BikePark Wales - turning dreams into reality
Tuesday 25 June
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With the opening of the UKs most exciting new trail centre just weeks away, we were lucky enough to catch up with the BikePark Wales team to gather some fresh insight into this incredible project.
Could you give us a brief introduction to BikePark Wales?
BikePark Wales is a first of a kind facility, It's a paradise for mountain bikers of all kinds. There are trails to suit all kinds of rider, if DH is your thing then we have plenty of extremely challenging trails for you, if you prefer groomed flowy trails on your trail bike again, no problem. We have a challenging single track climb for those that wish to pedal to the top of our mountain but for those wishing to maximise the fun factor we have a safe, quick and comfortable uplift service to take you and your bike to the top of the hill.
Which trail centre do you think BikePark Wales is most similar to and why?
It's not really like any other destination in the UK. The sheer volume and variety of trails we have as well as the presence of the UK's first uplift service that caters for both trail riding and DH sets us apart.
In addition to the trails, what other facilities and services will be provided to make the centre a top mountain bikers destination?
When you ride at BikePark Wales it really feels like you are riding in a BikePark in the European or Canadian sense. It's partly due to the choice of trails on offer and the way they are laid out but also the other aspects that complete the package. We have built a brand new bespoke 400sqm visitor centre which houses the Woodland cafe which serves fresh Locally sourced food and the BikePark Wales bike shop. The shop stocks Trek and Orange bikes as well as all of the best brands available to keep you rolling should you have an issue on the hill. We also have a Fox suspension demo centre, rental bikes including a high end flagship fleet of Trek's top bikes including the Remedy and Fuel ex 29 models which have just been released. We also have a "Test the best" fleet of bikes, this is a concept where you can try a load of dream bikes all in one day back to back. These are real dream spec bikes and with test the best you get to experience what it's like to ride one of these top end bikes and compare them to one another on some of the best trails in the UK.
No doubt you have enjoyed testing the trails during the build process.. so currently what is your favourite trail at BikePark Wales and why?
It's been a huge build project and Back on Track who have been building our trails have done an incredible job! We actually only got to sample the trails for the first time recently. It's really hard to pick a favourite due to the way we have designed the park you can mix and match your runs. For example you could start on a smooth flowing trail with monster berms, then pick up one of the tight twisty natural trails and end on one of the really fast and incredibly rocky trails on the lower mountain. I think currently the rocky trails are a favourite. The pump track is going to be great when we finish that before the park opens.
Are there any stand out features in the design of these trails which we can look forward to?
I think flow is the main thing. The trails have been designed to use the lie of the land so you carry speed but aren't riding the brakes too hard. There are also some seriously big jumps on the 3dot DH trails.
When will we be able to ride BikePark Wales and is there a launch event planned?
We open to the public on the 10th August 2013 and we will have demos, raffles, giveaways and a few guest riders at the park for the weekend!
If you could only ride one bike at BikePark Wales what would it be and why?
We have specifically designed the park to be rideable on any bike within reason but in order to be able to enjoy all of the trails a mid travel (140-160mm travel) trail bike is the weapon of choice.
When launched will we be looking at the finished article or are there plans for additional trails and development?
BikePark Wales will never be finished. We will continually redevelop the trail network and expand the offering, we have very grand plans!
Are there any mountain bike competitions planned to be held at BikePark Wales in 2013?
Yes, we are holding the Welsh Champs in October this year and have been in discussions with the organisers of several large race series about holding events next year. Watch this space.
Where do you see BikePark Wales in the next 5 - 10 years?
The sky is the limit. A few people have nick named us the Welsh Whistler so that's not a bad target...
Many thanks to all the guys at BikePark Wales and to Andy Lloyd for the awesome photography. Keep your eye on www.bikeparkwales.com which will be going live in the next few days for advance uplift bookings.
See you there in August!
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