In the ’90s, the Malvern Hills Classic was known as much for its naked lake jumping and nighttime revelry as its racing, but since its revival in 2018 it’s become a much more family-friendly affair. This year JCW headed along with his wife and kids to experience a different side of the much-loved bike fest.
Stumbling out of my tent, I’m mercifully hangover-free – something that definitely wouldn’t have been the case during weekends spent at the Malverns in my youth. However, it’s the crack of dawn – or feels like it, at least – and I have to escort my daughter to the portable toilets, which are just as much of an assault on the senses (albeit kept remarkably clean). There’s no way my kids are sleeping in today, not with bikes to ride, a festival site to explore and none other than Danny MacAskill – whose Wee Day Out video is still a regular watch back home – due to make an appearance in a few hours. It’s a struggle to force some breakfast down their throats, they’re so desperate to grab their hardtails and join the numerous other young kids whizzing around the family campsite, sending it off plastic ramps and practising riding no-handed.
Playtime!
The last time I visited the GT Bicycles Malverns Classic was in 2018, when I was there to help crew the MBUK stand and see if organisers Si and Oli Paton could pull off a successful revival of this legendary UK MTB fest. I spent my time spectating, taking snaps for social media, checking out some lovely retro bikes and hanging out at the bar. No time for any of that this year! Instead, I’m dragged across the site at high speed as my kids rush excitedly from one attraction to the next.
First stop, signing up for some skills coaching with the Apex/Steel City Rippers crew, then on to the pump track, followed by some jaw-dropping Drop and Roll Tour action from Danny Mac and the boys, then a quick dash through the expo area, before pizza calls. The kids are getting whiney, because they’re not allowed to ride their bikes in the arena, but that’s soon forgotten as we head for the free Ferris wheel and dodgems. They love the bumper cars, where each go descends into a brutal battle as throngs of teenagers – and my five-year-old daughter – ram everyone in sight. Serious bruising guaranteed! The rest of the weekend is a blur of on- and off-bike action, big-screen World Champs watching and Dirt Wars spectating.
My kids have been pedalling since a young age and love riding fast on tarmac, but a combination of me not wanting to be a pushy ‘motocross dad’ and put them off the sport, plus an unfortunate incident in the woods when they disturbed a wasps’ nest, means they haven’t fully embraced mountain biking yet. So, it’s great to see how inspired they are to ride by everything going on around them at the Malverns, and also how far they progress during their two sessions with Apex Cycle Coaching. Thanks to the brilliant Sheffield-based duo of Mark and Amanda Clements, they go from tentatively tackling the wooden rollers of the skills course to confidently riding small gaps and teeter-totters by the end of the weekend.
The Rippers’ racing was exciting – particularly the bar-banging quad eliminator and dual slalom. Our sport’s got a bright future. 
Catering has improved a lot, but some of the prices were as gobsmacking as Danny Mac’s riding! 
Time to chill before going back for the evening entertainment 
As well as performing Drop and Roll demos, Danny MacAskill spent hours signing autographs and was game enough to enter the lake ride 
The racing was exciting for both competitors and spectators 
Come the evening, the Dirt Wars riders and 661 Mr Whippy Whip-Off kept the crowds entertained 
Where else can you browse new bike bits at the same time as watching the dual slalom? 
The Apex/Steel City Rippers crew provided fun free skills sessions to help kids gain confidence 
A constant queue of riders lined up for their go on the pump track 
Retro loveliness took a back seat for JCW this year
The Hawyes family
Martyn Ashton’s old trials partner-in-crime Martin Hawyes is now brand manager for Monster Energy, while wife Nikki heads up CSG (GT, Cannondale) in the UK. They were at the Malverns with son Harry (aka ‘H’), 10, who racked up some top race results.
“It’s a perfect weekend of bikes, booze and general good times. The set-up is so slick that the kids can just go off sessioning kickers and anything they find or build around the venue, when they’re not racing or riding the amusements. It’s like a mini holiday. The best bit this year was Leeroy from the Prodigy pointing at H in the crowd during his set, appreciating the vibes and energy! Great times, hahahaha!”
The Moseleys
Multi-time world champ Tracy may have eclipsed her brother in the fame stakes, but Ed Moseley is a handy racer himself. He was at the Malverns with his kids Emily, 15, and Will, 14, plus Emily’s boyfriend.
