News

20.07// Our first add!

Yup We thought it was time to start getting the word out to the masses any way we can think of.

This is our first web add and we are quite proud of it and here it is in action!

19.07// Heath and Fitness for cyclists

The guys over at Cycling weekly's Health & Fitness for Cyclists magazine really hooked us up with 2 great features.

Hannah makes one of our Swallows Tee's look even more amazing!

Look as good as Hannah by getting one of these organic cotton triumphs for yourself here.

We can't promise you'll be as fit as her though, you'll just have to work hard for that!

19.07// Great feature photos in Dirt

A couple of great shots of James McKnight Tearing it up while testing the Trek Remedy 8. James wears our ever popular graffiti classic Tee, made from the finest turkish organic fair trade cotton of course! Look as good as James by buying one right here today.

19.07// First BDS podiums for Swiss and Swallow Racing

It would be here under a baking blue sky that Swiss and Swallow Racing achieved our first Halo British Downhill Series Podium finish. At to top that we achieved not one but two podium finishes!

Read on for all that happened at the event, the predecessor to which left riders excited and wanting more just twelve short months ago:

Llangollen first appeared on the UK calendar back in 2009 with what was possibly the most technical, certainly the steepest course to have been raced in the British Isles. In the woods it was fairly rooty, of course the aforementioned steep, and certainly a course with some very big consequences of getting things wrong. It was a real eye opener for many. Unfortunately, for now at least, that course is out of bounds, and instead a new course has been constructed on the hillside next to it but with one very real difference. No trees. And as a result, the course is now much shorter and less root infested but no less challenging in its own way. Fast, loose and with some fantastic corners it may be a different beast to that which created the legend just twelve months ago but it carries the weight of expectation just fine when you see how challenging a huge number of riders found the trail.

From the start tent, incidentally with some of the best views of any race start in the country, the track begins relatively normally with some hard pedalling along the traverse to the start of the steep stuff. In the wet of the Welsh champs this was a hard slog but not this time for the weather had been much kinder and instead of black rain clouds and bog had provided us with blue skies and dust. So it was fast, with the pedalling enabling you to go faster and faster rather than it being necessary for any forward motion. But turn into the left hander at the first tree and all thoughts of pedalling were soon out of your mind. Loose, dusty and some immensely deep ruts were all that it took for some riders to have the grins spread all across their faces, and the grins wiped off the faces of others. Make no mistake, the lack of roots and trees did not make this any less challenging for all but the very top riders, and even they made mistakes they’d live to rue.

From the point of drop in to the steep section it was definitely a case of riding the brakes, controlling the speed and not allowing the bike to run where it wanted. Precision was the name of the game, allayed to a little bit of lairy flare on the deep and loose dusty corners that linked you onto the fastest of the traversed with its drop into hairpin which tied neatly into the second traverse. The next steep bit was changed after the welsh champs to help slow riders down and prevent them blowing out the turns so readily and it helped, to a degree. Some maintenance work was still needed over the weekend but it was certainly a noticeable improvement, even if some lines did disappear by the time Sunday rolled round. But then again, that’s racing, and in racing you have to be prepared for changeable course conditions.

Entering the open deciduous woodland shortly after and the speed picked up as the gradient lessened. Some fantastic fast corners allowed you to lay the bike low and then the three step downs. There were big crashes here in the previous race and there were more this time round. A big step down was fast, the second flyer faster and the last jump into the field faster still, which meant that when riders were pushing it, they were running their margin for error close to the wire – huge mature trees and a stone barn wall were just two of the potential run offs you could choose from. Harry Philips found out to his cost the potential for injury in his seeding run and was airlifted off with suspected spinal injuries, thankfully suffering no more than a broken collarbone upon further inspection.

So that’s the course as it stands now but what else happened over the weekend? Well there was the ever present issue of transport which currently at best is passable, at worst is dreadful. It’s certainly not an easy nut to crack for, despite being so short, there are few places for vehicles to pass and is run on a public road which cannot be closed. It also isn’t helped when a local farmer gets it in his mind to cause as much intentional disruption as possible. All this means that the uplift can at times get a bit troublesome and leave riders struggling for runs which the BDS organisers accept and apologised to the riders for during the long queues. That said, riders did get enough runs to learn the track and racing has never been about the maximum amount of ride time. Hopefully things will be ironed out for the next event to be held here for that issue aside, the venue really is superb and the majority of the locals seem to be right behind the events, none more so that Martin who is the owner of the land and farmer behind the One Giant Leap initiative on the hillside.

