A few snaps from last Saturday's trail day in 50 Acre Wood. The trail is fully open again, and monthly dig days to improve the standard of the trail will continue for the rest of the year.

To get notifications of trail days sign up to the website or the Facebook group.

I've been getting lots of nice comments about how good the trails are looking this summer - MBR magazine even named Bristol as one of the best places to ride in the South West. While it's true that summer has been kind to us, there's been a lot of work put into the trails, and they still need a bit of buffing to keep them at their best.

With Ashton Court set for a major facelift next spring (see www.1sw.org.uk for more details), it's time to turn our attention to the other side of the road!

To celebrate 15 years of the National Cycle Network, our friends at Sustrans are organising a 56-mile MTB ride from Bristol to Cheddar Gorge and back again, on Saturday 11 September. The route will include some quiet roads and cycle paths, but there will also be a fair bit of off-road too.

Bristol plays host to a well-attended winter cyclocross race series, the Western League. The same team of promotors have organised a summer race series too, which kicked off last week at St George's Park. Although it's a cyclocross series, MTBs are welcome too - just don't expect to win!

Seniors races all start at 7.15 pm and the entry fee is a very reasonable £10 (£13 if you're not a BC member). There are also juniors and U12 races earlier in the evening.

Our next trail day is going to be on 31 May 2010, the Bank Holiday Monday before the Bristol Bike Fest. As with previous years we're going to be making it a bit of a special one, to help get the trails in tip top shape for a weekend of racing and the rest of the summer.

Want some pictures of your riding that do justice to your natural talent and skill? You need to get yourself along to Paul Hobbs' evening photoshoot, on Wednesday 14 April.

The next trail day in 2010 is going to pick up where we left off on the Quarry Trail, part of the Timberland Trail in Ashton Court.

I know this isn't strictly an MTB event, but if you've got a road bike (or a road-friendly MTB), and want to try a challenging event with a friendly atmosphere, some friends of mine are putting on their first Audax next weekend.

^{The Lower Quarry Trail is looking pretty sad at the moment}

Trail work got off to a great start in Ashton Court this year, and certainly seems to be having a positive effect. After a lap of the trails on Monday, I didn't even have to clean my bike!

The next trail day is on Saturday 6th March and work will be focusing on the Lower Quarry Trail (see the Maps page if you're confused as to the names of the different sections).This section is looking pretty tired and worn in parts and the plan is to rebuild it to be weatherproof, but interesting!

Because we'll be working on the far side of the estate, the meeting point will be the Longwood Lane entrance to the estate (opposite the Quarry gates) rather than the Golf Kiosk. Meet at 10.00am or come along later. You can ring my mobile (0771 265 0857) if you need directions. Please don't park on the road or you could get a ticket - I'll open the gate so you can park inside the estate.

If you haven't come digging before, we supply all the tools and equipment, although sturdy footwear with grippy soles is recommended. Have a look at the trail building section on our website for more info.