What Saturdays are made for

At the start of the year i decided i was going to make a big effort to figure out this dirt jumping lark, and things were starting to go well with the construction of the dirt jumps in Tracton. The standard and expectations moved up a notch when the Whistler pickled Nugget came home for a few months and we started some resurrecting work on the pump track and dirt jumps at Kevs gaff. This area had seen some tasty work over the few years with the help of Alfred, Quinn and Sean Swanick, to name a few. We set out reshaping the track and lips and before long the first two jumps were rideable but proved much more technical than I had anticipated due to the berm on the run in to the first jump. Since then, there has been work done to get more of the line open to get some continuity going. There isn't a straight jump in the set, with a berm either before or after each jump forcing you to get comfortable moving the bike around in the air when landing into a berm to maximize your speed for the next jump. It feels like a big pump track and although the jumps are not that big, I am usually smiling from ear to ear after each run. Just to clarify before I go any further, this is on private land and is on an invite only basis. The last thing anyone wants is strangers turning up at their front garden unannounced.

So, Saturday saw me finish work reasonably early and i met Jakob at the jumps around 3pm. It was a bit of a last minute decision to go ride there so we didn't put the word out about it. We weren't there long when Miley Murphy of Weldon Suspension showed up with some of his buddies, most of which had never seen the place before. These lads were mad eager to have a go at the jumps and seemed pretty confident about being able to ride the jump line as they were well used to the jumps in Tracton. The jumps in Tracton may be of similar size but its a whole different story when you start throwing berms and rollers into the equation. The penny dropped after the lads took a few runs at them and were coming up well short of clearing the first jump. The fact that most of them had full suspension rigs with knobbly tyres did nothing to help their cause but in fairness, they tried away mad and as the day went on they were getting closer and closer as they figured out the berm and got comfortable hitting the line with more pace.

A few familiar faces showed up during the day including Larry Douglas who popped in on the way back from an adventure race in West Cork. Greg O'Keeffe had a lash off the pumptrack and seemed to spend more than half of it on the back wheel, manualling everything at high speed. Next to arrive was Denis Corkery with two of the Cornforths in tow, Cam and Luke. The two lads had downhill bikes with them but it only took them a run or two before they had the first two jumps dialed, pedaling at every opportunity to keep up the speed. Even with a bit of teasing, Cam could not clear the third jump with his bike robbing all his speed in the berm before it. They spend the rest of their time there hitting a huge jump that Rob Davis had carved out of a pile of dirt alongside the pumptrack. They were getting massive air off it, making it look way too easy. Denis got the balls of the day award with his attempts at the jump line on a borrowed bmx, flaking at it in much the same way way Rob does, low and fast. He did well to come away with only a few minor falls. The same could not be said for one of Mileys friends who managed to pitch himself over the bars when he landed the first jump short. It was a worst case scenario crash and he was very lucky to walk away from it, and a bit of a reality check for the rest of us.

Since i have been riding there, i don't think i have seen a day where there was so many riders out to learn and have a go off something new. It really spurred you on and the more that showed up, the better i found myself riding as i tried to keep up. Everybody left with a smile and most with some unfinished business and eagerness for another lash of it. Its what Saturdays are made for, riding dirt jumps with a bunch of like minding loonies.