So after my last post and the excitement of DENR starting to engage with the MTB community more actively, things have slowed to a crawl.
Cobblers Creek in the Northern Suburbs was supposed to be getting a reviewed and revised trail network including some shared use stuff. But it has all gone a bit quiet to say the least.
Well, surprise! it turns out that Friends of Parks have stuck their oar in again. After a brief period of apparent acceptance that they can't have everything their own way all the time, they are now - again - jumping up and down and trying to bury the project in a bunch of red tape and on-going whinging.
Fortunately, it seems that the two clubs, BikeSA and SAMBA have got together and put their bit forward too - hopefully that will go some way to countering the selfish carrying on of the 'Friends' group - but ultimately, we, as individuals need to make sure that it DENR know we do want access to the parks on bikes, that we are happy to share, that we aren't all just going to go and roll tyres over every native plant in the park - so the usual stuff really.
I'm not sure about anyone else, but I'm pretty over having the same arguments everytime we want to go ride in a park: I absolutely wish that the Minister would pull his bloddy finger out and just rubber stamp a few things! DENR - or DEH, as they were - do the planning, get the feedback, create the plan, then nothing happens. Why? Cos the various Minister's fail to sign anything off. Total lack of balls. So much for being in office to serve the majority and make the hard decisions. Time for some of them to MTFU...
And exhale... sorry, mini rant over. For now.
However, whilst on the topic of writing to folks about getting access and stuff - get on to Mitcham council too; another Financial Year is approaching, which means another has ended. And guess what? Still no trails outside of Zone 2 - Lynton.
I've been digging down there since the Lynton stuff started and whilst I enjoy it and the trails, I'm getting a bit bored of doing the same stuff over and over. Time for Mitcham to be held accountable to the promise they made and get some action down there again.
I know that there were a few things which were beyond councils control with regards to some of the access due to changes in ownership of some of the land and such - but they divided the plan into 4 zones; I reckon that at least 2 should be up and running by now even if the other two are still having legal get up sorted out. To still only have one is a bit of a 'dropped the ball' scenario if you ask me.
So, what to do? Well, hit up Mitcham here, DENR here and the Minister, Paul Caica and let them know you want stuff to actually progress - not continue round and round in circles or at the snails pace it has so far. Remember, be nice - but be firm. They are all elected to serve the community, after all!
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Some visuals...
Just a few random phone pics from riding around the hills in the last few months...
Hunting around Coach Road
Gandy's - one of my favourite trails at the minute
View from atop Greenhill
Get posting...
So after the attempt to make more effort to get posting here again on a regular basis, I've already let it slip!
Anyway, had to do some stuff for Uni recently, this one bit ended up being about bikes: thought I'd share, seems apt.
I ride a bike. Actually, bikes. I ride them everywhere, for everything: to work, to the shops, for pleasure. I ride hundreds of kilometres per week, thousands each year. Without bikes, my life would be very different.
Anyway, had to do some stuff for Uni recently, this one bit ended up being about bikes: thought I'd share, seems apt.
I ride a bike. Actually, bikes. I ride them everywhere, for everything: to work, to the shops, for pleasure. I ride hundreds of kilometres per week, thousands each year. Without bikes, my life would be very different.
Sometimes however, I hate the thought of riding my bike.
Often, this corresponds with being tired, or due to poor weather – be it cold,
wet or worst of all, windy. Usually though, I push through the feeling.
Invariably once I’m on my bike and pedalling, the negativity dissipates. In contrast,
when I drive rather than ride, or just leave the bike in the shed and sit on
the couch, a pang of guilt creeps into the back of mind. It’s almost as if
I’ve let my bikes – and myself – down.
I struggle to see a future without bikes in it. Different
experiences with them await. The most obvious of those involves my kids; their
first few wobbly rides, the first wheelie and the first jump (probably
coinciding with the first crash!). I can’t wait. I hope that I can instil in
them the same love as I have for the humble bicycle.
Friday, April 20, 2012
Been a while...
It’s been a fair old while since I last posted here – pretty slack really – but then again, been pretty busy too.
