If this is not the case then why does it seem to be taking so long to do the trail maintenance? I'm only asking because last time I parked at Highlodge I was there for maybe just over 2 hours and it cost me over £7, so is this money going into improving the trails? I'm not sure, it seems to have taken an age to finish the Red route and as I rode round I couldn't help but notice some of the berms were getting a bit ropey. As for the Black, well it can only be rated as Black because it's so difficult to ride, not because of it's masses of technical challenges but because it is so terribly eroded nearly all the way round, the Beast is a great end but even that is becoming harder and harder to enjoy, some of the exposed roots are so bad you have to slam your brakes on to take an un-natural line and loose your flow, (there is nothing worse than loosing your flow) I don't mean this to sound like a big moan about the trails at Thetford, and I'm certainly not complaining about the people who give up their free time to maintain and improve the trails, I guess if I understand the situation correctly (again if I'm wrong please tell me) I'm moaning about the Forestry Commission for tying up all the volunteers in red tape and also relying on volunteers in the first place to keep everything running smooth when the cost of parking there is so high. The Red route is now a great cross country blast for the fit, the faster you can go the better it gets, it is littered with berms to flick in and out of and rollers that you can really push the bike into to pick up speed, you can't help but meander round the trail with a big smile on your face. What I don't get is why it's so expensive to park there when I can't see where all my money is going, I mean if anyone has seen all the solar panels on the visitors center roof it's not going on energy bills! Thetford forest is the only trail centre in the east of England so potentially has a captive audience, it always seems busy when I go there so why not invest more heavily in the trails? The reason for this little rant is that in the last few months I have been to the Surrey hills and Danbury, although these sites are completely different types of riding to each other and Thetford they are free to park at and the trails are always buff even in winter. I'm probably missing something here and if I am, please tell me. Why should I drive for just over an hour then pay through the nose to park so I can ride trails that just aren't really up to standard! I'd like to stress again that I think Timber are doing a great job on the red route and it is good, The Black route on the other hand is getting pretty desperate and it really is a shame, too make it a true Black route some sort of decision is going to need to be made about getting technical trail features in there and also some sort of skills area to bring in a different type of rider. The bomb holes we rode, the one mentioned and a couple of the others are getting quite eroded as well making them more dangerous. Anyway, sorry about the rant, these are just some observations from a regular-ish forest user who is being pushed away by the slow progress and extortionate parking fees. Yes! I know I could volunteer some time (between my two jobs) to help speed things up but then why should I have to volunteer when every time I go there I'm paying that amount to park? Yes! I know I could park nearby far cheaper and around the edge of the forest for free but I like to feel I contribute something to the up keep of the trails I like to ride however I'm getting slightly frustrated that maybe this money is not filtering through to the trails themselves. I would love to hear all your feed back on this.
Anyway moaning aside I again failed to put in a hard ride in preparation for racing, so I'm planning an early spin tomorrow. Looks like the weather could go either way, all this dry weather is going to turn me soft.
Reatin rides on.
