Bedrock Invitational Report

Published on July 21, 2008

Devon isn’t a bad place to be a mountain biker. Okay so we don’t have massive hills, but there’s definately plenty of spots to hit. The guys at TT Freeriders have been working hard on their newly aquired spot over the past couple of weeks to get it ready for their Bedrock Invitational event.

On arrival Saturday we kitted up and went to meet the guys from TT Freeriders and check out their site. We received a warm greeting, having met some of the guys before, and headed to the 4X track. Originally built as a mountain board track, the jumps have been tweaked to make them more suitable for two wheels. I’ve never ridden 4X before, but the tracks got massive berms, whoops, tables and doubles and flows really well. The hip to berm at the bottom gives you a massive boost, allowing to carry your speed into the final straight.

The track with put to good use later in the day during a relaxed race. There was much debate about how the race should be done, so in the end a race format was devised so that everyone would get at least three race runs. Despite talk about ‘just rolling down’, everyone got in the competitive spirit and ended up giving it there all down during their runs. The final was a close call with Glen winning, Ed Lambert coming second and ex BMX racer Darren Curtis coming third. There was an eight man uplift to take the pressure off on the journey back to the top of the hill.

Late on Saturday we went down to check out the jump area. High winds meant any serious airborne action was out of the question, but the areas strewn with massive jumps, half pipes and a step up box. Tom from TT Freeriders told me they’re going to be making some changes in this area. True to his word, the guys made some amendments on Sunday, digging a wooden kicker into one of the big tabletops and creating a bowled landing to allow a transfer from one jump onto the landing of another. The areas got masses of potential, and I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do with it in the future.

Sunday turned out to be a super chilled day, with riders alternating between the 4X and the jump area. A few more riders turned up on Sunday, including Huckmonkey junior tester and downhill rider Charlie Ross and his younger brother Lewis. Improvised races were held and generally everyone had a laugh.

We’d like to say a massive thanks to the guys at TT Freeriders for not just putting on the event, but also providing such a great atmosphere. I’m currently aching all over, but I’ve got a sneaky feeling that the pain in my ribs may be down to the amount I laughed.