31 July, 2010 @ 7:48 am | Comments (0)

On one of those rare sunny Sundays in June Grant Byrne & I headed out with the plan of filming Camden South, AKA The Kessel Run. This has to be the narrowest strip of bush – ever - to support an MTB track. 5-to-15 metre wide vacant bushland between the Nepean River and some farm acreage, heading from Camden South towards the South Western Freeway.

That such a tiny parcel of real estate can support a fast flowing bike track, speaks volumes about the smart design of the trail builders, whoever they were. What surprises me is that someone found it (to reach the area you have to cross a narrow creek) and then went and hacked a rideable trail… a determined bunch.  Primarily though the actuality of the track on this land speaks to the appalling lack of council-provided areas to ride, which means people have been forced to get creative. Luckily we’ve gotten the benefit in this case. I’m pleased to say that this lack should be addressed somewhat when the first of the Mt Annan Botanical Gardens XC tracks open up in August.

Anyway, Grant & I arrived at Elizabeth Reserve about 9:30 am and rode up the Nepean Cycleway so I could get some photos for the website and test out the video camera rig.

I usually set the video camera up on a Gorillapod (http://joby.com) atop the helmet – acting as an effective - if fairly weighty – HD helmet cam (after an hour I’m hanging out for a neck brace). The Gorillapod has a standard camera mount so the camera can be turned easily to face forward or back but sometimes it seems a little high to get the best shots, so if the track is not too rough I’ll often carry the camera in one hand using the other to steer, while I film from the side or the back or, twisting the arm to face the rear, film the front. Precarious but effective. Doesn’t work on steep inclines or downhills where you need the strength and stability of both arms just to keep you upright.

For this shoot I decided to try something different.

First I set up the recently purchased pocket video (Creative Vado HD) on the seat bag in an old iPod case. I clipped this to the rear belt-loop normally used for rear lights. This would allow me to film Grant as I rode in front. Seemed safe enough.

Then I mounted a Gorillapod on my handlebars with a roll of duct tape to secure it. I’d capture Grant riding the trail ahead.

We started off and it was just so easy: For the first time, I could see the viewfinder mounted in front and angle the camera up & down & side-to-side and it only took a bit of adjustment to get both cams lined up. I reviewed a bit of the rear facing Vado and it seemed OK too… Things were going so well I held the SLR still camera in one hand and shot stills from that: 3 cams going at once – a directors dream. With two viewfinders I was a bit distracted though and nearly collected a couple of mid-morning walkers. It wasn’t the last time that day I would put life and limb in danger.

But all that was on level concrete. Things would change when I left the relative ease of a flat, even cycleway.

After a bit of back slapping – weren’t we doing well, we’d discovered this great filming method! - we headed across the park to the bridge onto the dirt trail.

Reality bites. As soon as we crossed the creek, the reasons why cameras are rarely mounted on handlebars became apparent. Despite good forks and in-camera stabilization, just the bumps of the initial dirt trail – even before the rocks started - overwhelmed the image and it looked like I was like filming from the top of a jackhammer. Similar results from the seatbag cam.

Interesting output but barely usable, I thought as I reviewed the initial shots. My earlier self-congratulations melted away like a blown tyre and I appreciated again the invention of Hollywood’s exceptional Steadicam technology.

We did stop for some pans and ride-by-shootings and other insert stuff, but I was not really confident of being able to put anything together. Along the way we chatted to a couple or regulars whom we showed Grants handiwork –up a couple of sawn logs that had fallen across the track - and they talked about the way the track had changed over the last couple of years since Grant & others had been maintaining it.

By the end of the track, though, I was convinced I had little of substance in the can but we were still lapping up the day and Grant suggested we try riding back country trails to get to Mt Annan which was about 3Km away as the crow flies but took us an hour. That’s a separate story and perhaps the trespassing, shotgun-toting farmer, train hopping and entry-without-paying shall go undocumented at this point but we did have a good time and wore ourselves out in the doing which reflected the good day we had.

I’ve begun cutting the Camden video and have managed to squeeze 3.5 watchable minutes of Jittercam so will put it up with a great music track – ‘Honesty’  from Attack! Attack! - and hope you don’t notice the migraine-inducing images. [Coming in August.]

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22 July, 2010 @ 11:32 pm | Comments (1)

Hands up who takes Lotto? I do from time to time. It’s a family legacy but I don’t really have the same urge as the rest of the clan.  My Dad got us into the habit us with stories of what he would do with the winnings if we hit the jackpot. “We’ll take all the kids – and their kids – to Disneyland.” “Then pay of the mortgage”, he’d sometimes add.

At least he had his priorities in order.

A couple of years ago my Uncle actually won $65,000 on a scratchy while he – a Kiwi - was in Oz, and he vowed to keep to the family tradition, taking his son and daughter their spouses and kids (8 in all) on the hallowed trip, just 6 months later.

Dreams rarely live up to the reality (hey, except for dreams of riding great single-track!) and 6 months later it didn’t end as happily as anyone had hoped.

Well, at least the thought was there. It hasn’t stopped Dad from continuing to spout the same story. “We know where he went wrong and darn it, we won’t make the same mistakes!”.

Heaven help our close-knit family if it actually happens.

So the other day I’m in the city foraging for supplies (read: buying breakfast cereal for work) and was regaled by a small built and smartly dressed guy – could have been a jockey – handing out brochures to unsuspecting wayfarers like myself.

The barely scanned pamphlet went into one of the bags…something about FREE ENTRY, which could have been anything but the word FREE still gets the hormones going. If only it didn’t come with so many NOT REALLY FREE strings attached.

Unpacking the food booty at work I caught sight of the aforementioned handout. “FREE ENTRY to Greyhound Racing”. Ahhhh. I forget this marginalized sport exists except when visiting Mum & Dad and they are watching the TAB channel. A rare day at the horse races can be fun but Greyhound Racing seems like it belongs in some black & white gritty movie from the 60’s.

Commuting home on the bike, I got to thinking about how Australians are gambling mad. Why don’t we gamble on MTB? Does anyone, anywhere? Is it because the sport is so small? I looked up gambling statistics and found there’s a bit of money in it… In NSW Sports Gaming is worth 1.5B out of nearly 4.5B Australia-wide…. Now wouldn’t we like to see just 0.1% of that go towards MTB? $4.5M could do heaps.

