WooooooooHOOOoooooooooooooooooo......... and it is around the corner from me :-)
On Wed, Oct 22, 2008 at 12:14 PM, Werner Gillmer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > I cannot wait!!!! > > > -------- > > My weekends have been spent with Jumpy James and Kamikaze Sean building the > sweetest Pump Track you ever did see. This is a THING (please note > capitalization). It is needed to get your PUMP ON. You have to get your pump > on in order to be a better person. Mother Theresa used to Get Her Pump On. > Jim Morrison used to get His Pump On. Pamela Anderson still Gets Her Pump On > and I want to get My Pump On in the interest of spiritual enlightenment and > (as Rachael would say) world peace. > > A Pump Track is a circular (well any shape actually, but no beginning or > end) course that has a series of roller type mounds connected by G-Force > (G-Spot for Downhillers and BMX heads) inducing berms. Ostensibly this is a > training protocol that will improve your on-bike skills no matter what > discipline you ride. But the truth is that it is just the best fun going. > You start with one pedal stroke, and that is the last you take. As you > transfer your energy to the bike via your upper body and hips you end up > with a six-pack from hell (better than Richard Beswick's Mens Health photo > shoot) and awesome arms and legs. Be prepared to be treated as an object of > lust, a higher class of problem I say. > > Predictably enough the other thing that happens is the bike keeps going > faster and faster which means you can start to manual the rollers or use > them as doubles or triples. > > If all this is Latin to you, fear not! We will convert you to the thrills > of Getting Your Pump ON soon with Clinics and then a subliminal tape to > listen to while you sleep that says things like "I like big air" and > "Gravity and Reality are BOTH Relative". > > The single track at the Toyota MTN Cycle Park is just getting totally > bermed in preparation for opening. There have been a select few riders of > all skill levels who have already graced the flowing single track trails and > the feedback has been consistently good. > > The trails are much more open than Logwood Bike Haven, and if you want to > G-Out the same way you do in the Logwood berms, you better be spinning out > your big ring. > > There is also a slightly different design philosophy than at Logwood. > Whilst there are still trails that are dedicated as Black Diamond or Double > Black Diamond, most trails are designated Green (see Skills Ratings if you > have forgotten, it may save your life) and have detours that are marked Blue > or Black. This means that all riders can ride the same trails with the > hooligan element taking the more advanced detours (if you can get them off > the Pump Track). > > The Trails can be briefly summarized as follows: > > *The Koppies (Blue 4)* > > These twin peaks will not be finished when you come to test ride the trails > initially. We still need a quarter of a million cubic meters of soil and > rocks to complete construction. Hey, do you know anyone who can bring us all > that? (Drop me a line PLEASE). > > *The Canyon (Blue 3)* > > This is a circular route that has 3 different micro routes through it. > Basically you are either under gum trees or riding through jungle like > papyrus reeds. Then suddenly out of the papyrus looms these bridges over > what starts to look like the Fish River Canyon when you are on them. > > *Space Junk (Black 4)* > > It is called Space Junk because things (riders) keep falling out of the > sky. The main route is rated Black 4 and then it has some truly scary > detours that have made many a brave roadie want his mommy. The initial > switchback climb was specifically built so our overseas competitors in the > Pro and Master categories would have something to train on. If in doubt, > stay out. > > *Sidewinder (Blue 2)* > > This is Kamikaze Sean and James favorite trail. Its just huge berms surfing > a bank downhill. What's not to love. It does however contain a gap jump > detour called The Rim Reaper that has already taken two victims in the shape > of Colin Germs (Toyota SuperCycling Cycle Lab MTB Race Team) and Stuart > Carliel (MTN Club 100 Race Team & Master World Championship racer). Colin > made more of a fuss about his trashed rim than Stuart did about his, but I > think Colin may have had his white socks on. > > *Dropzone (Blue 4)* > > This is really a super fast, well bermed, big ring sprint; except there are > two drop offs that will freeze your blood in your veins and possibly make > you seek Dischem out for Adult Nappies rather than Cytomax. > > *The Wetland (Green 3)* > > This is a divine loop that gives hooligans a chance to catch their breath, > and everyone else a chance to appreciate