Took advantage of the good weather and a child free day to head up to Ballater for a loop of Heartbreak Ridge. Been 2 years since my last trip and was well worth the journey. Trail was the driest I’ve ever seen it and the trail association work on the lower section was great. Some sections are victims of their own popularity, seeming to get wider every time I ride it. Why can’t people just ride the trail obstacles instead or going round them?
Rode another trail on the opposite side called Mastermind which was right on the outer edge of my comfort zone. Steep, tight, dusty and loose. Most of the individual corners would be ok on their own, but very sustained and intense riding. Struggled to get the bottle to go fast enough to get them to flow together. Upper body struggled too, but a 25kg ebike is not the easiest to hustle round switchbacks.
Really enjoyed the day, good to get back into proper mountains again.
Rode another trail on the opposite side called Mastermind which was right on the outer edge of my comfort zone. Steep, tight, dusty and loose. Most of the individual corners would be ok on their own, but very sustained and intense riding. Struggled to get the bottle to go fast enough to get them to flow together. Upper body struggled too, but a 25kg ebike is not the easiest to hustle round switchbacks.
Really enjoyed the day, good to get back into proper mountains again.