“We live near to Malvern but camping makes it a different experience and means I can have a couple of beers in the evening. The kids would say the best bits were the live music and airbag. I enjoyed the racing – Will and I won our categories in the enduro – and bumping into old friends. It was good going as a family, now that the kids are older and can hang out with their mates and party the night away. As long as Si Paton books the weather we’ll be back, for sure!”
The Dodds
Former MBUK features editor Andrew ‘Doddy’ Dodd (who now fronts GMBN Tech) brought along events director wife Steph, a stalwart of our old demo days, and son Dustin, two – aka ‘Diddy Doddy’!
“No racing for me this year – I was there to hang out, do a bit of filming, take some photos and introduce Dustin to mountain biking. The event is a standout – a genuine festival with bikes, as opposed to a race with festival elements. The sheer volume of kids on bikes was incredible, and it was brilliant watching them race. I was surprised by the crowd reaction when I DJ’d on the Friday night – people were having a great time out there! See you there next year!”
Field of dreams
If this all sounds a bit too idyllic, it’s because I’m glossing over all the heat/tiredness/bedtime-induced tantrums and the limited food options for fussy kids (although there are many more catering trucks now than in 2018, with plenty of vegan options, too). The poor phone signal on-site makes it difficult to meet up with each other, too. Family life is rarely Instagram-perfect, though (in our case, never!), and these are small quibbles. Overall, we love our time at the festival. Sunday afternoon arrives too fast, and as we reluctantly pack up our tent in baking heat, the kids are already asking how long it is until the next Malverns.
The Paton brothers have done a fantastic job of combining everything that made the original event so great – thousands of like-minded folk hanging out in a beautiful location to ride and race bikes and pore over kit – with a family-friendly atmosphere and more varied entertainment. It’s still tons of fun, thanks to events like the TRP Lake Ride – where else can you watch a bona fide MTB legend like Hans Rey come a cropper and get covered in mud?! – and the nights remain loud and lairy, with DJs and cover bands blasting out tunes next to the busy bar tent. But it’s an event everyone can enjoy, from the teenagers rocking mullets and Pit Viper sunnies to the toddlers in the Balance Bike World Champs, the middle-aged first-generation MTBers catching up with old friends to the youngsters scouring the expo for free stickers or experiencing the racing buzz for the first time. We’ll be back – there’s no way my kids are going to let us miss it!
Flamin’ amazing!
Among the kids at the Malverns was six-year-old Phoenix, who’s currently in a wheelchair after life-saving surgery and months of chemotherapy for a rare bone cancer. He and his family have been through hell, but say he’s taken it all “with a smile on his face with bravery in his heart”. When the guys behind TotalMTB heard his story, they wanted to do something special for him as part of their #TotalSurprise project. At the Malverns, they got one of his favourite riders, Ben Deakin, to present him with a custom-painted lid emblazoned with a fiery phoenix design, courtesy of Lee and Steph from Lee Morgan Artwork and Gareth from 661 Protection. The smile on his face says it all!
Racing radness
The Malverns isn’t just about fun for all the family – it’s about getting wild on the race track and over the dirt jumps, too! The events are too numerous for us to list all the results here, particularly for the kids’ races, where there were some excellent scraps among the plethora of one-year-separated categories. So, here are some highlights…
In the dual slalom, MBUK’s moustachioed man-on-the-scene Will Soffe was just pipped to the post by four-cross master Scott Beaumont, as Sam Reynolds took third.
The whip-off was a suitably bonkers affair, with 50to01’s Sam ‘Dave’ Hockenhull getting absurdly tweaked, but missing out on the top spot to Cam Crozier. On to the downhill, where Nikki Whiles racked up the fastest time of the day in Masters, with Will taking the top Elite honours and ex-Team MBUK rider Andrew Titley taking third FTD and the Vet win.
The Dirt Wars comp was an FMB bronze event and saw huge moves, with the win going to BMXer Jordan Smith for a run that included a mid-set double backflip and triple tailwhip on the final jump! An honourable mention to Fin Davies for pulling his first fronty to dirt at just 13 years old.
The enduro saw Ed Moseley take FTD and the Vets win ahead of Stu Hughes on his e-bike, Nikki Whiles and Ben Deakin. Phew, thank goodness we have 362 days to recover!