Sadly, sports other than horseracing account for just 6.5% of those billions, but some of the sports listed in the TAB are not that well known in Australia either. You can bet on all these:

AFL

American Football

Baseball

Basketball

Boxing

Cricket

Cycling (road)

Golf

League

Motor Sport

Netball

Rugby Union

Soccer

Tennis

Politics – party of the next AU PM/Vic Prem/NSW Prem!!! Who’d have thought you could gamble on those?

But even if we could slip MTB into the list, there’s the hint of corruption when you start to talk big bets.

Nikolay Davydenko, major tennis player in ATP Ranking was at the center of a match-fixing investigation in 2007. That touched off a wider scandal in tennis in which at least a dozen ranked players said they had been asked to throw matches or had heard of similar approaches to others.

Tennis’s major governing bodies commissioned a report, which recommended that 45 matches played in the previous five years be investigated further because betting patterns gave a “strong indication” that gamblers were profiting from inside information. As a result, they set up a Tennis Integrity Unit.

The ATP cleared Davydenko of fixing the 2007 match even though they were unable to review the phone records of Davydenko’s wife and brother, which were first withheld and then destroyed.

 “A lot of money is being able to be made outside of what’s happening on the court,” said one Australian player. “Sometimes that has a little bit of a negative influence. But luckily enough, I think it doesn’t happen that often.”

Proposition bets, Parlays, Progressive Parlays, Teasers Run Luck, Future wagers, Head-to-Head, Totalizator bets… all these betting types (list from Wikipedia) sound to me as hard to understand and therefore as risky as the CDO’s in the recent GFC…

So, would gambling work with MTB? If they opened up betting on MTB races – say the next World Cup, here or somewhere in the world – would you bet?

How would it change your thoughts about the sport? And how would it change the MTB Racing industry? Would the relatively down to earth and laid-back style of our top MTB riders alter?

Would the clubs be in a better position if there was more money from these events? Or would we lose something important?

Would it maybe broaden the audience? Would Australians start to get into MTB?

Or should we not worry… with the internet already making it even easier for gambling  is it actually inevitable?

All this talk of gambling…my adrenaline is popping so now I’m off to buy a ticket in the next Lotto Jackpot.

And if I win, it won’t be a trip to Disneyland for the kids. Yes, I’ll make sure they get looked after, but on the cards will be a nice shiny bike and a world-class Bike Park somewhere in Sydney… Care to take a bet?

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15 July, 2010 @ 11:48 pm | Comments (0)

http://www.australiancyclist.com.au/

The Law Forgets About Cyclists

Evan Evans letter (AC May-June 2010) about law-breaking cyclists and registration plates needs further discussion.

Law-breaking among cyclists is ubiquitous and almost unavoidable - for instance every time you ride up to a bike rack placed on a footpath, you break the law. Our road rules seek to limit the danger posed by motorized transport by prescribing a coherent patter of behaviour for drivers, and our success (at lobbyists) at gaining legislative parity with motorists has resulted in us being in the same category as the driver of a Hummer or a truck. But is this valid?

Cyclists, because they do not pose the same sorts of risks as motorists, often ignore those rules that they feel do not apply to them The best example I know of is turning left (on the red) at a set of traffic lights. Rarely is this legal, but commonly, for cyclists, it can be a perfectly safe maneuver. Stopping at a stop sign is another. Stopping is not necessary for a cyclist to ascertain the prudence of proceeding, but stop you must. The law does not recognize that, as the most vulnerable road user, cyclists employ a precautionary principle in their road use (and their law-breaking) that dictates what they will do based on safety.

Recently my council has deiced to make my quiet street (a crescent) one way. But 75% of my cycle journeys will now involve me cycling the wrong way down the street to get to [where I need to go].   Why must a law-abiding cyclist set off in the wrong direction just because that’s where a car needs to go?

Cyclists are so often the unfortunate by-catch of legislation designed to control cars that they lose faith in the laws themselves. Stupid delays at traffic lights that turn red even when no-one is coming, timing intervals that go from green to amber  to red before a cyclist can get through an intersection, inadvertent exclusions in suburban traffic schemes, eccentric edge and surface treatments that play havoc with your line…

Until cyclists and their unique requirements and abilities are recognized and accommodated in the law, cyclists will continue to selectively ignore those laws they see as irrelevant. If the law can elucidate these qualities, then compliance will follow as a natural progression. But compliance without relevance will not occur.

And rego plates? Forget it. Doesn’t even work with cars (just try reporting one…)

Paul Anderson, Bowden SA

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8 July, 2010 @ 11:20 pm | Comments (0)

Got an email from Flynny and have updated the Description in the Hassans Trail page… here for your edification.

 (Sounds even better….)

 

Hassans Walls is the name of the escarpment cliff on the south side of Lithgow, which has what’s billed as the Blue Mountains highest (1130M), most expansive views. From the Lookout you can see Mt Wilson, Mt York, Mt Tarana and Mt Blaxland and the whole Hartley Valley below. To the south are the Kanimbla and Megalong Valleys and Mt Bindo (1363 m). It’s pretty good, I guess, though I’ve seen more spectacular vistas at Faulconbridge and Mt Banks. The trail starts about 500M short of the top where there’s a lookout building-come picnic spot and several walking trails to the cliff edges. Plenty of signs around to warn you off (I figure they must have lost a few by accident and perhaps a few taking “the quick way out”…).

 

The trailhead is a gated track with a no-vehicles sign (OK for bikes) that heads up another ridge before going down the Lithgow side of Hassans Hill.

 

Small area for a bit of parking next to the gate. It was a glorious Saturday and I didn’t see anyone else there so assume it doesn’t get too busy. I could have ridden up the Hassan’s Hill Road but decided I would have to do that wherever the car was parked (and in the end I rode up twice).

 

500M past the gates is a huge turning circle – helicopter landing pad size – and then a trail split: the first of many along the way. The first trail I rode is called Channel 6. To find the actual start you take the left fork and then right into single trail before the DH trail starts. Paralleling the road, Channel 6 heads to a line of power poles and down a fast firetrail to a couple of comms dishes atop a small bunker (the Channel 6 Transmission Towers maybe?). At that point the trail stops in a very tight turning circle (Telstra minivan size) unless you want to go near-vertical down a rocky decline…. But if you’re still sane, then backtrack about 20 M before the dishes to discover a technical but very rideable narrow singletrack through bush, with good views of the Lithgow through the trees.

