Mountain Bike Skills

Rivington: parking, off-road vehicles - and a new Go Ape

A public consultation will be held on August 28 at Rivington Hall Barn to discuss parking issues, off-road vehicles and the launch of Go Ape at Rivington.

Proposals will be on display as to how authorities plan to tackle the problem of random parking around the pavements and streets.

Also, United Utilities have been working with the local police to stop dangerous driving, quads and 4x4s being used around the trails.

Manager PC Matt Lee said: "The partnership working between United Utilities and Lancashire Police has been very successful at raising awareness of theprobelms vehiceles cause and a number of people have been issued with Section 59 warnings and in some instances a fine."

For mountain bikers, it is worth noting that the descent down from the pigeon tower has now had a large trench dug out to one side to stop 4x4s driving up the side.

Mountain biking conference

TRAILS, fitness and mountain biking rides will be on the agenda for the National Mountain Bike Conference.

The IMBA will be part of discussions as they host the National Mountain Bike Conference at the Cycle Show, taking place at Earls Court, London from 9-12 October 2008.

The demand for off-road cycling has grown dramatically in recent years and this conference will provide a great opportunity to hear about the lessons learnt from those running successful facilities across the globe. The focus will also be on training, education, facility development and funding.

There is a chance for you to book your place.

Mountain biking ride guide Rivington

THE new route plan for trails at Healy Nab in Rivington has been released.

The trail on the West Pennine Moors has been designed by mega biker Rowan Sorrell and comes after months of planning.

Rowan visited the site recently and will now come up with detailed plans of what tricks and trails are going where.

Mountain biking helped turn my life around

Inner city growing up is never easy. And when all your mates are out smoking dope and drinking, it's near on impossible to break away from the crowd.

But when one night's innocent chit chat on a street corner in Manchester turned into a riot and left Steven Ball facing prison, he knew it was time to break away.

Here the 21 year old tells how mountain biking has been the hobby he needed to make new friends and break the cycle of drink and drugs.

Adventure racing Dirty Weekend

AMATEURS and seasoned mountain bikers alike are being called on to join in the first multi-sport adventure festival in Cumbria.

The Dirty Weekend will feature adventure racing, mountain biking or trail running on October 4 and 5 at Grizedale forest in the south Lakes.

The event is being supported by Cumbria Tourism, Sea to Summit, Adventure Medical Kit, Buff, Ellis Brigham, Rat race and Land Rover G4 Challenge.

Mountain biking guides: a chat with Jon Barton

TURNING a sporting passion into a viable business is what so many of us dream of doing. And driven by a love of mountain biking and climbing, Jon Barton, 41, has done just that: building up a successful three-pronged business, Vertebrate Graphics, specialising in publishing outdoor titles.

Here writer Clare Cook gets the low-down on mountain-biking tips, life as an author - and stealing time to ride when his three-and-a-half-year-old son’s not watching!

Trails being drawn up for Rivington

MOUNTAIN bike guru Rowan Sorrell is working on the new plans for trails in Rivington.

The mountain bike sensation has ben enlisted by Blackburn bikers to help turn an otherwise under-used patch of fell at Rivington into a section of downhill playground.

He met with members of the club, local mountain bikers and members of the local authorities to devise plans on how best to proceed at the end of July.

Work now begins to bring clarity to development plans and finish work at Healy Nab to turn the plans into a reality.