November was a house move to something bigger (closer to trails, too! Woot!), ready for our second child and a return to full-time work for me.
December was ‘on-call’ for baby, until Christmas Day (yes, really…) saw our son born.
Jan, Feb, March and April have seen work ramp up, birthdays get celebrated and Uni start to add to the bigger, and therefore busier, family life. Time for thoughts and theories, articles and blogs have been somewhat lost – as has riding time to some degree.
Yet somewhere in the blur, other MTB stuff did happen; a GPS was acquired and consequent Strava-ness has taken hold, new (to me) trails have been searched out and found – though arguably best of all on the MTB front, brand new trails have been put in the dirt over at Craigburn Farm.
I’ve still only managed a single ride over there – and the trails were still fairly fresh. They were also an awful lot of fun! However, perhaps more important than getting new trails (is that really possible? Hmmm…) is the fact that this is on DENR land. As in, Parks. As in, the biggest land manager in the state, who also happens to have kept most tracks and trails off-limits to MTBers to date.
So, from a few pootle-y bits of firetrail, some gravel topped shared use trail and lots of “no bike” signs, there is suddenly a trail network that is being actively promoted to the MTB community – this w’end sees the trails host the AMBC 6 hour enduro! – and that was built by an MTBer (Patto and crew at Trailscapes). Quite a change.
Even better is that more such trail is in the pipeline. Cobblers Creek to the north of town is getting a new shared use network in the same vein. Different soil type, different topography, but still trail to ride unashamedly. Pretty amazing stuff.
However, I hope the wider community doesn’t let this chance slip by and we are left with just two (small) trail networks; the original State MTB plan saw a bunch of reviews and targets and played a major roll in getting Eagle out of the ether and onto the dirt. But then it went a bit quiet. Everything was looking good and Eagle was exciting and new and fresh… now it is hammered by the increased numbers of riders out on any given day and needing the supporting cast of previously proposed trails to eventuate and relieve some of the pressure on it.
I know that SAMBA are trying to seek funding to allow for a review of the original State MTB plan and implementation of a new one, in order to drive the provision of MTB suitable infrastructure forward – and keep that drive going; I hope that the wider community gets behind them and helps to get such an agreement sorted; we’ll all benefit in the long term and really start to stamp Adelaide as a city with trail accessibility to rival the likes of Canberra or Rotorua.
November was a house move to something bigger (closer to trails, too! Woot!), ready for our second child and a return to full-time work for me.
December was ‘on-call’ for baby, until Christmas Day (yes, really…) saw our son born.
Jan, Feb, March and April have seen work ramp up, birthdays get celebrated and Uni start to add to the bigger, and therefore busier, family life. Time for thoughts and theories, articles and blogs have been somewhat lost – as has riding time to some degree.
Yet somewhere in the blur, other MTB stuff did happen; a GPS was acquired and consequent Strava-ness has taken hold, new (to me) trails have been searched out and found – though arguably best of all on the MTB front, brand new trails have been put in the dirt over at Craigburn Farm.
I’ve still only managed a single ride over there – and the trails were still fairly fresh. They were also an awful lot of fun! However, perhaps more important than getting new trails (is that really possible? Hmmm…) is the fact that this is on DENR land. As in, Parks. As in, the biggest land manager in the state, who also happens to have kept most tracks and trails off-limits to MTBers to date.
So, from a few pootle-y bits of firetrail, some gravel topped shared use trail and lots of “no bike” signs, there is suddenly a trail network that is being actively promoted to the MTB community – this w’end sees the trails host the AMBC 6 hour enduro! – and that was built by an MTBer (Patto and crew at Trailscapes). Quite a change.
Even better is that more such trail is in the pipeline. Cobblers Creek to the north of town is getting a new shared use network in the same vein. Different soil type, different topography, but still trail to ride unashamedly. Pretty amazing stuff.
