The early September 2009 ride took us to the Marin Trail, near Betws-y-Coed, North Wales.
The sub-title top the ride was Pete’s Big Birthday Bash, to celebrate Pete’s 35th birthday, but he was to rename it as we’ll soon discover.
From the car park, there’s a short single-track trail through the forest that leads to the main climb. Definitely a good way to get heart, lungs and legs warmed up but this is an awful way to start your day. A word of warning at this point, do not even think of doing the Marin trail unless you have a reasonable level of fitness.
Once reaching the top of the first section the views are pretty spectacular and almost worth the climb .. almost because it’s bloody difficult!
This is the point when Pete renamed the Marin trail, the Killer of Hopes and Dreams, a fair description of the feeling we had after this highly demanding start.
Most of the Marin trail is single track with lots of small rocks and is quite technical in many places. The trail has been well thought through and includes some man-made sections that fit seemlessly into the natural elements of the trail. These single tracks are complimented with reasonably wide fire roads, quick technical downhill sections and in one or two parts, actual roads – thankfully these are short sections and help to fit this 16 mile circuit together.
I understand that the second section has been repaired recently and as such helps those of us who are new to mountain biking. Beware the boulders at this point, and most of the circuit to be fair. Whilst it is always adviseable to look ahead when on a trail, the Marin trail wouldn’t allow me to do this as I always seemed to need to look at the track immediately in front of me to ensure I missed the pointy rocks that were in danger of sending me off the track and onto my arse, or worse, or giving me a puncture.
What was quite amazing about this ride, was that despite 7 riders carrying around 14 spare inner tubes, we had no punctures. I’m not sure that will be true of everytime we do this trail though.
There were plenty of descents, some slow and technical but quite exhilarating, and some long fast (very fast) road descents.
Certain parts of the trail have been cut through gullies with others built on rocky small escarpments with quite sharp stones sticking up, not a place to come off. There is a bench which has been placed almost half way along the trail, from which you get views across to Tryfan, Carneddau and Snowdon, which on those rare days are quite magnificent.
Another section and you find yourself flying along a narrow, tight and rocky ridge. Keeping focused and not scrubbing-off too much speed allows you to skip over the terrain whilst frequently sweeping from left to right and back again on these fast trails. Alpine track-backs they are not (private joke, eh boys) but just as fun anyway.
These single track sections include climbs but are not too demanding so long as you are reasonably fit. With the mix of fire-road climbs and off road descent there is always time to catch your breath between sections but importantly there is not too much fire-road and where the fire-roads are there is usually a climb, including the final leg breaker that tests your stamina in the latter stages of the trail.
Towards the end, the trail really comes alive, with quicker and quicker sections over the repeating berns and tight twist and turns. We found ourselves storming down these latter parts with this trail providing the rider with the sort of flow which makes it so exceptional.
The fitter of the Dirty Bikers did a few of these fun sections twice, and whilst the pain elements were tough, the fun parts were well worth it – or so I’m told!
By the time we got back to the car park, it was smiles all round. The only casualty on this trip was two painful knee falls from Mark 2, oh and a very embarrassing fall from Mike at the very, very end. Embarrassing for the rest of us that is, what a pilchard!
Marin Trail Photos
September 8th, 2009 at 9:09 am
Ha ha…Mark T, does adding a few years to my real age make you feel better you old fogey!!
Think the funniest moment for me was when Bamford said “I just seen mike humping a rock” right at the very end…Classic!!
This place has got to be the hardest ride I have done so far but one of the most rewarding. Riding round and doing the last section again nearly killed me but that section down is the best….also watching Mike get cramp and reaching the top to a round of applause was funny as well.
Great day guys..where we going next!!
September 8th, 2009 at 9:21 am
good effort mark…
alpine switchbacks all the way!