Search For The Slop Continues! Episode 3
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The final part is here! Into the third stint of the trip. Liam and James keep trucking over to the East coast where they stop off by the river for a quick morning refresh. Just as they’re about to dunk in, a kayaker paddles by who turns out to be none other than local legend Corey Watson. He decides to ditch the boat for his bike and leads the boys on a tour of the trails. Selkirk has some sweet riding and some real slippery soil. The slop levels were relatively low but it made for a great day!
The next place to sample was the forest of Thornielee. Out of no-where, wise man Christo Gallagher popped up bearing gifts and once again showed the boys the way of the woods. Thornielee is a relatively hidden gem with some great stuff on offer. Mostly hard rubbly ground with a thin layer of sludge on top made for some fast riding in amongst the tight trees.
As is often the case, Liam and James aren’t working to a particularly firm plan. They decide to stay the night at Innerleithen carpark only to be woken up by a surprise visit from Captain Punctual himself – Chris Hutchens. He’s a full-time engineer and long-time mountain bike racer with a constantly busy calendar. They manage to squeeze in an early lap together through the darkness of Traquair hill before Hutch has to dash off for his pre-allocated social ride time-slot. This leaves Liam and James back on their own to experience the joyous delights of a rainy Boarders ride. The ground there is firm and holds the water well. The tyres kick up huge amounts of spray and dig into the dirt which makes for a refreshing change as the grip levels are good.
To complete the tour its off to Ballo Woods only to discover a star guest… Warming up in the car-park is a famous footballer who’s now into the mountain biking. Absolutely delighted with what they’ve found, they ask him to go for a ride. Grant Murdoch is some character with some serious skills to match. What a day!
Finally, at home again, it’s back to the usual muddy ruts of Fort William once more. It was a great trip away and amazing to see how mountain biking has progressed across the country; fully aware that there are still so many trails in so many other locations that are still to be explored… Big thanks to everyone who took part and helped the series to be a success. Stoke is already building for more adventures in 2021 so stay tuned for bigger and better things to come. Cheers for watching!