 

Unfortunately the trail’s not that long and within 5-10 mins I was at street level… and sticking close to the hill I rode around and back up the hill to try out the second trail, The Downhill.

 

From the top, same start, but this time you head left at the fork and keep left, following the trail till you get to another firetrail downhill veering right…or – off to the side – a man-made jump that looks like it’s part of a loop… but is actually the start of a really, really great DH singletrack that heads down and across a much longer valley.

 

Someone’s done some great work here, forming beautiful berms – about 20 of them, going down the side of the valley. Stunning track reminding me of a well-maintained Ourimbah. After these beautiful berms it gets a bit technical here and there so take it easy. Really memorable though. Crossing the saddle of the valley it flattens out for about 200M then hits a much steeper section. The day I went it was dry and dusty and I walked a few bits that were fairly slippery. But downhillers looking for a superfast singletrack will eat it up. The record, according to Flynny who works at the local bike shop (Insane Cycles) is 2 minutes & 48 seconds. The rest of us mere mortals might take between 5 and 10…

 

Has to be one of the best in Sydney, and rightfully so, since it’s Flynny says been used for years to host state, national and international DH races.

 

Just one point. If you hear gunshots, don’t worry. I was casually sliding down a dusty section and heard a series of bangs, thinking, “Shit!” Deliverance Day: the rednecks are up here taking pot shots at anything that moves…

 

Pays not to jump to conclusions: Though the gunshots got louder as I descended, I could hear voices and eventually heard someone in an official voice say, “Ok the next round I want you to shoot…”. Turns out there’s a gun club situated near the trail, with a saddle between. Saw a few cars parked but don’t see the range itself. The DH trail (Gun Club track) does in fact cross down behind the local shooting range and technically you are not suppose to ride it while they are shooting.

 

From there on down the trail flattens out and you head more west towards the road and then round the streets (keep hugging the hill) and up again.

 

All up maybe a 15-20 minute ride on the down and 30-35 mins up. But they tell me there are approximately 14 more tracks to explore (all starting as firetrail then becoming singletrack, which are usually short and technical – a DH paradise..?)…including the Hartley Valley Road which is apparently a great ride up as well…

 

Spring & Autumn the best times of year.

 

[When I get the chance to head back I’ll update the maps & the gpx to highlight some of the other trails…]

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1 July, 2010 @ 12:06 am | Comments (1)

I went to a Bike Expo at Rosehill Racecourse quite a few years ago, and that was pretty good, with bike manufacturers showing their wares (and a few giving demo rides); BMX riders doing stunts, MTB videos, showbags and & interesting stuff to buy & try. Small, but plenty to see.  

 

But apart from that and a couple of stalls in Martin Place in 2006 and some stands at the UCI Masters, Sydney riders have had no bike expo where we can drool over the latest international bike technology.

 

Yet some of the greatest cities in the world have bike shows : The New York Bike Show, the Paris Cycle Show, The Cycle Show in London…Taipei International Bike Show, , ExpoCycle in Montreal… Interbike in Las Vegas…Eurocycle in Germany, Velo Park in Moscow, The San Francisco Bike Expo… They have them in Italy, Seattle, Milwaukee, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Vancouver, Finland, and many other far less outdoor-oriented places.

 

But Sydney? Bike rider market is so ignored you’d think we were a part of the Gaming industry…but even THEY have an expo*.

 

This is how hard it is: Two years ago the Bike Week crew in Sydney tried to organize a Bike Expo to run in parallel with their Festival. Trailflix were even asked if we wanted to set up a stand – but due to wholesale lack of interest by the bike manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, they couldn’t get enough interest to fill a 2-car garage let alone a tiny corner in a small convention centre at Olympic Park!

 

So why would you want to head along to a bike show?

 

Well, apart from the very obvious Melbourne and Brisbane have one and Sydney has missed out AGAIN:

1. The list of events is appealing…

Bike Demos, Competitions, Exhibitions, Races, BMX stunts, a Marketplace, Demo riding, Trial tracks, Biker athletes, and new Technology…

2. The Exhibitors are ones at the top of the industry

- Giant, Jet Black, Shimano, Schwalbe, BMC, Cannondale, Garman, Bicycle Parts Superstore, Vaude…over 130 others…

3. And there are presentations by…

- SRAM, Shimano, Bike Sportz and one on Bike and Rider Aerodynamics…

Enough to keep your head out of the sports page for a few minutes maybe?

As the GM of Ausbike said in his welcome letter in the brochure:

“The bike industry is on a huge growth curve…it’s a multi-billion dollar business in Australia…trade expos get everyone involved,…raise the profile of our industry…and give everyone a chance to look at the next trends…”

I note the Sydney Expo Centre has The Boat Show, The Travel Expo, The Fitness and Health Expo, Kiosk Self Service Expo and The Baby Boomers and Lifestyle Retirees Expo for Gods sake…how come we can’t get a little old Bike Expo?

Look up what you’re missing at www.ausbike.com.au/

*Check out the Australasian Gaming Expo…

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27 June, 2010 @ 9:54 am | Comments (1)

 I saw a brief article about opening your own MTB B&B. And I thought: hmmm, what would you need? What would be ideal, and where would you build if you had the money? And how would you run it?…

What a great career opportunity… Hell, if you’re service oriented, what a great life! Anyway, I started to scope up some options for such a business plan and for the sake of the exercise, this is what I would consider…

Location: Mt Stromlo area? Blue Mountains? Southern Highlands? Adjacent to Sydney’s next MTB Park? Cairns, maybe if you like it hot? Near one of the popular and more distant race venues like Yellowmundee or Lidsdale?

Accommodation: Twin beds? Bunks? Single rooms for guys or girls who may decide to come on their own…definitely with own bathrooms. Put in twice the number of hot water tanks. MTB is a dirty business. None of those dinky little motel soaps either: have a huge liquid soap dispenser in each shower like the gyms. 

