We’re chuffed to confirm that Singletrack Magazine have included us as one of their finalists in their Reader Awards. We’re up for the “Best UK Community Initiative” for our Be Nice Say Hi campaign, which has spread far and wide to encourage more friendly behaviour between user groups sharing trails.
Anyhow, to get to the point – VOTE FOR US PLEASE!
Click this link and vote for as many categories as you wish, just make sure to click submit for each one. Alongside us, there’s some worthwhile people and organisations, so let’s give them some recognition!
We were asked by Sheffield Adventure Film Festival (Shaff) to arrange a series of online talks to provide an online version of the talks they usually host as part of the festival. We picked some inspiring and exciting guests and had some fascinating discussions, which can be seen below.
Martyn Ashton
Tommy Wilkinson
Aneela McKenna
Cy Turner
Let us know what you think – especially if you have any suggestions for guests we could chat to in the future!
For a good while now, we’ve been looking to grow our trail repair team, but struggled with not having the resources to do so. Now, with a grant from Santa Cruz Paydirt, we’re ready to step things up and ask for volunteers to join our new Dig Teams.
Our idea is to have between 2 and 4 teams spread across the city, who are tooled up and ready to be tasked with repairs and ongoing maintenance – both on the trails that we’ve built and help to manage, along with the rights of way network. We’ll provide tools, clothing, materials and all of the training required to enable you to work correctly and safely.
Dig Teams will deal mostly with ongoing maintenance, repairs and cleaning/tidying vegetation, but as skills are developed this may move into help with new trail building as required.
We know that everyone has commitments, so we’re not asking for full attendance at each session, but we will be investing in tools and training, so please bear this in mind when applying. Ideally, we’d like to see each team have 10-15 people, with 5-10 attending each session. We’ll be aiming for 1-2 sessions a month for each team.
The specific teams will be decided once we have a better idea of where volunteers are located and what areas they’re keen to work on.
You can join one crew, or more if you’re keen! There’ll be a degree of overlapping, with larger projects including more teams working together as required. Big jobs might need everyone!
We’re hoping that there’ll be a good few of you interested in signing up, so we are asking for applications.
We’d love to see a real mix of people, not necessarily just those with previous experience – there’s a variety of skills that can be a huge help on trail days. Perhaps you have suggestions that you think would be useful?
We’re chuffed to confirm that we’re one of the projects recently announced as recipients of a PayDirt grant!
Founded by Santa Cruz Bicycles in 2019, PayDirt funds recreational mountain bike trail opportunities worldwide. With an initial three-year, $1 million pledge, PayDirt aims to create and strengthen opportunities for greater trail access and development through localised trail construction projects, economic development planning, events and related programs.
Ride Sheffield plans to use this grant to kick start our Trail Teams – several dig crews across the city to cover the sites that we help to manage and maintain. We’ll use the money to equip the team with the tools, skills, training and relevant first aid needed to get them out and fixing trails!
Watch this space for more details, we’ll be advertising for volunteers when we have everything in place!
Last year, we announced our fundraiser to repair and refurbish the 3 trails at Greno. While it’s been far from a normal year, we’re chuffed that folks have dug deep and we’re a good chunk of the way towards the total we need in order to get Biketrack booked in and the repairs under way.
We’re not quite there yet, so here’s what we’re hoping will be the final push. If you can afford to drop some cash in the pot, that’d be very much appreciated. If you’re not in a position to do that, perhaps you can help spread the word and persuade family and friends to help?
We’re at around £24k of our £30k target – please do all you can to help us get there!
How to Donate
Bank transfer
Direct transfers can be made to the Ride Sheffield account, details as follows;
Account name – Ride Sheffield Sort Code – 403102 Account number – 91574205 This account is with HSBC.
Paypal
Click the button to donate via Paypal.
Alternatively, send Paypal donations to ridesheffield@gmail.com using “Friends and Family” if possible please! Pop a note in the comments box “Greno 2021” and we’ll be sure to match your donation up.
With 2021 off to a less than great start, it was refreshing to get some positive news from Moors for the Future – with a progress report on the Cut Gate and North America bridleway works. Read on for an update!
North America
On the North America bridleway, there were sections where the material on site had been even worse than feared, leaving some sections needing further work. Top dressing material has been dropped at site to be used on these wetter sections. The path work here will continue until mid March.
Cut Gate
On the main Cut Gate bridleway itself, the majority of work so far has been water management – but the main flagged sections over the worst boggy sections are now in and looking great!
Work on the top section of Cut Gate will continue until roughly the middle of February, before top dressing work (similar story to North America) on the National Trust stretch of the track nearer Slippery Stones.
