So why not share?

So last weekend I went for a ride. Given the wet weather we'd had earlier in the week and the showers that day, I chose a route that was primarily fire- and vehicle-tracks.

However, there was a very fun bit of cheeky singletrail in there too.

The trail runs parallel to a firetrack that bikes can use, yet less than 10 metres to one side, we supposedly cannot venture, even though the trail is visible for most of the way until it rejoins the track.

The trail is primarily rocky - in fact several large sections of the trail are actually across rock escarpments - so it is fair to say that the impact of ANY user upon the trail surface is minimal (unless you are dragging a jackhammer along behind you...).

Sight lines are reasonable, bar a few sections of tall growth grass and non-native vegetation which could be managed with no real impact upon the overall surroundings.

I was riding "uphill", yet overall the contour is fairly neutral, so speeds are not high, even in the "downhill" direction.

The rocky and twisty nature of the trail further adds to the lower speed nature of the trail.


Now, for the half an hour of riding to get to this particular bit of trail, I saw no one else - not on foot, bike, horse or in vehicle. Given the way the bush was encroaching on the trail, the spiderwebs across it in places and the amount of moisture deposited on me as I brushed past the vegetation, I doubt anyone else had been through in days, despite this being - theoretically - the ideal trail to use in the weather conditions; track access and a rocky tread. And this is not the first time I've used it, yet I have still to see anyone else in this area of the park.

So, whilst low-lying trails that are dirt under foot, tyre or hoof were being used in less than ideal conditions, this currently low use, naturally impact resistant trail can't even be shared.

Can someone please explain the logic in this to me?

It's the little things...

Despite the storms that recently hit parts of the country, summer is definitely on its way, making the bigger trailwork projects more difficult to achieve; temperatures are rising, snakes are out and about, dust and pollen is being blown around setting off allergies in those that suffer and the ground is either getting baked solid in the sun or flooded in monsoonal rains, depending on where in the country you are.

Combined with Christmas, New Year and all that the festive season entails, it’s a bit of an off-season for regular trailwork. It’s easy to put down the tools and just go out and ride – and why not? It is the reason we advocate for and maintain trails in the first place. However, it is also a great time to do all those little things that you don’t otherwise have a spare half hour to do at other times, but which will ultimately make trailwork easier in the long term.

Have a look at the advocacy work that has been done recently in your area; is there a Minister or Department that seems to have stalled on what was going to be done? Maybe a quick email or letter to them is in order. Keeping the communication open and on-going is imperative to make sure that they are fully aware that trails and access are still wanted by the MTB community. Just because a submission period is over or a draft plan has been amended and the final copy released, it doesn’t mean that some gentle (or sometimes firm!) cajoling isn’t in order to make sure that the implementation of the plans actually takes place in a timely manner. If we don’t keep up the pressure, other work can take over the Ministerial or Departmental attention and mean it gets sat on – not what we want by any means.

Do a bit of searching around the web; has any new research been undertaken and released that may be of benefit for your lobbying for access in future? Peer reviewed journals are best here, if available, as their credibility is far greater than a subjective comment by your mate Bob that walkers are actually to blame for the spread of plant diseases.

Have other trails been opened elsewhere in the country that incorporate features you would like to see on your local trails? If so, get in touch with the builders, find out what hurdles they had to overcome and learn from their experience, so that you can submit a well presented and researched pitch to your local Land Manager for something similar.

Speak to the day to day managers of your local trails too; falling off the face of the earth until you want something from them doesn’t build an overly strong relationship. You may be able to do something to help them out, which will earn you some favours in return in the future – a full days trail work may be impractical, but how about a few hours for litter removal? Or help with some weed pulling, even if in an area of the reserve that MTB has no access to? Can you paint over graffiti somewhere? They may not have anything for you to do, but the offer of help will be appreciated and noted.

How are you tools looking? Sharpen the bits that need to be sharpened, straighten what should be straight, replace what needs replacing; this stocktake gives you time to raise/access club funds if needed or just to search out the best deals, rather than scrambling to find replacements for broken tools when you could actually be using them on the trails. Even just take a few minutes to make sure they are labelled clearly so you know which are yours – tools often mysteriously grow legs and go walkies at times!