However, I hope the wider community doesn’t let this chance slip by and we are left with just two (small) trail networks; the original State MTB plan saw a bunch of reviews and targets and played a major roll in getting Eagle out of the ether and onto the dirt. But then it went a bit quiet. Everything was looking good and Eagle was exciting and new and fresh… now it is hammered by the increased numbers of riders out on any given day and needing the supporting cast of previously proposed trails to eventuate and relieve some of the pressure on it.
I know that SAMBA are trying to seek funding to allow for a review of the original State MTB plan and implementation of a new one, in order to drive the provision of MTB suitable infrastructure forward – and keep that drive going; I hope that the wider community gets behind them and helps to get such an agreement sorted; we’ll all benefit in the long term and really start to stamp Adelaide as a city with trail accessibility to rival the likes of Canberra or Rotorua.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Technical Trail Features...
Recently, various conversations have highlighted just how many riders love a good, challenging Technical Trail Feature (TTF) – aka obstacle. Be it those naturally occurring rocky or rooty sections, constructed rock gardens or some North Shore inspired woodwork, it seems those features which require us to concentrate just a little bit harder in order to overcome – or in some cases, just attempt – them, are very much a key ingredient in making a trail a favourite.
It’s funny to think that the elements of the trail that were so difficult and, to some degree, off-putting when many of us had our first few rides, evolve and morph to become a necessity to give the trails their flavour; to provide enjoyment, excitement; something we return to or seek out more of further afield.
The lumps and bumps of varying surfaces remind us we are off road. The weightlessness we feel when dropping off a rocky ledge isn’t found in most day to day activities; neither is the pride and triumph that comes with cleaning a tricky rock garden for the first time. The self-reflection as to why we decided to dismount and step over the log rather than at least try to hop it is equally absent in other day to day, menial tasks. It’s these feelings that the TTFs stir up in us that add to our ride, that make the features more than just rock or wood.
However, for all the apparent demand and desire for techie trails and TTFs, I often wonder how much people would enjoy them if they got their wish for a greater abundance of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the crux moves where you have to quickly shift your weight from back to front then back again; the several (less than) half cranks you need to power through something; the mental side to working out the line you need to take to not only clear the obstacle, but keep tracking smoothly once it is cleared. I love the little adrenalin kick that comes from those moments where you commit because you have to, even though it feels wrong at first; when your tyres slide and drift before they find the grip they need on the corner; the pinball effect you feel as you ride over roots wanting, but equally not daring, to touch your brakes. But these are all exactly that; moments. And I wonder if I would still want so many TTFs if they came flying at me one after the other, relentlessly.
Could I maintain the concentration needed? If I did would I feel exhausted after only a half hour ride? Or would I crash and burn after the ‘one too many’ and never be able to get back in to a rhythm for the rest of the trail, consequently being disappointed in it?
Having technical trails is certainly needed; and one person’s tech is another persons flow. But they also need to be appropriate. Lots of the recent discussion has been about having optional lines – A and B (and C and D and…) options. But do we really need them on every trail? One school of thought is that we do, and so should. But do Green/Easy trails really need them at all? I don’t think so. If they can be included, great, but really, I feel it’s Blue/Intermediate trails that should have them, but given they are ‘optional’ lines, they don’t need to be every 50 metres along a trail. I understand that those riders that love the challenges of TTF would rather that they did exist every 50m or so, but we need to remember that they are still Blue trails. If constant commitment and challenge is needed, hit up a black trail.
So is it is a case of needing more Black/Advanced trails, given that riders (and bikes) are becoming more capable? I certainly wouldn’t say no, but then again, more green trails to get more folks involved are certainly needed, too.
However, the more I’ve reflected on it, the less I’m siding with the ‘more TTFs’ brigade, even though I would’ve said I was one of them to begin with. The more I think about it, we just need more trail regardless of what colour it has been graded as.
This perspective has come about because I’ve been following a series of online articles from back in my native UK about the ‘roots’ of British MTB. The one glaring aspect of this series is that many of the ‘classic’ rides we have back home are not about trail centre/mtb park style, colour graded trails. In fact, many of them take in large chunks of bridleway and often sections of unavoidable bitumen. They all still have their aspects and sections that are technical – be it steep to the point of hike-a-bike, wet and slippy roots, wet and slippy rocks, being exposed to the weather and conditions of the day, just sheer length, etc. – but they are not classics because they have the gnarliest rock gardens or the biggest jumps or the highest ladders.