Bike Storage: Secure garage or shed where bikes hang up & can be locked. Easily accessible, though, so riders can head out for an early one or do a night ride without disturbing everyone. Maybe a breath test on the locks to limit the, “Lesh go fuh a ride!” midnight drunken nudie rides.

Bike Cleaning Area: Rainwater Tank (gotta be green.. actually the entire business should be setup as a “green” tourism venue. It may take longer, but will bring benefits in time of more clients and lower costs); High & Low pressure hoses, over a draining grate so less clean-up, scrubbing brushes, vending machine with degreaser & lube…

Maintenance area with bolted down work stands: The ONLY place where you want people to work on their bikes (Maybe under a balcony or in a purpose-built garage with the bike storage?) This will keep lube and brake fluid out of your carpet (unless you’ve lived with bikers before, then you’ll probably already be planning floor to ceiling concrete).

Tools: You could provide a couple of captive (connected to something solid by a light cable) items - like a Phillips head and 4.5mm hex keys. Even the whole gamut … But you ARE going to lose them if they aren’t bolted down. OR you could rent out a fully stocked kit and it’s returned full or you start the deductions (Could be a very lucrative part of the business…) OR you sell tools from behind the counter or a vending machine. Or do a deal with the local bike shop to take bikes there. Nah, you’ll still need some crazy tool at 6am…and also, just buy a thousand you-branded tyre levers & mini bike pumps and give them away to each guest on check-in.  See Marketing.

Compressed Air: Nice touch. Not essential, but otherwise tie down your floor-standing pumps.

Rental GPS Units: Unless you are good friends with the local Search & Rescue or enjoy spending hours on the phone to guys on bad phone lines… “Yeah, mate, I’m back in that in a valley with those 5 trails around me: which way do I go, again?” These are a potential revenue earner…

Maps: Free your-brand-branded trail maps of the local area. You won’t lose on this one. It will prevent someone becoming lost in the bush at dusk plus be a marketing tool when they take them home & pass them round.  Don’t restrict yourself to MTB opportunities either. Trailflix website is frequented by runners and hikers all looking for similar trail info and they will be attracted to an outdoors-oriented weekend accommodation. E.g. if there’s a river nearby think about kayaking. i.e. ‘Safe’ kayaking…

Lounge with Fireplace & AirCon: Cover all the seasons. What a great place to sit back after a day on the trails & share war stories or wounds. OR set up your place near a couple of town bars. Don’t recommend serving alcohol yourself… that’s a whole ‘nother business…unless you do dinner in which case it’s obligatory.  Have a heap of MTB mags and tourist brochures in the lounge. TV’s, if you have ‘em, strictly in the bedroom. Maybe run a loop of top MTB Videos if you have a recreation room. An internet connected PC in the corner is a good idea for resolving those late night “who won that race in Yellowmundee..?.

Gym: Lots of  riders are sports junkies. Plus, unless you build it in Alice Springs, it’s gonna rain and they want some exercise before breaking open the 6-packs. In addition, riders will bring non-MTB partners who’ll want to do something. Have a couple of indoor bikes and maybe a few weights in a gym or have arrangement with a nearby gym… a few bits of kids play equipment in the back yard for families wouldn’t go astray. The Family Biker tourist might be a niche market which would call for a slightly different approach.

Rental Bikes: Someone will bust theirs on the first day of the long-weekend or will just want a change from their 10 year old rust bucket. Having 5-10 well-maintained bikes on hand (do a deal with a local bike shop or have a big brand sponsor their product) will be good insurance as opposed to arguing why an MTB Lodge “doesn’t necessarily have rentals and, no, you can’t “borrow” my Specialized Epic Pro…!”

Bike Shuttle: Dual use: At least some of the trailheads are going to be longer than a bike ride away and more importantly you need a way for guys to get their machines from the incoming transport hub (train/airport) to your location. Taxis won’t cut it.

Wi-Fi: These days the internet is essential. Everywhere.

Washing machine with a Drier: for the guy who brought only one pair of everything. Have branded or unbranded socks, nicks, shorts, suntan and insect repellent at the front desk or in a vending machine in the laundry. Overseas, vending machines are all over… we don’t have half of what they have over there but they can be a labour-saving and secure revenue generator. Coke and chips machine is obligatory. Free to set up too if you have enough revenue going through them.

Coffee Machine: Kick start in the morning or anytime.

Breakfast Bar: All you can eat buffet: cereal, milk, toast, juice, fruit. Then if they want they can pre-order a cooked breakfast. Have someone come in and cook only when you have orders.

Tours:  If you are as mad about riding as most of us chainheads then you’ll want to be out on the trails at least some of the time. So long as you are a good all-rounder: convivial, good rider, can fix most things on the fly, very, very safe with OTHER people’s lives… then this could be a highlight and is certainly lucrative. You need expensive liability insurance to do this so treat it as a separate business plan.

Conference Room: Now we are talking big money. You want the weekend guys of course, that’s your bread & butter, but the great growth area is in hosting groups for conferences mid-week. Main requirement is a room with one or more tables  & chairs for up to 20+ people, a projector and whiteboard and you’re away. Catering outsourced. This combines well with the bike hire, the tours, the gym, the breakfasts etc. You become part of the conference market AND tourist machine but service based industries are one of the fastest growing. Room nights is your key metric (Business reporting & analysis is another consideration). Again this requires a different “layer” business plan.

By now you are either getting interested, bored or backing well away from the computer. If you are in the former, don’t worry. You:

(a) can’t do this all yourself but

(b) can outsource a lot of this stuff  (cleaning, cooking, café meals, tours, maintenance, gym, bike pickup, etc) to free up your time to actually get out and ride … choosing to do as much as you (or you & your wife/hubbie) have time for. The first couple of years is about building a business and these days, building a brand and a reputation. Whatever you do, do it well. And get a great accountant: the best can make a good business great. 

Marketing: Plenty of opportunities:  your own website of course, the bike mags, links to and from the tourist websites, NSW Tourism, Facebook, YouTube, Overseas Outbound tourism operators, blogs like this one. These days it’s as much as you have time for or want to invest in with a marketing/PR company. Tee shirts and 3 - 5 branded items for sale at the counter is a great way to help get your name out there.