How about a trail audit? Ride the trails but take notes along the way of sections that may need work, vegetation that needs pruning, sections of trail creep and the like, so that they can be the priorities when everyone is re-invigorated and ready to get back into trailwork; tackling these type of things before they become big issues makes them far easier to deal with and ultimately, gives you more time to build new additions to existing trails, new trails where possible, or just have less work to do and thus more time to ride.

Pruning is easy enough to undertake at most times of the year and if done separately to trailwork is usually done more completely; remember to take branches from the non-trail side of trees as well to keep them balanced and encourage them to grow upwards rather than outwards, and keep the cuts as close to the trunk and as clean as possible to help minimise the chances of damaging the tree or allowing disease to attack it too easily.

These are just a few things to consider, none of which take great amounts of time or numbers of bodies at this busy time of year, when neither are always readily available. These different, less strenuous tasks also mean that you reduce the risk of getting burnt out on trailwork from lugging rocks or shovelling dirt all the time, but will ultimately help you when you do get back to that level of construction. There are others you can consider – cultivate seedlings for planting, perhaps? – which equally help the cause without the need to miss out on the seasonal fun this time of year brings.

Now then, mince pie anyone?

ATPAG

So, this week we have another ATPAG meeting taking place in Adelaide.

From the draft notes I've seen as to what the meeting is to focus on, it will be interesting to see if anything positive comes from this.

The Australian Centre of Excellence in Risk Assesment (apologies if this is incorrect; close enough to get the overall idea though) has been brought in - at the bequest of those Selfish Few walkers! - it seems to try and "prove" that riding a bike in a park in an authorised/non-cheeky way on certain trails, in a managed format, is somehow far more dangerous than the current situation of riding one on whatever trail one fancies that day. Right...

I am sure that nothing new will arise from this workshop; we know what difficulties are faced by all users in the use of trails and of DENR in allowing such use, having the ACERA folks in doesn't change it - it is just another stalling tactic from the selfish contingent of walkers who still want the parks and trails to themselves. It won't prove or disprove any of the claims of excessive erosion, spread of weeds or destruction of native flora and fauna, because it is about how to analyse risk not what level should be deemed acceptable; that is still up to the DENR. So, just as it has been for the last 10 plus years that this has been dragging on...

My one hope for this meeting is that it shows that the analysis already done by DENR (or DEH as it was) was of a sufficiently high level and that therefore the planning, review and consequent outcomes of the trailplans to date, those that have supported the allowance of bikes in those areas deemed acceptable by DENR, are valid. If this is the case - and I for one see no reason that it should not be - there is no reason for the Minister to not rubber stamp these plans with his approval and allow them to be actioned.

What will happen next will however, be interesting.

On the one hand, SA will lead the country in implenting such practises and go on to be an innovator in such situations. The MTB community can finally breath a sigh of relief and get on with actually enjoying our parks and open spaces without having to glance over our shoulder every time we ride something that is still considered cheeky on a bike, yet perfectly acceptable on foot. Most importantly though, in due course, unauthorised MTB trails will reduce in number (though not all unauthorised trails, as, despite the insistence of those Selfish Few, some unauthorised trails are created by other user groups!!); more people will be able to access our parks and open spaces and consequently more people will take and interest in them and their relevance.

On the other, will court action be taken against the Minister or Department? Just how far are the Selfish Few willing to go?

Only time will tell. Yet with these ongoing delays, manipulations of the processes and the general pig-headedness in accepting that MTBs have just as much right to use trails and can do so with equally as little impact as foot - given the research provided by IMBA into trail construction for ALL users, arguably less! - the Selfish Few are losing that very time that they have to actually work on an agreement of use rather than the continuation of disagreement.

Eagle Trail Care

This weekend I was involved in a local trailwork session. Within itself, that’s not

overly unusual. However, this work was on trails that will be used for the National

Championships in Adelaide come February – trails that have rarely seen volunteer

work previously and certainly not in any on-going manner.

