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Trailflix: Appin - Trail Description |
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This is actually the Appin XC course maintained by the Wollongong MTB club. It's a 7.5km loop, although there are a number of other trails, mostly firetrails, that go off in different directions including linking up to 10D in the Dharawal State Conservation Area.
If you've ever picked up a MTB magazine and flicked through and seen pics of pros racing XC or seen the Sydney Olympic track at Fairfield City Farm you can forget about riding or racing on smooth, well groomed tracks like those around here. XC racing that I've done (admittedly not much at all) in the Sydney area is very different. The tracks are slower but are much more fun. You actually need full knobby tyres and not the semi-slicks the pros sometimes use, otherwise you don't have any traction.
Head to the end of Burke St in Appin and park the car. Off to the right is a coal based road. Don't go down there, that's where you come back up. Just to the left is a bit of bush and just to the left of that is the start of the track. From here the track is fairly well marked with coloured tape on trees, barrier tape and branches directing you where to go. Roll over the mound between the concrete blocks and coal road and head right on the singletrack. Nothing particularly difficult about this section of singletrack. Follow it until you get to the 4WD track and turn left to head across a sandstone creek bed.
Pretty much right after you cross the creek is more singletrack going off to the right. Take this trail and you should be climbing up to one of only 3 passing areas on the course. There are some moderately difficult sections to get up along the way but you should be alright if you power on through them without trying to be too fancy.
Once at the end of the singletrack you'll hit some fireroad, the first passing area of the race track. A new section of singletrack has since been added. It's on the left side of the fire road and not too far along, just after another fire road joins from the left. Doing this new bit of singletrack will bring you out at the turnoff from the fire road onto the start of the downhill singletrack. There's nothing overly difficult in there and it probably adds about 0.5km to the course. Otherwise, just continue along the fire road to the downhill singletrack. Follow this for a few hundred metres until you see some branches on the ground that lead you to the right and into the bush again. This is the start of some very nice downhill singletrack that can be both fast and technical depending on how you want to ride it.
So riding down the first obstacle is a big rock that has a log after it that you can ride along and do a very small drop off. There is a small track around the rock also. Follow the singletrack through all the twists, turns and little rock gardens. Some areas have a loose surface an sometimes the loose surface is made up of loose pieces of sandstone that try to make the bike slip out from under you. Going too slow you will make it hard for yourself. At the bottom you will see a narrow bridge with no side railings crossing a creek. You have to ride across this, or walk, or slide along on your backside as a friend who is scared of heights did. The extra fun comes from riding down the 3m high near vertical rock face that leads onto the bridge. The bridge is scarier to walk across than ride because you can feel it moving when you walk.
This is the start of some serious climbing, not as in overly steep, but reasonably long. Keep following the singletrack up and around until you have to cross another 4WD track. Go straight across and keep following the singletrack. There's a small rock garden just after a switchback. You'll eventually get onto another fire road but only for a few metres before it ventures off to the right and becomes singletrack again. There are a few step ups along the way up here and this section can really sap your strength. It will again come out onto the same fire road but it will also then go back into the bush on the right for more singletrack climbing fun. It is actually fun too. After a few more step ups and turns you'll come to the second passing area.
The second passing area is a small section of fire road. You can see the Appin-Bulli Rd on your left and also see how far down you have to ride!!
Sprint down the fire road, which quickly narrows to become singletrack again. Jump off some minor drops and lean carefully into the turns. The surface is pretty loose. Keep following the trail and it will start to level out a bit more, although still generally going downhill.
After a few minutes you'll reach a section that has a well defined track going both straight and left. The track going straight might have a branch across it indicating to go left. Take the left turn. From here the downhill gets a bit more challenging. Speed can increase if you are game but there are some bigger drops and narrow rock clefts to get through. Lots of fun!! Just before the end of the singletrack you'll have to ride off two little ledges. Speed is your friend here.
After the two ledges you'll have to cross another 4WD track. The singletrack on the other side is easy to see, it's directly across from where you are. Ride through this for about 30 seconds and you are now at the bottom of the hill that you could see the road from. Head left to cross the creek with the road bridge (King's Falls Bridge) on your left.
Directly after the creek crossing you are hit by two steep pinches. Power up them and veer off to the right onto the 4WD track. You should very soon see the track marked to the left. It's now a short singletrack climb to another fire road.
On the fire road there is a poorly marked section of singletrack to the right, probably about 100-200m from where you entered the fire road. Take this singletrack and keep following it. You'll hit a bit of a clearing where the track becomes fire road again. Go around a bit of a left hander and keep going until you see some singletrack on the right after the burnt out car. This turn is marked but not very well. Follow the singletrack down through the turns and you'll eventually hit a 4WD track that goes straight and right. Go straight and follow the track back to the start where you'll emerge on that coal road you saw at the start.
Grant Byrne |
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