Tackling a rocky section in the woods at Hadleigh Farm. Image ©British Cycling

The BBC reports that Castle Point Borough Council has voted to allow a planning application to construct two biking tracks, a bike skills area, a visitor centre and other facilities on land at Hadleigh Country Park.

The Olympic course was made more technical after initial reaction from riders. The public version will be adapted to make it safe for public use.

According to Essex newspaper the Enquirer, more than 300 people turned out to hear the outcome, with chief planning officer Steve Rogers saying there were no planning grounds to refuse the proposal.

There was criticism from some local people who are concerned about the effect on the Benfleet Downs area.

Conservative councillor for St Mary’s, Alf Partridge, said had been contacted by scores of residents. “The general message has been a call to leave our downs alone. It is one of the last quiet, unspoilt bits of open space in South Benfleet.

“I hope people don’t give up but carry on fighting this.”

However, a spokesman for Essex County Council told Bikemagic that the plans were still very much “up in the air. It will all be decided after the Olympics.”

He was unable to say whether there would be a charge to ride at Hadleigh Farm.

Previous statements from Essex County Council detailed the plans for the venue. Back in April, the Council said: “At the heart of the proposals are plans to improve and enhance the network of existing paths and trails across Hadleigh Country Park and Hadleigh Farm, improving access for walkers, cyclists, mountain biking, runners and horse riders. The trail network will include the adapted Olympic Mountain Bike course.

“This will be connected to the Country Park and the wider area by the network of multi-user trails for walkers, cyclists and other users. New walking trails with interpretation panels, enhanced horse riding trails and cross-country running trails will also be provided within the Country Park. The improved trail network also includes enhancements to walking and cycling access between Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea stations.”

Sections like this may not survive changes to the Hadleigh Farm course, but making it ‘safer’ reduced the appeal of the Sydney 2000 circuit to local riders. Image ©Hadleigh Farm

If the venue does become available, it won’t be the first time an Olympic course has been opened to the public. Riders could use the mountain bike track at Fairfield City Farm in Sydney after the 2000 Olympics, but the trail was closed shortly afterwards.

Fairfield City Farm charged an entry fee to ride the trail and “the interesting sections were only open to people with club licenses as they were deemed too technical for bumblies,” according to Craig Flynn of western Sydney’s Central Tablelands Mountain Bike Club.

The fees were intended to fund permanent maintenance staff for the trail, but this proved too expensive for the level of use. The venue’s main focus was perceived to be on its existing equestrian users and local mountain bike clubs were not allowed provide volunteer labour to help with maintenance.

The hoped-for use as a race venue by local mountain bike clubs also failed to materialise as the AUD2,000 fee for a day’s use was beyond their means.

New owners recently revamped and re-opened Fairfield City Farm as Calmsley Hill but the mountain bike track remains closed. In an email to a member of the Rotorburn forum, the new owners said: “The track is currently heavily over grown and many of the crossing have been attacked by termites. I cannot give you a guarantee regarding timing nor any certainty it will be opened.”

Destination

Coed Llandegla, North Wales. Not your typical North Wales technical rock-fest, Coed Llandegla, just across the border near Wrexham, genuinely has something for every level and type of mountain biker. Within easy reach of big cities such as Manchester, it’s massively popular but has enough trails to cope with the crowds.

How to get there

From Wrexham, take the A525 signed towards Ruthin. You’ll see a couple of trout fishing lakes on your right before seeing the brown information sign showing the turning to the trail centre on your left.

Sat Nav: LL11 3AA

Facilities

Just about everything bar a Spa and Sauna! As well as toilets, bike shop, bike hire, great cafe with the best bacon butty in Britain and bike washing facilities, there’s an excellent skills area and pump tracks

Trails

One lap of the Red including the Black sections used to leave you feeling a bit hollow but, facing the long dull climb at the start for a second lap, tended to make tea and cake a more likely decision. The trail pixies have been busy though and one lap now really does the business. Fast, jumpy, swoopy, well surfaced and all rollable, it’s great in all weather conditions but expect some testing climbs. The Blue is good fun and there’s a Green too for families.

