Young talents Frankie Windebank and Cooper Cassells lead a weekend of local success in Fort William
Two rising stars from the Forest of Dean have returned home as newly crowned national champions after a thrilling weekend of racing at the Lloyds National Downhill Championships in Fort William, Scotland.
Frankie Windebank and Cooper Cassells stormed to victory in their Youth categories (15–16 years), despite it being their first year racing at that level. Battling through classic Fort William conditions—wet, wild, and unforgiving—the pair showed incredible skill and composure well beyond their years to earn the top spots and their first national champions jerseys.
Speaking after her win, Frankie shared just how much the moment meant to her: “Super stoked, I have put a lot of work in for the event, I have spent some time working on both my physical fitness and mental fitness, Fort William is a Crazy hard track, I was aiming for a sub 6 minute race run and stoked to have knocked 8 sec off the target.”
They weren’t the only local names with podium success. Charlie Hatton, former World Champion and Forest favourite, narrowly missed out on the win in the Men’s Senior field, finishing just half a second behind the leader in a nail-biting race. Meanwhile, Will Haines made an impressive debut in the Elite Men’s category, finishing 14th. Hereford based Annie Dennis, secured another top spot in the Juvenile Female Category and Bella Hepburn produced a 6th place finish in the same category as Frankie. Bella’s success is part of a family affair, her brother Ioan Hepburn was recently crowned European Champion in track cycling.
Frankie and Cooper are both products of the thriving youth mountain biking scene at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, having come through the ranks of the much-loved Little Fodders club. Now in its 11th year, the club welcomes riders aged 5–14 of all abilities, offering everything from beginner sessions to race-ready coaching. With nearly 100 members and sessions running every Saturday during term time, and open to all during holidays, it’s become a cornerstone of the local MTB community.
For riders aged 14–17, Wye MTB picks up the baton, continuing the region’s strong tradition of youth development. This year alone, eight other Little Fodders alumni competed at the National Championship, proof that the Forest of Dean is a true breeding ground for mountain biking talent.
For Frankie her journey doesn’t stop at the finish line this weekend. She’s currently training to become a British Cycling Activity Coach (Off-Road) and will soon be giving back to the club volunteering through the summer. She’s also leading the National Downhill Series rankings with two races remaining this year and will be heading to the French Alps in under two weeks to race a three-day Enduro event in a father and daughter pairing. Her dad, David, added: “It’s super impressive stuff. There comes a point where young riders need to take ownership of their journey, and Frankie’s done just that. She’s balancing racing, GCSEs, part-time work, and all the behind-the-scenes training. Fair play, Frankie—you crushed it. She’ll return to race on her home tracks in September to race the Hope Ladies Enduro, which comes to the Forest of Dean for the first time this year, this time wearing her National Champion’s jersey.
There’s lots of foodie news from our award winning cafe this summer!
Firstly, our new Summer Menu is now live in the Cafe at Forest of Dean Cycle Centre featuring lots of fantastic burgers, sides and snacks including plenty of gluten free and vegan options as well as refreshing drinks menu including iced teas, coffees and all your favourites in chiller – soft drinks, ale and cider. There’s even a selection of snacks for your dog too!
We have dedicated Friday Night Pizza Nights every week during holidays from 4pm to 7pm serving Margherita, Pepperoni and Hawaiian Pizzas to order from our PizzaBox outside. Pizzas are also served every weekend from 12pm to 3pm.
Our Late Night Thursdays also got even more delicious with our new Flavour Club weekly specials served between 5pm and 9pm every week too (last orders at 8.15pm) with global themes each week. Watch out for Bao Bun Night, Gourmet Burger Night, Mac & Cheese Night and more. No bookings needed just come and refuel and enjoy the summer vibes.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening when:
Summer Café & Pizza Hours – Now Until End of Holidays
☀️ Monday–Wednesday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Fresh sandwiches, salads & savouries in the chiller
☀️ Thursday – Late Night Thursdays
• Café open 9am–9pm
• Flavour Club specials served until 8.15pm
• Full summer menu available all day
☀️ Friday – Pizza Night
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Pizza Box open 4pm–7pm for stonebaked pizzas
☀️ Saturday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 5pm
• Pizza Box open 12pm–3pm
☀️ Sunday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Pizza Box open 12pm–3pm
Gareth rode his analogue bike the other day, and realised that his fitness was not what it should be!
With spring around the corner, it’s time to make sure we are fit enough to enjoy the next riding season….
Nothing beats time on the bike…
Bike fitness is very specific, and the best way to get ride fit is obviously to ride more!
It’s not always possible to get out on the MTB though is it?
Gareth should know better too, with his sports science and coaching background, plus Performance Manager role at British Cycling, he really has no excuses!
The good news is that it doesn’t have to take a lot of time! There is a huge amount of research that suggests the best way to improve aerobic fitness quickly is short and intense intervals.
Spinning classes at the gym are a great way of doing this, or riding on a turbo trainer at home in the garage.
