Wrecking crew
One Giant Leap, Llangollen If you want to ride some of the best built, steepest and most fun DH tracks in the UK, North Wales is the place to be
We check out some of the best built, steepest and most fun DH tracks in the UK, in Llangollen
WHY RIDE HERE? It’s home to the steepest, hardest-to-ride tracks we’ve ridden in the UK – though there is a mellower run to develop your skills on too
Rad…
Steep gradient makes for unique trails Martin has a great attitude and wants to make Llangollen stand out Super-friendly locals give everyone a warm welcome
BAD…
You’ll need to stop at a supermarket on the way for lunch
Martin’s promised us fresh loam so we make a bee line straigh t for the brown powder!
We make no apologies for the fact the tracks here are pretty gnarly,” says Martin Sands, the man behind Llangollen’s epic downhill runs. Martin’s farm is quickly becoming a legendary piece of hillside, probably the biggest jewel in the Welsh DH riding crown. But he quickly explains that while some of the tracks are very tricky, they’re building more and more for riders who’ve never come across anything as steep before. Make no mistake, Llangollen is a downhill venue where you really do need a downhill bike.
Young guns
I knew Llangollen was going to be a job for some DH pinners, and thought the new-skool tracks called for some new-skool riders, so got Liam Jones and Charlie Hatton along for the day. Charlie has won multiple British Downhill Series (BDS) rounds with some big margins in Youth this year, and Liam is a Forest of Dean local who can’t get enough of the steep stuff.
After a good chinwag with Martin, we jump in the van and head to the top of the hill. The uplift at Llangollen is entirely on public roads, and Martin doesn’t mind the odd cheeky self-uplift as long as he knows about it. We’re getting our helmets on at the top when Harry Heath rolls past, testing his new 650b DH rig ahead of the Méribel World Cup. It’s safe to say he isn’t hanging about on track!
Getting Squirrely
It’s a crazy thought that everything on the hillside is hand built, with no machines involved anywhere. What’s even crazier is that Martin does a massive chunk of the digging himself, whether that means spending an evening on the hill or getting an early start in the morning. He’s promised us fresh loam on the newly revamped Son of Squirrel track, so we make a beeline straight for the brown powder!
The top of the trail is shared with the Squirrel track, and
A fast straigh t end s with a jump into a corner, and then the hill quickly drops into a torren t of madness
has been used for BDS races in the past. A fast straight ends with a jump into a right-hand corner that can be smashed at warp speed, and then the hill quickly drops into a torrent of madness. We spend some time seeing just how hard we can hit that first turn, until Liam smashes it a bit too hard and goes down. He hits the floor hard enough for me to worry that the day might be over, but luckily he’s straight up and back to the job in hand. Charlie is keen to see if he can bar drag, but I swiftly move the young guns on before something goes seriously wrong!
A few turns down the steep hillside and the track splits, with the original Squirrel track heading into a steep left-hander while Son of Squirrel turns up the bank and carries on traversing the hill for another couple of seconds of sanity before getting bonkers again.
Text and ride
The track drops 90 degrees left and straight down the hillside, off a small drop and into another right-hander, all freshly cut and impossible to slow down on. It’s a case of dropping in and praying nothing goes wrong – the hill’s so steep it would take you some time before you stopped rolling!
The tough terrain and possible complications with getting medics to riders if things do go wrong is one of the main reasons why Llangollen is a members-only place to ride outside of race days. It’s a total steal at just £10 for the year, and members get first dibs on spaces on the fortnightly uplift days too, which as you’d expect, fill up insanely quickly.
A lot of people do come and ride when there aren’t uplifts on though – while we’re on the hillside, Rachel Atherton blasts past on a couple of training runs, making the most of the largely empty tracks. All Martin asks when you come to ride is that you text him first to let him know you’re coming, and make sure your membership band is attached to your bike. It’s a pretty close-knit scene and the regulars will spot you fast if you’re not a member – you’ll be straight off the hillside and not allowed back.
All at sea
The fact that racers and bunches of mates can do their own uplifts on days when there’s nothing else on is great, because there’s no chance of pushing your bike back up the hill. We’re not joking, it’s crazily steep! Pushing up to session bits of the trail, Liam and Charlie have to keep stopping to clear their shoes out so they can clip in – the loam is as deep as the hillside is steep.
After finally reaching the bus stops, hip jump and Llangollen’s
trademark bottom drops, we roll on to the Welsh fields with lunch on the brain. Luckily we’ve come prepared, after making the most of a supermarket visit on the way. There aren’t any major facilities at One Giant Leap, though Martin does suggest there are plans for the future.
At the moment there’s just a shipping container to provide some protection from the elements, complete with some seating, a fridge and a kettle, as well as a vending machine for drinks. There’s a portable toilet too, though we opt to water the hallowed hillside when nature calls.
The lack of a cafe doesn’t bother Martin and it doesn’t bother us either. The bottom line is that if the trails are good enough, people will make the trip. The tracks at One Giant Leap are extraordinary and put most other downhill venues to shame, and the fact we can’t get lunch there makes us appreciate the raw feel even more.