This past weekend Atlas Ride Co made the journey up the M5 & M6 from our base in Bristol to TweedLove, a mountain bike festival and Enduro race that takes place each year in the town of Peebles, located in the famous Tweed Valley, Scotland.
Once home to tweed mills, the Tweed Valley should be on the list of any mountain biker wanting a weekend on some of the finest trails in the UK. Check out our Enduro Weekend HERE.
TweedLove is attended by thousands of racers and casual fans of the sport, with multiple classes available, across male, female, juniors, seniors and e bikers with pro and amateur riders both catered for - well worth checking out if getting between the tapes is your thing. There are also demo rides from major bike brands and an airbag and pump track to have some fun on!
Throughout the weekend it was awesome to chat to so many in attendance who had recently returned from or just about to jet off on an Atlas Ride Co holiday - seeing how stoked everyone was in person makes it all worthwhile and is why we do it!
Did you spot us at TweedLove?
The race stages were spread out across the Glentress Trail Centre, but with nearby trails at Innerleithen and the Golfie even for the non-racers a weekend in the Tweed Valley has got to be the best spot in the UK for mountain biking.
Once the festival was over and everything was packed away, Rich and Lewis of Atlas Ride Co decided to dust off the Specialized Levo SLs for a day on the greatest hill in the UK, the Golfie, before heading back to Bristol.
Equipped with media boards we were ready to hit the Golfie
Up early and at the bottom of the hill at 9am, it was time to see what the SLs could do in a limited time and only 1 battery. At Atlas Ride Co we’ve long been shouting about how AMAZING the SLs are, even holding experience days so more of you can experience them, and truly believe that they are the perfect bike for trail riding.
The Golfie climb, although on gravel roads for the first part, is a pretty long and brutal climb, with roughly 800ft of climbing for each lap to the top. It’s a beautiful climb though, and once you reach the open top section the views stretch for a seemingly endless distance.
Just admiring the view...
First up was New York, New York, one of the most popular and famous trails on the hill. Starting in the open with a fast and flowing section with a couple small jumps before diving into the woods, the trail traverses and winds between the trees, never getting too steep, but with enough going on to keep everyone on their toes.
New York New York trail - is it the best on the Golfie?
The Levo SL gets us back going again, and another 800ft to the top. This time we drop into Repeat Offender, starting a little lower down the hill, we’re straight into the woods. Very similar to New York, New York, the trail starts off with plenty of traversing before picking up pace in the lower sections as it gets slightly steeper. Overall, roughly a 650ft drop in elevation for Repeat Offender.
With Lap 2 done, and two full climbs out of the Levo SL’s battery, it’s time for one more to the very top to drop into New Wolf Original, Dances with Wolves and Lone Wolf, another drop of 800ft on probably the most varied and fun trail of the day. The top starts on some tight berms, before dropping into the woods. This part of the hill is definitely steeper than the New York, New York and Repeat Offender side, and Dances with Wolves gets steep in places with some brilliant bermed sections. The lower part of the trail, Lone Wolf, blasts through a deforested section with stumps to avoid, before hitting the fire road.
Levo SL ready to eat up the trail
At this point we’re about 2300ft of climbing into our day and have done 3 full laps in 2 hours. Next up is two short climbs on the fire road before dropping into the lower trails, Community Service and -after climbing again - Flat White. Both are shorter and sweet trails, approximately 300ft of descent. To take us to the very bottom is Final Fling, a punchy trail that finishes off the day perfectly.
3,370ft of climbing in just under 3 hours. The Specialized Levo SL makes quick shreds a dream. It feels so light on the descents with more than enough to take the sting out of the climbs. It by no means will keep up with a full fat e bike in turbo on the climbs, but a little bit of pain is good, no?!
This is just a tiny amount of trails in the Tweed Valley, with so many more to explore; The Golfie, Innerleithen, Glentress, Cardrona, Yair and Caidmuir to name a few. We run Tweed Valley Enduro trips year-round, expertly guided by locals who have hand-built the trails, you’ll get to see the very best trails of the very best mountain bike destination in the UK. Check our Tweed Valley Enduro trip out HERE.
Got a group? We can do bespoke trips on any dates you want. CONTACT US to get the wheel rolling on your weekend in the Tweed Valley - Whisky tasting anyone?!