A simple workout would be:
Another great session is the classic pymarid
You’ll soon see that 2 sessions a week plus a weekend mountain bike ride will see an improvement in fitness in no time.
These sessions are intense though, so no cycling the day before or after to allow your body to recover properly too!
Hit the gym
Hitting the gym isn’t really going to help improve your fitness for cycling, but it can really help with your core and strength for descending.
There are 4 core exercises to incorporate into your training – but make sure you take advice to ensure you have proper form!
Here’s a hints and tips video with our friends at Rise Performance to help you get started (keep following our Pedalabikeaway YouTube channel for more)!
Join a night ride!
As we said, nothing beats riding your bike, so joining a group night ride takes away some of the excuses!
You’ve committed to go, have friends coming too, so are more likely to find both the time and energy to turn up and ride.
Our next Shop Night ride is Thursday 27th February, so if you fancy it, head over to our website for full details
See you on the trails!
We have been awarded a prestigious Silver Award for Best Café/Tea Room at the 2024 South West Tourism Awards of Excellence.
The award recognises our commitment to providing high-quality food and drink, exceptional customer service, and a warm, welcoming atmosphere for local walkers, riders and any other hungry folk passing through.
The team have worked (and continue to work) very hard to offer a range of delicious dishes, including signature burgers made with locally sourced ingredients, lighter bites and plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. As you know we are open late every Thursday night until 9pm too with a weekly cafe special to refuel locals enjoying what the Forest of Dean has to offer after school or work.
In addition to our culinary offerings, the judges also recognised our dedication to sustainability and community engagement. Our team all regularly volunteer for the Dean Trail Volunteers to maintain and improve mountain bike trails accessible from the Cycle Centre.
We are so chuffed to receive this award and it’s just spurred us on to be even more committed to providing great food year round for our customers and supporting our local community. We’re loving seeing more and more non riders joining us for our late night Thursday specials too – word is definitely getting out! Who knows, maybe this time next year we’ll be celebrating the Gold Award!
Thank you all for your support and please continue to feedback to the kitchen team your thoughts or ideas for new menus!
Pedalabikeaway Hours will be:
Christmas Eve: Close at 3pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 11-3pm
27th-30th December: 9-5pm
New Year Eve: 9-4pm
New Years Day: 11.30-5pm
Normal hours from 2nd Jan (Open daily 9-5, closed Mondays & cafe open to 9pm on Thursdays)
Mallards Cafe Opening Hours will be:
Christmas Eve: Close at 3pm
Christmas Day: CLOSED
Boxing Day: 11 – 2.30pm
27th-31st December: 10-4pm
New Years Day: 11-4pm
Normal hours from 2nd Jan (Open Thursday/Friday 10-4pm, Saturday/Sunday 9.30-4pm)
Photo credit: Forestry England.
Meet Old Bob – the new Green MTB trail in the Forest of Dean. The perfect bridge from the Family Cycle Trail to the Blue Verderers Trail and beyond:
The Story
Our motto at Pedalabikeaway has always been ‘Cycling for everyone’ – so we are delighted to finally have the missing piece in the jigsaw, the new Green MTB trail, “Old Bob”.
The original “Old Bob” was the pumping engine at Cannop Colliery, ensuring the mine shafts didn’t get flooded as far back as 1880, and the new Green Trail name is a nod to our Cycle Centre’s industrial heritage.
Since 2011, we have had the blue Verderers trail, green Family cycle trail (now called the “Colliers Trail”), red Freeminers route and several downhill lines.
Old Bobs is the final piece in the puzzle!
We feel it now makes the Forest of Dean the most complete trail centre in the UK!
What to expect?
It is a 2km flowy green trail, with 3 skills areas that you can session and lap. Expect a small climb, lots of berms and flow and a whole heap of fun!
Starting a sort distance from the Cycle Centre along the link trail, Old Bob starts with a gentle gradient climb. After a few hundred metres you’ll find the first of 3 skills areas, this one with a range of different corners to help you build up your confidence…
A little more climbing gets you to the ‘top’ of the trail, where you’ll find the 2nd skills area to practice on! After honing your skills once more, you can start your journey down the hill, and here the real fun begins…
The whole trail is suitable to lap time and time again, building up your confidence and skills, and tiring out little legs as you go.
All of this is no more than a hop, skip and a jump back to the Pedalabikeaway Café, and a much needed hot chocolate and refuel!
Check out all the info on the trail on the Forestry England Website here
Plan your next visit
With half term just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the Forest of Dean’s autumnal glory and check out the new trail!
Need to hire a bike? Not a problem. Just head over to our website to book here
See you out on Old Bob soon!
Photo credit: Forestry England
The countdown to FOD Fest is well under way, just a couple of weeks now to our biggest event of the year!
What is FOD Fest? It’s our mini mountain bike festival on the 21st and 22nd September 2024.
There’ll be bike demos from a range of the biggest brands including; Whyte Bikes, Transition, Pivot, Orange, Yeti, Geometron and Norco!
You can book on to demo the above brands for either Saturday or Sunday, and demo each bike for up to an hour on the day. These are available from 10am until 4pm.
