As part of this years’ Anti-social Social we introduce our Ambassador Series, designed for you to get to know more about the people who help to make the magic happen at Ride Sheffield. We asked our Ambassadors five topical questions and here are their answers….
Pat Horscroft
Q.1. Which MTB trail got you through lockdown? Anything as soon as I left the house – such a release to hear the birdsong and watch the natural year evolve. We are so blessed with the Peak District on our doorstep.
Q.2. How did MTBing become part of your life? I originally believed mountain biking was riding over tussocky fields in Nottingham! However, Sheffield showed me the error of my ways, at age 60. It was hard work getting the simple things right: body position, cone of movement, weight transfer, efficient gearing, cornering, braking, looking ahead, uphill and downhill skills, so many things to get just right. Skiing, climbing, judo and yoga gave me a considerable advantage, with balance, spatial awareness, body position and, of course, falling off! But, it all takes time and is soooo worthwhile when it starts to come together. Now 77, definitely much fitter and although uphill is a drag I really love the downhill as Peaty’s Steel City downhill race will bear testimony.
Q.3. Where are you dreaming of riding in 2021? Bike Park Wales to regain my downhill mojo, Glenn Tress for the craic, the Alps for the adrenalin rush and Sauze d’Oulx for pure nostalgia.
Q4. Have you ridden more or less this year? Loads more – I’ve managed to get out at least every other day (sorry, but I am retired) So my fitness has improved massively as it’s always 7kms uphill from home! I did 170kms in November.
Q.5. What would you like to see MTBing become in the next few years? How should it evolve? Greater understanding between different user groups and an acceptance that we all have a right to enjoy the great outdoors. An awareness from conservation bodies that mountain bikers have very little affect on the natural world and that National Parks, for example, were created for the enjoyment of everyone. A similar right to roam for all users as applies in Scotland would be wonderful.
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.
Over the
years Ride Sheffield have dreamt big and grafted hard to realise some very
ambitious projects and have built a well earned reputation as a riding
community that gets the job done. Our latest venture, Redmires, was set
to be another example of this same commitment but unfortunately we have faced
an ever growing set of unforeseen challenges and now three years down the road,
we have had to make the difficult decision to postpone our work on the
project.
Thanks to the generosity of local business
and riders, the money required to build the track in Redmires Plantation was quickly
raised. We formed an excellent relationship with Sheffield conservation groups
to ensure we knew what possible impacts we could have on local wildlife. Ride
Sheffield and Sheffield City Council (SCC) went the extra mile to produce a
proposal that addressed numerous issues that could have an impact on the
project.
But that’s where the good news ends.
Redmires lies within the Peak District National Park (PDNP) and therefore comes
under close scrutiny due to its proximity to land that is of prime conservation
status. The National Park Authority has the highest standards and in spite of
our best efforts to fulfill those standards, we have run into a brick wall.
Along with local residents, the PDNP has
raised a number of objections including the effect the trail would have on
landscape value, exacerbated by Storm Doris felling a belt of trees adjacent to
the Long Causeway. The possible increase in parking and the fact that an
endangered species, nightjar, is now nesting in the plantation were also
crucial issues.
We may all have opinions about the veracity
of these objections but we were under no illusions when we first proposed this
project that it would be a real challenge. The delay has understandably caused
some serious debate within the local riding community with some arguing that we
should abandon Redmires. Rightly or wrongly, we stuck to our guns for three
years but, as a result of changing circumstances, we have to make a difficult
decision. Given the complexity of the
planning application, it’s highly likely that Redmires will not be built for
five years.
But we’re not giving up. For a number of
reasons, we’re determined to continue striving to achieve what would be a
ground-breaking trail. It would set an important precedent, that mountain
biking and conservation can co-exist. Time will be a factor because the growth
of new trees will have a number of benefits for our project, not least removing
the landscape impact.
Importantly, this allows us to move on in a
number of ways. First up, we’re keen to revitalise Greno. All three tracks need
maintenance and reinvention with DH3 due an overhaul to ensure it becomes as
popular as Steel City and Pub Run. We’ve already spoken to our corporate
sponsors and they’re happy for funds they donated to be used for Greno. That,
along with donations to the Greno Trail Fund and the Xmas raffle means we’re
close to the required sum.
