Season's Greetings from the Flying Chick's and Groovy Chick's

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Put the flag up, ski season is almost here.

Best wishes from Flying Chick.

Flying Chick's Night Riding, Rivington, Lancashire, UK

There is something very magical about my local area Rivington, and the surrounding forest at night .

Now the clocks have changed, it's time to explore your local area at night.

It's such a special experience riding a mountain bike in the pitch black darkness of the Chinese Gardens at the foot of Winter Hill situated in Lancashire, North West England. You'd expect to encounter deer and rabbits and other animals but we rarely ever see them, they see and hear us first and are obviously frightened off by our bright halogen lights approaching. You're more likely to encounter deer, squirrels, and foxes in the day time. In fact the only sign of life we saw on one of our night rides was a tramp with a can of beer in his hand, I said to my friend Carolyn? Did you see that tramp? Couldn't miss him she said. We feel safe riding at night because no one can tell the difference if we're a couple of ladies or a couple of mud splattered rough lads out for a ride in the darkness.

How much can you see ahead?

Well, not much is the answer to that.
The above picture is a true example of the amount you can see with my Smart twin Halogen lights
Always take a backup battery as most only last 2 hours and it's easy to forget how long you've been riding when you're enjoying yourself. My battery once died on a night ride and I could not see my hand in front of my face, I had to follow behind my friend and be guided by his helmet light and bike halogen's. Really hard to follow someone else's lights. also pays to stick to riding the area you know well because if you get lost in the darkness, you're in trouble. Never, ever, night ride alone
I smashed up my lights last year, it is a lot easier to crash your bike on a dark forest trail. I guess my Christmas present to myself this year is a new set of lights.

Big Biking Weekend 9 - 11 October 09

Some pictures of the Groovy Chicks XC antics on a tipical cross country weekend.

AIR MAIDEN FREERIDE EVENT

Air Maiden freeride training event is being held at Glentress Freeride park 10 - 11 October 2009

Ever wanted to try freeride but never had the chance to learn. On Saturday 10th Oct, Air Maiden 2009 will be running coaching clinics aimed at improving freeride skills from getting two wheels off the ground to nailing wallrides, table tops and drop offs.

Sunday 11 Oct, you can show off your new skills at the Air Maiden Freeride competition. Lots of prizes to be won.

The weekend event including professional coaching is just £50 includes a Saturday night barbecue. Pictured left is coach Kim Bent in action. For more information visit http://www.downhiller.co.uk/

MTB Downhill National Championships July 2009

Don't miss the National Downhill and XC Championships at Innerleithen, Scotland 18th - 19th July 09.

The downhill is the number one event in the UK domestic calender and is taking place on the ledgendary downhill course at Innerleithen. With a race arena, trade stands and some of the UK's and the World's best riders including our current World Cup Champion, Tracey Moseley.

Pictured is me, Flying Chick but if the pro's were racing the same course they would jump right over the top of me. I wouldn't see them for dust.

Don't forget the Groovy Tribe MTB Club are at Innerleithen September11-13, book the uplift early for Sunday or you just might miss the bus.

Flying Chick's & Groovy Rockets at Glentress & Innerleithen

May 25 Bank Holiday weekend was a fantastic success.

The Flying Chick's teamed up with the Groovy Rocket's yet again at Glentress and Innerleithen, Scotland for a fantastic biking weekend. Most of us stayed at Peebles Hydro, at £49 rate exclusively for MTB'ers it's a great bargain.

The weather was hot and trails were bone dry. We took our XC bikes as well as our DH bikes and we rode the red at Glentress on Saturday, On Sunday we rode the downhill trails at Innerleithen, The steep descents were bone dry, if you have ever ridden the Gold Run and Cresta Run you'll know that they give the word "steep" a new meaning but because they were dry I got fantastic grip with my 2.7 downhill fat tyres and rode them with confidence and pleasure, with no offs whatsoever. We usually ride these trails when they are wet and its usually like riding on glass, slipping on tree roots for most of the descents. We all had the biggest grins at the end of the day. Except for one poor lad, not in our group. He over shot the gap jump (know also as the coffin jump) and landed very badly and broke his collar bone. Our Groovy Rocket, H phoned for an ambulance and it arrived within 20 minutes. It just brings home to us just how dangerous our sport is. But we love it!! Pic is Butterfly at Glentress freeride park.

