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If you go down in the woods today...
...you're sure of a 'pig' surprise.
Saturday 9th February saw 10 members of the club head off to finish off the boardwalk
section started a couple of weeks ago (see items below)- and finished it was!
It is now open for use and, though there are a few wee things to adjust on the
approaches, we all hope that it will help riders in a section where it has been difficult to ride before and show the club's
commitment to working towards sustainable and enhanced trails.
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| A panoramic view of the new BIKEA boardwalk section (with thanks to Carl) |
And it has been given a name which reflects the fact it's
flat packed and self assembly -
BIKEA!
We hope that the efforts of all those that had a hand in building
it might encourage a few more members to come out and join in with the new projects as they are arranged... current plans
include two more boardwalk sections up the trail from this one, the clearance and preparation of the Go-Ride training area
and the enhancement plan for Sections 1 and 2 so there will be plenty to get your hands dirty on.
Finally, thanks to Adrian and the lads at the Forestry Commission
who got our lumber and took it and our tools to site for us.
Busy Little Beaver-Boars!!
We all know the routes round the forest have proved a lot more popular than was originally
imagined and so have taken a bit of a hammering as a result. Now, whilst some of the mundane and everyday repairs must fall
to the Forestry Commission (they are their trails after all), the Club has in its remit the task of looking to improve and
enhance what is already there, to the benefit of all.
So, 2008 sees the start of an ongoing project to look into what can be added and improved:
sometimes there has to be the planning and logistical exercises done first and other times we can just get out there
and get on with it!
As you will now see...
Saturday 12th January
saw an inspection of the first two sections of the singletrack trail, as well as a recce of an area for a proposed 'Go-Ride'
specific training area.
Suggestions were made at specific places on the route and notes were taken outlining proposals,
as well as photos being taken to show locations and site markers. These were all marked on the site map to further help identify
the areas in need of work.
Although the plans are still subject to approval, let's just say that long term there could
be berms, rock gardens, boardwalk and northshore, as well as actual names for specific sections: so keep coming back for more
details!
As for the 'Go Ride' proposals, the Forestry Commission have been very generous in helping
identify an off-road forested area that can be partially cleared and prepped to allow its use for specific rider training,
something that is very rare in UK cycling coaching. More to follow on that too...
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| The future is all about planning... |
Saturday 26th January
saw another group of willing volunteers head to the Northern end of the trails (on the 'return leg', somewhere between marker
posts 105 & 107) where some of the worst drainage problems have always existed. Different approaches hadn't proved successful
so it was decided to 'boardwalk' the worst sections to allow the riders to avoid the smushiest bits, and have something
different to ride as a bonus.
The FC moved a whole heap of materials to the site (many thanks to them!) but it still required
a not inconsiderable amount of lugging to get it to the places it was needed. Under expert advice, the sections were marked
out and then constructed in situ- all this means that the club members are learning skills for the future of the trails, as
well as having a fun day out to boot! (Seriously, these things are hard work but always end up as a club social and a
good laugh is the norm). About 35 metres have been constructed so far with more to come in the coming weeks.
This might affect the Saturday Club Rides and the availability of certain sections but we
hope you'll all see the benefits of getting it all done as soon as is practicable and make allowances accordingly.
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| All those years playing with Lego and Meccano weren't wasted after all... |
We hope all this will encourage more members to
get out there and help and show the detractors that we really do want to make things better and that we're moving in the right
direction.
Singletrack update...
"The history of the Singletrack is that the trails had
to be built very quickly as there was only a short time between the funding being available and the trail having to be completed
before the end of the financial year. This meant that the trail was built by getting a civil engineer in to put dots on the
trees where the trail should go, and a digger driver playing 'join the dots'.
We now have the chance to evolve the
trail into what we wanted it to be in the first place and the Club has appointed it's first Singletrack Officer in
Simon Auger.
The aim is to build a new red route with berms, jumps, drops, rocks etc which will allow some pressure
to be taken off the existing singletrack and significantly add to the grin factor of coming to Bedgebury.
The existing
singletrack will be modified to help it flow better which should reduce wear and tear further as faster riders won't be locking
up going into corners and overshooting the exits. There will also be some boardwalk over some of the really boggy bits.
However,
don't expect this to happen overnight. We now have the IMBA and Ian Warby (of Aston Hill fame) on board, but we will need
plenty of volunteers to help make it happen. We need to take our time and get it right, not just rush in and build something
which doesn't work and is washed away in the first winter.
A lot has happened in the first year of use and the Singletrack
is showing the strain but positive steps are being taken to provide the best ride possible and, from there, to take things
on to the next level."
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