Fulfilling a dream: mountain biking in Scotland

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    • #72070

      Ever since I seriously got into biking, I wanted to mountain bike in Scotland. I’m Scottish by blood (hence my name!), and the highlands of that beautiful country have always screamed "RIDE ME!" to me. So about two years ago, I decided a new life dream is to mountain bike in Scotland. Whether it’s half an hour or half a day, I knew I had to ride there before I died.

      Well, last week, I got my wish.

      I was in Fort Williams, Scotland, home of The World’s race that’s taking place in September. I rented a Specialized Hard Rock and a helmet. Admittedly, the frame was too small for me, but hey, one can’t be too picky when accomplishing a dream, right?

      I got to utilize their customized "Skills" park, hopping jumps and bridges before heading out to explore some of the terrain at Ben Nevis. Their isn’t any singletrack like I’m used to, as these are tailored trails. One of such that was open was a mile or so of the World’s XC trail that will be featured in the races coming up in September. Tight turns, steep climbs, and some cool drops, though it’s not completed. Continuing to shoot around, I made my way towards some of the detailed trails, and I found my way to the coolest thing I’ve ever ridden on. Being used to New England singletrack, I’ve never had the opportunity to ride in a place where the track was "made" for bikers. Obstacles, jumps, drops, wall rides, boardwalk, all of this built for the sole use of crazy guys on bikes with helmets and pads.

      I rode for almost two hours, taking three awesome spills (note to self: in the UK, the front brake is on your right, not your left — endo’ing sucks) and coming home with sweat, blood, and a smile covering my face.

      Life dream #2: accomplished!

    • #72071

      Right on! 😼

      So what’s Life Dream #1?….

      I had planned on riding the UK or Ireland at some point during our three years in Europe…. But it turned out that there was more than enough riding to be had in Germany alone!

      Didja get any pictures???

    • #72072

      Been looking at Ireland, have always wanted to go. The tours all look soooo! tour-ist-y. Did find info on mountain bike races, kinda thinking about doing that next year, fly over and do a race. What a goof that would be

      Riding is life all else is waiting

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