Biking at Aston Hill
28 April 2004 - Last week, Andy was asking me about having a session out riding at the weekend. It's spring and it's time for us mountain bikers to come out of hibernation. So I had a think about where we could meet up for a change. He's based in Woking and I'm in Stevenage, so somewhere in between seemed like a good idea. The Chilterns looked to be the hilliest bit of country between us, so I did a little bit of internet research and came across the site for Aston Hill Mountain Bike Area.
10:45am Sunday morning, and I'm pulling into the car park at Aston Hill. Andy is already there, but fortunately he hasn't been there long. After half an hour of catching up and fiddling around with bikes, we're ready to go. So we ride to the end of the car park and follow the signs for the XC route. The theory is that since the XC route is just 5.5 miles, it should be a nice warm up. And it is a nice route. Plenty of fun bits and a section which seems to function as the 'red' downhill. The only trouble is that once we reach the bottom of that downhill, it's mostly climbing to get back to the car park. And some of that is very steep climbing. Still, we get back to the car park and make our way to the snack van. A flapjack for Andy and an egg burger for me. I'm so healthy.
After lunch, we find ourselves at what is apparently the start of a couple of downhills. We're trying to work out which we should try and where exactly we're supposed to go, when a friendly chap comes over and asks if he can try out my bike over a few roots. It's a rather unusual bike which isn't seen often, so he's wondering whether the good things said about it are true. It's not a downhill rig like his, but he's pleased with how smooth it is over the bumps. He seems familiar with the area, so I ask him what he would recommend. Apparently he's just about to ride DH3, which starts where we are. We can follow him and he'll stop half way down to give us a chance to catch up.
So we set off, sweeping around a berm to the right and then over a group of three jumps. Not that Andy or I get any air off them! Then we're tearing down some steep sections of hill with bermed corners everywhere allowing us to keep up some good pace, although this does lead to some scary moments off small drops where I feel less in control than I would like. We pause briefly at a fire road that crosses the route where our new friend is waiting for us and after some brief description of what to expect ahead, we're off again.
This section is a bit rougher, with a couple of difficult corners that catch me out. Unsurprisingly, these are right-hand turns. I seem to have a major problem with them. And yes, I have been compared to Zoolander! The first of these corners isn't really that bad, but I get caught out anyway. Possibly I was just offered too many ways of taking it and couldn't make up my mind. The second corner is really tough. It would appear to involve a sharp right turn to the right down a narrow channel of chalky rock at which point the slope is very steep downwards. This leads to a short drop which continues down this very steep little section and then another sharp right turn. Getting to the top of this one, I just wuss out. I walk the bike past the drop and get back on to finish the descent. Then it's the long climb back to the top. On this particular climb, we do manage to actually ride our bikes for a decent distance, overtaking the various folks pushing their downhill rigs up the hill.
Once back at the top, we have a little rest and proceed to do DH3 another two times. By the end of the session I have that first bend sorted, but still need to get to grips with that last evil right-hand corner. Maybe it's one for next time. And I'm quite certain there will be a next time.
In case you're interested in trying it out, the day membership is £5 and covers third party liability insurance. A full year's membership is only £48, so I might be arranging for that soon. The drive was less than an hour, and it's easily the best riding I have found within that distance of home, so I'm sure it will become a regular weekend haunt. All the details about memberships and events can be found on their web site.