Watch out Groovy Rockets!!

Watch out Groovy Rockets, pictured left is Flying Chick's son who

is already loads better than most at jumps and tricks at age 11 and three quarters.

He's a joker and say's

"Mum's got all the gear,but no idea"

Pic left: Joe taking flight in our local woods. Bike is a kids Trek with 24" wheels.

Mega Avalanche Race Alpe d Huez

This would be a good one for Graham Bell and Ed Leigh for the new series of High Altitude later this year. The 3,300 m high altitude peak of Pic Blanc is the perfect location for crazy mountain bikers looking for the ultimate mountain bike downhill rush. Myself and a few other mad mountain biker friends would be up for it to. However you do have to qualify for the Mega Avalanche race along with 200 other riders per race.


We had just got to the end of our Easter Skiing holiday in Alpe d Huez, loads of snow, it was still snowing when we left, however, It would seem that the French MTBer's have an unfair advantage in preparation for the July event because in April they get to practice for this huge downhill annual event held in Alpe d Huez every July called the Mega Avalanche. We had just got to the last day of our Easter Skiing holiday there was still loads of snow and it was still snowing when we left on Saturday. We did notice a few mountain biker downhillers taking part in a similar event to the Mega Avalanche but this was held on 18 April. The Mega Avalanche (as pictured) is limited to 400 entrants. Starting at Pic Blanc, riders line up in rows of 24 with a total of 17 rows and 406 riders meaning total mayhem kicks in once the starting whistle is blown. Many riders fall at the outset, slipping and sliding their way down the first steep 400 metres of descent. Those that make it first onto the snow free fast descending single track are the ones most likely to win. So the Flying Chick's will see you there for the race in July Graham and Ed ?

Flying Chick rides the new trails at Healy Nab

Trail building has been ongoings for several months at my local forest, Healy Nab, nr Rivington, North West England. The red route is almost complete.

If you're a skilled or simi skilled mountain biker I found that the red route is suited for intermediate riders as there are a few rocky areas and you'll need some skills to clear them safely, followed by a series of sharp berms. The trails are not for beginners as it really can be challenging. There are consistent tight corners and rocky sections and you need speed to clear some of the rocky sections through the trees. It's not too steep but it is twisting with fantastic alternating berms. The trail has been purpose built and there is one tree on the red route that is very hard to miss if you're traveling at speed. I once witnessed a downhiller friend hitting a tree head on at a tremendous speed while we were on the trails in Morzine. We thought he was dead until he started gasping for breath, he was lucky only to have been winded. Without his body armour, that collision with the tree would probably have been his last.

The black route at Healy Nab is far more challenging than the red and a great place to practice jumps, it's nowhere near finished yet but thumbs up to the volunteers who have given up their weekends to work on the trail building. The trails are short but if you think of them as a great place to practice skills and it's close to where a lot of the Groovy Tribe Bike club members ride making it a great playground for us. It's also good for your fitness as you have to ride your bike back up to the top again to repeat a few laps of the trails. If you're a beginner it is worth spending a day with our local qualified mountain bike instructor Mike Stafford before attempting the red and black routes. Intermediate and advanced courses are also available. You can book a day skills training course on line at http://www.mountainbikeskills.co.uk/

Above picture is Flying Chick. Photo by Mark Foster

Picture postcard of a Mountain biking holiday

Hi Mum, having a great time..............

Picture location is the unforgiving Irish coast by extreme sports photographer Victor Lucas. Check out his amazing website www.victorlucas.com

Marla Streb All round racing legend

American born Marla Streb got into mountain biking later in life at age 28, her professional downhill and single speed racing lasting from 1998 to winning 1st crankworks Enduro Downhill in Whistler in 2005. She ended her professional racing career on a high by winning Single Speed World Championship in 2005 at age 40. That's a fantastic achievement when you consider her competitors were half Marla's age.


