TRAILCREW BIKEPARK WALES

The largest bike park in the UK never gets old, so we figured it was time to hit up its newest trails

- Rachel Bennet

BikePark Wales is a regular haunt for us here at MBUK, and for good reason. Not only is the uplift service swift and hassle-free. but the trails induce smiles for days and the network is constantly being added to keeping the riding fresh, even for regular riders. The BPW team put a lot of effort into keeping the park current and creating tracks that are either on the spicy side or flow as smooth as ice, ensuring that there's plenty for all skill levels to enjoy. With talk of new trails in the pipeline, we figured it was about time we got the mag crew together for another Trail Crew visit.

Keen for the green

With a six-strong team present - art ed Jimmer, his deputy Julia and tech writer Luke on their longterm bikes, editor JCW on a Pivot Shuttle LT e-bike borrowed from our Bike of the Year fleet and yours truly on the GT Sensor from this issue's First Look, plus snapper Andy Lloyd on his Marin - a bit of car park faffing is inevitable. Eventually, though, we're ready to go. BPW have kindly laid on an uplift for us, so we load up our bikes and head to the top.

We start the day on the Kermit green run - a trail few of us have tried before, but which turns out to be pure flowy goodness and a perfect track to get warmed up on and hyped for a day at the park. Rather than following it all the way back to the visitor centre and then jumping on the trail to the uplift pick-up point, we decide to take a short cut. Wanting to crank up the tech, it's a toss-up between two red trails - the drop- and jump-filled Insufficient Funds or Snakebite. The latter comes out on top, on the basis that it's another new-ish trail that not all of us have ridden. It's well-named, with janky rock sections and sneaky roots that nip at our tyres as we follow this fast, techy run back to the uplift.