Secondly, Lady Canning’s has been incredibly popular since construction and is showing serious signs of wear and tear. Again, we want to bring it back up to the highest possible standard. We may not be able to rebuild both of them immediately as that will depend massively on the continuing generosity of the Ride Sheffield mountain bike community. We’re in the process of making an application to the Santa Cruz Pay Dirt fund which could go some way to financing this work.
Sheffield is the coolest mountain biking scene
in the country. Thanks
to the support of our community, we raised £45,000 towards Redmires. At some time in 2021, we will seek your opinions on what to do with
the remaining Redmires funds. Ride Sheffield is determined to carry on
listening to our supporters, being influenced by them and supporting the local
mountain bike community.
The Ride Sheffield Christmas Raffle is ON. This is all you need to know:
Eyes On The Prize
Thanks to our amazing supporters we have some awesome raffle prizes which you could be taking home this Christmas. Here is what’s up for grabs:
Cotic Voucher worth £549
Hope e4 brakeset with rotors and mounts
Renthal bars x 5
Peaty’s Selection Pack
Fasthouse Jersey, Shorts, Gloves and Pants
HKT Protect frame protection
Broker riders hoodie x 2
Bike Garage voucher
Shralp Devil’s Elbow Tee
Bontrager shoes Bontrager waterproof
Shoes and waterproof
Hope head doctor Hope bar end plugs Hope bottle Hope Jersey
Ride Sheffield hip flask
Expert Bike Repair £100 voucher
Raffle Closes: Sunday, 20th December
Tickets: £2 per ticket – unlimited tickets available!
Ticket Purchase Options:
1) Transfer via PayPal as ‘Friends and Family’ and reference ‘Raffle’ – please send payment to ridesheffield@gmail.com
2) Bank Transfer direct to Ride Sheffield and reference ‘Raffle’ – Payee Name: Ride Sheffield – Account number: 91574205 – Sort code: 40-31-02
3) Sign up to the Ride Sheffield RADtax and get double entries as a thanks for your long term support – eg. Join on the red level at £20 per month and you receive 10 tickets plus an extra 10 as a thank you from Ride Sheffield.
Sheffield Raffle Funds
All proceeds from the raffle will go into the Ride Sheffield fundraising pot which is our life blood, and allows us to develop and maintain the trails. If you want to find out more about Ride Sheffield’s fundraising jump over to our Support Us page. Thanks to all those who already donate through RADtax and help us to keep the trails running sweetly.
The Ride Sheffield team has decided it’s time to spread some Christmas cheer to all our Sheffield riders who have made it through 2020 with the all new ‘Anti-social Social’. About now we would usually be planning a ‘Winter Social’ with real people and real conversation, but this year we’re taking it digital with an online raffle, yes you heard it correctly, there is MTB merch up for grabs. There will also be a week of Ride Sheffield announcements to get you hyped for 2021.
Coming soon
The ‘Anti-social Social’ raffle will be kicking off on Wednesday, 9th December and be drawn on Sunday, 20th December. From Sunday, 13th there will be a weeks worth of activity where you will be hearing updates from our team about plans for next year, and some tips to hone your riding skills.
The Ride Sheffield Christmas raffle is always a crowd pleaser at the Winter Social, and this year it won’t disappoint. The full lowdown of prizes will be revealed on Wednesday, 9th December, but to whet your appetite we can tell you there are definitely Hope brakes and a Cotic voucher worth £500 up for grabs.
On Sunday, 20th December when we’ll be announcing which lucky riders have hit the jackpot by winning one of our raffle prizes.
If you want to get involved all you have to do is follow our social channels where we will be posting all you need to know about how you enter the raffle, what you could win, and the all important Ride Sheffield news for 2021. Take your pick from twitter, Facebook or Instagram , or fill your boots and follow all three!
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
Shralp are a new local clothing company that have been brought up on the Sheffield scene and wanted to give a little back to their local trails. Their designs represent some of the best of our local rising and even better than that, some of the money from each t-shirt will go back into looking after the trails they promote. So if you are after an alternative to one of our t-shirts or want to show your allegience to your favourite trail, this could be for you.
