This is the project we’ve been working on for a while and we are stoked to finally be able to share it with you all. This is the biggest Ride Sheffield news for a long time.
Back in early 2021 we launched a crowd funder to find the remaining funds we needed to top up the £20k from the Radmires project corporate donors to give Greno the major work it needed. Covid delayed the fundraising, the planning and everything else but the money kept slowly rolling in from riders and the pot slowly grew. Late last year we finally had the full £30k that we needed together.
We’ve been talking to contractors, liaising with the Wildlife Trust, discussing plans on site and getting everything sorted and 100% sorted so we could share the news.
Starting on Monday 11th April, Greno will be finally by getting the work it desperately needs. All 3 trails will be getting major work over the course of 6 weeks by a 4 man team using plant to repair, refurbish and refresh the trails. Some of the classic features will be retained, some will be updated and there will be a bunch of new stuff as well!
In addition to the great news on the work happening is the folks who are going to do it. We’ve put together a crack team of diggers to make Greno better than it’s ever been. Led by Farmer John and James Petit working with Ollie Hindley and Alex Bourekas, the crew will bring a new feel to the trails and show us what they can do. They’ve worked together before in Europe building bike parks in Austria and beyond, this will be their first work together in the UK.
Those who’ve been to Farmer Johns will know the flow and jumps of the top section and some of the techy sections lower down in the woods. JP sculpt is best known in these parts for his trails in Wharncliffe just over the road. Who’s excited to see what they can do?
During the works there will be trail closures while the magic happens. Trails will have signs up, barriers across the trail etc and if you see any of this please do not ride the trails, if you see anyone else doing please ask them not to. Riding while work is happening and before the trails are settled will lead to lots of rework, delay the proper opening longer and reduce the good work the guys can do. The Ride Sheffield social pages will be kept up to date with the latest via a pinned post on Fb and a #grenotrails posts on Instagram. We’ll do our best to keep something open to ride at all times but weather and other factors will determine when we can open the trails. Whatever anyone thinks or says if there are signs up and blockers across the tracks they are not ready to ride regardless of how good they may look so please please be patient. Anyone caught riding tracks while they are closed will receive a lifetime Steel City DH ban.
This work wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Vulcan Engineering, Avanti Conveyors, Cotic and the riding community of Sheffield and beyond. Huge thanks to everyone that donated. To make sure as much awesome as possible gets created Ride Sheffield and Steel City Series will put in another £5k between them to invest a total of £35k in to the work.
As always massive thanks go the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust who own and manage the woodland and are very supportive of mountain biking in general around the city. We wouldn’t have trails in Greno without their help!
If you’re a regular user of any of our trails and don’t already please consider signing up Radtax for a few quid a month to help support the work we do and the trails you enjoy riding. It all goes to good use to help Ride Sheffield do more and make more great things happen for bikes around the city.
FAQ’s
1. Is it open yet? Not unless we say so and we’ll make a load of noise when trails are ready for folks to ride!
2. Will there be any new/more trails? Unfortunately no, Greno is a victim of it’s own success and is already so popular with with bikes, walkers, horses and wildlife etc that there is no more capacity for further trails.
3. Can I help with the build? The trail works will be carried out by professionals with plant and machinery to ensure they can stand up to the huge levels of traffic Greno sees. We will be doing some dig days prior to the race to get all the other bits ready for race day. Help at these would be much appreciated.
4. How can I help? Sign up to rad tax and come along to dig days if you can. If you’re keen to be more involved with all Ride Sheffield does and have time to commit to helping mountain biking then drop us an email to info@ridesheffield.org.uk and lets talk.
5. Why’s it taken so long? Fund raising is never quick and during uncertain Covid times it didn’t feel right to be pushing folks to donate. After that contractor availability, fitting in best with the seasons in the woods and other things have all meant that now is the time. We’ve been working hard in the background to get it over the line as soon as possible.
6. I need to practice for the race? It’s not practice until race day, anything until then is just riding your bike. Steel City track will be done first and will be open as soon as we possibly can but please be patient and don’t ride until we say it’s ready!