Marla has written several books, I read her first book (her autobiography) with interest and it was fascinating to get into the head and read with clear understanding the thoughts of a downhill racer and what makes her tick. Marla having grown up with 4 brothers ( as I did) having to compete with 4 lads when you were growing up made you tough. She competed in a few bike races in her 20's but she really got the MTB bug when she met a handsome , hunk mountain biker called Martin (I'm wondering was his name really Martin)on a trip to Europe who loaned her a mountain bike and he took her on the DH trails and she was elated at the experience of trying to keep up with this gorgeous bloke. Reading her book, I think he's is the guy she should have married, his dream was to be a downhill racer. (as later on Marla would be) But it never works out that way in real life as hunks and handsome are usually gits and only good to be around in the short term, so anyway she married a nice guy but not the guy who made her feel alive. I think you MTB women will be interested to learn that Marla like most of the women into dangerous sports is also a high achiever and has a graduate degree in marine biology but rather than spend her life in beautiful exotic locations around the world as a biomedical researcher there was intense fulfilment to be found in getting bruised and dirty on a high tech mountain bike, competing against girls half her age. So what is Marla up to now I hear you ask ? Marla and husband Mark had their first child in 2007 and they are expecting their second child within the next six weeks. They are now running their own MTB skills training business in the beautiful exotic location of Costa Rica. Some are women's only camps. The skills training courses are all inclusive, (except flights and transfers) Just bring your helmet and bike shoes. Check out Marla's website for full details of her training camps. www.strebmountainbikecostarica.com

Picture top left, credit to Gerald Bybee (for making our sport look sexy) is on the cover of Marla's book, The life Story of A Downhill Gravity Goddess. Pict. Bottom Right, Marla winning the world Championship in 2005.
Pic Below left. Marla on the podium US National
Downhill Champion 2004

This Flying Chick is Lightning

Lightning at Kirroughtree, Scotland

Show me a brave Flying Chick with MTB skills to match most blokes and you'd think of Lightning, no elbow pads, no shin guards, this chick is the queen of hardtail skills.

I can't think of a better place to practice great trail riding than Kirroughtree, one of the 7 Stanes mountain bike areas in Scotland. You'll encounter vast slabs of granite linked with hugh boulders. The Kirroughtree red and black trails are tough and unrelenting. After climbing the aptly named, Heartbreak Hill comes Black Craig and Talnortry Hill (an initial snaking climb) Then the hard works pays off as it's classic 7 Stanes downhill, dropping from a considerable height and flowing neatly through the forest and with some serious drop offs thrown in for good measure. I'm looking forward to riding the trail again with Lightning and the rest of the girls this spring.

Wear the right kit for a tough sport..or else

Hey Girls ! Want to stay pretty ??

There is no doubt in my mind that wearing the right protection for downhilling can not only save your smile, it can also save your life.

The cost of the right gear can sometimes put people off and a good Troy Lee Designs downhill helmet alone can set you back £200 - £300 +. However, you can get an excellent 661 full face for around £60 -£70. Flying Chick, pictured right wears a 661 motor cross helmet, for downhill only, @ £170. After you've protected your head and face be sure to invest in a full upper body protection suit. You'll wear this usually only for downhill, but most of the time even for cross country the Groovy Tribe club ladies wear knee/shin pads and elbow pads on most rides. Check out Gear bikes of Glasgow for a great range http://www.gearbikes.com/ or http://www.chainreactioncycles.co.uk/

Picture above is Toothless Mag's, who is a member of the Scottish Women's Downhill club, I'm glad to say her smile has now been fixed. You can see what else they get up to if you visit http://www.downhiller.co.uk/



Pictured above is a typical upper body protection suit, go for one with full spine armour. Picture above in crash mode is our Groovy Rocket Rick, showing us how you can lose your teeth in style. Seriously though get the right gear and stay safe on the trails. Let's be careful out there!