It’s great to see work progressing so well, especially given the recent weather conditions. This has been a long time coming, from way back in 2017 when we teamed up with Keeper of the Peak and Peak District MTB to raise our concerns at the Peak District Local Access forum. It’s been a truly collaborative effort!
Depending on Covid restrictions, we’re hoping for a site visit with Moors for the Future in March – watch this space for more news and photos!
LOCKDOWN 3 UPDATE – Ride Sheffield aren’t by any means the police or rule makers, but below is our interpretation of the guidelines around the current England lockdown rules.
British Cycling have also published an FAQ, which can be found here.
While we should stay at home wherever possible, we are allowed to exercise outside with members of our own household, those we’ve formed a support bubble with, or one other person from another household.
Exercise is limited to once a day and you should remain within your local area.
Ride well within your limits, but do get out there – riding is SO good for your mental and physical health!
As before, we’re using the format of some common questions, our interpretation and some additional guidance
Can I ride with friends outside of my household?
2021 Lockdown interpretation: The guidelines state you can ride with members of your household or support bubble, or one other person.
Ride Sheffield guidance: When on Bridleways try to be aware of other trail users who perhaps are not as comfortable mixing outside of their household. Do the right thing if the trail is tight, stand aside and ‘be nice say hi’ to walkers or horse riders.
Where can I ride?
2021 Lockdown interpretation: You should not travel out of your local area to exercise. The Government’s definition of this is stated as ‘your village, town or the part of a city where you live’.
This isn’t particularly clear, but British Cycling are looking to get some clarification on this with Sport England.
Ride Sheffield guidance: Ride from home! “Your local area” is open to a wide variety of interpretations, but now’s not really the time to be pushing the boundaries! Stick to an easily achievable route from home. If you’re within easy riding distance of Greno, Parkwood or Cannings, then by all means include these as part of a ride.
Can I ride over the border into Derbyshire?
2021 lockdown interpretation: We should all be riding within our local area.
Ride Sheffield guidance: For many of us in Sheffield, we live close to the border and a ride may include trails that cross into Derbyshire. Now isn’t the time to be loading up the car and heading to the Hope Valley for a Peak District loop.
Can I go to the cafe after my ride?
2021 Lockdown interpretation: Cafes are only offering take away service
Ride Sheffield guidance: Bear in mind that those cafes that do open may be busy – be prepared to mask up, queue and show understanding around others. Maybe pack some good trail snacks and have a socially distanced stop and chat in the wilderness.
We understand everyone’s interpretations can be slightly different but under our ‘be nice say hi’ mantra, now doesn’t seem the time to push the boundaries. The more we all play the game and stick to the rules, the sooner we can be planning trips out of area, and who knows maybe even abroad – that’s our 2021 goals right there!
In Sheffield we are pretty lucky to have a wide selection of trails, from the rights of way network that criss-crosses the city and the Peak District, built trails like Lady Cannings, Greno and Parkwood, a myriad of hand-crafted trails in Wharncliffe and of course BMX tracks such as Bolehills. While it has been (and always will be) an aspiration to provide more trails for mountain bikers to ride by changing designations on rights of way and creating more built trails, a key part of what we have to do is to look after what we have already.
One of the many things this year has shown us is that mountain biking is getting more and more popular. That, coupled with a couple of the wettest winters on record has really taken its toll on the trails.
Trail days are not a new thing for us. We have been getting out and working on the trails for pretty much as long as Ride Sheffield has existed, and we are grateful to all those people who have come and helped out. This year started off well with a huge effort to repair the flood damage on Devil’s Elbow with over 30 people helping out. But then covid put paid to any trail work for a long time and has then restricted us to trail crews of no more than 6 people. But taking an optimistic and ambitious look at 2021 and beyond, we want to do more with the trails and we want to do things a bit differently
Trail Crews
At the start of 2021, we are going to start recruiting for trail crew members. It is our ambition to have multiple trail crews, likely starting with 2 and growing if the volunteer numbers are there. One that will be based in the north of the city and will focus on trails such as Greno, Wharncliffe, Parkwood, Cut Gate for example and one in the south that will focus on Blacka, Cannings, Eastern Moors, Rivelin and anything in between. Crews would also be able to work together on larger projects too. Once the crews were trained, they would be able to work independently as well as supporting larger trail days too
We will provide the crew members with PPE, First Aid training, relevant trail checker skills, risk assessing and training in correct and safe techniques for trail work. We will also provide suitable clothing to identify you out on the trails. What we then expect from each member is attendance at a number of trail days a year.
It is also our hope that we will be able to have tool stores that can be accessed by those on the trail crews, with one in the north and the south.