In youth Joe Connell took third for Alpine Bikes with a time of 1:58, less than two tenths down on the 1:58 of Swiss and Swallow’s Phil Atwill in second. Fraser McGlone took the win with a 1:56 which would have placed him well overall for All Terrain Cycles.

In the non-Elite womens category there was a fair bit of attrition before racing even began with Ellie Maxfield fracturing her leg. With only two runners making it to the finals it was Rose Hindley who took second for Swiss & Swallow whilst Rosie Smith took the win with a margin of ten seconds despite a crash. Keep working hard Rose!

In the Swiss and Swallow Elite men, Dan Atherton may have been having a torrid time on the World Cup circuit this season but he pulled third here for Commencal with a 1:43 whilst his brother and Commencal team mateGee sat one place and seven tenths ahead. Continuing his run of dominance on the steep welsh hillside was Monster Energy/Specialized rider Brendan Fairclough who now adds a BDS win on to the Welsh Champs the month before and the NPS in 2009 on the wooded course.

16.05// Race report from BDS 1

2010 Halo British Downhill Series | Round One

So the real racing stated here and the Swiss and Swallow Racing Team really rose to the challenge of the new look series and new age categories.

Rose, Phil and Sam all stepped up and put some great work in on this monster track. Alas the team left Wales still searching it's first BDS podium. with a 7th for Phil, 6th for Sam and 5th for Rose we are getting closer!

The Swiss and Swallow Downhill Racing Team

L-R Phil Atwill, Rose Hindley and Sam Wakefield

Two races at Rheola back to back and both sunny, what’s been happening in South Wales recently to cause such an outrage? With a change in the management, plenty of hype and a lot of top riders on the cards there was speculation and expectation aplenty.

Rheola has long held a place in the hearts of downhill racers in the Uk, with one Rob Warner even going so far as to describe it as Fort William with trees. Sitting between three and four minutes for the average rider it is long, fast and takes no prisoners with both start and finish in full view of each other from their respective places top and bottom of the hill. Starting on the flat out open bridleway like track from the start hut riders are treated to speed, rocks, kickers and jumps which just beg to be hit. Loose and lairy this quickly leads into the woods which never seem to dry out, no matter how hot it is. Still fast but with rocks and roots sticking out to rip your wheels out from under you, hit the new step down to the road and into the off-camber section first used in last year’s NPS Final.

Rachel Atherton Warms up in the pits with the new Swiss and Swallow Pit looming large!

Whilst not quite as off camber as it was last year thanks to some work to shore up the ground, ruts made it easier to carry speed and this noticeably helped flow if not necessarily the challenge – certainly the case as the track began to dry over the course of Saturday. Hold your line and speed through this (many didn’t and spent plenty of time dabbing along with their feet), drop onto the road and you’re back into more roots, ruts and rocks. These soon lead you into infamous Star Wars (the scene of Steve Peat’s broken ankle in 2007) where you’re soon met with more roots coming in from all angles, forcing everyone to keep on their toes if they have any wish to exit the other side still on the bike! From there it was a few jumps, a bit of bog and a steep chute to the finish down the back of the industrial buildings left over from the Resolven mining works which seemed very appropriate given the areas mining history. Despite appearing to lack flow early on Saturday things improved noticeably as it bedded down and the work that the WDMBA boys had put in was soon appreciated by many.

There was no escaping the buzz which surrounded the run up to this event although it did leave many wondering if it would be able to live up to the hype. As always, weather was definitely on side with a dry fire road, gorgeous blue skies over the valleys and later a starlit night. Always better than mist, rain and misery! So with riders moods buoyed by good weather, a noticeably increased Elite field and pit area full to the brim with trade stands things were looking good. Even a last minute cancellation by the coach company on Tuesday failed to put a damper on things as a replacement was very quickly found. Unfortunately various things over the course of Saturday did conspire against riders maximising practice, the worst of which was a rider being taken to hospital by air ambulance with suspected neck and spinal injuries. Get well soon buddy! And it would have been fine if problems had stopped there but things got worse as first one, two and then three coaches (of four) broke down, were fixed and then broke down again meaning that by the time four o’clock came round one coach was running and both Si & Dave were seriously contemplating which way would be easiest to push... However, some diplomacy skills, the lure of a chequebook and the promise of a maintenance team on hand all day Sunday to keep the coaches running smoothly things seemed to be under control. Until they called up at half seven to say they weren’t coming back. I don’t think anyone would have envied Si at that point. But come to the rescue he did and somehow four coaches turned up on Sunday morning. But more of that later...

