And yet, at last year’s NPS downhill event on the original forest course, daredevil bikers were descending some 1,000ft in well under two minutes.

It is also worth noting that most would only pedal three times during that time – propulsion on these tracks requires nothing more than the force of gravity.

The newer course, built over the last 12 months by landowner Martin Sands and a group of dedicated extreme riders, is just as challenging as its sister route, which was voted both Britain’s best and its scariest.

The first event to be staged on it, the Welsh Downhill Championship earlier this year, suffered because of a weekend of heavy rain and the track itself took a bit of a hammering.

But, under the guidance of event organiser Si Patton, a lot of hard work has gone into making it ready for the big race of the season – round three of the Halo British Downhill Series, which takes place on June 26 and 27.

Martin Sands explained: “Si called a digging day to try to get it back up to standard following the damage from the last race. With only the promise of a breakfast and dinner, 19 people turned up from all over the country, including three from Scotland and two from Swindon, and we managed to restore the track plus a bit more.

“The first race on it was a learning curve. There was a mixed reaction, the rain didn’t help and the track didn’t stand up terribly well because it was the first race.

But, since then we’ve had the input of Si, who is very respected in downhill mountain biking and that shows in the number of people who turned up that day.

“We have a point to prove with this race and Si is determined he wants to prove it.”
While the forest course was laid out by experienced track builders, the hillside one was actually dug by Martin.

He had advice from professional riders, including last year’s Welsh Downhill champion, but Martin himself is rarely to be found on two wheels – you are far more likely to find him tending to his cattle and sheep.

But as well as building this impressive new track, he has also set up a riding club – One Giant Leap, Llangollen – and plans are under way to start downhill training courses at his farm.

Diversification is becoming an ever-increasing part of rural and farming life, but Martin’s route – into the mountain biking world – is more unusual than most.

“About two years ago two guys turned up on the yard and said they’d like to have a mountain bike race down the hill,” Martin recalled. “Initially I said ‘no’ but, rather surprisingly, my dad said yes.”

The pair in question were Steve Parr and Matt Simmons, both very well-known on the mountain biking scene.

Martin’s father, Colin, had been impressed by how passionate they were about their sport.

“The bikers who have started coming here are really nice people,” Colin said. “They have a lot of knowledge and respect for what they do and where they do it.”

Martin added: “We got on very well (with Steve and Matt) and have done ever since. We are still in close contact even though Steve has stepped back from organising races.”

And from that initial meeting and the subsequent race last summer, One Giant Leap was born.

“It’s going steadily upwards,” Martin said. “We’ve set up a club to develop more tracks and will hopefully be able to offer a regular uplift service for riders.

“We’ve got great support from the club and new members are signing up every day. We’ve also been working with (former World Cup downhill star) Neil Donoghue, who is setting up a training school here.

“We’re hoping to put in an easier track – this one was supposed to be easier but turned out to be pretty extreme – which will appeal to more people. I think it would be quite nice to have something that can be used by ordinary riders and young people from this area.”

The big race later this month is expected to attract some of the biggest names in mountain biking from around the world – including 2009 world champion Steve Peat – and is sure to be a real spectacle.

Expect plenty of thrills and spills and a real carnival atmosphere with the valley reverberating with the sound of Swiss cow bells – one of the race sponsors is providing hundreds of them.