the infamous brown trousers run

slider · Post by **slider** » 16 Jun 2007, 02:34

a few of our usual suspects/riding mates did the brown trousers route a rew month a go and heres some video footage.thought i'd share it with ya cuz it made me larf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3nSMlTu9JY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-bfElz7jbk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgfmJ75mdI

unfortunately i didnt make it to this one(feckin work) but i'll get a crack next time round

Post by **knackeredMk1** » 16 Jun 2007, 09:51

Is this the infamous Brown Trouser Route up the Black Mountains near Hay on Wye? It looks similar but it definitely did not have a fence the last time I rode it (~9 yrs ago).
If it is the same one there should still be a little plaque a short way up it where one of my old Worcester colleagues died of a heart attack.

slider · Post by **slider** » 16 Jun 2007, 10:50

yeah thats the one,the plaque is still there.is the route as good as everyone reckons knackered?

Post by **knackeredMk1** » 16 Jun 2007, 12:30

To describe it as I remember (quite good on things longer then 4yrs ago/v. poor on more recent events):

You start on a gentle grass/field run from the road after a bit you come to a narrow route for ~ 100m that runs between two smooth outcrops of rock in the middle of which is a very narrow step ~ 18 inches high turning 90 degrees directly up hill. In the dry this used to be quite easy but it was difficult in the wet as you approched it very slowly. It caught out a lot of people and this is the place where to plaque is.

You then turn left and slowly climb up the right hand side of the valley which gets steeper as you get higher. After ~200/300m you come to the the corner that you can see the bikes riding round in the distance on the videos I think (although it might be a bit further). The track gets narrower and there are lots of big rocks that knock you off course and loose momentum. By the time you get to the part where the camera man is the ground is all loose rocks most of them big. They used to be arranged almost like steps but they were very loose. At this point the track is ~2.5 m wide with a moderately steep bank (unrideable) to the right and a 100-150 ft v.v. steep drop to the left (where the fence is now

). This carries on for ~50m before flattening a bit with more mud and getting shallower to the top.

If you lost momentum (ie. stopped) this was a v. difficult climb. You had to stay loose, ignore the enforced changes in direction and keep the throttle open (but not too open) whilst not looking at the chasm that was only 2 foot from your left hand.

Not sure what it is like now but it looks much the same.

Post by **knackeredMk1** » 16 Jun 2007, 12:33

I think that one of our group actually coined the name 'brown trousers route'.

slider · Post by **slider** » 16 Jun 2007, 13:08

seems quite apt

Post by **knackeredMk1** » 16 Jun 2007, 13:44

I have heard of only one person that went 'over the edge'. He, I think, was OK, the bike didn't fare so well