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So, for reasons not obvious to you, you're stuck in a 30 second timeloop while riding your mtb offroad so you're riding it for an eternity - if you could choose which section of which trail you were on what would you choose?
For me, it's a section of singletrack (what else 😉 ) that doesn't really exist any more in Leigh Woods (Bristol) that slopes slightly downhill with lots of trees and roots so you're weaving between and round them having to actually move your body out of the way of them on the tighter bends. The kind of thing that when you get right, you just feel yourself brush the tree and get the perfect line for the next bend ahead. For me, it had the perfect flow and balance between difficulty and being able to get it just right.
Assuming that this is some kind of groundhog day situation then I'd say the local dirt jumps. I've never ridden them but I'd have a go if knew that i could jump back up and ride them again after regaining consciousness. If not then there are trails near me that are jumpy bermy lovely that don't last more than a couple of minutes whichever way you choose, so I'd pick them. Normally I can do about 5 runs before I'm knackered from the push back up or have run out of play time.
There is one little down hill in the Peak that not even my friends have ridden, it really is single track, at points no more than 4 inch wide which would be high on my list.
However having just got back from BPW I think it'd be nice to be stuck on some of the swooping blue stuff
Dunno which ones but if it was 30 seconds for eternity then it would be a set of large BMX trails for sure. Something like Peynier trails in France. First thousand times I'd die and then get slowly better.
Minewoods Bombhole, BofA
A section of local singletrack to me, it's only just over 30 seconds long, and through a nice deciduous wood. Not very steep at all, but you can realy give it beans and get really quick on it. Finishes with a nice pop off a big natural lump into a really nice corner.
I always get to the front just before it, for 2 reasons - so no one holds me up (not that I'm quick, I just know every bit of it!) and also so that I can turn round at the end and see the inevitable grinfest when everyone else emerges from the last corner.
Minewoods Bombhole, BofA
Aye, that's sweet. Also a couple of really nice sections up Kippenrait glen too, not far from there.
There's a lovely section in Trent Park that Li'l J helped me to clear last week.Just there. 😀
Mid section of Flying Gangter at Leogang, with the big fast jumps.
Great question! I can't think of any place specific, but it would be steep enough not to pedal but shallow enough for suicide gripping and using only body English to steer.
First 30 seconds of the anti-clockwise at Philips Park.
Pedal - Whoot! - Pedal - Whoot! - Jump - Whoot! - Pedal - Berm - Whoot! - Pedal.
2m 3s onwards
Crank it Up at Whistler or the top of the first red at Lac Blanc if only so I can try to gap one of the corners. I used to quite like Babymaker and Deerstalker at Swinley but haven't been there in 4 years so no idea what they're like now
You know the old saying: "if I told you, I'd have to kill you"?
That applies here 😆
But it would be a bit of, I think undesignated, singletrack near my house, flat to start, fast, earthy, with a few roots, then it gets steep off-cambered, then very narrow, and ends in a loose scree chute with a narrow exit between two trees. Ok, so its actually about a minute, but there is one section I get off for, over a drop off in the narrow bit, and I dab the off-camber so i'm sure when I'd looped it a bit I'd get it to 30s!
I'd be riding it on a dry spring day with all the bluebells and wild garlic out 🙂
Fade to black
I am stuck in a 30 second time loop and I'm on Grimms Ditch near Wallingford in the West Chilterns. A mile of twisty undulating Singletrack on a route that's been there since the Iron Age.
Not ridden it physically for a few years but it's where I'm riding in my head whenever I'm thinking about riding.
For all eternity?
It'd have to be the woods behind Nationwide in Swindon, surely?
One of the mad massive jump lines from the fest series. It might take all of eternity but throwing down some shapes in the air with that much hang time must feel great no matter how many times you do it.
The old Chain Slapper at Cannock Chase.
That or the HUGE dirt jumps behind my mom and dads house that I've yet to gain the courage to ride.
about 1.55 to 2.45ish.
do i get to keep riding it until I hit under 30s?
Grimms Ditch near Wallingford in the West Chilterns. A mile of twisty undulating Singletrack on a route that's been there since the Iron Age.
It's not changed much inkster. Wet, slippy and rooty at the moment but lovely all through the long dry summer/early autumn.
Still very narrow when you get on the last section of bridleway and still a meaty drop each side if you misjudge it...
Not quite as much fun in the dry as the chiltern way from park corner down to the lamas though - the middle section of that in summer gets my vote for 30 second loop!
The Twister (I think it's called) swoopy fun bit at the end of Kirroughtree - it's great fun.
Super Morzine one of the Zore runs of 2011 vintage - the red/black I think. It's probably 30 secs ish if you cut out the piste crossings but some of the most fun root banging, perfect pitch trails I can remember riding.
