Tady je Manasovo

So, we’ve got fall again, fogs, smog, depression a dark when you are going to office. Luckily, friends from Nejdek arranged bike camp for us to cure.

This year I thought that I will go there quite soon, so we will have time to build tent and party by the fireplace. Well, shit happens, but wait a bit. I took half day holiday in office, jumped to my friends car and went to my brother-in-law to fix it. It took more than I expected … damned! OK, friends car’s fixed, quickly for my car. But what the hell, the car is not at home. Sister has used it to go to Prague … shit! Another delay. At 7pm I finally have the car and off I go to Prague. Really fast packing, not prepared bikes, what the heck. At 8pm we are on the road again. I don’t want to ride fast as SsangYong Musso doesn’t ask – it takes 15l per 100km without question. Hehe. On the way to Karlovy Vary, there’s fog like cream, visibility maximum 20m … really bad. 20km before Vary police forces us to leave the road and use the detour. We wonder what’s going on, but when we join the main road again, there is a covered dead body on the road. Scary!

After that I’m riding pretty slow and at 11pm we are in he camp. Quickly built tent, Sarka’s got a headache so she goes to bed. I’m taking the bottle of wine and go party. Everyone is somehow over horizon so they are leaving … crap! Anyway, i’m sitting there, chatting with 2 friends, finishing the bottle. 1am – time to go to bed. I’m awaken in the night – terrible cold and again at 7am when some jerks 2 tents away are chatting pretty loud. So no other choices than to wake up, prepare the bikes for a ride. Just begging for pedals (forgot mine), luckily friend has some. Draxal’s sweetshop are bringing cookies again and also hot tea…. yummy! Thank God for that in the morning. It’s like an elixir. We go to the first bus with the famous people (only in CZ, sorry :-) )

First freeride trail, first part on the asphalt … like 3km but that’s hell on a downhill bike (21kg, 210mm travel in front, 230mm travel back – imagine). First destruction, friend breaks the shifter – on a straight road! :-) Then the beautiful riding down, pretty decent track, couple of falls only one of them serious. Buba, the small gutsy guy want to show Sarka how to ride one steep rocky part. But he makes a mistake and result is flight over the handlebars, turned into frontflip, landed on his face. Fullface helmet slides a bit and he break one tooth. Crap! Of course, Sarka saw that and she’s demotivated. We’re going further on this track and it is brilliant – jumps, banked curves, it has rhytm … I guess that’s one of the greatest trails in there.

Next trail is called “Mouse hole”, I know this track since last year, so I’m riding fast. Girls are doing pretty well, but the rocky section makes them like they are working with pneumatic drill. It wants more travel I guess. But I’ve enjoyed that … you know, two words: “downhill bike” :-).  Another destruction, another shifter gone. We skipping the jump to the flat ground, thank God and that’s the end. To the bus again.

Next trail “Dew on the trail”, that is perfectly shaped, we are going to the drop place jumping everything as it goes by, fun. Watching other biker’s creations, lots of no control style. Bit scared even to watch. We’re going further and that part I know well. Somebody is behind me, so I’m going fast and I think he really appreciated the jump to the rocks which he couldn’t see until the very last moment because of me in the lead. All I could hear was: “Fuck!” and then noise of spring going full travel. :-)

Last trail of the day, another destruction – this time it’s Petr Heinik, shifter gone. I’m pushing him a bit on the straight road but after a while i’m exhausted, downhill bike is heavy. First part of the trail is on a footbridge over the swamp. Sarka is scared of the brigdes (those for bike – narrow ones) but she makes that without problem! Good! Next part of the trail we already did, there’s nothing interesting except the way back to the camp – 4km uphill, eeew, battlemode level 10, sweat everywhere, eyes almost falling out. But at last we made it.

We’ve gather some friends and we’re going to the hotel for the shower and party. After shower I feel like a human again and i’m hungry as hell. We got dinner but then the barman comes in and asks for a entry fee 80.- which includes dinner. Oh no! So after one dinner we got another and we’re ready to die. Not like the others, as I’ve heard they had party until like 2am … bastards!

In the morning, cold again awakes me … one look out and you see the ice covered car … that’s not good for the leaves on the trails, it will be slippery. Nevermind, we got cookies again, hot tea and we’re going uphill. Today not so much destruction as everyone looks like that they can ride, and they are enjoying it. Beautiful weather. One trail we’re riding with Hanz quite fast and, oh my god, the jumps are now too short. Every jump you take off, then you see the landing, then the landing disappears and there is a flat ground. Boooom! Thank God for all the 210mm travel. On the very same trail Sarka does the nice narrow ladder bridge, even when she said she is scared of narrow ones. That doesn’t look like she’s scared anymore.

Second trail, I don’t know which one, we’re doing photo session by one drop. It’s not easy, you have to make a slight turn right before take off. Not like one guy who jumps straight forward, right into the stones so his front wheel got flattened. Lucky him, he’s ok. Second drop, another photo session, me and friend are taking the same path – right into the stone but nothing happens. There is also the rocky section where Buba has broken his tooth. But that’s not stopping Sarka today. She does the rocky section with grace. Well done! Looks like I will need to build a new downhill bike for her :-)

The last trail of the weekend, I’m riding at the end with the girls, they are doing well. I’m making some pictures but my soap box has problems with the low light condition, so nothing nice.

In camp we’re only packing stuff, taking few pictures for the report and we go home with terrific 90km/h speed.

Few last words … it was great! Thank you guys, I’m always looking forward for this bike camp, it’s the very nice opening/ending of my bike season. Thanks Ms. Draxalova for the cookies and tea, and to all that were on this camp and made it awesome. And finally – thanks to Sarka that she did all the trails and she was doing great!

Photos sucks, so if you want to see more, go and visit my friends pages: Čárys a ETBikez.

Tags: bike, freeride, RB Camp   Posted in Bikes, viewed 2160 times. Share on Facebook