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Swinley Forest - September 2010 Group Ride Report Bucksmtb.co.uk Cross Country XC Ride Out Sunday 26th September 2010 This month's group ride took place at the wonderful (and also massive) Swinley Forest near Bracknell, Berks. About an hour drive from Wendover Woods, the ride had a great turnout with 13 riders making the journey on a grey Sunday morning. After a chat and a bike check we set off at around 10:40. The route was different to our last Swinley group ride but still taking in a lot of the best trails the area had to offer in a series of loops and meanders, drops and rollers, and plenty of lovely fast sections too. The group quickly set a goldilocks pace with those in race mode blasting off into the undergrowth, ducking under branches, muscling round corners, and some sprinting up every hill in sight! Those after a more relaxed ride kept pace towards the back of the group whilst making the most of the friendly atmosphere. The first real challenge was encountered after a good warm up when we reached a set of drop-offs on a steep gradient offering at least 3 possible routes. The obvious line was to hit both drops in quick succession: the first slowly, then gathering speed into, and off, the second drop and across the fire road. The majority of the group hit this line and sped across the fireroad, with a few riders sampling all 3 lines to add to the variety that the trails offered. The group were really supportive, encouraging those newer to mountain bikes to try each line - resulting in huge grins all round! A local Cani-Cross team were using the fireroad for an event, which ended up making the wait to drop-in rather longer than some had hoped! I mean you know what it's like once you've decided to try something right? You've just got to get on with it! Next we headed over to another area of the forest, skirting past one of the more famous areas of the estate (used in the new Harry Potter film). In reality it's just a very small hillside that has no trees left on it, but it sounds fun...! A few really challenging lines came next, with difficult corners and off-camber roots all in a gulley snaking down the hillside, requiring some serious concentration. A number of riders did this section again and again, getting faster and faster each run! The next sections had a more man-made feel to them and offered fast-flowing corners and smooth trails, giving plenty of space to play around on, and loads of photo opportunities: Facebook gallery here [feel free to tag yourself in the Facebook gallery!] Lunch time (finally) came round and we made a beeline back to the cafe for a brew and some cake. The group halved in size for the afternoon ride as families, the promise of Sunday roasts, and the weather became a factor. The second half of the ride took in the jump gulley giving an opportunity to try our hands at (a sort of) dirt jumping, followed by some techy DH trails and a seemingly never-ending section of super sweet singletrack in the woods - we'll do it first next time! The weather got a bit worse and we got a bit more tired, so decided to call it a day before any silly mistakes were made. Huge thanks to everybody who rode with us and hope to see you all again next time! Details coming very soon of our October XC Group Ride... watch this space...
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