Dalby Bike Barn clarifies decision to leave the forest
Dalby Bike Barn is to move outside of Dalby forest for the first time having failed to have reach an amicable arrangement with the Forest Commission.
“We sadly had no choice but to leave,” the business wrote to its Facebook page in a statement titled “setting the record straight”.
Adrian Carter, also the founder of Pace Cycles, Sutton Bank Bikes and the Thornton Dale arm of Dalby Bike Barn, is widely credited with the development of Dalby forest’s trail network. Dating back over 20 years, Carter, alongside Mike Innerdale and the then head of recreation, formed a network that has become a favourite with families and enthusiasts alike.
Carter’s team also created one of Britain’s biggest social rides, showing what the forest had to offer and driving tourism into the region.
Dalby Bike barn’s statement offers:
When we won the tender for Dalby Bike Barn we thought that it was the perfect chance to hone our heritage and passion for cycling and work with the FC, how naive we were.
The whole family invested huge amounts of effort into trying make it successful.
Many people may see all of the cars in Dalby and think we must be rolling in it. You couldn’t be any more wrong. Yes you make money in the Summer, but it’s hand to mouth in the Winter.
After many years of trying to work in a partnership with the Forestry Commission we sadly had no choice but to leave. A partnership is not one sided, you have to work together and grow together (a bit like a relationship I guess) but sadly that isn’t the case for many reasons which are out of our hands.
We could list all of our knock backs on here but that isn’t what this is about. This is about setting the record straight – Dalby Bike Barn hasn’t turned into the dream we all thought initially.
Yes we have chosen to leave and to concentrate on Dalby Bike Barn in Thornton Dale, Pace and Sutton Bank Bikes for all the right reasons, but that’s because we would much rather invest our precious time into our own businesses and not somebody else’s.
So that’s why we have chosen to move our business into Thornton-Le-Dale – We are in control and will continue to forge our passion for cycling, because that’s all we have ever wanted to do.
