Your letters and photos, including the young ’uns digging for victory, a nasty OTB and being saved by your mates plus more of your best riding snaps
dig for victory
My name is Jonni, I’m 14 and a loyal reader of the mag. Since getting into mountain biking three years ago, I’ve been riding pretty consistently with my mates. While MTB is undoubtedly pure fun and an excellent escape from boring everyday life, I also really enjoy building trails, as well as the occasional bit of photography.
Finding good spots to build in is nearly impossible in my area. However, when my friend moved house about a month ago, we began to dig in a family-owned wood nearby. Three lines and over 48 hours of spadework later, we were left with a flowy set of trails, embodying both a dirt jump and pump track feel. We set about reaping the rewards of our hard work, and it was a great place for me to ride-in my new Orange Clockwork hardtail. On several occasions, I took my camera and grabbed snaps of my friends.
This particular picture [below] shows my mate getting loose on his dirt jump bike on our big line, and I’m really pleased with the exposure and focus pull. I’ll continue to take snaps and ride, and I’m especially excited for how dusty our trails are getting this summer, after a gruelling winter of sloppy ruts. Please continue to put out such great content in the magazine – it got me through the last year!
Jonni Ashton, via email
Top work, Jonni (and friends!). Having somewhere to build trails is something most of us can only dream of, so it’s great to see you guys taking full advantage of the opportunity you’ve been given and sculpting something so fun – and photogenic! This selection of Lezyne kit should help you make the most of your creation.
That’s what friends are for
I finished work early one afternoon and there wasn’t even the slightest breeze, so I phoned my three digging partners and we headed to our jumps for an evening session.
My first run was good but a little slow and I felt like a bit more speed would smooth things out a bit – this might have been where it started to go wrong! I landed the first double really nicely with lots of speed. As I hit the second one, I had the sensation of my bum trying to overtake my head! I flew OTB and landed with the handlebar in my shoulder and bashed my head on the floor.
When I got up, my vision was blurry and my shoulder was making some nasty clicking noises. My mates provided a level of care second to none – one picked up my bike, another went to get his truck to take me to hospital and the third cracked me a beer and gave me an ibuprofen. Nice work, boys!
It turned out I’d suffered a grade two shoulder separation (and bent my new bar!) and I’ll be off the bike for a couple of months. I contacted Spank about the bar and they’re doing a crash replacement for half the sale price. What a lovely bunch! Tom Harrison, via email It sounds like you’ve got through your accident with the right attitude, Tom. Incidents like this illustrate the value of riding in a group and looking after each other. Spank seem to have extended a helping hand too!