More about Shralp, from Shralp below……
SHEFFIELD, UK – Shralp, a new Sheffield-based mountain biking clothing brand, has just launched. Created by 15 year old schoolboy Joel Blomfield, Shralp is aimed at the many mountain bikers who enjoy riding in the Peak District and is a unique celebration of the loyalty and pride all riders feel for their local trails.
The new range of artist-collab T-shirt designs showcases some of the most popular local mountain bike trails in and around Sheffield. Initially this includes 4 of Sheffield’s most recognisable mountain biking spots – Lady Cannings Plantation in Ringinglow, Parkwood Springs in Shirecliffe, Devils Elbow in Blacka Moor and Wharncliffe Woods near Grenoside. In realising these designs, Joel worked with a number of talented illustrators to re-imagine the essence of each trail as a graphic T-shirt.
Joel, who set up the company with the help of his dad while off school during the COVID19 lockdown period, said, “I love mountain biking and I love the Peak District. I wanted to do something creative around my interest in riding mountain bikes and so developing and launching Shralp has been perfect. I’ve really enjoyed working with these cool artists to turn my ideas into reality”.
Joel’s dad, Will, said, “I’m really proud of all the work Joel has put into making Shralp happen, especially during the challenges of lockdown. He’s had a very clear vision of how he wants the brand to evolve and this range is hopefully just the start. He’s already got more T-shirt ideas in the pipeline.”
All the designs are printed onto 100% organic, vegan approved and Fair Wear Foundation certified cotton T-shirts. In recognition of the hard work it takes to build and maintain these trails, Shralp are also making a donation from each sale to local trail groups, Ride Sheffield and Peak District MTB.
T shirts are now available to buy via the website or from Bike Garage bike shop in Hope Valley. For more details please visit:
We like to keep it positive at Ride Sheffield and if ever we
were looking for a silver lining through the pandemic madness we think we’ve
found it – we’ve witnessed lots of new riders joining the Ride Sheffield fold
and getting into mountain biking (MTB) during lockdown.
Under normal circumstances we’d be welcoming you all with a summer social, as we love a good natter over a cold one, but for now it’s a virtual introduction. We wanted to give new riders an insight into mountain biking in Sheffield and how you can embrace the Ride Sheffield trails.
Direction of travel
Ride Sheffield in a nutshell…
10 years in the making.
Ride Sheffield has been working for 10 years to improve trails for mountain bikers in and around the city and the Peaks. Key has been building relationships with land owners and managers, Peak District National Park Authority and Sheffield City Council.
The guidelines we
live by – be nice say hi.
If you’ve been out on Bridleways and Ride Sheffield trails you will have seen our nifty little ‘be nice say hi’ signs which are the very essence of the group – we strongly promote good relations with all trail users. Our riding community is renowned as being a friendly bunch which makes our job much easier.
This every time
Explore the Trails
The result of Ride Sheffield fundraising and development over the years is a mix of awesome trails for you to shred and challenge your riding.
Here we outline for you some of the purpose built trails, those made solely for mountain biking, which Ride Sheffield has invested time in funding, planning and developing. We also invest a lot of energies into maintaining Public Bridleways with dig days at locations such as Blacka Moor. Over the last few years we have forged relationships with Eastern Moors Partnerships to bring Bridleway access to Barbrook Valley, Curbar and Froggatt Edges – this has been a great success!
Purpose built
All Ride Sheffield purpose built trails are graded which will help you work out the right level for your riding ability:
MTBGrading
Blue – Moderate
Skills: Off-road riding skills to cope with uneven surfaces and small obstacles. Singletrack sections and small obstacles of roots and rocks.
Red – Difficult
Skills: Proficient mountain bikers with good off-road skills. Tricky descents and technical features such as drop offs and large drops.
Black – Severe
Skills: Expert mountain biker with high level of fitness. Greater riding challenge and difficulty, expect large and unavoidable features.