The size and extend of the trail crews is dependent on funding, it will be part funded by Rad Tax, but if we secure additional funding it will allow us to be more ambitious with the roll out of the crews.
We will post more information on how to apply to become a member of the trail crew in the new year, but if you would like more info or to register your interest please email us at info@ridesheffield.org.uk
Trail Days
We are hoping to be able to start doing bigger trail days again in the new year. Currently we have a small midweek crew heading out to keep on top of things, but we will continue to review the situation and will keep you posted subject to Tier levels and other restrictions. Additionally, if you do see areas that you feel could do with trail work doing to them, please let us know and we will add it to our list or pass it on to the rights of way team. Please get in touch at info@ridesheffield.org.uk
Ride Sheffield’s strength has always been the awesome riding community we have in the city and we look forward to more or you joining us and making riding better for everyone in 2021 and beyond.
All photos in this article with thanks to Salt St.
As part of our week of Anti-Social Social, Rich Follett from Fit4-Physio gives us his hints on some hip, pelvis and spine mobility drills.
Maybe Shakira was right when she sang “the hips don’t lie” in 2005 (had to google the year)……
Let’s be honest, we all tend to spend a lot of time sitting – especially at this time of year with shorter daylight hours and rain rain rain. Whether it’s at the home office (COVID problems), in the car, on the sofa or on your favoured mode of 2 wheeled transport. Our hips end up flexed in these positions – and for long periods of the day. Add to that the fact that the vast majority of us grab a bike and just ride without really looking after our bodies particularly well and it’s a recipe for problems! When was the last time you did some stretching or mobility work after a ride?
In addition to tightness in the front of the hips, we tend to work our lower back and glute muscles pretty hard on the bike. This can lead to tension and overload of certain muscle groups. Not a bad thing necessarily but when this combination of “load” on our body system leads to imbalance around the hips / pelvis / spine, it can lead to problems.
We’re not just talking pain either….. performance problems are prevalent too whether it’s the ability to push hard or having the appropriate mobility for your cycling discipline, maybe unlocking those hips could be the key to cycling utopia!?
The exercises suggested here are generic hip, pelvis and spine mobility drills. They don’t replace a detailed and individualised approach that is required for some problems – for that, it is advised you Ride Sheffield supporters see your trusted physio (ideally with cycling specific knowledge) – oh, that’s us at Fit4-Physio!
However, you might want to give some of these a try. There’s no hard and fast rule around how many to do or when to do them. Find what works for you. Have a go. Challenge yourself and see where your limitations lie. If you struggle or find something particularly painful, contact us and I’m sure we’ll be able to help.
At Fit4-Physio we wish you all a very healthy and happy Christmas period and hope 2021 is a belter of a year for everyone. Happy riding.
The Peak District National Park Foundation has awarded Ride Sheffield with a £500 grant towards trail maintenance projects, resulting in the purchase of a new leaf blower.
The newly formed charity, the Peak District National Park Foundation, has been fundraising to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of the Peak District in 2021. Thanks to their efforts the optimistic target of £70,000 is now well within reach, and as part of this project Ride Sheffield has been able to invest in this game changing piece of equipment.
Leaf blowers have proven really useful for clearing trails of muck and mulch, making everything even more rideable, and keeping the trails as clear as possible through autumn and winter. Getting rid of the organic matter that rots down into mud means that we don’t have to scrape it off later in the year.
We’ve been able to borrow Sheffield City Council’s machines, but demand being high meant that availability hasn’t been great over the last couple of years. An extra leaf blower will be a huge help.
“It’s the little things that matter! Maintenance isn’t sexy or good at creating news headlines, but is at the heart of good conservation management and sustaining a high quality landscape. A place where wildlife can thrive alongside the people who want to enjoy ‘blowing the cobwebs’ away, be it walking, riding, running or just enjoying being in nature” Jon Dallow, Sheffield City Council
Sheffield City Council are kindly testing and maintaining this blower for us and we’ll be sharing it with them to use when they have larger projects. Ride Sheffield will be getting out as much as we can to clear the trails we’ve built with the council at Parkwood and Lady Cannings, Sheffield Wildlife Trust sites like Greno, along with the bridleways dotted around the area.
Before…..
“We’re delighted to have the ongoing support of Ride Sheffield to help look after the network of public bridleways and footpaths at Blacka Moor nature reserve. The recent purchase of a leaf blower with funding from the Peak Park Foundation will really help the volunteers keep the routes clear and in good condition over the autumn and winter.” Nabil Abbas, Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust
After!
We’re chuffed to have the support of the land managers we work alongside, along with the Peak District National Park Foundation and their grant money. Team work as it should be!
You can read more about the work of the Peak District Foundation and their work here