When looked at like this, although I love a good TTF like the folks I’ve had these discussions with, its clear that whilst I agree that we do need more of them, there is certainly a difference of opinion on how to increase the TTF number. Some want uber-tech trails with TTFs galore along the entirety of those trails. However, given how little use those trails will get – even from those that call for them – I’ll stick my neck out and say you folk just need to race; nothing like competition to push you on and make you commit to hammering the A Line every time.
For the rest of us, we just need more trails. That’ll give us all the increase in TTFs we need.
It’s funny to think that the elements of the trail that were so difficult and, to some degree, off-putting when many of us had our first few rides, evolve and morph to become a necessity to give the trails their flavour; to provide enjoyment, excitement; something we return to or seek out more of further afield.
The lumps and bumps of varying surfaces remind us we are off road. The weightlessness we feel when dropping off a rocky ledge isn’t found in most day to day activities; neither is the pride and triumph that comes with cleaning a tricky rock garden for the first time. The self-reflection as to why we decided to dismount and step over the log rather than at least try to hop it is equally absent in other day to day, menial tasks. It’s these feelings that the TTFs stir up in us that add to our ride, that make the features more than just rock or wood.
However, for all the apparent demand and desire for techie trails and TTFs, I often wonder how much people would enjoy them if they got their wish for a greater abundance of them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the crux moves where you have to quickly shift your weight from back to front then back again; the several (less than) half cranks you need to power through something; the mental side to working out the line you need to take to not only clear the obstacle, but keep tracking smoothly once it is cleared. I love the little adrenalin kick that comes from those moments where you commit because you have to, even though it feels wrong at first; when your tyres slide and drift before they find the grip they need on the corner; the pinball effect you feel as you ride over roots wanting, but equally not daring, to touch your brakes. But these are all exactly that; moments. And I wonder if I would still want so many TTFs if they came flying at me one after the other, relentlessly.
Could I maintain the concentration needed? If I did would I feel exhausted after only a half hour ride? Or would I crash and burn after the ‘one too many’ and never be able to get back in to a rhythm for the rest of the trail, consequently being disappointed in it?
Having technical trails is certainly needed; and one person’s tech is another persons flow. But they also need to be appropriate. Lots of the recent discussion has been about having optional lines – A and B (and C and D and…) options. But do we really need them on every trail? One school of thought is that we do, and so should. But do Green/Easy trails really need them at all? I don’t think so. If they can be included, great, but really, I feel it’s Blue/Intermediate trails that should have them, but given they are ‘optional’ lines, they don’t need to be every 50 metres along a trail. I understand that those riders that love the challenges of TTF would rather that they did exist every 50m or so, but we need to remember that they are still Blue trails. If constant commitment and challenge is needed, hit up a black trail.
So is it is a case of needing more Black/Advanced trails, given that riders (and bikes) are becoming more capable? I certainly wouldn’t say no, but then again, more green trails to get more folks involved are certainly needed, too.
However, the more I’ve reflected on it, the less I’m siding with the ‘more TTFs’ brigade, even though I would’ve said I was one of them to begin with. The more I think about it, we just need more trail regardless of what colour it has been graded as.
This perspective has come about because I’ve been following a series of online articles from back in my native UK about the ‘roots’ of British MTB. The one glaring aspect of this series is that many of the ‘classic’ rides we have back home are not about trail centre/mtb park style, colour graded trails. In fact, many of them take in large chunks of bridleway and often sections of unavoidable bitumen. They all still have their aspects and sections that are technical – be it steep to the point of hike-a-bike, wet and slippy roots, wet and slippy rocks, being exposed to the weather and conditions of the day, just sheer length, etc. – but they are not classics because they have the gnarliest rock gardens or the biggest jumps or the highest ladders.
