Middle Pack

This weekend I had the chance to get up to Dalby Forest and play on a real bike! Thanks Dave for lending me your full suss trek bike! It was a real revelation to have working brakes, suspension and gears. An eye opener of the difference between a cheap bike and a good bike and the confidence it installs in your riding. Note that the video is not me.

The day didn’t start off well! I had been to an ABBA themed party the night before and managed to get in apparently around 4.30am. Slept through my alarm and the subsequent 7 phone calls from Dave telling me he is outside and I need to get up. Eventually roused from my slumber (all 4 hours of it) I was still pissed but that wasn’t going to stop me. I was looking forward to this.

So we finally arrived at Dalby and got the bikes fettled (well I went for a bacon sandwich and caffine, thanks again Dave!) and we were off round the red route.

Last time I came to Dalby it was for the Open 5 Adventure race. I have to admit I just didn’t quite get the attraction over the natural trails of Calderdale and the Dales. I now understand we didn’t even scratch the surface of what Dalby has to offer. Great singletrack for mile upon mile of twisty turning terrain. All the hills are short and sharp on the way up and loads of long swooping downhills. The red route was not that technical, which encourages you to really give it a blast (well as much as you can with a stinking hangover and 4 hours sleep) and it was fun to rag the bike around a bit.

One of the main attractions is the all weather riding. After a few night rides during the week on local trails I knew that there was a lot of mud but Dalby didn’t seem to suffer such problems. There was a lot of mud but not he sticky soul destroying stuff that stops you in your tracks. More just loads of puddles and the odd soft patch. I managed to come back from my ride, tired, aching very muddy but grinning and with no hangover!

Cannot wait to get out again, who knows I may even go twice round? But I think I have my eye on the Mary Townley Loop next.

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