DIY DOWNHILL

Sheffield riders have funded, planned and reworked two of the city’s most iconic trails

- Jamie Darlow

Sheffield is a city that just gets things done. New trails and jumps grow with amazing regularity, seemingly due to the sheer will of the riders, regardless of whether the powers that be are on side, or the funds available.

This is the punk ethos that put Sheffield - a relatively small Yorkshire city on the map. And this DIY attitude permeates into Sheffield's mtb scene too, where it runs so deep that many (almost all) of the tracks and trails developed over the last 15 years or so stem directly from a proactive community of riders and advocates. With Ride Sheffield close to the heart of it all, locals have essentially built up an ever-more effective culture of fundraising and action.

Unsurprisingly then, the two newest trails Sheffield has produced are organic, rider-funded and generated. This being egalitarian, unflashy, Sheffield, both spots are also completely free for riders to use, in terms of parking and access, and represent the good things that can be achieved when riders work together and play nicely with local councils and landowners like the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

None of this would be possible without physical and financial support of local riders in numbers though, so make sure to get involved if you're based in the vicinity and donate at ridesheffield.org.uk and bolehills.com to help out.

THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GRENOSIDE

The DH3 trail up at Grenoside on the northern fringes of the city has been completely reworked. It's one of the most iconic downhill trails in the Greno area. There have been DH trails of various levels on this hill since the infancy of mountain biking, and it's even where local legend Steve Peat cut his chops as a kid growing up hustling sketchy, steep-angled, fully rigid bikes.