Our World Cup Champion Tracey Moseley

Well our Top Girl rider Tracey Moseley has been busy this year taking 1st place at the Australia National Championship and also won 1st place at the New Zealand Island Cup.

It was a very successful weekend for the Kona Les Gets factory team with all the gravity riders making it onto the podium, Tracy took 2nd place after Sabrina Jonnier of France, pipped her to the post by a mere 3 seconds.

She has ended the season this year by taking 1st place at the Nationals Rounds at Innerleithen Sept 20 - 21.

Helen Gaskell took the series just ahead of Katy Curd. Our Top downhillers including top lady Rachel Atherton are all winners, only seconds between their times.

Wishing them all a great 2009 season.

Good for us it did catch on!!! What? Biking of course

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is my mother's favourite old movie and I remember as a very small child, watching the bike scene staring Paul Newman, doing some fantastic bike stunts or so I thought. I had a tiny 3 wheeler bike hand me down but I wanted a big bike like the one in the film.

After the death of his son, Paul Newman devoted much of his life and his large fortune into helping others. Even now after his own death his legacy lives on through his children.

They say you take nothing to the grave, well that's not entirely true for people like Paul Newman. He took a whole lot of love to the grave, in fact he took the love of the thousands of people he's helped throughout his life time. The best scene in the film is when Butch and Sundance (played by the young, handsome Robert Redford) jump off a massive cliff into a river. Classic, you can get a colour remastered copy of the film from http://www.play.com/
Get involved in charity organisations and you can meet top celebrities at fantastic events. Dine with Robert Redford and Julia Roberts at a charity event organised by Paul Newman's children's charity, Hole in the wall camps. Event is on 8th June 2009. Info click the link below.
http://www.holeinthewallcamps.org/documents/EventInfo4309.pdf

Groovy Tribe Holiday in Vancouver. This is Butterfly at Whistler Bike Park.

Just one word to say about our Butterfly. Awesome !!

Good bye Kona Bike Park, Les Gets

The Shed Drop pictured below, does not exist any more, sad but true. However, there is some good news for our future trips to Morzine. Easy Jet now offer no weight limit on bikes. yes it's true, as long as it's not over 32kg, How good is that?

Well !!! what a shock, (I felt like some vandal had come along and dug up my garden) I'd been told that the Kona bike park at Les Gets, Mont Chery didn't exist anymore, it's more than true, you can't even take your bike up the chair lift. We took our bikes up the Mont Chery gondola , but to our dismay the chair lift at the top of the gondola was only available to walkers. The only track left for downhiller's is the most satisfying steep descent down the last quarter section of the Mont Chery back into Les Gets, short but sweet. I just love that down hill. Why does it seem so easy now? I guess because the ground was bone dry.

This year we stayed in a lovely chalet, with Rider's Refuge. Chalet Deffert is run by a really lovely and friendly couple, Jill and Jono. To be honest, all we want out of our biking holiday is a cosy, clean, confortable chalet with fantastic food and friendly chalet hosts. (apart from the sunny weather and fantastic riding) Jill and Jono ticked every box and we had one of the best times ever in Morzine. A great thanks to Rider's Refuge, and a bargain price to. The chalet is situated at the foot of the Plenny gondola lift. Check out their website for more information. They also run a ski chalet in Morzine. You can be sure of an endless ride holiday. http://www.ridersrefuge.co.uk/

BACK TO MORZINE THIS AUGUST 08

Yes, We're back in Morzine in August for what will be my 6th summer season.

Any girls interested in an all female biking adventure look not further than http://www.flowmtb.com/ formerly mountainbikeholidays.co.uk.

A while back a group of us Groovy Chick's booked guiding with Sara, the girl who runs the business. They are agents for Santa Cruz bikes and I took my Kona Stab for my downhill days, I also hired a Nomad from Sara to try for a couple of XC days. Great Bike.