Nearest bike shop

Onsite

Other info

Car-park fee is £4.50 and, if snow is forecast, check the One Planet Adventure webcam for conditions as it always seems to dump on Llandegla.

Useful links

www.oneplanetadventure.com | www.coedllandegla.com

Location Map:

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After much digging and elbow grease, work has nearly been completed on a brand new red-graded trail at Queen Elizabeth Country Park, Hampshire. It will officially be opened on Saturday 19 May.

It’s been a year in progress as the QECP Collective trail builder, all of them volunteers, have sculptured the new 5 mile trail. Graded red, it replaces the old orange ‘advanced’ route.

As well as the new trail, the team have worked hard to renovate existing trails. But don’t take our word for it, have a watch of this little video:

Queen Elizabeth Country Park is easy to get to, located just off the A3 south of Petersfield. Connect the collective on facebook and twitter

For many people, the title of this guide must seem like an oxymoron but then for most people West Yorkshire means the conurbations of Leeds, Bradford and Halifax. However, as Benjamin Haworth ably demonstrates in the latest Vertebrate Publishing guide, in more ways than one you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

For while West Yorkshire does encompass a lot of chimney pots, it’s also home to some superb mountain biking. The very topography that led to the industrial revolution also means steep sided valleys and trails – lots of trails. Packhorse trails, quarry trails, salt routes in abundance, many too steep to become roads, others left to decay as the horse was replaced by the canal, train and lorry.

Which is great news for the modern mountain biker, and in this guide Haworth has pulled together a diverse collection of trails that will tickle even the most jaded palate. For instance, how many guides include a route such as Pennine Bridleway and M62? That’s the West Yorkshire conundrum in a nutshell, a bizarre combination of bleak yet beautiful moorland through which runs the busy M62.

At the other end of the scale, Marsden and Willykay Clough while providing many reminders of the area’s industrial heritage is a picturesque romp through classic Pennine country.

The Calderdale area around Todmorden and Hebden Bridge is a hidden gem, so far off most people’s radar yet a real aficionado’s delight. The riding is typical of the area, only more so – steeper climbs, crazier descents and head-turning scenery around every corner. It is a near unavoidable invitation to step outside your comfort zone.

As usual, it’s all wrapped up in a typically efficient and precise Vertebrate guide package. Clear maps, concise directions and inspiring photography from both Haworth himself and the ever reliable John Coefield – the picture of Willykay Clough on page 85 alone is worth the cover price. This guide is a superb introduction to a little known mountain biking mecca. Get to it.

The guide costs £14.95 and is available from www.v-publishing.co.uk

The new service will start on Saturday May 5 and the buses will run at weekends and bank holidays until the summer holidays, when it will run every day from July 16 until August 31 and then weekends until September 30.

The bike and ride service will see specially converted buses, each able to carry up to 12 bikes and riders, travel through the heart of the Lakes along the A591 from Windermere Railway Station to the Whinlatter Forest visitor centre. The buses will stop at Ambleside, Rydal, Grasmere, Thirlspot, Keswick and Braithwaite on the way. Stagecoach has also adapted the open top 599 route buses to carry two bikes, running between Windermere and Grasmere.

The bike and ride bus has been created to make it easier for people to get around more sustainably, with many current visitors using their cars to carry their bikes to where they want to ride, and others put off cycling as an option to explore the area because they think it is too difficult to get around. 

Alistair Kirkbride, sustainable transport adviser for the Lake District National Park, said: “We hope the bike bus will become a core service for cyclists and mountain bikers visiting the Lake District.

“Visitors will use the bike bus to get to a new area to explore by bike, getting to the trails at Whinlatter Forest with mountain bikes or for families to access the trails around Thirlmere. It will also people to cycle further distances with the comfort of knowing they can hop on the bus to get back.

“The bike bus will really make it easier for people to get out of their cars for a day of their visit and explore the area on two wheels – and they will see a lot more and have a lot more fun by doing so.”