Take a look at the websites from round the world and decide the elements that seem to be the most common; plus what are you already good at (eg I actually COULD organize a piss-up in a brewery, but apparently there’s little call for that as a business skill) and how this is going to fit in to your life. Don’t be 2 years down the track and burnt out like most new sole traders: the more you plan the better the outcome.

Like Will Levy did when he started mtnbike.com.au tours, call around and talk to as many people in and outside the MTB & tourism for ideas and filter the input, and then if you do decide to commit, create a business plan for the first 2 years, because its quite possible your ideas will be unprofitable. You are in this to make money unless you already have money in which case this is a retirement hobby.

If you do get started then let us know at Trailflix, we’d be happy to help promote (just because we’re into bikes) and as I said to the guy who was looking to build an MTB park, we’d love to film a documentary of the development…

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18 June, 2010 @ 10:50 pm | Comments (0)

Flew over to a conference outside of Denver recently, near our Colorado Springs office, and through careful planning I managed to squeeze in a morning’s MTB before returning home.

The ride – organized by my mate – ex-colleague - Phil – was to head up, “The Chutes” Trail and then round Gold Camp Road and down “Captain Jacks” Trail. Just a 2-hour jaunt, this meant we could fit in lunch before I jetted my way home.

The Saturday morning was overcast and a chilly 8 degrees Celsius. Didn’t stop me from doing an early morning run along the “Pikes Peak Bike trail” that parallels Colorado Spring’s main creek. Actually, this was my second weekend creek run; I’d spent a night in Denver the week before and ran the “Cherry Creek Trail” which has a bike path on one side and walker-only trail along the other: a beautifully paved run & bike trail in the heart of the city. If you’re in Denver, don’t miss it.

But this Saturday we were up for a solid ride. It was still overcast and damp weather at 8am when Trev (also Colorado-based for a couple of weeks engineering) & I drove to Bicycle Village – where Phil had rented bikes - and after drooling over the latest $US bike prices, we headed to the trailhead.

Parking was on Ridgeway Ave in Cheyenne on the south side of town, and there in front of us next to the trailhead: a Pivot demo caravan with about 20 shiny loaner bikes..! Turned out we could have borrowed instead of rented, but who was to know… Hell, did they look good, though.

Denver & Colorado Springs are both “mile high” (2000 metres) cities, so riding up seems a tad more exhausting than on Sydney’s 500-metre-high Blue Mountains. The rarified atmosphere can cause altitude sickness* so we were puffing a little after riding just 2 miles up to Gold Camp Road, still managing to pass a couple of guys test riding the aforementioned Pivots (did I already say the bikes looked sweet?).

The views from the Gold Camp Road are spectacular but it was still overcast as we ascended, with just a little sun breaking through. Also great were the rental bikes; 3 near-new Trek Fuel EX machines. Beautifully tuned, with weight & height set before we left by the guys at Bicycle Village (www.bicyclevillage.com). I’ve had a Trek and wasn’t that impressed while I owned it but it may have been the setup (more likely the fool rider!) …because these were superb machines.

Gold Camp Road winds around “May’s Peak”, through Pike National Forest, going from tar seal to gravel, through a single lane tunnel

and then up to High Drive, about 8,000 feet. This last 1000 feet was accompanied by great views into the valley and by the time we hit the “High Drive ALT 7867” sign, our hill climbing was all but done.

Opposite this sign is a carpark, and ahead, parallel to High Drive you can see the trail:  a narrow single-track cut into the side of a steep hill.

There’s not much room for error in places unless you like tumbling down hillsides in which case, hell, you can go ahead and make all the mistakes you want! As such, this is not a trail for your acrophics (fear of heights) but most will find it a balance of thrilling XC, a little technical and twisty but ultrafast downhill sections. This being my first go on the trail I approached it carefully, but next time….

The trail has a couple of perfect pitstop areas where you can stop for a drink (or a pee. The higher up you go, the more you want to urinate, apparently). The guys went ahead while I stopped a few times for photos and then they slowed down to check where I was.

This was inspiring riding, reminding me of the best of Stromlo; outstanding views while riding a magnificent trail: All in all, an unbeatable excursion. What’s more, the cloud cover had slid aside and we had full sun for most of the way back. Felt like a mild summer’s day, though they’d had snow in town just the week before. Colorado is like that; the weather can change in a few minutes so if you’re going far, take enough sunscreen AND winter gear…just in case.

On one of our pitstops, Phil told us this was only a taste of what’s available in this part of the Rockies, right next to Colorado Springs. Phil & his wife live outside of Denver just an hour north, but he reckons the Springs has the better riding, mainly because it’s is accessible, close to the city. Next time I’m there he said we’ll make a day of it and ride out on the 30 mile firetrail and come back on the 30 mile (48 Km) of mostly singletrack. Hearing that, I was tempted to put in for a US transfer!

Towards the end of Captain Jacks Trail are some steeper drops but nothing unrideable for your average Joe (eg. me). But if this (or just the altitude) doesn’t get your heart going, then there are plenty of steeper trails in the area.

Finishing off the trail at a superfast pace, we were back on Gold Camp Road for a couple of Kms before heading back down the Chutes, slowing down some as this ones a two-way singletrack i.e. you meet people (like we had earlier) riding up. It’s wide enough in places for two bikes and the berms are stunningly formed, so you are tempted to just push it …but then you come across some dude taking a wide corner and you appreciate the need to take it easier. Phil said he’d done a night ride race where the trail was set up as only downhill and reckoned it was even better, especially in near-darkness on your second loop.

The boys from Pivot were still there in the carpark but we were running out of time so no chance to sample the shiny hardware. Instead it was off to town for Pizza before doing the 1-hour drive to Denver Airport. In the end I needn’t have rushed. I missed my flight & had to catch a later one back to overnight in LA, missing my flight back to Oz… (and who’d’ve thought spending the next day inside a crummy LAX hotel doing email while waiting for your next flight would be so much fun?)

If you’re heading to Colorado Springs, the bike shop is worth checking out and if you want someone to show you the trails, they have organized rides or drop me a line and I’ll pass your details on Phil.

I brought back a couple of maps of Colorado Springs trails – $5 each at the bike shop, but free to a good home, so if you’re heading over and wanting to scout out some riding before you go, drop me a line and I’ll send you out a copy.