When looked at like this, although I love a good TTF like the folks I’ve had these discussions with, its clear that whilst I agree that we do need more of them, there is certainly a difference of opinion on how to increase the TTF number. Some want uber-tech trails with TTFs galore along the entirety of those trails. However, given how little use those trails will get – even from those that call for them – I’ll stick my neck out and say you folk just need to race; nothing like competition to push you on and make you commit to hammering the A Line every time.
For the rest of us, we just need more trails. That’ll give us all the increase in TTFs we need.
Risky Business...
Of the many arguments used to restrict access to trails for MTBers, perhaps the hardest in many ways to overcome is the often held belief that all MTBers are going to run over all other trail users; the issue of perceived risk vs real world reality.
With the guidelines and practises offered in the two IMBA publications, along with the growing amount of practical evidence gathered both here in Australia and Overseas, more and more peer reviewed, fact based research is becoming available about the way MTB use actually impacts the trails used, we seem to be getting to the real last doubt that is cast by other, anti-MTB trail users; risk.
Most of this perceived risk centres on the apparent fear that all MTBers will always be meet on singeltrail, with the rider(s) descending at Mach 10 and unable to use their brakes to stop, causing horrendous pain to the poor, innocent walker they hit. It seems despite all the real world experience we all have from encountering other trail users, that this perception is one that holds great sway with policy makers and land managers.
On the one hand, long sight lines and wide trails – such as fire roads or maintenance vehicle tracks – make all users highly visible to each other. However, these traits are invariably coupled up with firm surfaces and low to no technical challenge, encouraging riders to stay off the brakes. So if when we feel we are doing the right thing and scrubbing a bit of speed as we pass others, our relative speed is viewed to be considerably higher than theirs. I guess if you see this on a regular basis, it would be easy to presume that such speeds are the norm.
On singletrail, although the speed is generally lower, due to the nature of such trails twisting, turning, providing more challenge and shorter sightlines, there is, perhaps, more chance of startling other users due to those same traits. That said, it is a remarkably overstated ‘argument’ and one that conveniently overlloks the fact that all users should be looking out on the trail – be it for other users, an 8-foot tall Skip or one of our wonderfully poisonous, wriggly friends basking on the trail ahead. We so often seem to spot these things whichever user group we are from; why would we not be able to see each other? And frankly, I have more worry about snakebites or self harm from falling over the trail than other users.
However, I feel that a fair chunk of the reason this issue lingers on, is our community love affair with the moving image.
Whilst I – and I guess most of you – would personally love to see a bit more MTB on the TV rather than the 10th game of footy for the weekend (although as long as it is not dubbed “reality” and doesn’t involve cooking, singing or “talent”, I’m grateful!!) the fact is that for a lot of folks who don’t ride, i.e. Pollies, Land Managers, Risk Assessors… seemingly everyone we have to convince, they only generally see the extreme ends of MTB; flat out racing, excessively large freeriding or home video style comedy crashes. So really, nothing much resembling an average ride of grinding up a trail, stopping for a chat, look at the view, lolly snake, maybe fix a flat, followed by a descent where you feel like Sam Hill, but are dabbing your brake before every corner to remove any chance of it even remotely happening. The fact that the online or TV footage took place on a closed race lap or in some obscure location rarely visited by anyone, let alone the Sunday Arvo Over 70’s Flat Trails Only Walking group that could otherwise be mown down, is by the by.
So how do we change such perceptions ? Are we to push for less coverage of our sport in mainstream media? Are we only to ride uphill firetrails? Should we just all go away afterall?
Obviously none of these are realistic options and actually all of them would regress our calls for more trails, but we can all try to keep our patience and do a little more to make our encounters with others positive. The easiest is to drag that brake just a little more when passing, if not stop completely. Sure you can pass without doing that, but a second or two – an extra pedal stroke – is not going to totally ruin your ride, especially if you are planning on being out for a few hours or so anyway. The cheery greeting in first always sets the tone for the interaction too. If you just passed a big group of other users on trail, or there was a Koala in the big tree earlier or whatever, let them know; show we are more than just ‘foot out, flat out’. It takes little to change perceptions – then the real risks can sort themselves out.