Nigel Winter, managing director of Stagecoach Cumbria and North Lancashire, added: ”We have converted our buses by removing seating to allow more bikes to be carried. This service will make it easier for people to be able to leave their car at their accommodation and explore the area using the greener, and more fun, options of bike and bus.”

With 128 days until the women’s event at Hadleigh Farm, Essex, the updated course was revealed to journalists, while Great Britain riders Liam Killeen, David Fletcher, Grant Ferguson and Kenta Gallagher got a sneak preview at the new layout.

“Any opportunity to ride the course is a bonus,” Killeen told Bikemagic. “You get to scope out some lines and spend some time on the course. You can train for the physical exertion of the course but you can’t train for the rock gardens. Any extra time is a bonus and you have to make the most of it.”

Key changes to the course include the additions of a new feature called The Rock Garden, while the main climb has been extended and the start loop has been extended, with the addition of a new climb on the opening lap, to avoid congestion. Several areas of the course have been widened to allow for more overtaking opportunities.

“The course that was built prior to the test event was to get a feel of lap times and to get feedback from riders,” course designer Martin Seddon told Bikemagic. “Coming away from the test event we knew we had to add some time into the lap because, come the Olympics, they’re all going to be on top of their game, so we needed to add a really good technical feature to make the lap that little bit trickier.

“It’s also been widened in places where the riders said they wanted to attack and, after watching the riders at the test event, we could see where those attacks were trying to happen so it’s our job to react to everything that’s fed back to us from teams and riders to make sure we create exactly what everybody’s after.”

Seddon’s team began work on the site in July 2010 and the initial course was completed nine months later. An additional six weeks work after the test event has brought the track to it’s current state, with only routine maintenance and “a few tweaks” to get the course ready for the Games – although Seddon admits there is some way to go before it’s decided which wheel size is most suitable for the 4.7km track.

“Most of the riders will be on hardtails but obviously they’re trying to figure out whether they should be on a 26-inch wheel or a 29er – or whether they’re going to do anything different altogether.”

Legacy plans revealed

Meanwhile, the future of the site had been in doubt as the track is on Salvation Army land but Essex County Council has confirmed the Olympic track will be altered after the Games to make it the focus of a wider network of trails in the area.

The course will changed so it is graded as a red run, with the option to skip more difficult technical section on a blue trail. Green multi-use trails will extend west into Hadleigh Country Park.

The network will include cycling access to Benfleet and Leigh-on-Sea train stations, while a central hub will include ranger facilities, toilet/changing rooms, a cafe, equipment hire and a shop. A planning application will be submitted this spring, with building work expected to be undertaken next winter with a phased completion targeted for autumn 2013.

Essex County Councillor Stephen Castle said: “Essex County Council and our partner, The Salvation Army, are committed to making the most of the opportunity of hosting the London 2012 mountain bike event and creating a lasting legacy not just for Hadleigh but for the county of Essex.”

The downhill trail adds to the existing off-road network at Grizedale, which includes the 16km red grade North Face Trail, a range of bridleways, several way-marked family trails on the forest road system, and the Grizedale Mountain Bikes’ bike hire and shop.

The downhill trail, which is more than a kilometre long, was built by a small team of volunteers , supported by the Grizedale Mountain Bikes team and the Forestry Commission’s recreation ranger.

The volunteers were presented with an annual car parking pass for Grizedale Forest in appreciation of their work at trail’s launch on Friday March 30.

Katie Jarvis, Forestry Commission recreation ranger at Grizedale Forest, said: “It is great to be able to launch a new mountain biking trail at Grizedale. We already have a strong reputation within the sport as being a great destination for mountain biking and this trail offers something different to the trails already in the forest.

“We are now able to offer great trails to suit all levels of riders, from families with children on our forest road routes, the cross-country mountain bikers with the North Face Trail and bridleways, and now the more experienced riders and downhill adrenaline-junkies with the new black route.

“We would like to say a huge thanks to all the volunteers who have given up their free time to create this trail and I hope they and other bikers have great fun riding it now and over many years into the future.”

