What would you say are the greatest innovations in mountain biking? Most would agree the invention of full suspension, then there is the dropper seat post; in more recent times we have purpose-built trails and bike parks; and, even more recently, ebikes.
Building a mountain biking community in Norway with the power of trail building.
Pubished in SIngletrack World Magazine 157
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Hans Rey has been a huge advocate for both purpose-built trails and ebikes – to him this is the next level of fun with boundless possibilities, and he feels strongly that these developments have opened up the sport to far more people than ever before, of all ages and demographics. They have made mountain biking inclusive to families, the young, the old, people with physical challenges as well as those who already love the sport.
Trail centre pre-history
Before purpose-built trails, people were grateful for a hiking trail, woodsy bridleway or fire road where riders were tolerated, but sharing trails has its limits. These days, there are trails for all levels of riders: entry level to allow novices to find their feet and learn basic skill sets, then more technical trails for those who want to shred. But they must be built properly and sustainably so they don’t erode with use and abuse, and be safe and predictable, so there are no nasty surprises. Riders can relax, merge with the flow and have fun.
World Trail, led by Glen Jacobs, has built some of the best trail networks in the world. An old friend of Hans, Glen invited him to get a taste of his latest European venture creating a cycling Utopia at Hogevarde, Norway.
For those of you who’ve not heard of legendary Australian Glen Jacobs, his trail work was instrumental in the 1995 Cairns World Championships (and, indeed, just about any mountain bike World Cup since then…) For a number of years, he designed four-cross courses for each of the 4X World Cup venues around the world, not to mention the cross-country course for the Sydney Olympic Games. And, arguably, his mid-90s home-made ‘Mud Cows’ video pre-empted the whole freeride film scene. Continuing to add to his mountain biking legacy, Jacobs now now runs a trail company, taking on many projects around the world, and maintaining a personal interest in all of them.
Mow your roof
Norway is a land of lakes, fjords and mountains, houses with roofs that look like wildflower meadows… and Vikings. To the north is the Arctic Circle and closer to the south of the country is Fjell Park trail centre at Hogevarde in the Hallingdale valley, two hours northwest of Oslo. It is here, with its expanding trail network, and for now lacking an uplift, that Hans found the ebike perfect for climbing the mountain, pain-free, to then be able to enjoy the huge network of trails. Berms, rollers and flow carved through the natural landscape of pine trees, stream crossings and huge granite boulders that become part of the experience. Whatever the World Trail crew builds, the result is both eye candy and ride candy.
Hogevarde itself is an example of a relatively new concept in mountain biking, it is a community that is very much geared towards riders’ needs and desires. Not just as a place to visit, but as a community where people want to live and work. Although also a ski resort, they put summer first, which means mountain bikes come first.
Bikes first
We have seen examples like this with Blue Derby in Tasmania and Oztrails in Bentonville, Arkansas. This town is being developed in an environmentally sympathetic way to become a community for like-minded people who just love to ride.
Pedalling up the mountain in Trail mode, Hans was also putting his new GT e-Force with Shimano EP801 drive unit through its paces; this system has more power and torque, it is smoother and lighter than before. Once at the top, Hans noticed a giant rock and since he loves to play on his ebike, pushing his skills, he had to climb and then roll it.
Dropping and rolling down the flowy trails; the scenery is exquisite, the dirt is smooth, the A and B lines offer options for every level of rider. You want to wall-ride that rock face? Sure, go ahead. You want to ride along the top and gently roll down? You can do that too, or hit a jump to the side. All trails are built just for bikes, so there are never any surprises or awkward changes in pitch or tempo.
Work in progress
The following day Glen Jacobs joined us and invited us to meet the trail building crew and test the next super trail, still under construction, called Blueberry Jam, a 16km trail that starts at the resort and ends in the valley below.
Named after the wild berries that grow prolifically here, the flow is endless, except when it’s not because of the tumble of yet-to-be-placed boulders beside the waterfall that Glen promises will be a ‘blue’ trail when finished. Right now, we struggle to clamber over these massive rocks at the construction site, struggling with our bikes – what Glen describes seems unimaginable. But having said that, we have seen what World Trail has achieved in other places, so we don’t doubt him.
To be honest, it was hard work making our way down kilometres of ‘work in progress’, the recent rain meant lots of mud and bugs, it was squelchy underfoot and sections were unrideable… Unless you are Hans. But then, out of the blue, a mirage appeared. The most perfect, beautiful (and most-importantly, completed) berms like a serpent sprawled on the landscape. Golden, groomed and smooth, with rollers between and endless flow. This was a giant pump track that only nature could provide, interpreted by the vision and skill of the builders. Riding this already-finished section was worth the bug bites.
Bigventures
The next day meant time for the big adventure, a backcountry tour from Hogevarde village up to the summit of Hogevarde mountain (1,459m). From the top we were afforded a vista that shows just how beautiful Norway is. They say on a clear day you can see 15% of the country from here. We rode along the rocky ridge, hung out with the reindeer, had lunch in a hut, dodged a storm, did the big descent and took a ride home in a boat along the fjord. Actually, not really a fjord, but it looks like one and the locals affectionately call it that. It was an epic ride, an amazing day – and having ebikes made it more viable.
There is already a trail network in the region, Hallingdale Rides, consisting of six bike resorts scattered along a long valley. Nesbyen* is one of them, a short drive from Hogevarde. The small town has infrastructure firmly established for bikers, bicycle-friendly breweries, bike shops and rentals, coffee shops, bike wash, shuttles and of course plenty of trails. This centre for bikes complements Hogevarde, adding variety and miles more opportunity to shred – it was a perfect destination to conclude our Norwegian adventure.
Skål!
More Info: hogevarde.no/se-og-gjore/sykkel/
*See Issue 146 for Pete Scullion’s trip to Nesbyen
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