Book your place here
2. Live Music
There will also be a live DJ on Saturday Night – none more than Milf (Milferdo) from EMF!
We are lucky that this super star DJ is also a local mountain biker, and happy to come down and support his local event!
3. Stalls
We will also have a range of stalls, from the Dean Trail Volunteers, Oxford Products, Pedal Syndicate and Bike Van Co, Muc Off and more.
4. FREE Sessions
Sprung Suspension will be doing suspension set up and tips, Muc-Off are offering free bike washes using their products, and there will be pre-bookable sessions including Wye MTB running coaching tasters and drop in physio clinic with Adrian from Rise. Watch our latest social media for how to book your places.
5. Great Prizes
Watch out for a range of events from the Pump Track Challenge to the Whip Off and Bunny Hop competition – get practicing as there’s some great prizes to be won!
6. Ride with Junior World Cup Riders
Local boys Will Haines and Billy Pugh will be making appearances during the weekend to share some rides and maybe do a little judging for our competitions. Come and say Hi and hear all about their journey so far…
Not forgetting we will have the kids MTB race on the Sunday too (sorry this is already sold out!)
There is no charge for entry, so put the date in your diary, and come down and join us for FOD Fest!
There are some amazing in the Forest of Dreams, but here is our pick of the best ones to do what ever your level….
Extension down to Mallards Pike Lake
It’s surprising how many people miss out the one mile extension down to Mallards Pike Lake.
Not only is the lake one of the most beautiful spots in the forest with Mallards Café, toilets and Go Ape, but there is also the Gruffalo Trail to keep the little ones entertained too.
Check out our you tube video with all the Family options
Ride to Symonds Yat
This is definitely one for the more adventurous as it involves a few big climbs and descents, but all suitable on your leisure or gravel bike, providing you have a good range of gears!
You’ll need to download the GPX file to follow this one, as it isn’t signposted!
Explore the off-piste MTB trails
Another one you’re going to need to download the GPX file to follow.
There are some great little off-piste trails really close to the centre, used in events such as the Mini Enduro.
This GPX file gives you a suggested route to follow – just be aware that off piste trails aren’t waymarked, and you’ll need advanced MTB skills to tackle them…
Get some Freeminers laps in.
Those of you that regularly ride in the Forest of Dean will know the Freeminers is very natural flowing trail.
This means that during dry summer weather, this trail runs at it’s best and is a beautiful way to explore the forest.
If you haven’t tried it, check out our you tube video
GBU Jumps line
This is the most advanced trail at the Cycle Centre and it runs super sweet when it’s dry.
The top section, starting at the top of the downhill trails, is a good pace to start with smaller tabletops and doubles to hit.
The bottom jumps, closest to the centre, are where you need your ‘big boy’ pants as these are fairly sizeable!
It’s great fun to session though if you have the skills!
Further a field
The Wye Valley has some amazing natural trails that are dreamy to ride in the summer!
Obviously you can explore them yourself, but they are best done with a guide
Wye MTB runs both uplifted and e-bike trips that explore this beautiful valley.
Go check the off piste and e bike black options;
Enjoy your summer riding and see you on the trails!
The summer holidays are finally here at FOD HQ. We’ve had a taste of summer warmth and we’re hopeful there’s more days like it to come.
There’s loads going on at the Cycle Centre over the holidays, so well worth planning your next visit!
Wye MTB kids coaching
Looking to get your kids more proficient at mountain biking? Our sister company, Wye MTB has a range of kids coaching sessions all summer.
Every Monday and Wednesday, there are beginner, intermediate or advanced kids MTB sessions – so something for every level from age 5+.
They also have the Fodders Academy for 10-16 years old every Tuesday and the Youth Gravity Camps (14-17year olds) each Thursday.
Plenty to keep your little rippers entertained!
Late Night Thursdays
These continue all through the summer with café open until 9pm every week.
Our Chef Jason will be rustling up a range of hand stretched Pizzas and of course, we’ll have lots of Wild Boar Cider and Sheepskull Ale chilling in the fridge to wash it down.
Join us and escape for a quick post work ride and stay for food afterwards!
Saturday afternoon Bike Hire and evening Burgers
Want a lazy start to your Saturday? There’s now an afternoon bike hire slot (3pm – 6pm) if you want to start your ride a bit later. Our café is also open until 7pm on Saturdays until the end of the holidays, serving a range of delicious burgers in the evening.
That’s still more than enough time to get in some laps of the Colliers Trail (previously known as the family cycle trail), the Verderers or just session some of the downhill trails….
Don’t forget to book your bike hire in advance!
Need to cool down?
The short diversion off the Family Cycle trail (now known as the Colliers Trail) to Mallards Pike is the perfect spot to hit up with the kids.
Not only are there plenty of lakeside shady spots, but there’s also the Gruffalo Trail for the kids to follow, our café serving cold drinks and ice cream, and a Go-Ape site (pre-book only) for those who are feeling at little more adventurous.
See you on the trails!