January 17th saw the first uplift day at Nant Gwrtheyrn. With all the snow hanging about the week before it was touch and go as to whether it was going to go ahead. Fortunately with the thaw setting in on Thursday meant that by Sunday, access to the centre was clear. The uplift was in the form of a 52 seater coach for the riders and 2 trailers. The uplift ran smoothly and a lot of riders commenting on how relaxing the journey up the tarmac uplift road was with the stunning views across the Irish Sea and parts of Anglesey.
Photo: Ann James.
The track itself was riding well in the most part. As expected with any new track receiving its first hit of heavy traffic, some of the sections suffered a bit of damage. Work is now well underway to change, rebuild and reinforce some of these sections to maintain a good flow down the whole track. Some of the highlights of the track were the top corners which were delicately crafted by the original trail builder some years ago. These corners flow into one another beautifully with the bike drifting into the apex and then springing out of the exit. Another section of the course that received high praise was the section knick-named “snooker balls”. Here the course widens out onto a steep multi lined rock garden unlike any other I can think of on the UK race scene. The rocks are about fist size and move about as you ride over them. Three obvious lines appeared over the day each having with its own merits and pitfalls.
The uplift ran smoothly all day and young Will Roberts was seen racking up the most runs. Had it not been for a couple of mechanicals I’m sure he would have been on every trip! With the help of keen volunteers, Simply Downhill are continuing to develop the course and working towards our target of a two day race event on the 14th and 15th August.
Simply Downhill would like to thank everybody involved with special mentions going to the drivers, our first aid volunteers, Lisa for running sign on, Ann James for these photos, the volunteer trail builders and all the staff at Nant Gwrtheyrn and Revolution Bikes for their continuing support.
Our next uplift event is planned for Sunday 21st February. With the success of the last event I would suggest that you get you entry in as soon as you can to avoid disappointment as numbers are limited. The cost is £23 which gets you uplift from 10am until 4:30pm with a half hour lunch break. We are currently sorting out with the cafe some added value for your hard earned entry fee. For entry details visit www.simplydownhill.co.uk.
N.B. At the moment riding here is only permitted at official uplift days. Please do not ride here any other time as you will be risking the continued use of this great facility.
Cheers Tom & Si (Simply Downhill)
