Rowan Sorrell is the founder, director, and head of trails at Bike Park Wales.
In this episode, we sit down with UK mountain biking legend Rowan Sorrell to discuss everything from the evolution of mountain bike trail centres to becoming a World Champion downhill racer. Rowan shares stories from his early years, racing downhill in the sport's early days, and how modern bikes have dramatically improved the riding experience.
We explore the founding and development of Bike Park Wales, drawing inspiration from the iconic Whistler Bike Park. Rowan provides insights into the intricate process of building and planning trails, addressing the early challenges of creating flow in trail design, and emphasising the importance of sustainable trail building. We also delve into the "no dig, no ride" ethos, the future of trail design, accommodating e-bikes at trail centres, trail advocacy, and more.
Rowan shares his experience of becoming a Masters Downhill World Champion and unveils some exciting secret plans for Bike Park Wales.
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Chapters
00:00:00 Introduction to Rowan Sorrell
00:06:48 First mountain bike specific trail centres
00:14:30 There were NO BERMS!?
00:23:30 How do you plot trail locations?
00:29:45 AG1
00:32:10 Racing early downhill world cup races
00:36:38 The Whistler bike park inspiration
00:43:40 Is 'No Dig No Ride' valid?
00:55:34 How the Bikepark Wales founders met
01:05:06 DREAM COFFEE COMP
01:07:50 The first trails at Bikepark Wales
01:12:45 Do people respect bikeparks?
01:20:19 The future of MTB trail design
01:29:29 Rowan's dream yard
01:34:37 UK Trail advocacy situation
01:42:24 Becoming Masters World Champion
01:52:50 Bikepark Wale HUGE announcement!
01:58:17 LIKE & SUBSCRIBE!
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Edited By: Doug Tucker, onlyflightdispatch.com
#TheRideCompanion #mountainbiking #mtb
5 авг 2024