With the guidelines and practises offered in the two IMBA publications, along with the growing amount of practical evidence gathered both here in Australia and Overseas, more and more peer reviewed, fact based research is becoming available about the way MTB use actually impacts the trails used, we seem to be getting to the real last doubt that is cast by other, anti-MTB trail users; risk.
Most of this perceived risk centres on the apparent fear that all MTBers will always be meet on singeltrail, with the rider(s) descending at Mach 10 and unable to use their brakes to stop, causing horrendous pain to the poor, innocent walker they hit. It seems despite all the real world experience we all have from encountering other trail users, that this perception is one that holds great sway with policy makers and land managers.
On the one hand, long sight lines and wide trails – such as fire roads or maintenance vehicle tracks – make all users highly visible to each other. However, these traits are invariably coupled up with firm surfaces and low to no technical challenge, encouraging riders to stay off the brakes. So if when we feel we are doing the right thing and scrubbing a bit of speed as we pass others, our relative speed is viewed to be considerably higher than theirs. I guess if you see this on a regular basis, it would be easy to presume that such speeds are the norm.
On singletrail, although the speed is generally lower, due to the nature of such trails twisting, turning, providing more challenge and shorter sightlines, there is, perhaps, more chance of startling other users due to those same traits. That said, it is a remarkably overstated ‘argument’ and one that conveniently overlloks the fact that all users should be looking out on the trail – be it for other users, an 8-foot tall Skip or one of our wonderfully poisonous, wriggly friends basking on the trail ahead. We so often seem to spot these things whichever user group we are from; why would we not be able to see each other? And frankly, I have more worry about snakebites or self harm from falling over the trail than other users.
However, I feel that a fair chunk of the reason this issue lingers on, is our community love affair with the moving image.
Whilst I – and I guess most of you – would personally love to see a bit more MTB on the TV rather than the 10th game of footy for the weekend (although as long as it is not dubbed “reality” and doesn’t involve cooking, singing or “talent”, I’m grateful!!) the fact is that for a lot of folks who don’t ride, i.e. Pollies, Land Managers, Risk Assessors… seemingly everyone we have to convince, they only generally see the extreme ends of MTB; flat out racing, excessively large freeriding or home video style comedy crashes. So really, nothing much resembling an average ride of grinding up a trail, stopping for a chat, look at the view, lolly snake, maybe fix a flat, followed by a descent where you feel like Sam Hill, but are dabbing your brake before every corner to remove any chance of it even remotely happening. The fact that the online or TV footage took place on a closed race lap or in some obscure location rarely visited by anyone, let alone the Sunday Arvo Over 70’s Flat Trails Only Walking group that could otherwise be mown down, is by the by.
So how do we change such perceptions ? Are we to push for less coverage of our sport in mainstream media? Are we only to ride uphill firetrails? Should we just all go away afterall?
Obviously none of these are realistic options and actually all of them would regress our calls for more trails, but we can all try to keep our patience and do a little more to make our encounters with others positive. The easiest is to drag that brake just a little more when passing, if not stop completely. Sure you can pass without doing that, but a second or two – an extra pedal stroke – is not going to totally ruin your ride, especially if you are planning on being out for a few hours or so anyway. The cheery greeting in first always sets the tone for the interaction too. If you just passed a big group of other users on trail, or there was a Koala in the big tree earlier or whatever, let them know; show we are more than just ‘foot out, flat out’. It takes little to change perceptions – then the real risks can sort themselves out.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Finding cool stuff in your own 'backyard'...
It's always cool to ride new trails - even more so when they turn out to be great trails that you can see becoming favourites that you'll ride again and again. This w'end provided just that!
After a few weeks off the bike for the City-Bay (1:12:17 - with no real running under my belt, Woot!) 'fun' run and visiting family over at Yorkes, I was planning on something not overly techie, so I could "get my eye in" again. And with my riding buddy working away up north and thus not having much bike time in his legs, a gentler paced, 'exploratory' ride was decided upon.
