MoreDirt/Transition Bikes 2009 Scotland Road Trip

Since MoreDirt.com started back in 2005 I have somehow managed to end up in Scotland at least once a year, normally coinciding with the World Cup at Fort William. This year was more of a planned road trip, with the aim to hit as many different trails as possible in seven days. The trip to Scotland from the Westcountry is a long one, so we decided to break the journey up and stay overnight in a travel lodge just past the Scottish border. With the hire van ready to go, we started to load up our bikes and kit ready for the trip. With four bikes and a week's worth of kit loaded, we squeezed the van doors closed and started the seven hour journey north. 12th - 13th September With only two days left of the season before the lifts are closed to the famous Fort William DH trails, we are up bright and early to make the first uplift on the gondola. This was our first time riding the world cup track, and having heard the stories of how brutal the track was, we were a bit nervous. A days' gondola pass costs £25 for as many runs as the body can cope with. We loaded the bikes onto the gondola, after a bit of a nervous panic, checking and double checking our seats were done up tight, as the bikes are suspended by your saddle off the back of the gondola for the trip up to the top of the mountain. Once we reached the top, the sun was shining. I know it's hard to believe for Scotland in September; we decided to warm up on the new red run. We had heard a lot about this new trail and were keen to try it out. Not long into our run, Matt's front wheel decides to wash out and he takes a nasty stack, managing to bend his thumb back and rendering it pretty much useless. We crack on anyway and ride the rest of the trail to the bottom. I had to admit I felt a little disappointed by it, it didn't flow as well as expected, but was a good warm up for the rest of the day. Next up is the world cup track, and with Matt's thumb almost doubled in size things were not looking good, but after driving all this way he wasn't going to let it stop him. After completing our first run, we had the biggest smiles on our faces and were straight back up for more. This was probably the best DH track I have ever ridden and if you ever get the chance to go to Fort William make sure you check it out. Matt was riding his new Transition Blindside and I had my Transition Bottlerocket and both bikes coped with the track really well, which is more than I can say for my wheels. The track from the top starts with a fast open section across the moorland with some tight and sweeping berms, with the odd bit of northshore. It then starts to get more technical with lots of rock gardens and three tough rock drops. The next section descends into the woods, which was my favourite part of the track. It gets pretty technical and steep in places with the odd wet root to catch you out. After you leave the woods, you enter the bottom section of the track known as the motorway, which as the name suggests, is super fast and fun to ride. It consists of a series of table tops, doubles, a hip jump and a few more drops, ultimately bringing you across the finish line. After two full days riding at Fort William we were both physically wrecked!!! 14th - 15th September The next two days were spent at Laggan Wolftrax Trails and Balnain bike park. Both trails consisted of jumps, northshore, wall rides and fun boxes. This was the perfect way to chill out after two intense days of downhill riding, and a great excuse to try out our Transition Double bikes. Both trail centres are further north and quite remote but well worth a visit if you are in the area. 16th - 18th September For the last three days we travelled to the south of Scotland to Glentress Trails, to meet up with some of the other guys from MoreDirt who help run and manage the site. This was the perfect place for everyone to meet up and session the trails together. Glentress has some excellent XC trails, but it was the resurfaced freeride park and the perfect new transitions which got everyone unloading their bikes at great speed! The freeride park has to be one of my favourite places to ride, with a large line of table tops, suitable for perfecting your whips, tables, no footers, and no handers, with a very easy push back up to the top which kept us amused all day. Clive, a moderator from MoreDirt, was pulling some of the best tricks of the day with some massive no footers on his Bottlerocket. I have to also mention John and Katie, who both help moderate MoreDirt, who were recently married and decided join the MoreDirt road trip for their honeymoon! After a day's tutoring from Andy at Dirt School, both were making big progress on the jumps in the freeride park, and were cornering like they were on rails through Spooky Woods! After seven great days of riding, friends and perfect weather, it was time to make the long trip home. It was brilliant to catch up with everyone for another year, and I would highly recommend a trip to Scotland if you get the chance, as it offers some of the best trails you will find. Thanks again to Transition Bikes, Dakine and Full Tilt Fitness for supporting the MoreDirt crew, and a special thanks to my dad (slowmo) who followed us up and down the hills of Scotland and got some great pictures.