Ride Sheffield Trails
Lady Cannings Blue
Parkwood Springs Blue/Red
Greno Woods Red/Black
Lady Cannings
Singletrack through Lady Cannings
If you’re new to MTBing Lady Cannings is a great place to start as there are no surprises such as drops or jumps – you can build up your confidence on flowy trails. With two trails, ‘Cooking on Gas’ and ‘Blue Steel’, there is nothing a novice can’t handle – it is a great place to hone your skills as a beginner or an intermediate rider.
Riding Tip: Depending on your physical strength and riding ability, there are lots of options to make a visit up to Lady Cannings a loop or a few hours in the saddle.
From Endcliffe Park you can ride out taking in Bingham Park, Forge Dam and Porters Clough, and then on to Lady Cannings
Incorporating the Houndkirk trail into your route is a good way to build stamina and push the miles
If you want to take in more technical riding, and you have good technical skills, check out the Blackamoor descents
Parkwood Springs
Inner city trail
On a clear day you’ll be whipping down Parkwood Springs with the city as your back drop. Thanks to Bike Track, and the input of Steve Peat, this trail packs a punch with great features in a relatively small space. This is mainly a blue trail with red opt-in sections but everything is rollable so no nasty surprises to deal with.
Riding Tip: It may be small but this is the trail that keeps
giving
Challenge yourself to loops of Parkwood
Build up to take on the red sections
This is a great place for a wet day when
everything else is a mudfest
Greno Woods
Peaty’s Steel City Downhill
This is the home to Sheffield’s ‘Peaty’s Steel City Downhill’ so by its very nature there is more hardcore riding to be had. Greno Woods has been used from year dot in the mountain biking world and today boasts two red trails, with black options.
The loop consists of 2 red grade descents, Pub Run and Steel City (which has a Black opt in) and one black grade descent DH3 (this has several large but rollable jumps and a steep section towards the end). The whole loop is connected by red grade bridleway accessed by the top bridleway over the road from the car park.
Riding tip: Only consider Greno if you feel you are very
comfortable on blue trails and more technical terrain.
Watch out for the ‘bowl’ on the Steel City track and the opt in blacks, study the trail map first to make yourself familiar of where these are located
Both start at the top bridleway and you will find many riders sessioning the tracks
Don’t let this put you off as mountain bikers are generally an encouraging bunch and you may even tap into some local knowledge along the way
Back to Basics
We’re no trail police but we do like to keep our riders safe. Whether you are just getting into biking or been MTBing for years, the tracks often feel so close to home you think you could easily get out of trouble. From experience it is always better to be prepared – here’s some back to basics tips as a friendly reminder:
Wear a helmet
This is possibly a no brainer but in case you’re wondering
with trees, stones, compact trails, bikes to get in the way you’re never in for
a soft landing so always protect your noggin!
Puncture Repair Kit
Nothing worse than having to make an ‘SOS’ for a taxi home because you forgot your puncture repair kit or pump. Even if you’re running tubeless there are various hacks to fix your tyres but if it’s not salvageable an old fashioned inner tube can come in handy.
First Aid
You don’t need a full on St John Ambulance kit but you’ll not
regret carrying some basic first aid – whether this is for yourself or a fellow
trail user one day you’ll be glad to find it buried in your backpack. A
bandage, wound wipes, steri strips, survival bag (particularly during the cold
season) are worth considering.
Pads
Not everyone wears pads but they do give you confidence on more technical trails, and will save your skin if you do fall off. In MTBing wearing knee or arm pads is totally normal, people often become a convert after taking layers of skin off and thinking ‘if only I’d had knee pads on!’. You don’t need to look like a storm trooper as there are plenty of light weight options around.
Sessioning
While we mainly encourage riding, don’t ever be afraid to get off and walk, seriously. If you’re unsure of your technical ability session the track. Step back and walk the line so you can map it out mentally before you tackle anything you’re unsure of, try that piece of track again and again to gain your confidence. There is no judging in MTBing and you’ll probably get more respect for being cautious than ploughing down something blindly and coming a cropper!
Layers
Ambassadors at work in the rain
Layers are your friend, you may set off in perfect
conditions but mother nature has a habit of playing tricks on you – a
waterproof or windproof layer will ensure you don’t have to head in early when
the weather closes in.