It was a ride we'd thought of doing for a while; but the map showed a bunch of firetrail and some road bashing, but surely there'd be some good trail, too? If nothing else, it theoretically provided some off road linkages between other areas or a reasonable distance loop just for something different.
Well, it turned out to be right on all counts; a nicely narrow, slightly off camber and slippy in spots bit of singletrail early on in the exploratory phase had us smiling - short, but sweet. The firetrail slog out of the valley we'd descended to... meh. At least the weather was perfect and the trails, so far, empty. Getting up to the top of the ridge, the firetrail came to a junction and we decided to follow the ridge line. Undulations along the ridge were nothing special, waterbars to pop over and great scenery, plus a few Roos hopping around in the bush around us kept boredom at bay though.
But wait... Eye-Spy with my little eye, something beginning with S! Or SSS! Sweet-looking, skinny, single trail! Off the firetrail we go as the hoped for singletrail had seeminglt appeared.
Buff, flowing, fast, but with exposed sections where you'd not want to mess up your cornering, followed. The surrounding bush was enclosed enough to get that feeling of speed as you brushed the foliage, but open enough that you could catch glimpses of the view from the ridge over the surrounding bush and out over the Gulf, with Adelaide somewhere in between.
Alas, as with all great bits of trail, it felt as though it was over too soon, as we lost our elevation and pedalled - still on singletrail, mind you - along the valley, and back into the company of other trails, then other trail users, then roads and cars and amenities.
Following the road, we were soon back at our start point and re-calibrating for 'real life' mode. However, we couldn't stop talking about what a great ride it'd proven to be. Empty trails, sweet singletrail that was new to us - although tyre marks show it isn't to others! - and perfect weather. As a day it was hard to beat.
But the best bit of all is that now we know the trail is there; and that means more options, for more rides, in the future. And all from a bit of riding on some over-looked stuff in our own back yard.
After a few weeks off the bike for the City-Bay (1:12:17 - with no real running under my belt, Woot!) 'fun' run and visiting family over at Yorkes, I was planning on something not overly techie, so I could "get my eye in" again. And with my riding buddy working away up north and thus not having much bike time in his legs, a gentler paced, 'exploratory' ride was decided upon.
It was a ride we'd thought of doing for a while; but the map showed a bunch of firetrail and some road bashing, but surely there'd be some good trail, too? If nothing else, it theoretically provided some off road linkages between other areas or a reasonable distance loop just for something different.
Well, it turned out to be right on all counts; a nicely narrow, slightly off camber and slippy in spots bit of singletrail early on in the exploratory phase had us smiling - short, but sweet. The firetrail slog out of the valley we'd descended to... meh. At least the weather was perfect and the trails, so far, empty. Getting up to the top of the ridge, the firetrail came to a junction and we decided to follow the ridge line. Undulations along the ridge were nothing special, waterbars to pop over and great scenery, plus a few Roos hopping around in the bush around us kept boredom at bay though.
But wait... Eye-Spy with my little eye, something beginning with S! Or SSS! Sweet-looking, skinny, single trail! Off the firetrail we go as the hoped for singletrail had seeminglt appeared.
Buff, flowing, fast, but with exposed sections where you'd not want to mess up your cornering, followed. The surrounding bush was enclosed enough to get that feeling of speed as you brushed the foliage, but open enough that you could catch glimpses of the view from the ridge over the surrounding bush and out over the Gulf, with Adelaide somewhere in between.
Alas, as with all great bits of trail, it felt as though it was over too soon, as we lost our elevation and pedalled - still on singletrail, mind you - along the valley, and back into the company of other trails, then other trail users, then roads and cars and amenities.
Following the road, we were soon back at our start point and re-calibrating for 'real life' mode. However, we couldn't stop talking about what a great ride it'd proven to be. Empty trails, sweet singletrail that was new to us - although tyre marks show it isn't to others! - and perfect weather. As a day it was hard to beat.
But the best bit of all is that now we know the trail is there; and that means more options, for more rides, in the future. And all from a bit of riding on some over-looked stuff in our own back yard.
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