Hamsters, edited highlights, winter version.

Mountain Bike Ride

The Trainee

21st January 2016 route.

In complete contrast to the debacle that was yesterday’s ride, today we managed a more or less continuous pedal. Some local knowledge from a knowledgeable local informed us there was significantly less snow at Hamsterley than the North York Moors: he was not wrong. Paradoxically, the tracks were mainly covered in what can only be described as grippy ice, a kind of semi-thawed slush which had a remarkable amount of friction.

Our latest edited highlights of Hamsters route is as follows - winter version, missing out the off-piste stuff,

1. Pikes Teeth, up the hill from the car park, a harsh start, then a long drag to get you warmed up for the rest of the day.
2. Oddsox, from the bottom of Pikes Teeth, fire road to Rocky Road, down to the river, cross bridge, take the right hand track parallelling the river, at the end turn left up another fire road. Ride past Route 666 because that is what it deserves, follow the fire road to Oddsox.
3. Transmission, on the opposite side of the valley, plod up to the transmitter and begin, so good we sometimes do it twice.
4. Accelerator, turn right from the end of Transmission and into the entrance, this track appears flat, no rocks, no drop offs just speed. So good we always do it twice.
5. Nitrous, directly after Accelerator and completely different, steep, rocky and varied. Don’t be a dick and ride over the last berm to get a faster Strava time. If your cycling is more about conceit than enjoyment there is a Strava segment for the trio known as Triple Tranny.
6. Section 13, across the valley, up the hill, yes, that hill, pause  (or maybe not) at the wooden hut and continue to the top, watching out for paying customers in full face helmets emerging at speed from the woods. Gird your loins and tackle the next bit of gravity defying before plunging back down, carving berms and getting some easy air on the jumps.
7. Boneshaker, turn right along the fire road from Section 13, Boneshaker is on the left. More old school than the previous tracks, which is a polite way of saying less well-surfaced. There is a new finish to this route which leaves a lot to be desired; most riders continue to use the old finish.
8. Special K, after an uphill tarmac surprise, Special K appears, main features a steep bomb hole and a wooden wall ride, the wall ride is generally wet.
9. Brainfreeze, along a fire road from Special K and into Brainfreeze, another old school track, culminates with a platform jump often avoided by craven old blokes.
10. The Skills Loop, do the see-saw, zig zag to the start and point yourself downward, taking in a few ‘technical trail features’ although a few less than there used to be since some of the wooden sections were removed.

And that’s it. Say hello to The Gruffallo and make your way back to the car park. All the best bits - 11 miles and a fair bit of climbing. The cafe will doubtless be closed so get yourselves to The 68 Cafe outside Toft Hill, just be aware in winter last orders for food is 2:30pm and it closes at 3pm.