SEARCH FOR THE SLOP SCOTTISH ROAD TRIP: EPISODE 3 W/ LIAM MOYNIHAN

Liam and James keep trucking over to the East coast where they stop off by the river for a quick morning refresh. Just as they’re about to dunk in, a kayaker paddles by who turns out to be none other than local legend Corey Watson. He decides to ditch the boat for his bike and leads the boys on a tour of the trails. Selkirk has some sweet riding and some real slippery soil. The slop levels were relatively but it made for a great day!

The next place to sample was the forest of Thornielee. Out of no-where, wise man Christo Gallagher popped up bearing gifts and once again showed the boys the way of the woods. Thornielee is a relatively hidden gem with some great stuff on offer. Mostly hard rubbly ground with a thin layer of sludge on top made for some fast riding in amongst the tight trees.

As is often the case, Liam and James aren’t working to a particularly firm plan. They decide to stay the night at Innerleithen carpark only to be woken up by a surprise visit from Captain Punctual himself - Chris Hutchens. He’s a full-time engineer and long-time mountain bike racer with a constantly busy calendar. They manage to squeeze in an early lap together through the darkness of Traquair hill before Hutch has to dash off for his pre-allocated social ride time-slot. This leaves Liam and James back on their own to experience the joyous delights of a rainy Boarders ride. The ground there is firm and holds the water well. The tyres kick up huge amounts of spray and dig into the dirt which makes for a refreshing change as the grip levels are good.

To complete the tour its off to Ballo Woods only to discover a star guest… Warming up in the car-park is a famous footballer who’s now into the mountain biking. Absolutely delighted with what they’ve found, they ask him to go for a ride. Grant Murdoch is some character with some serious skills to match. What a day!

Finally, at home again, it’s back to the usual muddy ruts of Fort William once more. It was a great trip away and amazing to see how mountain biking has progressed across the country; fully aware that there are still so many trails in so many other locations that are still to be explored…