2 and a half years after breaking his collar bone, Matt (my brother and regular member of the Joyriders team) suggested we take the bikes up to Haldon hill. The weather was pleasant so I thought why not (at least it wasn’t raining!), I haven’t ridden at Haldon for a couple of years and it’s meant to hold up in the wet… Unlike nearby Dartmoor.
So we chucked the mountain bikes in the van and off we went. There were still plenty of signs of the recent snow up there, that should make the ride interesting!!
All wrapped up and ready to go I finally find the trail head I’m looking for (slightly cheeky), which should bring us out on the red route further down. Unfortunately this trail was a bit wetter than the last time I rode it. I’ve also not ridden wet roots in awhile, which caught me out and I slid slowly into a tree, catching the bars. Thinking I had got away with it I carried on down the trail.
The further I got down the trail and the faster I went I began to realise something was wrong with the brakes… My front brake wasn’t working!! I’d caught the hose in the bump and lost all the fluid.
But to be honest it made riding in the mud, snow and ice much for exciting!! Brake less, ride faster – simple..
A couple of loops around the red route and Matt was about dead, so we grabbed a coffee to warm up and dry out a little.
Haldon has great facilities for the local mountain biker, novice and experienced alike. I particular liked the skills training area, which had everything from small drop offs, burms to practice cornering, small jumps, balance area to north shore style boarding. Everything you need to get your skills off the ground.
It was a nice day out on the bike and definitely the place to go around here when the weather is bad. Not sure the red route should be a red though!! It was more a blue, and easily achievable for a beginner/novice rider. Probably try the marked blue first though!
I rocked