Lee Rayton of Grizedale Mountain Bikes led the volunteer trail building and said: “Everyone has put a tremendous amount of work in over many months into creating the new trail. It is great to see it finally finished and it adds a new dimension to the riding available here at Grizedale Forest and the Lake District.”

Riders can enjoy Grizedale Forest year-round by purchasing a Discovery Pass which, for £40, entitles you to free parking within the forest, ten per cent off items in the visitor centre shop, 20 per cent off Go Ape high wire adventure courses on weekdays during term time and a saving of £24 on adult membership of the CTC (the UK’s national cyclists’ organisation).

For more information about Grizedale Forest head to www.visitlakelandforests.co.uk or check out the Grizedale Mountain Bikes website at www.grizedalemountainbikes.co.uk

Pace Cycles and Eurest Services will operate the trail centre, near Pickering in North Yorkshire, from April 1 after Purple Mountain lost out in a tender process which attracted interest from 15 businesses.

But Purple Mountain believe the procurement process was unfairly handled and, having attracted more than 1,000 signatures to an e-petition, will ride from the Forestry Commission offices in Pickering to the Purple Mountain Cafe in Dalby Courtyard, starting at 10.30am on Saturday.

Here’s Purple Mountain’s latest statement in full:

“Purple Mountain Bike Centre and Cafe, a local business  employing more than 60 people, is set to be ousted out of Dalby Forest with less than a month’s notice by big business, Eurest, a multi national company owned by the Compass group, the largest food service provider in the world , whilst the bike centre gets taken over by Pace Cycles and CTC.

“Purple Mountain played a big part at the UCI Mountain Bike World Cup, in both 2010, and 2011. Most recently they have been asked personally by cabinet member for the 2012 Olympic Games Stephen Castle to consult on the Olympic legacy facilities in London after Castle visited the Purple Mountain setup in 2011 and was so impressed.

“Purple Mountain are showing definite signs that they will NOT give up their fight to see justice being done.

“This is most certainly not an issue of sour grapes – it is a very serious issue surrounding probity and honesty. We believe the tender process for the bike centre and cafe has been carried out in bad faith and process has not been followed. We believe declarations of interest should have been made, and may not have been done, although in a feedback meeting with Purple Mountain FC [Forestry Commission] bosses, when directly asked whether anyone had declared an interest, [FC]  would not comment on the matter.  When Purple Mountain director Vicky Griffin directly asked Alan Eves, Forest management director whether he was a friend of Adrian Carter, owner of Pace Cycles Ltd, the company who have won the tender, he answered: ‘Well I’m an acquaintance.’ Vicky Griffin, director of Purple Mountain, feels he is more than an acquaintance: ‘I know that I’ve seen them in the pub together drinking socially, I’ve seen them on cycle rides together, they live in the same village and I believe they may have been on an overseas mountain bike trip together. It is common knowledge that they are more than acquaintances.’

“If Eves has failed to declare an interest this is in breach of the procurement process, and him being involved in the process puts into question the probity and transparency surrounding the whole issue. At a time when government are so hot on the issue of ‘cronyism’ it seems odd that the FC think they can behave with complete impunity.

“Last Friday directors/owners Ruth and Vicky Griffin met with the secretary of state for Defra, Rt Hon Caroline Spelman,  to discuss in particular the issues surrounding probity and transparency. She said: ‘This is a serious indictment of the Forestry Commission and I will have this looked into.’ She made a note of the both Alan Eves and Adrian Carter.

“Purple Mountain bosses came out of the meeting feeling upbeat and felt that taking things to the top mabe on this occasion what [we] have to do. The Forestry Commission cannot be seen to get away with this behaviour – we assure you this is definitely not a matter of sour grapes. Interestingly, Vicky Griffin met another of the unsuccessful local tenders and he felt exactly the same about the whole issue, and is making his own legal case against the FC also.

“This last week has seen Purple Mountain rallying more support from all angles. The matter has been brought to the attention of the Ryedale Council who are interested from a number of levels

- It is against Ryedale Council policy to replace small local business with big business.

