Greno – DH3 rebuild

Dry times are good times for mountain biking and complaining about them is like refusing a free pint. But Ride Sheffield has been desperate for rain for the entire summer – weird ain’t it?

The DH3 rebuild in June was taken as far as it could be by the trail builders but for the next four months it was baked dry by the sun. As you probably know, post building we need a combination of rain and sun to bed the trail in. The driest year for centuries didn’t help us out so we had to close it.
Some people rode it, ignoring the fact that it was loose and soft. There were numerous logs on it and signs pleading with everyone not to ride it. Thankfully, only a few rode it in spite of the fact that it looked stunning.
Finally, late October and early November, after numerous rain-dances by Ride Sheffield, we got a downpour. On the Saturday 26th November, the Trail Team and numerous volunteers turned up to help out and make DH3 ready to ride.

It was an incredible day. The sheer effort was remarkable and the fact that the entire trail was beaten, whackered and finessed to an exemplary standard was amazing. We used multiple whacker plates to compress the berms and the youth created some prime lips on the jumps. The age range was probably 15 to 64!

What we have to say is that our volunteers are superb. Both our Trail Team and the volunteers who mucked in were simply the best. We salute you!!

We’ll be checking the trail in December and all being well should be opening DH3 before Christmas. Watch this space!
All photos by Ben Tillett