For the past 2 years Sara has been running Dirtgirls, women only biking holidays, she was lucky enough to get the services of downhill racer Emily Horridge (pictured flying at Kona Bike Park Les Gets) Sara's ladies only weeks offer you the chance to have a mixture of skills sessions and rides. This year they are running Dirt Girls from a lovely hotel in Champery with a hot tub and sun terrace. This year's coach is Masters World Champion, Petra Wiltshire. Check out Sara's website for more information. http://www.flowmtb.com/

PANTHER AT INNERLEITHEN IN JUNE

Pictured is Panther flying off the rock drop at Innerleithen, Scotland recently.

Great weather and fantastic riding, picture left, riders gathering for the uplift.

OUR TRACEY'S BACK AS WORLD CUP WINNER 2008

Fort William World Cup Winner of the ladies elite downhill is Tracey Moseley. Congratulations!!!!!

What an amazing finish as Tracey clears the Nissan log jump (pictured) and knocked a huge 4 seconds off her time last year.

Well done to Rachel Atherton, 3rd place.Our world class FLYING CHICK BRIT'S are back in business.

Tracey's Bike, Kona Stab.

THE FLYING CHICK'S RIDE FORT WILLIAM WORLD CUP DOWNHILL COURSE

The Flying Chick's at Fort William, bank holiday weekend 23- 26 May 08.

Picture right is Panther flying off the log drop.

Three of the Chick's rode the world cup downhill track. Panther, Bombshell, Flying Chick and five Groovy Rocket's plus one incredible 10 year old Groovy Rocket, Flying Jack.

The world cup downhill track was very dry at the weekend, it hasn't rained in Fort William for 3 weeks, so it was like riding on marbles as the gravel was bone dry on the steep descents so the bikes could easily go out of control on the the gravel berms, and they did. Some of us including myself had a few offs and a few of us suffered mighty over the bars offs but unlike last year none of us ended up in hospital. While the south of the UK suffered with rain and strong winds, most of Scotland and the Highlands including Fort William, Nevis Range were enjoying beautiful blue skies and lovely sunshine.

Picture Below is the gondola uplift picture from Nevis Range website, we hook the bikes on the side of the gondola. Pic below is the magnificent view of Nevis Range and the downhill course.

Picture right is Flying Chick

Flying off the log drop.

When you jump the log drop you can't see the landing so it's very hard to judge what speed you need on the approach. Too much speed and you crash on the hill, too little and you nose dive over the bars.

Above left is Bombshell on the top section of the course.

Above is Flying Chick and Bombshell on the Slab, very slippery on this section.

Pic above is Panther flying off the rock drop finish of the downhill track.

Above is Flying Chick on approach to the log drop.

Panther racing towards the log drop on the bottom section of the course


Picture above is Bombshell. Pic: right is Flying Chick on the rock garden descent.

What a fantastic weekend. Let's hope the track gets a little bit of rain to settle the dust for the World Cup Championship next month. Good luck to our British team!!

Thanks to Dave Halton and Will James for the great pictures.

More picture of our Fort William weekend at http://gallery.mac.com/davehalton/100138

PANTHER, ROAD DROP AT CWMCARN

Panther racing over the road drop at Cwmcarn, South Wales.

Panther and the Groovy Rocket's did the uplift at Cwncarn on Sunday 11 May.

No crashes on the road drop this time. You're all just getting too good!!!! Great practice for Fort William 23 - 26 May 08.

Sponsored Jump for St Catherine's Hospice

THe Flying Chick's raised £120 for a local

charity, St Catherine's Hospice.
http://www.stcatherines.co.uk/

Location: Top Barn
Rivington,

Lancashire. Sat. 26 April.

Butterfly on her lightweight carbon full suspension Stumpjumper. Panther on her Specialized Enduro full suss. and Flying Chick on her Orange full suspension. Photo's by Mark Foster,

Thanks all for taking the time to do this!!! For every little means a lot.

