Llangollen is a special and really important venue for British Downhill mountain biking.
It’s a venue that redefined mountain bike racing in the UK – when it appeared it was steeper, tougher, gnarlier and more technical than anything anyone had seen … and pretty much still is. It pushed riders to get better and faster and helped to make British racers awesome at tight, technical riding. It has helped create World Class talent and had a huge influence on the caliber of British riders that we’re now seeing winning international races.
All that is largely thanks to Martin, the landowner and chief track builder at Llangollen. He allowed that first track to be built on his land, allowed it to be gnarly as hell and continues to (literally) built the downhill scene in his back garden with his own bare hands. He’s a top bloke, a visionary and loves mountain biking and racing. We’re lucky to have him.
There’s no denying it has been a very, very tough year for Llangollen. The tragic death of a spectator at a recent event has (by his own admission) hit Martin and Llangollen hard and we can’t imagine what they’ve all been through. It’s great to see this video of Martin on the hill, spade in hand and talking really positively about the future. Massively inspiring stuff – keep it up mate, please!