The Bike Shop:

Bicycle Village

2450 Montebello Square Drive

Colorado Springs

CO 80918

www.bicyclevillage.com

*Altitude Sickness: The causes of altitude sickness are not fully understood. The term ‘rarified atmosphere is ambiguous because percentage of oxygen in air, at 21%, remains almost unchanged up to 70,000 feet (21,000 m). The RMS velocities of diatomic nitrogen and oxygen are very similar and thus no change occurs in the ratio of oxygen to nitrogen. However, it is the air pressure itself, the number of molecules (of both oxygen and nitrogen) per given volume, which drops as altitude increases. Consequently, the available amount of oxygen to sustain mental and physical alertness decreases above 10,000 feet (3,000 m). Although the cabin altitude in modern passenger aircraft is kept to 8,000 feet (2,400 m) or lower, a large proportion of passengers on long-haul flights may experience some symptoms of altitude sickness.

 

Dehydration due to the higher rate of water vapor lost from the lungs at higher altitudes may contribute to the symptoms of altitude sickness.

 

The rate of ascent, altitude attained, amount of physical activity at high altitude, as well as individual susceptibility, are contributing factors to the onset and severity of high-altitude illness.

 

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11 June, 2010 @ 9:35 pm | Comments (0)

It was late Friday and I’d just arrived in Hong Kong after a week of work & running in Singapore and was hanging out for a bike ride. After trying unsuccessfully to latch on an MTB tour (see http://www.crosscountryhk.com/  – turned out they were booked for the weekend), I dug into the local MTB org’s website – http://www.hkmba.org – to see if I could at least check out one of the trails.

Hong Kong is pictured in the media as this bustling jam-packed metropolis but there’s plenty of green behind the cityscapes and many places you can ride:

-       One of the outlying Islands, Lama Island, renowned for its seafood restaurants (a dozen or so, lined up in a row as you get off the 30-minute ferry ride)

-       Lantau Island,  home to the expats (Discovery Bay), where Disneyland put its HK Kingdom, and where they built the swish new Airport about 10 years ago, or

-       the largest part, the Kowloon-side of Hong Kong Harbour called the ‘New Territories’, that borders on greater China and where most people live (and most of the trails can be found).

Hong Kong island however, has just one legal MTB track: ‘Dragon’s Back’, part of the the Hong Kong Trail, a mostly hiking track that meanders along the ridge of the main island.

After a frustrating Saturday in the hotel doing email and writing reports - while the sun blazed away outside! - I eagerly headed off at 8am Sunday to nearby Wan Chai MTR station.

Now here’s a public transport system we should build in Sydney*: fast / frequent / reliable / efficient / cheap / clean… need any more superlatives? Sydney would be so much more liveable with infrastructure of this calibre. People might actually get off the roads, as they do in HK… (mind you I don’t know that they allow bikes on the MTR, so that could be a problem….)

I went all the way to Chai Wan in the North of the island. About 15 minutes for about $A70c… Sydney Rail take note!

Earlier I’d used the hotels Wi-Fi & my iPhone to take Google Map shots of the start of the track showing the English name: Dragons Back. The guys on the Hotel front desk then happily translated the English address, but looked at me twice because it happens to be the same road as the island’s prison… but is also the entrance to a National Recreation park.

SHEK O ROAD

The concierge was doing OK translating until he got to one of the names – sounded like he knew how to say it but it took 2 of his mates to work out how to write what is an ancient and rarely-used Chinese character (unless they were trying to write “Crazy Caucasian dude – wants to go to jail”)…

Anyway, they must have been spot on because the taxi driver outside Chai Wan station took one look at the card and shot off, hightailing it up to #110 Shek O Road in about 10 minutes (for $HK30, about $A4…. . In Sydney you’d be lucky to do the same journey for less than $A20.)

And there I was; at one of the entrances to Shek O Country Park. As the photo shows there’s steps, which should have alerted me to later challenges, but I eagerly marched up in the 28 degree/65% humidity.

It was still fairly early but there were 3 groups of hikers out already… compare that to your typical Sydney trail where it’s unusual to see another bod all day… such is life in a populous one-city-country (…well, it used to be before the Brits handed it back) rammed with nearly 6 million.

The trailhead was well-signposted and displayed that it was legal for MTB’s but also indicated you need some sort of bike permit which I hadn’t seen referred to in the MTB website. I wondered if it was for this one or for biking on any HK trail… must find out. In my case, I was hiking so no worries.

The trail starts with a bit of a climb and then quickly flattens out. You’re 300M above sea level but the track is bush-enclosed – reminded me of several Blue Mountains walking tracks - and you only get glimpses of the view from time to time. The wide single-track seems pretty easy until you get to the first creek crossing then it’s the first sign of how technical it can be on the flat. Not too bad.

There are 3 sections like this and between these the base is clay and leafy: easy as. I passed one other group on my way to the first intersection where the trail opened out and the sun shone on a steep series of concrete steps. Oh yes, they like their concrete in Hong Kong. The highways are made of it but the place is so hilly and they cut into the hillsides everywhere for housing and roads, so they need that spray-on concrete + these shabbily made concrete steps all over. I run along Bowen Road above the ‘Central’ business district and that’s concreted both up and down the cliffs keeping everything stable. They might be on the Pacific Ring of Fire but they can still build these 60-story monster towers up hillsides without blinking. And all using bamboo scaffolding that withstands monsoonal winds: try getting THAT past your NSW Building Safety officer…

The steps are not rideable uphill and the path alongside was marked for bikes. Anyway, hiking them was good for the thighs because much later I felt like I’d been riding.

DRAGONS BACK

At the top, your first glimpse of the spectacular nature of the track. You can see across the harbour towards China, and on a misty but stunning day it was breathtaking, aided by the steep hillsides.

This was like my recent discovery: the Kiama Coastal Walk, but about 3 times higher, and with islands dotting the water.

I came to my next T-junction and there was a guy standing there looking official. I had a Trailflix T on so I must have looked sporty (heck, I should wear them more often!) and looking at my SLR camera in hand he asked, “Are you the official photographer?”

“Nope. Just hiking”, I said, looking at the sports-racing paraphernalia around him: “Is there a race on?”

