The middle section of the black run is steep and loose, it’s a combination of chalk and flint with roots in nearly all of the places you don’t want them. As you approach the bottom of the track things get a little mellower but with trees millimetres from your bars there is still no room for error. Then it’s off a drop, round a nice big berm and over a fun new table top. A real race track with a real race feel as you land, tuck and cross the imaginary line.
With my race winning daydreams over I decided to hit up Root Canal (previously called 423). I got to use the giant new roll–in that’s been built. Big, wooden and shaped to give you a real boost into the only flat part of the hill, it does its job perfectly and fires you straight up to speed and onto the first feature of the track, a nice floaty table top. After that you fly into some petty loose flat corners so a speed check is essential. You can see where the track gets its name straight away, the floor is littered with roots and the further you get down the worse it gets. As you get closer to the end of the track the gradient shifts and it starts to feel a lot more like the Black Run, slower, tech and chalky. I’ve taken a few sliding spills in this section in the wet, certainly loose, but an awesome area to hone your steep skills.
After my last two technical tracks I fancied a bit of speed and the Ricochet track offers just that. I’ve ridden it quite a few times and it hasn’t changed much but it’s the kind of track that doesn’t get boring. It’s fast, loose and pretty damn rough in sections, so it gets your heart pumping. If you’re new to Aston Hill it’s worth riding the top of Ricochet, its nice and flowing and will give you an idea of what the surface is going to be like on the other tracks. After the top section the hill gets a little bit steeper, you start to pick up speed and as the roots get bigger and more frequent its all about holding your line, it can be a real test of nerve in places.
The final track is actually part of the XC track. It’s called the Red Run and only has few jumps or drops, all of which can be easily avoided. It still has some roots and fast sections that can catch you out if your not concentrating and it’s well worth a ride however rad you are on a bike.
So that was it, my day out at Aston Hill was done and I was shattered. It was clear that I had been missing out, I’d ridden downhill all day and I felt like I’d covered a lot of ground. Aston Hill’s tracks might only be a minute or two long, but there is a hell of a lot packed into them. I am super impressed with how much work has gone into making this hill side bike friendly and for seven pounds a day you really get a lot for your money. The addition of Surface to Air and the berms, table and rock garden on the Black Run has added a more bike park feel to the hill side, there is now something for everybody. The time obsessed racer can still train and smash out some runs but the freeriders out there can also get a their fix of drops and air time, and with a short push up why not have a go at everything? I did and came away buzzing on it all… and there is a soon to be opened pump track that looks sick. I’ll be riding Aston Hill way more now. Stoked!
