Had a lot of fun today at the Castlemaine round of the Vic MTBO (Mountain Bike Orienteering) Series. I’ve participated in both 6 hour Cyclic Navigators (on unicycles!) but never a standard MTBO event where unlike the Cyclic Navigator riders must pass through control points in a set order and get to the finish in the shortest time possible. (more…)
After a run of wet and cold weather it felt great to get out on the Mojo HD again, with refreshed legs too. Apart from fallen branches and debri the trails were in prime condition – damp but grippy. (more…)
Days like today remind you of just how much room there is in your arse for your own head! (more…)
Headed out to Elphinstone this morning with Michael for a quick blat down to Chewton and back. It’s a fun rollercoaster of a ride — you’re either gunning downhill at up to 55km/h or grinding up the other side being mindful of not puking your breakfast, and not much else in between. Add in a bunch of rocks and a clean line here and there thanks to the moto’s, it’s a hoot. (more…)
The upcoming Castlemaine round of the Interwinter XC series is being held in the Walmer State Forest in a section of bush otherwise known as Baco, as it backs onto the Bacon Factory. Being only a couple of minutes from home I ride through Baco often on the way to the network of trails that run from Castlemaine out to Barkers Creek and back. It’s a handy and fun way to warm up for the ride ahead or cool down on the way home. The Baco terrain is all fairly gentle and outside of an event not really the type of terrain that n MTB enthusiast would travel from afar to ride, but it should make for a fast, fun XC race especially as the trails are almost completely mud free even during Winter. (more…)
Felt like a bit of an XC cruise today so after a quick spin around some of the Baco single track I headed out towards Maldon. Sunday also happens to be one of the days the Victorian Goldfields Railway runs between Castlemaine and Maldon. Hearing the steam train chuff along and whistle in the distance sounds great when you’re out on a ride — yeah I am a sucker for steam trains! (more…)
Almost ended up in the drink today! The trail drops down into a gully, crossing the top of a small seasonal waterfall. After rain the wet slimey rocks at the top of the ledge can get MEGA slippery and while it’s only a very short section the trail runs within a few inches of the edge. (more…)
I reckon there’s an invisible line you cross during every ride, where the toil and trouble of the day ceases to exist and the adventure begins. For me that line is often located somewhere around the Edge of the Burbs which fortunately is only a minute or two’s ride from where we live. From that point on it’s all bush and trails. (more…)