With five plus runs easily had on Saturday, with tales of eight or nine plus, there was plenty of practice on offer for those who wanted it. Matched with a few runs on Sunday morning and there was no excuse not to know the track by the time racing came round on Sunday afternoon. Who maximised their winter training and who watched too much tv? The times don’t lie and this is what happened:

Sam represented on the hot seat for 22mins. missing out on the podium by 0.013 of a second.

better luck next time buddy!

Elite men. The big guns, the big names and the riders who are expected to put out the fastest times of the day. With only eight riders having broken the three minute run barrier Chain Reaction’s Matt Simmonds took third here with a 2:52, less than half a second back from the 2:51 of Dan Atherton onboard Commencal. But taking the lead, if not by quite the same margin as he did with his seeding run was Gee Atherton with a time of 2:49 and who apparently sounded like he was just out having some fun all weekend. Well, a win has to add to the enjoyment factor, especially for the newly rebranded Commencal team.

Swiss and Swallow Elite Men's podium.

With a killer track, enough practice to get to grips with it, great weather and the best atmosphere at a national event for a fair while it was very much a weekend to be proud of. With Fort William on the calendar next it promises to be an even bigger event, with chairlifts and both trade teams and big name riders aplenty keeping the British Downhill Series moving in the right direction. Based on what we’ve seen so far 2010 looks to be a vintage year for the British Downhill Series.

words by Alasdair MacLennan

16.05// Aston Hill March 2010

First race of the 2010 season for the Swiss and Swallow downhill racing team was at Aston Hill. and it was a great start for Rose (2nd), Phil (3rd) and Sam (1st).

Mother's day, stupid question, but which other countries celebrate mother's day? Is it a World wide thing? Maybe that was the reason why only 155 raced? Add in the start to the Formula 1 season and numbers were down on the bumper 423 race last year. At least the weather was nice, if a little breezy and cool.

Practice was already firing as we landed just after 08:00 in the top car park. Sign on, sign your life away and kitted up we pedaled the short distance to the start. A massive pedal, think World Champs 2009, well it felt that way on the flat pedals I can tell you. Before we fired around some seriously eroded corners and straights littered with exposed roots. Am I complaining? Definitely not, courses should be as rough as a bear's bum, not some super highway.

Plenty of line choices to pick from even on a short course like this. Take it wide and flow was the trick of the day. Stay off the white chalky surface which was like ice and I'm not talking cream.

Racing started at 11:00 on the dot with everyone getting in two race runs, the fastest to count. The pits were alive with Nema, K9, Swiss and Swallow, Descent-Gear, the burger man, Hensley and Buzz. I must highly recommend Michelle Warby's flapjacks, they were awesome. The next race at Aston Hill is in September so make sure you are there points chasing for the British Downhill Series no doubt.

Sam on his way to victory.

Now on to the nationals!

24.01// Swiss and Swallow Sponsor British Downhill Series 2010

Swiss and Swallow the organic clothing company are proud to continue their sponsorship of the British Downhill Series 2010 following a successful year in 2009.

Swiss and Swallow are delighted to announce that they will be the sponsor of the Elite Men category. "Swiss & Swallow Elite Men". Where better to promote our message than with the worlds best DH riders on the worlds fastest national series.

Swiss and Swallow will be present at all rounds of the series displaying their great organic and recycled clothing and will be supplying planet friendly prizes in association with their "Eco Partners" Powertraveller and SUSO. There will be over £3,000 worth of planet friendly prizes up for grabs for the whole series.

Swiss and Swallow Racing will again be supporting young up and coming riders in 2010.
The Swiss and Swallow Racing Team is supported by SUSO, Powertraveller and Hotlines-UK.

As previously announced our official riders this year will be:-
Rose Hindley. This Female rookie had a string of great results in 2009 at regional level and is set rock the boat at the BDS in 2010, Good luck Rose.

Partnering her will be the pocket rocket that is...
Phil Atwill. In 2009 Phil blazed down pretty much every hill he was set up on. Phil finished 1st in the Juvenile category last year. Swiss and Swallow and Phil's co-sponsors Hotlines-UK will be doing all they can to help Phil reach the same Heights in 2010.

Swiss and Swallow can also announce that they will be supporting Sion Whitcross the Team Scene elite rider in 2010.

