howies®

Me and Hicksey set off at the crack of dawn this morning to visit the MTB trails at Cwm Rhaeadr.

There’s just one 6km loop with a 3km climb followed by a long decent on some really nice singletrack. It’s one of those runs that can be as challenging as you want it to be. You could easily roll everything, but if you go for it there’re some nice jumps and tricky bumpy bits.

We did two quick laps, and had a great time. The views were amazing in the mid morning sun, with a waterfall in the distance (there’s a footpath that takes you closer to that I think)

Well worth a look.

More info on the MB wales site here

I love finding sites (cheers Al) like this that cut through the industry bullshit that pervades mountainbike media these days. This is one very funny pisstake of a site. It’s mainly USA centred. Be careful if you’re a Brian Lopes fan, they are not. here it is

i think Steve Peats first go at the World Championships  was quite some time back, in 1993 if i remember right, a long time ago. He’s been runner up four times, enough to break any mans heart and on top of that he’s had some rotten stinking luck along the way but this time the jinx slid off him like water over glass.

The whole show is on over on the freecaster website so you can watch the replay there sometime today, it’s a nailbiter for sure. In the meantime this is what he said about being in his mid thirties and still having the desire and motivation to keep racing year after year. Also bear in mind it was recorded the same weekend that he just pulled this incredible achievement off.

Congratulations Steve form all of us at howies, it’s been a long time coming kid. Here’s a little bio below.

We are going to the World Cup downhill MTB race at Fort William on the 6-7th June. We need a pair of hands to help on the stand. Some retail experience would be great and a taste for haggis and chips, or in resident Scot David Hicks case, HP sauce on Pizza. 

drop me a line on the blog.

Sport is simple. We just finished this little video today, we hope you like it. 

I was on the phone to Joe this week congratulating him on his podium finish at the Downhill MTB NPS race that had just happened the last weekend and asked him if he would send me some pics of his van and the contents of it. Joe travels all over Europe every year racing and riding in some incredible places and in some serious events. Here for your viewing pleasure are the young mans travel arrangements. Ghetto is all i will say for now and thanks for getting them to me so quick Joe.

howies bike fiend and all round world traveller Joe Barnes got a well deserved 2nd place at the NPS round 1 at AE Forest. He was sandwiched in behind World Champ Gee Atherton and in front of Tom Braithwaite. Well done kid. 

Here’s some pics of the lad on his travels….

Mongoose/howies rider Chris is out on the springy this time round.

Singletrack magazine have just uploaded all their favorite rides and trail centre info here.

In their words:

We’ve put together a list of all the best places to ride in the UK, from trail centres to natural trails. Each entry throws up a page of easily digested information designed to give you a flavour of the riding to be had.

We have imported the route guides from previous issues of Singletrack Magazine – complete with nice photos and PDFs of the route maps.

We have information on the types of trails on offer, difficulty, facilities on site and around the local area, links to accommodation and vital spares and even directions and postcodes for your sat-nav.

Our map shows the wealth of options you have when it comes to riding in the UK, so why not step out of your comfort zone, click a pin on the map, or list by region, and get away for a dirty weekend?