JUST 12 years ago eyes across the world were watching Hadleigh’s mountain biking trail during the 2012 Olympics, but now it is “unrecognisable” after years of neglect, according to cyclists.
The world’s best mountain bikers descended on Hadleigh Country Park for London 2012 after the state of the art trails were created.
Three years later, the trails were opened to the public as part of the Olympic legacy, designed to be used for years to come by residents.
However, Hadleigh mountain biker Dennis Angell claims the site is practically unrecognisable to the course initially created.
Following a severe cold snap in 2022 that left large sections of the 5km long course badly damaged and parts of the course closed, mountain bikers feel it continues to go neglected and the Olympic legacy has been tarnished.
Dennis said: “If you see the older pictures, you wouldn’t recognise it and it just looks so different.
“I used to ride there all the time, but it has been terrible for a long time. Features have been closed off despite it seeming there is little wrong.
“Erosion was a real issue, the track cracks in the summer and it has all grown over. The main path has grown over so much you cannot get down to it.
“Essex County Council haven’t done anything to it for years and I swear there was a clause about keeping it up to scratch for 30 years in their original contract.”
Mr Angell added riders are “just so fed up with it” and while the 2024 Olympics are currently going on, which could be an opportunity to get young people into the sport, there is nowhere for them to go.
He added: “We haven’t been able to do a lot, we have tried to help but we have given up.”
A county council spokesman said: “The Hadleigh Country Park team is working to reopen these closed features as quickly as possible.
“As part of an ongoing maintenance programme, the team is also removing overgrown vegetation on the trails, which is partly the result of a particularly wet spring this year.
“Despite the necessary closure of some specialist features, there are still miles of mountain bike and cycle trails for people of all levels and abilities to enjoy at the park.
“Since the 2012 London Olympics, we can assure residents that Essex County Council has carried out repairs and renovations to the trails, and this is an ongoing project.
“A wide-ranging consultation with visitors and Essex residents to help shape the future of Hadleigh Country Park has also been conducted this spring. We look forward to sharing the results of this consultation once they’re available.”
The course hosted the Olympic mountain bike cross country races on August 11 and 12 2012, with 20,000 visitors trekking to see the bike riding.
Martin Baxter, 73, is part of the Hadleigh Park riders, a group of cyclists who use the park trail frequently.
He said: “That ‘Olympic Legacy’ is just not there, it has been binned and the trouble is that if it isn’t maintained as time goes on, it just gets worse.
“If it was frequently repaired it wouldn’t be an issue, there are not enough staff to maintain it and if it gets out of order, it gets shut off.”
Martin claims the “leap of faith” section has been shut off and padlocked for nearly two years, as well as the “gas jump” and the “final descent”.
“Many intermediate and experienced riders are going to other tracks as Hadleigh Park has been neglected and many of the features have been closed off”, he added.
“There is a need for these features to be put in good order to attract more riders or those that have left back to Hadleigh.”
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