A quote from Geoff of Cult Cycling: < ="-" ="text/; =utf-8">< name="ProgId" ="Word.">< name="Generator" ="Microsoft Word 12">< name="Originator" ="Microsoft Word 12"><> 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 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. 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