Aside for a little tweaking for, and some tidying up after, races, Eagle has been

predominantly maintained by the land manager – the South Australian Government’s

Office of Recreation and Sport (ORS). Being a government run venue, funding is

always a major concern and has made ongoing maintenance a tricky matter –

especially as the other venues on the ORS books are stadia and courts which, when

not in competition use, are under lock and key (Hindmarsh Stadium, home to the ALeague’s

Adelaide United, for example), rather than open to the public and thus

constantly being accessed. As such, land management practises are quite foreign to

ORS, unlike their counterparts over in Parks or Forestry, so the idea of volunteer

maintenance has been a unique and alien proposition since the park was opened.

However, finally, a good 8 years since the park was mooted and a bush for life crew

was allowed to start rehabilitating this former quarry, the first of, hopefully, regular

maintenance crews were allowed in to work on the trails themselves.

Given the conservative approach of ORS, things were done a little differently to the

way many trail days operate. Firstly, a compulsory classroom session had to be

attended and IMBA’s sustainable trail building principles were explained by Mr

IMBA-AU, Nic Bowman. Now, I know I was not alone in having previously read the

various IMBA literature and worked on trail with these principles in mind; however,

others had never attempted trailwork before but were ready to lend at hand at what is

probably Adelaide’s most heavily used, legal MTB venue and ORS were making sure

that if they were letting volunteers in rather than professional trailbuilders, it was still

going to be done “right”.

So, whilst these guys were being explained the theories behind grade reversals and

drainage amongst the many other points of consideration, illustrated with plenty of

photographic examples from around Australia and, indeed, the World, with the

opportunity to ask questions about the principles to one of Australia’s greatest

proponents of them, I found it great to re-visit and brush up on the theory, too. This

really helped remind why we do some of the things we do, think about the variety of

options we have to solve problems on the trail and just generally focus on why it is

important to do it right the first time. I actually quite enjoyed this approach (or maybe

it was the being in the pub with a bunch of like minded MTBers?) and will try to

make sure that I flick through the IMBA literature every so often to re-cap and refresh

the principles prescribed within.

Eagle itself is a varied mix of old quarry faces, powerline access tracks, ridges with

minimal vegetation, patches of natural bush and riparian areas surrounding the

drainages and creeks. The weekend focused on two trails at the top of the park, both

running through areas of predominantly native bush. The soil in this highest section of

the park is quite fine and in places almost sand like, with fast sections of trail meaning

some sections had widened as tyres struggle for grip at speed and overtaking whilst

racing is attempted. These are highly trafficked areas making up part of the Local,

State and Nationals XC course as well as being fast, fun and flowing parts of the

general loop of the park.

So with the groups arranged, one to cut in a short section of new trail and close the

existing line and another group to armour some corners and cover some exposed roots

before the trees suffered unduly, whilst also addressing the trail creep occurring in

that section, work began as the wind blew and showers came and went. The flow of

the new line was discussed and flags were dotted around, moved and put back again

before a tool was even lifted, whilst rolling grade dips were created and trenches were

dug in order to sink rocks for new berms in corners on the other trail. After a BBQ in

the on-off drizzle to refuel, it was back to it with exposed roots covered and armoured

and another corner bermed, keeping the high speed nature of the line intact, but with a

few additional chokes added to keep riders on the trail and not sneaking off of it.

Come the end of the day, the new line had been marked out and roughed in, ready to

be groomed to a finish the following day before closing the existing line, too.

I can’t wait to get back up to Eagle for a ride to check out how the new additions add

to the trail, nor for the chance to do more of the same to other areas in need of some

TLC and rejuvenation after years of hard use. Come Nationals, the newly tweaked

areas will have bedded in nicely and will keep the speeds high and the racing fast,

whilst also adding a few new challenges for all, as with only one race left for the

current season, the locals won’t get a chance to race on the new stuff, although they

will get to ride it. However, the real winner is Eagle itself; with these works starting to

take place it won’t be long until what we have is back to pristine condition

throughout. And once that is achieved, the real fun can begin; the proposition of

cutting in a few entirely new trails.