Or one of the Trail Addiction secret tracks from Les Arcs that I can't remember the name of. I reckon I'd be able to clean the first corner after a day or so of trying. 😆
Jimfrandisco, park corner to the lamas would be my second choice, early spring when the bluebells are out,[though you might be going too fast to see them]
Used to ride both regularly on the same loop, Grimms Ditch gets the nod from me as it's good both ways and formed the beginning and end of most rides,
Remember the feeling of satisfaction closing the gate at the end of the trail followed by a mile pootle along the river to the back door.
Or a pint at the Cross Keys.
I'd probably go with the DJ of some kind (always been to scaredy). Those 'Jimmys' ones that were in a video doing the rounds on FB recently looked good.
surroundedbyhills - Member
Minewoods Bombhole, BofA
I used to ride there as a kid. Is it something more than a bombhole nowadays? The exit was just 'hop out the top and slam on the brakes before barreling into the old quarry' when I rode it, although some kids had started builing a bit of a jump line around it. I got a couple of good concussions and broken ribs in those woods.
Super Morzine one of the Zore runs of 2011 vintage - the red/black I think.
When considering a serious answer I almost said Porridge from Super Morzine in 2011, or the back garden one nearby.
The main bit of the Gully Run in Les Gets would allow plenty of line choice, so eternity would be marginally more varied.
Zone 3 of A-line in Whistler.
As much as I love techy, rooty trails the chance to improve endlessly, with the opportunity to go faster, higher, and with more tricks would just be too good to pass up.
Something smooth with a nice view. Wouldn't want to spend the rest of eternity being battered on a never-ending descent.
Naughty bit off Sticks Pass on a dry sunny day.
Probably somewhere on the descent from Ballard Down to Old Harry Rocks. It's not technical, but it's fast, has incredible views, and it's my home county...
Got to say, despite me being rad to the max, there was one particular section of Terrys Belly at BPW which was something like berm, berm, berm, pump and jump into berm (if you hit it fast enough). 3rd or 4th run down I was getting it absolutely perfect without touching the brakes... That. Made me feel like a riding god.
Schleyer, dirt merchant or Fade to Black
Berm Baby Berm, Glentress
It's just really nice
The slighty cheeky run off the Vanoise end of Les Arcs. The one that peels left off "Woodstock" after about 200m, cuts down behind the little wooden church, then turns into about 2 miles of narrow singletrack that wiggles down the side of the mountain between the trees. Amazing trail, amazing view (when you've got time to look, which is never 😉
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The Great Escape with Switchbacks is my happy place my mind flits to when sprinting in spinning classes, which is weird cos it's not my favourite trail there. But I guess that would do 🙂
Kentmere zig zags, I reckon by 20056933657441AD I might have cleaned it.
Bin Combe Quantocks
Afternoon Delight into Tech Noir or, the new, un-named loamy trail on the left by the big rock slab.
Or maybe Ninja Cougar into Fade to Black.
Or maybe Goats Gully.
Damn. Too many choices.
A DH about 5 minutes from our house 😀 Lovely wide double track, natural berms and room to slide! Or the Goonie tunnels at Seaham.
One question though, can I dig some doubles in before I'm stuck in the loop?
This is a great question, best ever On STW. Unfortunately, it's like winning the lottery - or more thinking about what you'd do with the money too much before slamming back to reality. In the minute since reading the question I got so elated at the thought of it and then BOOM, back on the bus.
I think, for old time's sake, it would be the lower half of a trail in the woods at stone edge quarry in Chesterfield. Used to spend hours there on old school steel bikes, timing ourselves and the lower section had such a nice flow combined with the accumulated adrenalin at that point it was just brilliant. Aahhh, I've won...
Some epic jump line (with transfer options on either side) as everything else would get boring after a few dozen runs.
Cadden Bank, Innerleithen.
Rollercoaster, Woburn, circa 2008.
atlaz - Member
I used to quite like Babymaker and Deerstalker at Swinley but haven't been there in 4 years so no idea what they're like now
Kids and rubbish down Babymaker, fun over in 10 seconds. Braking bumps down Deerstalker. Not much different really, except new trails have made a new tame entrance to Deerstalker.
The new thing now is Babystalker. Nice set of big berms. Not bad, if also over far too quick.
Not that I would wish to be stuck in a loop at Swinley. I try to keep clear of the place.
On the other hand, 30 second loop of Rim Dinger at BPW... I'd be in perpetual grin 😀 (though I'd be destroyed and bike with it after a few minutes).
The top bit of La Varda - Les Arcs
The middle of Hobson's Choice, or the top of Ze Holy Trail from the Trans Provence
If it was going to be the same every time rather than changing the ride, I'd have a bit of trail that I can't even remember in Les Arcs somewhere. Was following some better riders but for about 30 seconds I sort of forgot that, caught and then kept right up.
