HOUNDKIRK, PEAK DISTRICT
11.2KM (7 MILES)
This route packs all that’s great about riding in the Peak District into one short loop, making it a great introduction to what the National Park has to offer. Expect plenty of rocks, downhills that will test your skills, climbs that will stretch your legs and lungs along with some great views. Oh, and a good pub at the end. It’s the perfect loop to ride again and again to gauge improvements in fitness and ability – in fact it’s so good Cotic uses sections of it to evaluate new bikes and components. It’s not all grit and steel though, the ride finishes at the top of Lady Cannings trail centre, guaranteeing you’ll finish the ride with a smile.
GPS download bit.ly/houndkirk
GYPSY GLEN, SCOTLAND 21KM (13.1 MILES)
Glentress? Completed it mate. If you’re looking to break out of the trail centre and leave the fingerposts behind, this ride will show you there’s much more to the Tweed Valley, and indeed Scotland, than the 7Stanes. While the climb through Cardrona forest might have a familiar feel, the descent along the old drove road from Kirkhope Law with its big views of the mountains will be all new. Starting and finishing at the Glentress car park means you’ve got options if you want to mix and match some of the usual favourites, plus you won’t miss out on the cafe or bike wash either.
GPS download bit.ly/gypsyglenn
TALYBONT, BRECON BEACONS 21.9KM (13.6 MILES)
Within the Brecon Beacons there’s a whole host of great riding, but much of it is pretty committing. You don’t need to be a grizzly mountain veteran to enjoy the Beacons, though. This route keeps things relatively low level but doesn’t short-change you on that out-there feeling that this corner of Wales does so well. At 22km it’s certainly a good stretch of the legs, but with just 700m of total ascent along that length, it’s a relaxed ride. There’s not much in the way of technical riding but mountain biking is about more than just getting your rocks off on rocks. GPS download bit.ly/talybontride
IRON KELD, CUMBRIA 17.3KM (10.7 MILES)
Cumbria is home to some of England’s highest peaks and some of its finest trails. Thankfully you don’t always have to scale a mountain to get to the good stuff. If you’re looking for your first taste of Lakeland mountain biking (or a reminder that hike-a-bike is not compulsory to have fun here) then Iron Keld is just the ticket. In fact, for the return on your uphill efforts, the descent has to be up there as one of the best in the county. Topping off a cracking downhill is something every mountain biker needs to experience – riding on loose slate. The rumble and clatter is akin to driving a monster truck over a crockery shop, it sounds amazing. Just watch out for punctures, slate is sharp.
GPS download bit.ly/ironkeld
QThe Skills section in mbr tells me having my outside foot all the way down when cornering is a bad idea, the logic being I can’t then push harder for more grip. But I can’t feel that pressure through my foot anyway, so I have no idea when to push more or less. What should I feel?
Andy: The push we often recommend in the Dirt School skills articles refers to the amount of strength that a rider uses to drive their body weight back against the trail. Look at it like this. If you are freewheeling along a flat surface, then the amount of ‘push’ that you’re exerting is no different than standing in a queue at the supermarket. You’re holding your body weight up against the effects of gravity. That’s it. However, when you start to roll through things like jumps or corners, the trail will exert an additional force back against you as it changes direction. The amount of extra force that you have to exert in order to not buckle under that new and extra weight is the push that we often advise.
I wouldn’t say that you feel it through your feet any more than you feel the additional force of climbing stairs through your feet. Instead, you should think of it as standing up, and using the power available in your legs against an increase in the forces acting upon you – same as you do when lifting your weight up a flight of stairs.
Keeping your feet level with the surface you are on gives you more room to use your legs, and more strength and control over how much force you can push back against.
This is all a consequence of the equation for centripetal force – mass times velocity squared divided by the radius – which is basically what I describe every month. How does this translate to the trail? The faster you go, the more you weigh, or the tighter the turn, the more you have to push to balance the centripetal force out. No need to get your calculator out, but interesting all the same.
QI come into corners with good speed but I lose it all in the turn and come trickling out the other side. What am I missing?
Andy: To exit a corner with speed you need to build momentum. Think about it this way: if you were to stand up right now and jump off the ground, what would you need to do in order for your feet to leave the ground? Presumably you’d start by bending your knees in order to get closer to the ground and gather potential energy. Then you’d push away from the ground by straightening your legs so that all of your weight gets thrown upward. Exiting a corner with momentum is very similar. As you sink further into a bend, you should be driving your weight away by gradually straightening your legs.
This will build energy and allow you to accelerate as you progress. Balancing this drive from your legs with the amount of traction you have is the secret to controlling your grip and exiting with speed.