Illegal or Cheeky?

Illegal?

“Illegal MTB trail construction”. “Illegal trail riding”. These are terms that

unfortunately have become quite common in conversations regarding advocacy issues

and trail management discussions, particularly when MTB access is involved.

This has been bothering me for a while; not so much in that it is happening – for only

sweeping policy changes can counter that – but the way we have allowed it to be

termed. We really make ourselves sound like we do something far worse than ride a

bike on a trail. We really should be trying to get away from making ourselves sound

like such criminals, which we do when we deem the use of particular trails “illegal”.

Illegal is a term that should really be reserved - and then correctly applied – if said use

purposefully and knowingly involves the disruption or destruction of habitats for

endangered flora and/or fauna, for which there is no excuse. Riding an already

defined, sustainably built trail does not do such things, regardless of what certain walkers would have you believe.

Riding a bike on already constructed and available trails, which often have outdated

and ill-informed rules applied to them, should be deemed unauthorised, unplanned,

contentious, or, in the relevant cases, unsustainable, when we are referring to the

issue. After all, many trails are under review of some sort as it stands, will be in the

not too distant future or should be! And given that in our society we are geared

towards sharing and respect, it is crazy that whilst actually on the trail the ability to

share does work (albeit begrudgingly at times), in the discussions and decision

making processes it all seems to fall down and apartheid prevails, leading to the

continuation of the current, unresolved situation.

There is an ongoing and growing history of unauthorised riding in many of the parks

Australia wide (particularly in the ones closer to towns and cities), as evolved, up-to date

and genuinely user reflective and appropriate trail plans have not been

implemented, if even commissioned. Plans built upon desires and decisions from a

time when foot was the only readily available form of access to our parks, reserves

and open spaces on a mass scale, still, unfortunately, prevail.

Unapproved trail construction is clearly irresponsible and inappropriate, but along

with unauthorised riding, also reflective ofthe problems presented by this lack of sharing of what is available - both in terms of the current, existing trails and, in some cases, the knowledge of whytrails are not - and should not be - present in particular areas. To some degree, this often

seems to be due to bike riders being made to feel “unwelcome” in many parks,

particularly among segments of the walking-based volunteer care groups, once their preferred form of recreation becomes known and long before any intentions regarding their use are aired.

It also seems that as soon as an “illegal” trail appears, it is consequently laid at the

door of MTBers. It seems that because we have accepted that “illegal trails” are – at

times and in places – an issue that some sections of the MTB community have been

known for, that all unauthorised trails are the fault of every MTBer. Sometimes the

involvement of riders is clear as jumps, berms and MTB specific trail features are

present. However, this is not always the case. Whilst there can be great political

advantages by MTBers actively helping in the closure of unauthorised trails, I fear we

sometimes jump in too eagerly to do so, as if rushing to make amends for something

we did not necessarily do. And strangely enough, I see just as many bush walkers, dog

walkers and joggers taking short cuts and thus creating new trails or desire lines, as I

do MTBers riding along trails they shouldn’t access.

We all just want to be able to get out into our parks and bushland and enjoy spending

time there without every action being a political pitfall. And I’m sure none of us wish

to be thought of, or referred to, as criminals; I’m equally sure that park rangers do not

wish to have to “police” the trails either. So let’s start by not referring to ourselves in

such dramatic context and instead continue to focus on the positives of accepting

MTBers as valid users of trails, wherever we may be. Hopefully, although subtle,

such a change will continue to lead towards a further shift away from the negative

image that some try to portray of us and towards us being looked upon as what we

actually are; people enjoying our parks and bushland, but just choosing to do so by

bike.

Submit!!!!

Forums have been busy lately with talk regarding the discussion paper released by

NSW Parks, along with the much commented upon newspaper article that appeared in

the Sydney Morning Herald.