Heading away from Cannings on Houndkirk
Like what you ride?
We love seeing riders brimming with happiness and on adrenaline fuelled highs. If you want to know how you can give back to our trails and Ride Sheffield future fundraising efforts take a look at RAD Tax to make your contribution.
Back at the start of March when the world was still a slightly different place we launched a crowd funding campaign to allow us to do a lot of needed refurb work in Greno (original story here https://ridesheffield.org.uk/greno-woods-crowdfunder/ ), with all that happened around that time we didn’t feel it was right to be asking for funds when a lot of people were uncertain about what the future might hold.
While things are still long way from normal (whatever that is) we are heading in that direction and the lockdown period has got lots of new folks involved in the sport and meant that many trails have been busier than ever so it feels like a good time to give the crowd funding campaign a bit of a relaunch.
If you ride at Greno you’ll know that some spots need some love and we hope you can help us to make that happen.
We are hoping to raise a total of £20k to allow work to happen on all 3 tracks and also update signage and other bits. So far we have raised around £2.5k of this.
The trails are all free to use, free parking etc so please consider donating a few quid if you ride up there, possibly even a few quid per trip in place of paying to park as you would at many other places.
We know that right now may not be the best time for everyone to donate so if you can’t afford to donate any money, help us spread the word, tell your friends about what we’re doing, talk to other folks when you’re riding up there etc and let them know that we need everyone to help us out!
Thanks everyone and happy trails!
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 2020” and we’ll be sure to match your donation up.
As part of our involvement on the Cut Gate Mend our Mountains project, we’ve been included by Moors for the Future in site meetings and discussions around repair works to the North America bridleway. Apologies for not getting updates out sooner, things haven’t quite gone to plan…
North America
Tool envy.
The works on North America should have run concurrently with the planned drainage work on Cut Gate, but landowner permissions didn’t happen in time for Cut Gate works to begin. We’ll update on that when we know more.
Weather delayed the start of the North America works, setting a precedent for what would prove to be a battle against both weather and time. The landowner/estate insisted on the contractor being off site mid March, so it was a bit of a battle to get done what they could.
We were invited to a couple of site visits, both early on and towards the end of the works. It may take some remembering, but back in February and March the weather was much much wetter. It didn’t make for the most pleasant site visits – I was envious of the machinery and tools, but I didn’t envy them working on a cold exposed hilltop in Winter!
Wellies required.
The work on North America is much more intrusive than that planned for Cut Gate – with new build track for much of the section. This has been made by digging alongside the bridleway route for material, making sure that no materials need to be imported to site.
Terra Firma began work at the North end of the track, knowing that this was likely where the poorer quality material would be. Their suspicions were proved correct, with high clay content. The contrast between this first section and the next bit they worked on was quite stark – the second section had dried and begun to bed in, while the clay stayed soft. The plan was to return to the lower section with material from further up the hill, where the higher mineral content was obvious.
Firmer material, almost immediately after being laid.The softer clay further down the hill
Further up the track towards Cut Gate, the bigger work has been on drainage – with stone lined gulleys taking water off and down the hill. Water management is absolutely vital in path repairs, so we see this making a huge difference over time. The crossings have been sensibly designed, without too much gradient either side, rather a wider/smoother dip.
Much of the reason for the repairs is moorland restoration – bringing back the natural habitat. Now we have a narrower, sustainable track, the heather should recover and hide the braiding and erosion from before. Terra Firma also spread heather brash and seed to encourage this and hide the tracks from their machinery.
The new track winding its way up the hill
Wet weather and even snow meant several missed days for the contractor, on top of the delayed start. This means that the works aren’t yet complete, so are likely to be rolled in with the start of the drainage work on Cut Gate.
The works may come as something of a shock to people, but as we mentioned before – given time for the vegatation to grow back, the track to weather a little and at least a few freeze/thaw cycles – we’ll soon have another year round option to include in our Langsett/Cut Gate rides. We now see North America as a climb option too, opening out different choices for a loop at the end of an out and back ride of Cut Gate.
The clay section in particular will need more work, we’re discussing this with Moors for the Future. Once we have more news on this and Cut Gate, we’ll update you all again.
