Torridon Lollipop Route - A real Mountain Bike Adventure скачать в хорошем качестве

Torridon Lollipop Route - A real Mountain Bike Adventure

Torridon was my first experience of Scotland's highlands when I moved here 18 months ago and also my first time mountain biking in Scotland too. In the time since then I am still yet to lay eyes on any more wild or dramatic scenery anywhere else in the country, and whilst my first ride here was amazing too, due to a last minute change of plans the route I took that day (the Beinn Damh circuit) was shortened and I was left desperately wanting to return to this amazing wild place and ride the famous loop that I had originally planned to ride. I was very excited to finally return to Torridon and take on this big loop, which has been described in a few places as the best back-country ride in Scotland and possibly all of the UK. I was glad to have my friend Tom join me, along with his friend Troy- this is not the sort of place to set off for a ride alone. The loop is roughly 40km in length and takes in 1200m of vertical ascent/descent. These numbers whilst substantial are not massive and really are not too far off what I might expect to take on during an enduro race or even just a big day riding with my friends. However, as we soon found out, this is not a ride that is defined by its numbers- loop is made up of 3 climbs, 2 main descents (dropping 600m and 400m respectively) and a short run along a country road to join up the two mountain passes. The climbs ranged from rocky and very technical; water-logged and covered with un-rideable drainage bars or so steep that we needed to carry the bikes rather than push- there was no relenting, only a very small portion of the climbing was done on easy gravel tracks. The intensity of this experience was incredible and only amplified by the incredibly scenery. Our suffering was quickly forgotten on the descents, which exceeded all expectations- each lasting roughly 30mins, which I had not anticipated- you certainly get your money's worth from the climbs! The first descent to Achnashellach was long and the terrain transformed as moved down the different levels of the mountain, from flat-out over massive boulders to some flowing but technical trails with some amazing rock-slab features (I failed to record this segment, activating the camera each time I stopped to catch my breath rather than stopping it!) and eventually finishing with a highspeed blast through some woods by a beautiful mountain stream. Despite being exhaust by 7.5hrs of tough mountain riding, we decided to attack the final descent in one go rather than breaking it up, as we had already ridden up it earlier and knew what we were in for. This was a trail that demands full commitment as you let the bike and its suspension work over all of the rocks and so full of adrenaline I chased Tom all the way to the end until his chain bounced off. By the end none of us could still hang on to the handlebars but the feeling of elation at completing such a massive adventure can't be beaten and I can't wait to return to ride amongst these mountains again!