Page 121 - 2022-08-01 RiDE
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IN ASSOCIATION WITH
Small crests
turn into jumps
on the trail
bike, but many are passable on an
adventurer and today I’m taking
in a couple of my favourites.
The first is the Dove Holes
Quarry road. A public byway that
skirts a giant quarry, it is short, fast
and flowing and feels like it’s been
built with big adventure bikes in
mind. You can access it from the
side of the A6 as you leave Dove Holes, sneaking illicitly
up an almost-hidden entrance before immediately
climbing or from the back down a snake of country
lanes. Flowing and wide, it’s one of the nicest green
lanes for adventure bikes I have ever tried. Fun all year
round, it’s well-drained and perfect for dirt novices and
you don’t need full-on knobblies. Away from hikers and
dogwalkers, you have the place to yourself.
Time to stand up. Off-roading on the Tiger, on this type
of terrain, is pretty simple. Select the off-road riding
mode to soften the bike’s throttle response and get in
second gear. At a steady 25mph the Triumph surfs,
bouncing from hole to hole, the WP suspension soaking
up the worst without worry, revs occasionally rising and
falling as the wheels lose their traction.
Stand on the Ahead the path flows, rising and falling. To my left is
pegs and get more the industrial boom of a working quarry. Effectively a
feel for the front
huge hole a hundred feet deep, huge machinery carries
rocks into the middle distance. I stop and watch for a
riding though – it’s just about getting off the beaten while, then get moving.
track. So many adventure bikes don’t ever see dirt, Tight 90-degree corners take proper negotiation and
which is a crying shame – you only need basic off-road are done better standing up to get more feel for what the
skills to open up whole new horizons. front end is doing. This is a popular route with green-
The Peak District is one of the best places in the world laners and a couple of the corners have been worn into
to ride a motorcycle – any motorcycle. Set over 555 berms. It takes confidence, but hook into them and the
square miles, there are spa towns, chocolate-box villages Tiger carves through. It’s a great feeling. Each corner exit
and views that move your soul. There are amazing is an invitation for a bit of a tail slide and my inner child
tarmac roads to try, but there are plenty of legal byways, can’t resist, but the Triumph’s IMU-based traction
too. Some are rocky, steep and challenging on an enduro control reels everything in before I can scare myself.
Dove Holes
Quarry has some
great corners...
and views
‘Every turn of your
muddy wheels feels
like freedom’
BRITAIN’S BEST RIDE-OUTS | 13
