We travelled North through Germany and Holland in to Belgium (only France and England to go on that day!). I’d heard of MX trails but the general concensus was “just go there”. We went there and I would repeat the concensus. You should probably just go there. MX is tucked away in some hard to find woods and it’s been that way for a long time….before that it was a motocross ‘track’. Red Belge was there to greet us and give the guided tour. There’s enough lines that it’s really easy to get lost just wandering around. It felt like we had hours to spare but after untarping Jonny and some locals rode a ‘small’ line for a short while and it was nearly time to go. Jonny bent his bars and had to sit this one out but thankfully we got to watch Kenny Stremes and Red Belge ride one of the bigger lines. Needless to say it was a privilege!
A couple from Red Belge. It’s pretty much impossible to convey scale in these photos. There’s nothing but thick woods for reference. This isn’t even the biggest line!
Taking photos in places like MX is a bit of a conundrum. You can’t just walk about in any direction. There’s plants, bushes, trees, nettles, and a lot of undulation to contend with. You kind of have to stand wherever you can and set up flashes in much the same way. Once I find a spot I usually take about 10 test shots (sometimes with people riding) to find something that I’m relatively happy with. Then (once I’ve got something passable) I’ll start playing around with slower shutter speeds, narrower depth of field, flash settings, composition, and my position in the hopes of getting something a bit more artistic. Then I’ll move on and repeat the process. I’m certain theres’s a photo to be taken at MX that really does the place justice…..I’m sure someone else has taken it. I’ll have to wait for my version!
One of the things that stood out on this trip was an uncanny knack (from everyone) to get up and get on with it. After the obligatory stop at Aldi/Lidl/Rewe (Rewe being the least grim) we were usually on the road shortly after rush hour.
Jim had become somewhat taken with European driving techniques (lots of tail gating) and we were easily in Mainz by 10am….I say easily. The van had a habit of losing power on anything but the shortest journeys and my directions might have accurately been described as “quite late” on occassions. On this occassion we may or may not have exited the motorway on two wheels before finding ourselves in a shady lane (not the Wisley car park type of shady!). I mean under the shade of trees. A short roll later (or quite long if you miss the entrance and enter via full lap of surrounding fields) we found ourselves at Ziegelei trails.
Ziegeli contains quite a lot of wild features. We didn’t encounter many ‘basic’ lines at German spots. The spots are not as old as is typical in the UK and nor are the diggers. As a result of which you’ll find a lot of Shark’s Fins, Step Downs, and some wild berms that worked with varying degrees of success. Ziegeli has a 270 under/over berm that they call the ‘Helix’ and we quickly renamed the ‘Washing Machine’. The racer before made this obstacle ‘challenging’ for all but the most skilled rider.
I think the whole world knows that Jonny Faulkner likes a good tyre grab. This was a new one though!
Arriving nice and sharp gives you plenty of chill time.
The weather had finally reached expectations. A lot of the day was spent doing….not so much to be honest. Things spiced up later in the afternoon. There was a new crew of locals riding the little line and Mortitz was ripping the big line (I’m sure they have names), a bunch of people were sessioning the ‘Washing Machine’, and everything was good in the world. Although things never stay perfect. (Not so) Mini Max and Damo both needed a trip to the local A&E. Injuries are an inevitability but if you’ve just come back from a previous injury, or you’re hundreds of miles from home it’s extra shit.
Max Dunn aka Mini Max got tall. Like this massive Boyley. The former Mini Max was another victim of bad luck and a broken collar bone.
Beach Cruiser indeed! Damo was ripping before a freak accident put him in hospital for a short while.
One of the most noticeable things about the German scene is that they have a bunch of young rippers (Surrey Youth Crew has been slack this Summer). I’m not sure of this guy’s name but those jumps are not small and he was not scared to pull up.
This was our final day as a full gang. The following day was split with some of us headed home (via MX in Belgium), others headed to Cloud 9 trails, and some in hospital.
It’s pretty much always a good time travelling with a bunch of old and new friends, meeting new people, seeing new things, laughing, and learning. This trip was no exception. We owe thanks to so many people! Hope to do something similar again before the year is out.
Felix aka Ronny impressed everyone. He’s a got powerful style. I wish I could tell you more about Ronny and his crew but they ‘hot-footed it’ to catch the last train home. He’s another fella riding a Four frame and making it look amazing!
I’m pretty sure Wayne is some kind of tree surgeon. Who wears chef’s shorts and cooks like a champion!
Well I guess we all know about Atilla’s one footed invert after Tuesday’s post!
Sven Littfinski. What a guy. It was awesome to see him back getting laps!
Jonny loves laps.
You’re going to need to wait for Sam’s video to truly appreciate Moritz Muller.
Eliott and Ryan were off to Austria, Switzerland, and France (Morzine) for a month right after this trip. El has some cassette driver issues, so we didn’t see as much of those trademark El shapes as usual.
It’s no great secret we’re fans of Sam’s work. Most “trails edits” seem to involve riders on big corporate brands and clueless filmers trying to pass themselves off as part of the scene. This is the real deal.
You might have noticed a small gallery in the side widget on our landing page. There’s also a more stacked gallery here. This is just the beginning though……a few from Avery Hill and a selection from Birchwood 2021. The plan is continue uploading regular content and hopefully make it hub for anyone who has some trails related content to show the world.