Women's Skills Week, Austria

Over the Edge Biking based in Austria are running two ladies/ girls skills weeks in June & August 08. You'll be staying in a lovely luxury hotel, with heated pool, sauna & massage. The hotel is situated only five minutes from shops and bars. http://www.haus-sonnblick.at/
Over the week you'll learn bike setup, bike maintenance, how to use wheelies to get over obstacles, cornering and drop offs. £54 single £44 twin. Skills training cost including guiding and tuition is £250. Check out their website for more details http://www.overtheedgebiking.com/
Guiding and Skills tuition is a moderate grade so you won't be doing the Adidas Slopestyle, pictured left if you really don't want to.

Flights and airport transfers not included, you'll need to check with Over The Edge for prices and further details.
Anyone fancy having a go at the Adidas Slopestyle? ( Saalbach, Austria) It's the last gap jump that puts me off a bit. ee ee

February DH Weekend, Cwncarn, South Wales.

Cwncarn, Nr Newport, Downhill Weekend. 1 -3 Feb. 2008
It was a good turn out with a mixed group of 12. We stayed in 3 lovely cottages situated about 15 minutes drive from Cwncarn. Really inexpensive at just £15 ish each per night.

Once again the weather proved to be in our favour, Friday was sunny, Saturday and Sunday cold, but stayed dry. We set off knowing of severe weather warnings for most of the UK, but we were glad we'd headed south as most of the north of England and Scotland had heavy snow and windy conditions with lorries blown over North of the M6, Cumbria area.

Cwncarn Downhill Course:

The road jump is a lot steeper than it looks. See picture of Groovy Rocket Jez, on Hamish's website below.

Top pic: left by Dave Halton Rest of pictures: By Hamish McMurray & partner

The downhill course is man made and can be ridded by less experienced riders, whilst offering something exciting and challenging to even the top elite riders. The course is split into two runs at the top, the red and the black which both merge about a third of the way down the hill. The red run is the easier of the two.

The whole course is rollable, however there are some really big jumps but you can easily go around them if you want to. However, if you like to fly, then you're in for a real treat.

Pictures below: Panther and Flying Chick, loading our bikes on the uplift trailer.

Uplift cost is £25 per day, you can book at http://www.cwmdown.co.uk/

More pictures of our weekend on this link below. Including Groovy Rocket Jez, 30mph crash of the weekend.

www.hamishmcmurray.com/MTBPhotos/cwmcarn020208/index.htm

SKI SUNDAY, THUMBS UP!

If the BBC would just give mountain biking and other sports the same coverage (in my perfect world)

Thumbs up to the new re-vamped Ski Sunday. I've been finding myself glued to my TV set (Sunday's at 7pm BBC 2) wishing I could swap jobs with Graham Bell or at least be his co-presenter. Someone at the beeb has finally made Ski Sunday something good and not just a round up of the recent happenings in racing. Also great that they are putting skiing and boarding on the same level and giving both equal amount of coverage.


Pic: Left is Groovy Chick Kaz in Vancouver.

Myself and a few club members are planning a trip back out to the Alps, possibly in April.

Also Whistler mountain bike trip is planned in August.

Four club members have emigrated after visiting

Vancouver, I guess it's the most perfect place for our sports. Phatboyian is emigrating there in a few weeks. Good luck mate!! Wishing you tons of success in your new job from all of the Flying Chicks. We'll miss the laughs.

Dalby Forest, More Than Just XC.

DALBY FOREST, NR PICKERING, NORTH YORKSHIRE.

We arrived at Dalby early on Saturday morning. If you get there before 8.30am there is no one sat in the little hut ready to take your money, it's a steep £7 per car so it's worth it just to park for free. (I'm not tight, I just think it's too much, It should be £3 max and I think it puts people off visiting Dalby) It was really cold and frosty when we arrived but the sunshine made up for the -1 temperature. We decided to do the red route, 23miles + and starts at the visitors centre. At the beginning it seems really easy with gentle climbs, and easy descents. However, it did get harder and I ended up eating my words. "This is easy" Yeah right!