Whilst the inevitable anti-bike comments have, as expected, come from certain other

user groups, largely focussed on the same tired and discredited arguments of plant

disease spread, loss of native flora and fauna, and the ever lingering fear these groups

have of a potential collision with a rabid and reckless MTBer, it was actually more

interesting to read the comments from within the MTB community about the

disappointment at the scope of the plan and, particularly, the lack of gravity-based

facilities offered.

On the one hand, I can understand that. Gravity based trails for DH and 4X are

certainly needed just as much as XC trails are – and given that Australia has the

current World Champion in men’s and junior men’s DH, the World Champion in

women’s 4X and the World Cup Overall winner in men’s 4X, it does seem strange

that there has not been more of an embrace of such facilities for the next generation to

train upon. But it must also be remembered also that parks are, ultimately, about

conservation first and foremost and recreation second, third or fourth behind.

Furthermore, the Parks services are looking to attract more visitors – and like it or not,

easier, XC type trails are attractive to a greater audience than DH trails are.

However, having the opportunities that have been presented are hugely positive and a

step in the right direction, so I urge everyone to get behind the push to open up trails

in parks – whatever type and however much or little of it – to MTBers. Having the

chance to work with park rangers and, perhaps more importantly, other user groups,

will hopefully go a long way to proving that we are not the reckless environment

destroyers that some may try to paint us as; especially when we are no longer a ‘group

of them’, but rather Tom, or Bob, or Jane, who get out in the parks and look after

them, too. So, even if solely Downhill is your thing, please support the idea and push

in the positive direction of access; by all means include within your commentary that

DH trails are also wanted – needed even! – and that they can be built in a sustainable

way, but make sure that you make a comment before the approaching deadlines; don’t

procrastinate (this isn’t school work after all!!) in doing so, as we all need to support

the plans and get our foot in the door. After all, if we don’t, who knows how long we

will have to wait until we get another opportunity? Remember, the Anti-MTB groups

will definitely comment, so we must too.

Everyone who thinks of themselves as an MTBer should support these sorts of plans.

If you live interstate, you should still read and make a submission. You may currently

have no plans to ride in the areas which these plans encompass, but you may one day,

should the access be granted. However, perhaps more importantly is the chance to

create the domino effect across the nation. Karma may just repay you for helping your

MTB brethren interstate by encouraging your local landowners to look more

favourably upon your local requests for access. After all, presenting examples of

positive access and shared use is one thing, but showing how it works, comparatively

just around the corner, is a much more emphatic example. And, it removes any of the

notions of differing cultural values and historical usage of the parks, reserves and

trails within them, which can be associated with examples from overseas.

So now is the time to do it; the link to the NSW plan is below. Click through, read the

plan and make a MTB positive submission in relation them. Many of the online

forums have further links to useful resources that relate to the plan and discussions

about the points raised within it. Nic Bowman, National director of IMBA-Au, has

already thrown up some very concise points to consider, which have been thrashed

out in collaboration with prominent, local advocates, on the IMBA-Au site.

“But I don’t have time to read all that and make a submission…” Well, I’ll say it

again then; better find time to put the bike on eBay and get rid of it, because no

submissions will mean ‘no access’. I can bet you that those folks trying to keep MTBs

out of our – as in everyone in the whole nation, not just a select few! – parks, will be

making submissions. If it really, seriously, is too much to read the whole plan, make

sure you submit at least a one sentence, MTB positive response.

“I support the responsible use of sustainable trails by bicycle, in accordance

with the plan”

Even a cut and paste of the above will suffice if it really is that difficult; in fact, if

every MTBer did this alone, by sheer weight of numbers, it would prove virtually

impossible for access to be restricted in the manner that it currently is; Pollies get their act together when mass groups speak out afterall. If you can spare a few hours though, read the plan and make your own comments.

A few pointers to consider before you start any submission:

- Have a pen and paper handy; note chapter, section, page number of any

particular comments you wish to reference.

- Make sure you stay positive and constructive; you don’t have to, and

probably won’t, agree with everything in the reports but stay constructive

and positive in your approach. No one enjoys criticism, so try to avoid

doing so in a negative manner.