- It was Ryedale Council who put a great deal of investment into the courtyard at Dalby Forest: approx £50k council, £350K ERDF, £300k Yorkshire Forward – to develop the courtyard for craft workshops, a bike centre and a cafe.

“Ryedale Council have been made aware that one company, being Pace Cycles Ltd, the alleged friend of the forest business manger, occupies at least 75% of these, currently using them for retail of cycles, a bike demo centre and national suspension service centre , which is not what was agreed in 2010. When Pace take over the bike centre from April 1 2012, they will just about have a monopoly on the whole courtyard site  - this cannot be right surely ?

“This weekend sees the public voicing their concern by way of a protest ride and rally. The protest ride will leave the FC offices in Pickering at 10.30am and will ride to Purple Mountain cafe in Dalby Courtyard . Those who don’t wish to ride can join the protest rally in the courtyard. Purple Mountain have already got the support of the public, over 1,000 people have signed a petition against this happening, with some members of the public voicing some very strong views. Although James Lee, land agent at [the] Forestry Commission, said: “Public Opinion is irrelevant.”

“Come down and have your say on Saturday – Purple Mountain are providing free tea and coffee and biker bar to all the supporters.”

We were just about to pack up and hit the commute home, and this email has just arrived from the Forestry Commission, too important to leave until Monday.

Remember that YouTube video a while back on 4 January, involving an ‘altercation’ between a mountain biker and a FC worker? Well the FC clearly took the matter seriously and launched an investigation.

Both the mountain biker and the contractor were interviewed about the incident, which happened on a live harvesting site where appropriate closure signs were in place.

Both parties acknowledged an element of fault and regretted that the incident took place, and neither wished to pursue the matter further.

An FC spokesperson comments: “We believe that we have responded appropriately and do not consider it necessary to take any further action in relation to this incident.

“In managing the public forests of Wales, Forestry Commission Wales must constantly balance the interests of visitors with those for whom the forest is a place of work. Our prime consideration has to be safety and to this end we would ask cyclists and walkers to comply with safety signs and closure notices.

“We are looking to reduce the inconvenience caused to our visitors when trails are closed by scheduling and organising essential operations in ways that minimise the need for trail closures in future.

“We will also aim to make more use of social networks to let visitors know about any closures of our trail facilities, so that people can plan accordingly. As this incident demonstrates, word gets round quite pretty quickly in the mountain bike community”

So there you go. The matter is settled, done and dusted…

Let us know what you think below:

The race is on. Trail builders are embarking on an ambitious attempt to build the longest competition downhill route in the Kielder Forest.

The planned two mile route should be finished by October in the Kielder Water & Forest Park. The Forestry Commission is working with Northern Downhill on the exciting new trail, which will have its starting line on the 2,000 foot Northumbrian summit of Deadwater Fell.

“It will be the biggest vertical drop of any downhill trail built in England,” said Philip Grimes from Northern Downhill.  “It will be a major challenge getting it done, but the potential to create something really special in Kielder is the incentive.”

Britain is a hotbed for downhill biking and the current world champion, Danny Hart, comes from Redcar in North East England.  He cut his teeth in another Forestry Commission woodland – Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland.

Alex MacLennan, Recreation and  Public Affairs Manager (North East) with Forestry Commission, said: “Kielder lends itself to superlatives and the new trail will be a spectacular addition to the mountain biking scene in Britain.  The forest park already boasts the country’s longest family and intermediate bike routes, the highest cross country trail and the toughest endurance event, helping to make it a prime mountain bike venue. Hosting downhill events throughout the winter each year is key in attracting attract more visitors to the area at a traditionally quiet time of year”

Northern Downhill is staging five races in northern Britain this year, culminating in a final joust for prizes at Kielder on 20 and 21 October, when the new trail – which will be used for competitions only – will be employed for the first time.  Bike fans are being urged to join weekend trail building sessions.  To find out more contact Philip Grimes on info@northerndownhill.co.uk

More details of bike routes at Kielder can be found at www.visitkielder.com