nature and learn something about > our native African Flora and Fauna. The trails themselves are a combination > of wide single track and very wide low bridges that will take you on a > journey through the wetland while keeping your tyres dry and clean. Look out > for some educational signs from Samantha Braid, our resident wetland expert > (who also is a keen mtb rider). > > *Snakes n Ladders (Double Black)* > > This wont be finished till a little later, and is for the criminally insane > or fatally ill. > > *Tree House (Blue 4)* > > This one also wont be ready when we first open, but is an intermediate > Freeride loop that allows riders to grow the skills they acquired in Launch > Pad before attempting Snakes n Ladders and the inevitable consequences of > failure that entails. > > *Launch Pad (Green 2)* > > Nice wide bridges and catwalks not far off the ground specifically designed > to entice normal people over to the Dark Side of mountain bike riding > > *Roller Coaster (Double Black)* > > Enormous bridges 6 meters in the air that are the lead in to hard berm > exits that make the North Shore Bridge at Logwood look like it is laying > flat on the ground. This is great spectator sport, and excellent for video > footage. > > *The Green Mile (Green 3)* > > This is my personal favorite. The berms are enormous and the whole thing > goes down hill. In the opening stages it is winding between native Highveld > acacia scrub with some pools of clear fresh water that will have benches to > sit on and contemplate your navel and listen to the birds. Hooligans will > naturally sit in the pools whilst trying to stuff their lungs back where > they should be. A little later in the trail you will be weaving you way > between huge pine trees that form a small forest, resin rich in the summer > air. > > *Corkscrew (Green 2)* > > This much like The Green Mile but with more indigenous trees and less > pines. Its probably also a little more open and slightly faster, and leads > to Roller Coaster. > > *Ewok (Green 3)* > > This is a tight trail that leads through dense forest with many stream > crossings (little bridges). The detours off the main route will frighten the > living daylights out of normal people however as they make use of the many > enormous trees that have fallen down and thus present perfect (if somewhat > sketchy) riding terrain. > > The Seattle Coffee Shop up next to the Clubhouse is coming along quick. > This will have a deck out front and a higher level deck too. The Clubhouse > itself will have a stock of consumable (by your mtb) items supplied by Cycle > Lab to keep you on the trails in the event of mechanical failure. ER 24 will > be there to repair your body if you have a lapse of common sense or luck (or > both), and Motorex will be there to clean and lube your bike before it gets > passed across to the Shimano service centre on site. > > Logwood Bike Haven is about to come under the microscope. This is intended > to make it "more Logwood" rather than mimic the Toyota MTN Cycle Park feel. > What a pleasure to have lots of choices of venues to ride. More is better. > > Expect most of the trails to become more family oriented. We will > accomplish this with "kiddies runs" around obstacles on existing trails. The > really crazy trails like Dark Side and North Shore are going to expand and > get scarier. Logwood: a place for families and freaks. Extremes are good. > > Richard Beswick's racing commitments with Team Fox are making his > scheduling even more of a nightmare than it normally is. As a result, the > dates for the last two 101 Skills > Clinics<http://www.cultcycling.co.za/bdlink.aspx?id=1679951&link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cultcycling.co.za%2fDefault.aspx%3fTabName%3dNext%2bSkills%2bClinic%2b-%2b101>for > the year are up on the website but there will be a limit of 8 > participants only to each these Clinics as I will be teaching alone (no > chirps from Rich about old, fat or slow. What bliss). The spots will be > secured on a "first come first served" basis. Just follow the directions on > the web page. If you would like to see what is covered in this Clinic, just > check it > out.<http://www.cultcycling.co.za/bdlink.aspx?id=1679951&link=http%3a%2f%2fwww.cultcycling.co.za%2fDefault.aspx%3fTabName%3dSkills%2bClinics%2b%2b101-%2bThe%2bCurriculum> > > As for the BIG QUESTION (when will the Toyota MTN Cycle Park be open), I > will keep you posted, but my best guess at this point is very early > November. > > Keep the rubber side down, > > Geoff the Aussie > > > > -- Kind regards, Roberto Ambrosio There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much doomed. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "DarkAndDirty" group. 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