- If you disagree with something, give a referable source to back up your

claims; stating that other users are just full of it is not helpful (even if

occasionally true!)

- Most importantly, read and follow any specific submission guidelines

that are given; It is a terrible waste if your submission is not included due

to this – and every submission counts.

So, if you haven’t made a submission already, do it now; you may help get us all

some more trails to ride.

**The NSW submission deadline has now expired. Let's hope MTBers get a positive result!!!**

Wet, wet, wet...

Winter is well and truly here and most of us are pretty used to checking the weather

forecast for the tell tale reports of rain and cold before heading out. However, along

with the decision of whether or not to wear warmers or take waterproofs, we should

also be considering which trails to ride, too. Not just what is going to provide us with

the ride that is the most fun or hardest workout, but what is going to be suitable for

the trails themselves, given the weather.

It’s simply a fact that there are some trails that are perfectly fine to ride in the dry, but

should be avoided at all costs after a period of sustained wet weather. That epic

section of singletrail, on the southern side of that hill, which swoops and dips its way

down through those trees and, finally, across that creek at the bottom of that valley?

Sure, it’ll still be fun and flowing, but it also sounds like the type of trail that will stay wet

for days; shaded by trees, out of direct sunlight and a natural funnel to a creek? All of

these points suggest a trail that needs all the help it can get once the rain sets in to

not turn into a boggy, muddy mess by being churned up with the passing of

numerous tyres (nor feet - and certainly not hooves - for that matter!) and the slipsliding

around of rubber searching for traction under braking.

Little choices like this may seem over the top or excessively pedantic, but, like it or

not, are all part of the bigger picture when it comes to gaining – and arguably more

importantly, maintaining – access to trails and areas to ride. If we can’t and don’t

display the ability to responsibly look after and take care of the trail networks that we

do have access to, we are only going to create a negative image for ourselves and

fuel the anti-MTB fires, making it even harder to further the calls for access to areas we

are currently restricted from using. Heaped on top of this is the fact that by degrading

what is already there, the trail crews spend time grooming existing trails rather than

doing the fun stuff they’d rather do, such add technical B- ( and even C- ) lines or

when and where possible, cutting entirely new trail. Or even better again, riding trails

rather than having to work on them!

To this end, fireroad and vehicular access tracks – although understandably not as

much fun – are a more sustainable (although by no means perfect) option if you must

get out and ride. In general, they stand up to wet conditions better as they are more

uniform in their surfacing and gradient allowing water to pass over them more easily

and, having been built to hold up to several tonnes of firetruck, logging equipment,

or works ute, they generally show far fewer signs of impact from a few kilograms of

bike and rider than wet trail does.

However, singletrail, doubletrail or fireroad, if it has been wet enough, we are bound

to encounter unavoidable puddles or occasionally running water crossing our path,

where for the remainder of the year we wouldn’t notice a drop. So what to do? Well,

the best thing for it is to follow the trail; yep, straight through the middle of the puddle!

Remember, this is mountain biking – if a bit of mud and the splash of cold spray is offputting

or a problem, maybe you should stay indoors on the turbo or on the couch

watching footy for the winter… But seriously, it is the lesser of the two evils. Try to go

around the puddle and the trail widens. The puddle expands to fill this new part of the

trail, so people go wider still and again the puddle grows. Keep this up until the trail

dries out and suddenly we have a singletrail that suddenly has a boggy section 2

metres wide and 5 metres long rather than a 30cm puddle in need of some TLC. So

for once, don’t act your age – release the inner child and splash through the centre

of the puddle with a grin from ear to ear.

