lifestyle Feature
BikePark Wales making Downhill Mountain Biking more accessible
Buzz’s Adam Williams enjoys a day out among the rugged terrain – but not too rugged – at BikePark Wales, a hidden gem near Merthyr. He pedals hard, and he peddles truth!
Downhill
immediately jump out as your average ‘fun for all the family’ activity. It’s fast and aggressive; it requires skill and practice, pro equipment, and some would say a disregard for fear that only the most hardened thrillseekers obtain. However, BikePark Wales, nestled between Merthryr and Brecon, are aiming to change that perception with their new Ticket To Ride programme, aimed at anyone who just wants to give it a go – so I did.
mountain biking doesn’t
Upon arrival and after signing in at reception, our day hosts, Seth and Colin, gathered the whole Ticket To Ride group into the conference room for the first of our safety briefings. There were about 15 of us altogether, including families on Easter holidays and a few others just seeking new challenges and experiences.
After watching a short health and safety video augmented by additional guidance from our hosts, they then kitted us out with the compulsory safety gear, including elbow and knee pads, helmets and gloves. A lot of care was taken to ensure everyone had the right sizes and everyone was wearing the kit correctly – safety was paramount. We then moved on to collect our bikes, hired as part of the package and all high-spec and well maintained. Seth and Colin then tweaked the bike setups for the individual, making sure they were comfortable to ride.
The first lesson of the day was how to brake and change gear. On a piece of flat land, Seth
and Colin ran us through a few exercises to get used to the bikes and to observe our abilities. After a short while, everyone feeling a little more confident, we moved on to the first ‘trail’, known as the Badger Run: not really a hill, it still had curves and bumps to navigate, again steadily improving everyone’s confidence one step at a time.
Seth and Colin were with us all the way, watching and supporting, and after a couple of runs, it was time to hit the hills. With the bikes loaded onto a trailer and participants into a minibus, we started the 10-minute drive up the mountain.
The park has 48 tracks in total (soon to be 50) and they range from complete beginner to seasoned pro. There’s a colour coded guide to inform riders of the difficulty level, but their names tend to give it away – Enter The Dragon and Vicious Valley, anyone? Today’s Ticket To Ride trail, meanwhile, is a 5km run named Kermit. Nice and friendly, much to the relief of some.
After another health and safety peptalk, we made our way down the trail: Colin leading the way, setting the pace for the group, with Seth following behind making sure everyone was OK. The trail steadily picked up pace, curving and bumping along in beautiful scenery on a glorious spring morning.
Before long we were at the bottom of the hill – safe, all accounted for in the cafe picnic area
and rewarded with a drink from the cafe and a 20-minute breather. It was time to go again for the second and final run of the morning, so we headed for the minibus and made our way to the top, uniformly more confident. When Colin picked up the pace, everyone visibly stepped up and pushed themselves. A debrief and quick chat at the bottom, then we handed our bikes and safety kit in.
The best way to describe BikePark Wales is a ski resort for bikes. I’m a reasonably experienced trail and hill rider, but I wanted to get the full beginner experience for this review – and my verdict was it was worth it. Each member of the group had their reasons for being there, their own level of experiences, but all of them had a great time and their confidence visibly improved. An enjoyable family day out, or just something for someone looking for new experiences and thrills.
Ticket to Ride provides everything you need to get started including equipment and bike hire. BikePark Wales is easily accessible by car, with the nearest train station, Pentre Bach, about a mile away. There’s a bike shop on site along with a cafe, amenities, and food stalls to help keep the energy levels up!
BikePark Wales, Gethin Woodland Centre, Abercanaid. Open 9am-6pm Mon, Thurs and Fri; 8am-8.30pm Sat and Sun. Info:
bikeparkwales.com
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