When you roll into the Bike Park your
first decision is a big one. Do you
ride up the hill or do you jump on the
uplift?
If you’re feeling fit, you can pedal up.
It’ll cost you a fiver for parking and
takes about 20 minutes. If you’re
doing really well, you’ll get eight full
laps of the hill done before you’re
cooked.
If you prefer your riding a little more
gravity fed, you can hop on the uplift.
You’ll get chauffeur driven to the
top in less than 10 minutes and can
hammer out laps without anything
slowing you down.
WHAT TO RIDE
Bike Park Wales’ 35 trails start from
a windy spot high up on Mynydd
Merthyr (that’s Welsh for Merthyr
Mountain, don’t you know). You pick
your trail based on how rough, steep
or jumpy you like your riding and
well, off you go.
Blue trails are the easiest ones,
red is next and black trails are the
tougher ones. Anything with an
orange and black rating is genuinely,
outstandingly technical - designed by
the Bike Park’s team of pro-riders.
Is Bike Park Wales for you? Almost
certainly, but be warned, you’re not
going to find anything for the wet-
behind-the-ears newbies.
There’s plenty for the young guns
and the less experienced, but it’s a
big hill covered in roots and rocks.
It’s a far cry from the mellow trail
centre loops you’ll find elsewhere.
You’ll need a proper mountain bike
with at least front suspension. You’ll
need to be happy riding steep stuff,
riding on roots, drops and jumps and
you’ll need to be okay with loose,
uneven ground. Go steady, start
slow, wear pads and a helmet and
you’ll get on great.
One thing Bike Park Wales can’t
be accused of is dumbing down
mountain biking. Where the trails
centres are making riding more
family-friendly and beginner-ready
the Welsh are building more big
jumps, big drops and technical
features. They’re keeping the sharp
end of the sport sharp, which can
only be a good thing. Don’t let that
put you off though, we all started
somewhere, right?
A LAP OF THE PARK
A decent ride at Bike Park Wales
usually starts with a warm up on
one of the blue trails. ‘Terry’s Belly’
(named after one of trail builders’
magnificent beer belly) is an excellent