KarkoMTB /// Riding, ranting and raving in SA...: October 2011

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.

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