And Finally,
we will be turning our attention to cross country and enduro mountain bike racing. We ill de supporting Claude Goodfield in the national championships and on various other local races. Also Claude will be taking on some other great adventures. Bear Grills and Charlie Borman watch out!

Swiss and Swallow Plan to launch their fresh new 2010 range at round one in Rheola so drop by the team pits to check it out.

Swiss and Swallow will also be providing a tyre recycling service. So rather than binning your worn out rubber, drop it with them. And be assured that your old tyres will be given a new lease of life....

Swiss and Swallow are the makers of ethically and ecologically sound clothing and accessories. They may be small but they have a big ambition... to show you that organic and recycled materials are not only better for the planet but offer unrivaled levels of comfort and quality.

24.01// 2010 Riders Announced!

Swiss and Swallow the organic clothing company are proud to continue their sponsorship of the British Downhill Series in 2010 following a successful year in 2009.

Swiss and Swallow Racing will again be supporting young up and coming mountain bike riders in 2010.

The Swiss and Swallow Racing Team supported by SUSO, PowerTraveller and Hotlines-UK can now announce that their official riders this year will be:-

Rose Hindley. This Female rookie had a string of great results in 2009 at regional level and is set rock the boat at the BDS in 2010, Good luck Rose.

Partnering her will be the pocket rocket that is...

Phil Atwill. In 2009 Phil blazed down pretty much every hill he was set up on. Phil finished 1st in the Juvenile category last year. Swiss and Swallow and Phil's co-sponsors Hotlines-UK will be doing all they can to help Phil reach the same Heights in 2010.

Swiss and Swallow can also announce that they will be supporting Sion Whitcross the Team Scene elite rider in 2010.

And Finally, we will be turning our attention to cross country and enduro mountain bike racing. We will be supporting Claude Goodfield in the national championships and on various other local races. We also have some crazy adventures planned for Claude... Charlie Borman and Bear Grills watch out!

We will be updating our team area soon with lots for info about our riders very soon.

Swiss and Swallow are the makers of ethically and ecologically sound clothing and accessories. They may be small but they have a big ambition... to show you that organic and recycled materials are not only better for the planet but offer unrivaled levels of comfort and quality. Find out all about Swiss and Swallow at www.swissandswallow.com

3.12// Dirt December 09

We are featured in the Dirt Christmas gift selector this month.

Go check it out then come back and get your great organic cotton Tee's here!

21.09// Southern Downhill Champs!

September 13th 2009 saw the second race of the year at Aston Hill. This time round though the prize was the title of Southern Champion!

The track started at the top of Aston Hills famous DH3 but descended down a completely new cut track. A quick sprint up to a jump on hard pack, round a flat corner, up and over a bus stop then a drop into the fresh woods. The next part of the track was drift central on all the loamy top soil which got more cut up over the weekend exposing more and more roots making corners trickier and separating the riders some more. The track wound down the hill, across an off camber section and into some steep switch backs before a fly off into the finish. The track was fast from the start and was all about holding the speed through the drifty corners and steep switch backs at towards the finish. The bottom switchbacks needed quite a bit of work on the Saturday as they got dustier but after a bit of maintenance Saturday night you could hit them harder for race day speeding up the track.

Using a brand new track for a race is often very risky. Will it hold up? Will it ride ok? But this track held up well, produced some interesting lines and became more and more fun and challenging as the weekend progressed, a great race track. We have Swiss and Swallow's John Holbrook to thank for that! Well done John!!

Racing was set back half an hour as practice was extended until just before 11 letting people get a bit more practice in after a large que formed at the start of the track. Most riders seemed to flow down the track well letting everyone get some good full runs in during practice. With Aston being a short course it means that riders can easily walk to all parts of the track, no lines are secret now! It makes a great vibe on the hill though as people compare and try out alternative lines.

Aston Hill has always been a track that favours the hard tail riders and this track was no exception with the HT crew, which included riders entering both categories, putting down very challenging times against the DH bikes. Well Almost all the hard tails that is! The Swallow himself racing for the first time in 5 years and on a HT struggled to keep pace! Practice makes perfect...

When racing got underway Nathan Vials riding for Solid Bikes took the fastest time of the weekend with a 1.06.42 in his first run winning the Elite/Expert category by just over two seconds from our own John Holbrook.

It didn't stop there though. With a string of great results behind him this season Sam Wakefield took the youth title by just over Half a second with a time of 1.12.01. Sam Wakefield Southern Champion!

Role on the NPS Finals in Rheola This weekend!

check out Southern Downhill for all the latest riding news!