The dust has settled on the latest round of trail improvements at Ashton Court and we’re stoked to have seen lots of smiles since the tape came down at the end of October. The new section links the last round of work from the ‘hole in the wall’ all the way to the miniature railway and is 1.4km long! This now means that there is only 1 section of uphill singletrack in the whole 7km Nova Trail loop left to resurface.

The 4 weeks of work saw local trail buildling firm Architrail do 2 weeks of surface preparation followed by 2 weeks where 77 volunteers wheelbarrowed 176 tonnes of stone into place. With so many hands and a healthly pot of donations to buy materials, we were able to really go to town on building up old features like corners and rollers to make the trail even more involving than it was when it was first built back in 2011. The trail now runs a lot faster for riders of all wheel sizes and is much less slippery in the wet than it was before when the exposed and polished rocks could really throw a young or inexpericed rider.

After all the years we’ve been involved in trail building, we’ve noticed that it’s always difficult to please everyone but we hope that what’s been done to the Nova pleases the majority of riders. We’ve tried to keep the refurbishment in line with the original vision for the trail, making the most of the all-weather, mud free surface, it’s limited gradient and the almost unique accessability on offer at Ashton Court to keep the trail alive and fun for riders of all ages and abilities. In order to excite a new generation of riders we think that it’s important that facilities like Ashton Court exist – trails that anyone who can ride a bike can enjoy without too much risk. On the face if it the trail may not be techincally difficult compared to some, there are still chanllenges to be had like rollers to manual, gaps to send and speed to be unlocked for even the most proficient riders.

Thank you to all our volunteers and everyone who has donated cash to get us where we’re at today, your contribution has added so much for so many. You’re awesome.

Massive thanks to Architrail as well who led the job and worked tirelessly at cost price to see it through.

Peace, love and happy trails!

Matt, Sam & Ollie @ Pedal Progression