After a few miles we came to Dixon's Hollow (pictured) where there are jumps and north shore logs to play on. Half way around the route it began to sleet, then snow, the sunshine had disappeared and we were starting to get very cold, especially on some of the more exposed areas. By the time we'd finished the red route we were absolutely freezing cold and wet, it's a long time since I'd been that cold and I couldn't feel my fingers and toes. I was glad to sit in the car to thaw out with the heater on full blast.

I'd like to go back next spring or summer. If you're planning a trip there, it's worth staying for the weekend as you can hire an inexpensive log cabin and stay in the forest with beer and a barbecue to look forward to after the ride. Now that's more like it........

Panther & Flying Chick at Innerleithen, Scotland

November Weekend at Innerleithen proved to be fantastic.
Lucky with the weather or what?

Racing against time to get down the track
before darkness fell.

Saturday was dry all day and we managed to get about 8 runs in.

Pic. right, the cattle truck

uplift for our bikes.

Pictures by Dave Halton www.mtbvides.co.uk

We've been incredibly lucky with the weather on all our recent trips to Innerleithen, myself, Panther and 3 Groovy Rockets had yet another fantastic weekend there. Most of the trails were dry so Panther and I were confident to build up speed and push ourselves to go faster. We managed to get about 8 runs in on the Saturday and we didn't have to wait around more that a few minutes for the next uplift. New Innerleithen uplift arrangement is now 2 x coaches and 2 x cattle trucks. We actually used to get into the cattle trucks with our bikes in the past but health and safety put a stop to that, so now it's a luxury downhill weekend in comparison to the old method. The downhill trails at Inners are mainly graded black but you are warned in advance on some of the trails, of bomb holes and drops. If you're riding there for the first time it's always a good idea to check out the trails first before attempting the tough stuff. However, if you're a Groovy Rocket, you just do it! don't you lads? We just have so much fun there, I can't wait for the next trip.

THIS IS BUTTERFLY AT HAMSTERLEY DH COURSE

This lady can fly, she's fast and she makes Hamsterley downhill course look easy.










Picture is Butterfly on the top section of the course. The top section is brutal and includes a bomb hole, sharp fast berms, large drop offs, speed jumps, followed by a set of switch backs that set you up on a short straight to hit the 30ft table top.

Land the down slope and you're into a rock garden. Well that's just for starters, it gets tougher, steeper and rockier. Finish on a set of 20ft doubles................. if you can!

HAMSTERLEY WEEKEND WITH HELEN GASKELL

Women's/girls coaching weekend with Helen Gaskell at Hamsterley Forest, County Durham. (Pic: left is Helen Gaskell) 17th - 18th November 2007. Only £40 for self catering forest lodge accommodation for both Friday & Saturday nights. (it's really like a massive bunk house though and you'll be in a bunk bed, sharing a dorm with other girls). Up-lift and coaching with our world class 5th ranking, Helen Gaskell. Coaching sessions, including jumping techniques and drops, racing tips, 4x and general downhill techniques. Myself, Panther, Rockmonkey C and Dirtmonkey Y did the same course last year with Helen Gaskell and Rachel Atherton. It was great fun and we did learn a great deal and the fact that I got my very worst injury on that weekend brings home just how dangerous and crazy our sport is. However, that's why our professionals run these courses and we should all give thanks to Helen Gaskell for her time. Believe me, she's not making much out of the weekend. You also get your lunch at the hut in the forest thrown in to. Plus there is a free lift to the pub and back in the evenings. Big thanks to Helen and also to the organiser Kim Bent, who also is involved in the coaching and training on the weekend. Well done ladies!

Wow, now that's gotta hurt!

Flying Chick's injury at Hamsterley March 2006. Keep that front wheel up! or else! My leg got trapped within the frame of my bike on impact so the massive bruise goes all the way around.

The only bad injury is where I didn't have body armour on my leg. I also had impact bruises under my armour. Out of action for 3 months and several hospital visits for physiotherapy and deep heat treatment.