So, when you next check the weather forecast and make decisions for the upcoming

ride, have a thought about the trails you’re going to ride and the impact you’ll have

on them. Whilst riding in the bush is ultimately about fun, enjoyment and having a

laugh, each and all of the above are amplified when the trails are in prime condition

and access to them is unfettered with restrictions – and for that to happen, we all

need to do the little things, like thinking for a moment, before we start to pedal.

cheekytrails.co.uk

I've known about this site for a fair while and with a little tweaking for local conditions and personal sentiment, this has provided the basis of the way I'm going about my riding in future.


http://cheekytrails.co.uk/ethics.htm

• Think carefully about which trails to ride - just because it isn't "legal" doesn't mean you shouldn't care.
• Restraint is to be observed in sensitve areas eg. Conservation Parks, around Bush for Life sites. Stay on formed trails only!!!
• Be extra mindful of the Native Vegetation in particular; stay on the trail to leave it in peace.
• The closer the cheeky trails are to civilisation, the more acceptable it is to share them.
• The smaller the amount of available trail an area has, the more reason we have to share it.
• If the trail has no classification but walkers have been seen on it then it’s fair game.
• After 6pm every trail is available to bikers; Before 6pm caution is to be advised.
• When encountering walkers, behave like you would on any other shared trail; stop and yield trail, smile, have a chat. Even if it is hard work at times :D
• If you continually encounter walkers, consider the value of the trail and when best to use it, if at all.
• Do not hang around on the cheeky trails - but always stay in control. Don't give walkers the extra ammo of being able to question our ability to share in a positive way.
• Stop looking so guilty! Ride with a confident smile knowing that what you are doing is not wrong.
• If someone says “Bikes are not allowed on here” reply with “Yes, I know, silly isn’t it?” If they are a Ranger, being smart won't help, but being reasonable, polite, knowledgable of the facts and situation will give you a far better outcome to the situation.

Enough is enough...

Since I moved to Adelaide and got in to riding on a regular basis, I've done my best to stick to the legal trails we have around the State.

Early on, I wasn't always sure what the deal was with some and whether I was "allowed" to be there or not, but I made efforts to find out and stayed away if I wasn't.

I've written letters to Ministers, shadow Ministers and Depts, signed petitions, joined mass rides, helped with trail work to improve the trails we do have access to, as well as close down ones that have been unauthorised.

I've shown others around the trails I know about in the Adelaide Hills, riding only what is legitimate and avoided the ones that are not.

However, enough is enough.

DENR have been forced to delay all trail plans for all parks and go to the greatest lengths possible to "prove" the legitamacy of allowing bikes into OUR parks, because of a vociferous few walkers, with selfish personal interests, who seem to think that a bit of weed pulling in a few parks on occassion gives them ownership of the entire park system. Wishful bloody thinking, folks. I've pulled weeds too, but I'm stopping you going for a walk, am I?

Forestry, it has just been announced, are about to have sections of their land sold off by the State Govt. What exactly does this mean for Fox, Prospect Hill, Gate 19, etc? So long to the ideas of trails within Wirrabara and Bundaleer. And it's been a while since Mt Gambier saw DH raced there, but even if those blocks stay, you can bet access is gonna be reduced as all the harvesting focuses upon smaller areas.

SA Water... don't even get me started! These guys have areas of land that sits and does nothing, yet we can't get in there whether by foot, bike or hoof. In fact, some of these areas could probably do with being looked after with regards to weeds and pests, but no-one knows, because no-one is there to see it!

It's just getting ridiculous as to who can go where, how they can do so, and who says whether or not it is ok. Pioneer Womens Trail for example, has no bike signs along it, when there is no bye-law to prevent them and in fact the trail is built within a road reserve that could theoretically be bulldozed and then covered in bitumen in order to drive up!!!

No, Enough is enough; From now on, I'm riding on whatever trail I want to. I'm going to continue to call for trails to be opened for shared use where it makes sense; I'm not going to go cutting in trail wherever I feel like it; If a trail plan released by the land owner is suggesting it could be suitable for shared use, I'm gonna start sharing it - these guys actually do research before suggestign such things; I'm not gonna go around expecting all walkers to get out of my way and ploughing them down if they don't. I am going stay on the trail and not impact on our environment; I'm not gonna expect the same few, selfish walkers to suddenly give in.

Enough is enough. I want to ride. I like to ride. I enjoy it. I will do it.