That shite about being in the zone - it was that. Magic
If it was going to change every time, somewhere really variable over a short distance and with a few different ways down. Lakes somewhere maybe, or Quantocks or else a trail in California that I ride a lot when I'm visiting family.
(the bit about dirt jumps and starting again undamaged after a big crash is true enough, and very tempting too but if I went back undamaged I'd presumably have no memory of it so I'd still be shite forever)
The Thin Red Line at Sainte Foy, no question.
ooh, good choice Stevo!
There's a few bits of La Thuile i wouldn't feel short changed riding for ever as well 😉
Knowing my luck i'd just get to the top of a crap fireroad climb and that'd be my 30 seconds up!
Crank It Up - make sure it's the bit where it joins onto the little skills area with the ladder drops and stuff to one side 🙂
It would be the lower section of the bridleway that dropped down from Sarn Helen into the Crynant Valley in S Wales prior to the FC trashing it.
one that passed a pub, pretty sure i could handle a half in 30 seconds...
The mid section of Mark of Zorro at Nant. Feels like you are flying through the trees, then pumping out into the open across the side of the valley, then BANG, into a tight skittery hairpin. I've ridden this a few hundred times, could probably manage a few quintillion more..
Knowing my luck i'd just get to the top of a crap fireroad climb and that'd be my 30 seconds up!
Bugger.
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Locally, it's not particularly challenging or technical but I love the last half of this, even better with the dog.
Maybe the big yellow berms at Pila. Or some grey dusty rooty bit at La Thuile. Or maybe the middle bit of waterworld at caberston. Or pretty much any 30 seconds of the trails up past mamore lodge at kinlochleven. Or, hey, why not, the black option on falla brae at glentress.
Or, hey, why not, the black option on falla brae at glentress.
TBH I don't think there's a descent on that hill I'd be disappointed to ride on groundhog day.
Not 30s, more like a couple of minutes, Cwm Rhyadder?
Red 15 or 25 at Swinley. Not overly technical, but I reckon it'd take me an infinite loop to get all the jumps 'right'!
30 second loop forever?
This sounds like hell.
In the first hour, you'd have done it 120 times. 960 times in the first 8 hours.
I'd be fed up by the 16th loop, no matter what it was.
I don't think a section where you had to learn how to jump would work, surely with this 30 second loop you'd start off with the same mindset each time? Otherwise this would be a hellish exercise.
My 30 seconds would be the short DH singletrack (nom de strava, [url= https://www.strava.com/segments/3758432 ]Pheasant Run[/url]) in the Mendips. Takes me about 30 seconds to complete (just over!) and is just fun x 1000
drop, turn, slide, pedal, slide, finish.... repeat
Oh! that's near me. Will have to check it out!
Norland Moor downhill to the canal. There are better trails, more picturesque, more challenging etc. But this was one of the first bits I rode when we moved to Calderdale. On a Clockwork. And I was, even by my standards, slow and a bit shit. And whilst I'm not that much better my bike is (Five 650b) and it always makes me realise how much my riding has come on over the years.
Your dog has some interesting "strava" lines on that trail SprocJock !
Ace question 🙂 but as with all hypothetical questions there are lots of "it depends". If I really was stuck doing the same 30 sec loop of riding over and over and over again I think I'd get bored fairly quickly. If, as someone said above, this is a Groundhog day moment that I can refine and make perfect then the first one that springs to mind is a lovely set of berms in Dimmingsdale Woods that Jekyll of this parish showed me once. I probably can't quite do it in 30 seconds yet but with practice I might 😉
The more I think the more pop into my head, but it would definitely be something swoopy and flowy with perhaps the odd little jump.
as with all hypothetical questions there are lots of "it depends"
I think you (and some others) might be over-thinking the concept a tad - in the great STW tradition. Just go with it. It's a nice idea.. 🙂
Possibly "No Social" or "Wolf of Wall Street" at Golfie.
Maybe there's even better stuff in there but I'm still finding my way around and they're certainly the best so far.
This is a good question.
Everyone who says they'd get bored after a few repeats has simply got too good a short term memory. Age and drug abuse can easily sort this. I often struggle to remember what I was....
....where was I? Oh yes 30 seconds and I'd probably be surfing something reasonably challenging. Something that in climbing falling off terms could be called a two screamer. That's when you fall off, scream, but fall sufficiently far that you have to take another breath to be able to carry on screaming. I would not get bored.
On a bike, probably something off Ilkley moor in the dry. Or, being honest I guess, perhaps Hully Gully. Woo, erm, hoo.
Dirt mechant as long as the whistler maintenance crew turn up from time to time to buff the jumps. They would have to be fast, within the thirty second scope...
The last 300 metre section of the track from Smougha to Trachila - none of you will know it, it's in that Greece. Or, if not that, the short section of monopati from Pyrgos heading down to Riglia which is just rocky, steppy heaven.
If any of you are ever out here I'll gladly show you.