lots last night….winchester on saturday?
x
MiniPipe
This place is a 30 second ride from my halls.
Proper actual vert half-pipe on the right, with a big mini on the left.
I would love to see someone spine it. Is that even possible?
site revision etc
Yeah so I did some stuff to the site, its a little better. Just a minor re-structuring so that the blog has space for big pictures.
so here are some big pictures to celebrate
will walked into my garden on sunday – I was supposed to be in london but was drinking tea.
trails are pretty dry now. now that everyone’s busy and I’m moving away.
I’m not bitter about the summer weather though, this autumn so far as been perfect. totally beautiful.
It’s all about next years plans now – And finishing this off with plywood and getting two proper lines into it and one over it is a definite plan. [also just imagine the photographs that are going to be taken, that light is just too perfect]
So I found that in one of our berms!
Will rode some jumps. Next year next year… I’m already excited to the digging. Will almost did a turndown which was pretty extreme for our trails.
Camera just couldn’t quite capture this. But it was good.
So yeah stuff like this in this bigger box. I’ve got three videos to edit soon. I said nothing about our Oxford adventure. I will some other day. But simply if you are reading this – thanks to anyone we met up there for being nice, and Cothill is amazing and I need to just do it!
gotta see this111
clint is the man. everything in this photo is perfect. amazing. [on the fbm blog – its awesome]