A quick follow cam video down one of the Black rated mountain bike trails at Bike Park Ireland.
While possibly not being quite as ‘black’ as you might expect if you’ve ridden places such as Bikepark Wales, it is certainly more than a beginner’s trail and will test you if you are more used to riding trail centre routes. Of the four black routes at BPI, Black 3 is, in my opinion, certainly one of the more challenging, with Black 1 being the only other contender but for different reasons.
The initial drop into the trail is probably one of the more intimidating features. I have seen more than one person either avoid this trail because of it or walk down it. The steep slope with multiple switchbacks that immediately follows it is not for the faint-hearted either, but it is extremely well built. On the day this video was made, most of the blacks were very muddy and slippery but this trail was perfectly rideable and my absolute favourite of the day.
There are a couple of rock gardens that should be jumpable, but this is a skill I have yet to develop. The best I can manage is to get about halfway over them.
