WRECKING Crew
This northern city park has so much more to offer than just swings and a duck pond
We get airborne at Leeds Urban Bike Park and discover a mightily impressive city-centre riding spot
The hollers of excitement as we chase each other down the trail say it all. We keep expecting the fun to stop, but every time we round a corner, we’re faced with another straight of gaps to jump or rollers to pump. From the approach to the red route, across a flat, grassy bit of parkland, we’d never have expected to find such an extensive – and perfectly sculpted – bit of trail tucked away in the woods. With Sheffieldbased trail builders Bike Track on the spades, we should’ve guessed it would be good, but the amount of flowing descent they’ve managed to eke out of this tiny hillock is seriously impressive.
Sampling the park with us today are a strong crew of riders. It’s one of those occasions where you invite someone and they invite two more. Not that we’re complaining – a bigger group just means everyone eggs each other on that bit more. This is great, save for when everyone gets carried away and disappears off down the trail when we’re meant to be shooting photos. They all return 15 minutes later, apologising, but buzzing about what they’ve just ridden.
The collective enthusiasm is soon focused on the nearest feature to hand – a tabletopped hip jump – and everyone gets stuck into sessioning it. Sheffield boys Jake and Alastair score the top style points, Jake cranking out textbook one-foot tables every time and Alastair slinging a leg off and kicking the bike sideways into fully-extended nac-nacs. Local Leeds lad Chris is more interested in the turn after. Dispelling any notions that long bikes can’t corner, he’s slapping his GeoMetron into the apex of the berm, with a sound like ripping Velcro. His rims and tyres might not be enjoying it, but he clearly is, and it’s only when his back wheel is down to its last few psi that he’s satisfied and moves on.
What Bike Track have done so well here is to create a trail that’s ridable by anyone, but can still hold the attention of the best bike handlers. They’ve achieved this with wide 4X-style straights that can be pumped, manualled or jumped in many different ways. This includes some hefty double and triple gaps to pull for if you’re feeling brave. Unsurprisingly, now that the camera is out, everyone’s feeling brave! More than once, this results in some over-ambitious runs, but thankfully everyone manages to keep it rubberside down. Marco – another Steel City lad, who’s along for the ride – takes a different approach. He gaps in, but instead of hauling for the next gap, lands on his back wheel and holds a manual through the entire straight. Unassuming, but
super-stylish. What is it with Sheffield riders and their ridiculously good bike skills?
That said, there are riders of every skill level out in the park today, from guys like the ones we’re shooting with through to first-timers on all kinds of cobbled-together bikes, all loving it. Hanging around at the trailside, we witness more than a few heart-stopping moments. Particularly as a pair career past looking like dead sailors at the rodeo, pedals down and nearly going out the front door on every roller. There’s a fair share of helmet-less but fearless local kids too, who aren’t going to let their completely unsuitable bikes hold them back. We might not condone their lack of protection, but we all secretly wish we had their wheelie skills!
How we roll
Just when we think we’ve exhausted everything the trail has to offer, we keep stumbling upon more. One particular section keeps us amused for ages. It’s another line of flowing rollers, which ends with a dive into a switchback turn. The Scandi flick potential is too good to resist and we keep pushing up for another run, while our photographer Mick snaps away. The Cotic boys, Jake and Wes, follow each other in unison, cutting hard across the track and gapping up onto the banking. Bikes fully sideways with a shower of loose dirt and leaves cascading down, they use the momentum to whip themselves around the turn and out of sight. Jim goes for the opposite approach, cutting inside and sliding around, foot off. We could happily stay riding this one corner all day, but the bike park has much more to try out. A full BMX track and a fieldsized jump park await.
This was one of the first areas of the park to get built, before Bike Track got involved, and while there’s plenty to get stuck into, it doesn’t all quite work as it should. While the line of tabletops looks great, when you try to jump them all, you realise that they start going back uphill midway through. The rock garden is a strange creation too, following the tabletops with a dead straight line of boulders.
It’s enough to keep Jim and Chris amused though, and the pair of them duel through the downward-pointing turns and jumps.
The Leeds Urban Bike Park crew may be quite new to the MTB game, but they’ve got much more experience when it comes to twenty-inchers, and the BMX track and pump track are much better shaped. Unfortunately, the wind is blowing a gale, which makes getting airborne somewhat of a lottery, and one with potentially painful consequences, but that’s not enough to stop everyone from having a laugh. Especially Alastair, who’s spinning 360s with effortless style, seemingly unaffected by the gusts. “You’re spinning into the wind, so it’s not that bad,” he reassures us. Hmm... OK, but we’ll stick to terra firma in this wind, thanks. Jake’s not shy either, and after ripping a few laps of the track, he turns his attention to matching Marco’s manual skills on the pump track.
It’s only when energy levels are waning and a few near misses are had that everyone agrees to call it a day. We didn’t expect too much when we turned up today, but after just a few hours in the park, we’re already planning our return. From the look of things, there’ll be a load of new stuff to try out too. Let’s just hope the wind is playing ball next time.