Hadleigh Park legacy?

defride

Great to hear the powers that be and local community are keen to continue with offroad trails at Hadleigh Park but what do you think about the dumbing down of the trail? The average exprienced rider would get around the course as it exists perhaps avoiding the most extreme lines?

It seems to me that the proposed changes to the most technical elements could be the death nail for the course. It's to extreme a track for weekend family outings and if they take out the interesting bits I'd wager that most who went once wouldn't go back.

They've the makings of a great facility for future events, local and national series races maybe even World Cup XC. It'd be a shame to see that all pass as a result of a commitee knowing little of the UK MTB scene deciding we're not up to riding what they've built.

What do you think?

waby1234

They'll probably put some alternative easier options in for the trickier bits.

thistle_

Chicken runs around the difficult bits would be the way to do it (there's already 'easier' but longer routes on some sections) and maybe modify the approach so the 'flow' is along the easy route and you turn off for the hard route.
On the TV it didn't look much more difficult than one of the scottish trail centres. The jump in the northshore could be a bit nasty but you could put a low level ramp in that to make it 'safe' while keeping the gap. The speed they were going at during the Olympics made it more difficult.

I understood they were going to have a network of more family friendly trails all around the park anyway so there wouldn't be a need to make the course into a green graded route.

njee20

Chicken runs around the difficult bits would be the way to do it (there's already 'easier' but longer routes on some sections) and maybe modify the approach so the 'flow' is along the easy route and you turn off for the hard route.

Agreed. The trouble is it's less than 3 miles, so it's not really enough to attract trail centre type riders anyway. Take out the technical features and it just becomes an incredibly hilly family cycle route!

Better to add appropriate signing on the technical bits and some alternative lines.

mozzy10

The legacy is a difficult one. Whilst it's technical in places it's not nearly sustained enough for your average trail centre rider. The hills are also probably too steep to be enjoyable for you average trail centre rider too.

I can imagine quite a lot of people wanting to come for the first year, just to see how there lap times and give themselves a good impression of how fast the pros are. Beyond that I can't see many people making the effort to travel.

So assuming it's not going to become a trail centre type place it's got three options:
1) Decent hard track that only very local riders will use;
2) Kept as a race track for XC races, national, regional and international;
3) Dumbed down for families as an introduction to the sport.

I think a mix of 1 and 2 would be best, as it would be an incredibly hilly intro ride for a family. However, politically option 3 may go a head as it has a wider 'legacy' (even if people are just put off by the hills).

njee20

2 would definitely be the best, it was designed as a race course, and IMO wouldn't be much fun as anything else!

rockmonkeysc

Would be good to kee it as it is and add in some longer chicken lines (hardest line should always be the fastest or there is no incentive to ride it). There are loads of trail centres & family trails but not many places specifically designed for XC racers to train.
Would be nice to see it developed in to a bike park with a pump track, 4x track, dirt jumps and some longe singletrack, that won't happen though.

Anonymous

Keep for races if TV viewing is a priority over the actual racing.

Otherwise, slap an ASDA on the site. Sure the Essex boys need more of them. Maybe leave the track up the hill for them to race their Saxos around.

But seriously, the technical bits have enough danger there to make them want to sanitise it out of fear of getting sued, and the majority of the trail is not going to be fun for most people.

If I lived round the corner I might check it out. Not likely to take a trip over there for what would be messing about for an hour.

njee20

And that's the issue, as I said, it's less than 3 miles, with no other riding in the immediate vicinity, and it's designed as a race course not a trail centre. I suspect aside from the folk who want to compare themselves to the Olympians it will be pretty rubbish for people to go and ride on. Keep it for racing, with minimal sanitisation.

ddraver

Totally agree with DK and njee, but I fear it will be sanitised to keep the lawyers happy! Shame, I confess I would go and ride it if I was around London. Moreso if there was a bike hire place so I could just rock up on a trip home....

allthegearnoidea

ont he coverage frm the bbc they said that after the event that all the Boulders and rock sections will be removed before its opened to the public, which kinda takes the whole point of Keen riders going there as mentioned to see how they compare to the Worlds best,
the same is for the bmx track, its going to be pretty much flattened and rebuilt as a track anyone can use, all of the sections that need a technical ability are going to be Properly Dumbed down in fear of people Exceedign their riding ability and then trying to blame the course owners when they come a cropper!! its sad that it has to come to it really, enough signage pointing to the fact that you are accepting your own liability when using such places would solve it mostly, btu for a lot of people they want to find someone to blame for their own failings!!

njee20

The BBC said all sorts of things that were pure crap! They've not really decided (or at least not announced it), but they're not gonna take out all the rocks and leave a totally flat path.

The BMX track is being flattened, but that was always the case.

kona_matt

Guys, we need to get away from thinking of this as a trail center, it's not and never will be. It's a faciltity for Cross Country Racing and developing a new generation of riders able to complete on the world stage in that discipline. Skills areas such as pump tracks are planned and there has been talk of 4X but nothing is decided yet and all needs land owner consultation.

As a local rider with some involvement in the new club that has been formed, I wouldn't expect to ride the course continuously but I would more likely build it into a loop with the other singletrack available in the woods surrounding the area. This is an important part of the club's plans, developing a trail network.

Anonymous

njee20 wrote:

The BMX track is being flattened, but that was always the case.

Which is a real shame. I don't do BMX but it's a great looking track and sure they'd get loads of people going there, something for the kids to do, plus good for events. Maybe take the seating down, but the track could stay.

njee20

I rather agree, it looks brilliant, guess they'd need to take out the grass bits so folk didn't have to ride the mahoosive doubles. They are putting other stuff in, but I don't think a BMX track is part of that is it?

Gazlar

It was my understanding that the bmx track was just being made easier as even the pros had voiced concern about how tricky it was, but easier or not I believe they are retaining the bmx track in some guise as well as adding mountain bike routes

kona_matt

deadkenny wrote:

njee20 wrote:

The BMX track is being flattened, but that was always the case.

Which is a real shame. I don't do BMX but it's a great looking track and sure they'd get loads of people going there, something for the kids to do, plus good for events. Maybe take the seating down, but the track could stay.

Pretty sure a BMX track is staying as part of the "London Velopark." Saw a bit on the BBC coverage saying the Velodrome, BMX, a new road loop and mountain bike loop would form part of the park. Here's all google come up with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Velopark

As njee20 said, the gaps and doubles will need to go though.