“Yep. It’s a kayak and running event”.

It’d be a hell of a steep run…”What time are they coming through?”

“Oh about 20-30 mins…”

I thanked him and headed right, towards the peninsula. Here’s where the track really opens up to a series of peak ridges: the Dragons Back of the name. Here you can see both sides of the hill: the Harbour and the open sea. This section is the last of the Hong Kong Trail and presumably the least hiked which may be why they allow bikes. T’was not to be quiet today, though.

The view of the sandy beaches and harbours was stunning. Don’t let the water fool you though, for all the cleaning up they’ve done, Hong Kong Harbour water us still pretty filthy. When I spent a lot more time here several years ago for work I threw caution to the wind one weekend and went for a swim with some workmates who were locals… I felt none too good that night and the next day was like having the flu with no coughing, sniffing or sneezing; everything ached and I was nauseous, a condition that I never get. “The effect of toxins in the water”, my expat workmates told me 2 days later when I finally got back to work. My suggestion: stick to the hotel pools…

True to his word I encountered the first two runners halfway along the ridge track, running up a narrow set of stairs. Yep. Fit buggers. About 200 in all I’d guess came past while I was hiking.

Of more interest was the track itself. This is a XC track on steep rolling hills (like mini DH’s) with rocks & stairs – great for hiking but not my cup of MTB tea… I’d be hike-a-biking about 50% of the time if I rode it. I was fairly glad I hadn’t gone all-out to try and rent one for the day. Apart having to attempt to ride the roads in HK (probably a near-death-experience given the dominance of the taxi drivers over pedestrians) this track would have been a frustration.

But as a walk? superb and equal to any in Sydney.

Turning around at the top point I got to go the same way as the slower runners and indeed passed a couple when I packed away my camera and played a “pretend-I’m-in-this race” game. I must have been convincing too as a group of Japanese tourists with cameras clicking made way for me and I kept ahead of a couple of runners for at least 500M, enjoying the exercise but sweating a flood, ending up soaking my shorts & tee.. (cooled right down in the air-conditioned MTR on the return)

As a bike trail: recommended for experts only. As a sightsee: worthwhile checking it out if you like great hikes with views. There was taxi standing near the stairs when I exited the track so perfect timing…. I just had to say “MTR m’goi” (Cantonese for thanks) and he took off. 

Right now I’m looking forward to my return, whenever that may be, because I’ll definitely book ahead to explore more of the MTB side of HK life.

*  The 2 cities are similar size: Hong Kong has 6 million people inside 1000 km2 versus Sydney with 4 million people & 1800km2

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29 May, 2010 @ 7:23 am | Comments (0)

All this rain. What happened to Sydney’s dry autumns of a few years ago?

 

I buy Mountain Biking-UK magazine from time to time, plus a few Trailflix riders are from the ‘mother’ country or have spent some time there, and one very common theme that keeps coming up is rain. And, like the fluoride in Colgate toothpaste, rain really does get in. Turns dirt to mud, bike parts to rust, forks & shocks to fail, and eventually gets into or under whatever wet weather gear you can buy…

 

And I know wet. In my teens, my younger brother and I would ride the motorbikes from Christchurch to the West Coast of the South Island in New Zealand on a regular basis. Locals in Canterbury call it the Wet Coast because it seems to rain there a lot. A whole lot.

 

We either camped, or if it didn’t stop raining, found a cheap motor camp cabin and bunked. No second-guesses why my camping skills are not up to scratch.

 

In those days the Coast was nearly devoid of cars and people, having had its heyday in the gold rush… then the greenstone (jade) rush… and later the coal mining boom. The lot of them now all-but disappeared. I still remember my Uncle taking my brother and I – at age 8 – over to our second cousins in the small West Coast town of Dobson for a week in the summer holidays, when the coalmine there was still open. I recall the sky in Dobson was a featureless grey, mainly because it never stopped raining the whole time we were there. Luckily, though, it was warm or the holiday itself would have been miserable. The highlight of our stay was the time we managed to get on board a tram that went down into one of the mines. It was an incredible experience: Helmets and lamps on, we boarded the carriage, on a 45-degree angle at the mouth of the mine. A single row of dim yellow lamps tracked our descent and water dripped from the roof almost all the way down. Luckily none of us was claustrophobic because the slow rail trip seemed endless. I remember looking back at the disappearing hole of grey light behind us, obscured by my uncle, steam rising from his body, and pondering about where we were headed. I’d seen the pictures of the earth with the yellow-hot lava in the centre and the cooler red lava just under the surface, so my 8-year-old-volcanic-obsessed mind was thinking we were heading down to this cauldron. Fortunately we stopped some way before the lava started oozing out of the coal…which was both a disappointment and a relief.

 

Apart from the subsequent showering with about 200 miners – with coal-black faces and arms, white eyes and the rest pink & hairy - my next memory was swimming at night with a million frogs.

 

With all that rain, backyard cricket and BBQ’s were, sadly, not an option. Tattered old war comics and ancient board games like Monopoly and Cluedo kept us amused, while my uncle and his cousins drank, smoked and played cards in the kitchen every night ‘til the early hours. Adult card playing was interesting to us kids mainly because we got to stay up late - which was a big thing to an 8-year-old - but mainly because I was co-opted into helping my 2^nd cousins sneak sips of beer and drag on cigarettes when the adults weren’t looking. One night after we were shuffled off – reluctantly - to bed, our 2^nd cousins and my elder brother and I climbed out the bedroom window in singlets and shorts in the pouring rain, through the mud patch that used to be the garden, and snuck along the barely lit streets, heading for the huge open water reservoir, used to supply the mine. Being the height of summer, it was like the tropics, so we were both drenched and (almost) warm.

 

Ignoring the ‘Trespassers will be Prosecuted’ sign (what kid understands ‘prosecuted’ anyway?), and climbing over the mesh fence at the reservoir, we stared into the huge pool, lit by a single arc lamp. It was writhing with black, slimy legs and tails. Large tadpoles and baby frogs with tails seemed to cover almost the entire surface, but the bright light was so strong, the white tank made the water underneath luminescent. I cupped my hand, dipped it in the water and caught a few, which were as cold and slimy as they looked and highly fascinating, but too frenetic to remain in my hand. Further along the pool edge, one of the cousins threw off his clothes and jumped into the pool, making a splash and joining the million throng. He didn’t appear to be being eaten alive so we all followed, a tad more tentatively, into the warmish water. Feeling the mucusy, shiny creatures swim past us was an eerie feeling – they all seemed to be on a mission – but to where? I never did find out..

