West Highland Hurt Box: Bangers & Mash

Ah, Scotland. A place held in high esteem in the mountain biking world, and for good reason. The UK’s only downhill World Cup location, access rights that actually make sense and trails almost anywhere you look, it’s an undeniably a hotspot for us southerners and our 20-second-long rut tracks.

However, I doubt many of us ‘shredders’ have ever consider riding from Glasgow to Fort William on the West Highland Way, let alone doing it flat out to try and achieve the Fastest Known Time. I’d hazard that many of us didn’t really know of the West Highland Way. Does it have a downhill race on it, mate? No? Wot?

Having watched this video, I reckon most of us now have an interest in it. Or at least we can appreciate the landscape around it. Or maybe we can just appreciate how much it would hurt to ride flat out for close to 10 hours. It also got me thinking about the old school downhill races, where tight outfits and gravel tracks were the norm. It goes to show how much the sport has changed that downhill riding from less than 20 years ago is now considered cross country. If you don’t know what I’m on about here, then dive into the video below to get an idea.

Warning: contains skinny bars, Lycra and 26-inch wheels.

— HG