 

As it was, though, if we’d been caught sneaking out at night it would’ve been a lot more painful… I remember the next day, wanting to ask my hungover uncle about the fate of the frogs, but it was either fear of being discovered or the threat of my brother’s fist, so I never did.

 

One day when the rain eased off to a drizzle, we biked around the streets on old rusty ladies bikes which were way too big for me and either had no gears or had rusted-out 3-shift Sturmey-Archer ones. I was barely able to look over the handlebars & steer let alone change gears and they were heavy and very sturdy so the couple of roller derby crashes did them (and luckily us) no harm at all…

 

These days, Sydney seems almost as wet as that summer, more like the UK than the Sydney of a few years ago. Global Climate Change means this might be it for a while, which would be unfortunate since neither the trails nor our bikes are ideal for riding in the wet. Whereas UK trails have had any clay and soli washed away eons ago, that’s our bread & butter.

 

Roll on the big dry. On weekends, at least.

 

 

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26 May, 2010 @ 11:38 pm | Comments (0)

It was the spring of 2007 when I first rode the Neverfail Trail in Marramarra National Park, near Dural. I drove out there expecting a great ride but found instead a trail infested with spider webs strung across the whole track, about every 10 metres. I dodged under some and pushed aside others but after persevering for the first 500M or so, I retreated, rode back, beaten. Now I don’t mind spiders, but by the time I got back, my bike jersey was like a cocoon…not pleasant.

Still desperate for a ride that day, I drove further on and rode the Old Great North Road. Great riding as usual.

A couple of years on and I decided recently it was time for a re-sortie. “Must have been the season”, I said to myself. I checked Google Maps to see if there were any other trails I could spot in the area and found 3, so was even more determined to head back to check the place out.

The return journey was well worth it: I didn’t spot a single spider, or web, and the rides were at the least interesting and at most, fantastic.

I think I was right; spider infestation must be seasonal. Unless you’re an arachnologist, I don’t recommend riding the trails early spring.

Marramarra is located past Dural, after Fiddletown (the name apparently comes from an American mining town where in the early 1800’s the local water source, Dry Creek, ran dry during the summer months, during which time the miners couldn’t do any mining and were said to be “fiddling around,” thus the name.) The road route to get to the trailhead takes you on a bit of a wild goose chase, but stick with it.

Trail 1: Neverfail Fire Trail, which, about 5Km in, splits into Collingridge and Coba Trails.

Collingridge (5Km): Moderately easy track, not too wide and narrow in places. Feels largely downhill from the start. All firetrail and at the end a reasonable view over the Lower Hawkesbury

Coba Trail (9 Km): Narrow firetrail. More interesting. Better views of the Upper Hawkesbury from further round the hills. The trail got very steep, rocky and very technical about halfway.

Eased off after a steep downhill but then became very narrow then flattened out as it rounded a hill. Eventually the trail entered private land that had a sign that said, “No Vehicles” but had no fence or gate. About there I stopped and headed back. There’s an abandoned rusted out old Ford Anglia – maybe 20 years old? ….

How the hell anyone drove it to this point I have no idea. Crazy… I could only guess that 20 years ago the trail was not nearly so overgrown AND they were crazy or maybe it was helicoptered in. Yeah…maybe not.

Trail 2: Smugglers Ridge Track. This is a shorter track from the looks of the map. I skipped this one on the day to try out…

Trail 3: Marramarra Ridge Track.

You head along Bloodwood Road to Smugglers Ridge Road, past the turnoff & gate to Smugglers Track then at the next T-intersection, turn right and park in either the first or second gap in the trees at the left. My gpx (coming soon with the trail page) starts at the first track but they both join up not too far along. For a start it’s a decline but quickly becomes fairly flat, rocky and sandy.

It follows a line of Pylons which is not my preferred trail accompaniment (they usually give me a headache - electromagnetism is weird physics!).

On the left about 2 Km in you can see from the track , the façade of an old sandstone house. Looks historic. It sits on a grassy ridge and looks like a great spot for a séance if you happen to be riding by at midnight… Got a photo but didn’t explore. Thereafter, good rocky trail with lengths of trail-width and unavoidable sand and a few sandstone areas and then there’s a gate after which the DH fun begins…

This next part’s for DownHillers: Unfortunately, you’d need to have a boat (I’ll explain later) if you don’t want to ride back up. The 1 km stretch between the first and second gate is fast enough but after the second gate it’s Andersons-style speed-of-light downhill all the way. This is fun and somewhat treacherous and goes for well over a kilometre… not for new riders; that’s for sure. Steep valley on the left and low grass-lined bush off to the sides and good views of the hills as you head down.

At the base of the hill you hit swampland but the trail that continues around to the right is built above the marshes and meanders round through sparse trees until you hit an orange grove.

Seriously.

I’d stopped to grab some food from my Camelbak and looked up to see near-ripe oranges. I hopped off the bike and headed a few metres off-track to go get a sample, when something dropped on my helmet: something big. 

A large seed pod from the huge tree 50 feet above me. At this point I realised that if the Orange trees didn’t want me to pick their fruit… then heck I would quite happily back off! But there were maybe 5 more trees behind this first one, indicating that unless this was private land then one could have a fairly hearty fruit lunch, in season…

Superstition aside they weren’t ripe anyway so I rode off, but I did get a couple of photos to prove it wasn’t my glue-sniffing addled brain, (well, maybe the superstitious part was.)

About another 700M on and the trail ends at a narrow river, one of the tributaries of the Hawkesbury. There’s a picnic table & BBQ and a sign alerting boat drivers of the Marramarra National park. Really nice spot, but was nearly in shadow when I rode in at midday

The ride up that great hill, well… not so nice. Steeper than Andersons. It felt endless.

It’s great training, I guess… I hiked a fair bit of the early part but the slope eased off and I rode some, figuring the downhill had made it worth the trek up.

Recommended.

 

 

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