The journey up to Dinner Plain is worth a mention, it’s remarkably scenic, especially the way we drove. From Falls Creek, over the back through Omeo and up to Dinner Plain. The drive was incredibly varied, like passing through four countries in one day. We only wish we had an extra day to explore more of the places we moved through.
A modular pump track is smack bang in the centre of the village.
Fresh ribbons of lovely dirt, a nice welcome to Dinner Plain for us!Cruising trails with ease, the trials are mellow and easy to ride it all on the first pass.
We were greeted by a beaming Teagan Atherstone and her father Julian, we’d not officially met Teagan yet, but her reputation preceded her. A talented and successful cross-country racer and bubbly character, she lives cycling and works in the local bike shop of her home town, Bright. Riding looked too easy for her, showing a strong connection between her and her machine, she floated swiftly through the trails quickly and easily, smiling and laughing the whole time.
The vegetation looks to have weathered many winters; it’s nice to stop and look around, too.
Teagan and Julian’s journey from Bright to Dinner Plain is equally as impressive, one of the most photogenic roads you’ll see, and revered as a must-climb road for our narrower tyred cousins.
After a couple of warm-up laps on the cool modular pump track in the village square, we hit the trails and quickly found one of the new pieces of trail that we’d heard about. Ribbons of rich brown dirt scooped into the hillside, the trail ducked and dove around weathered gum trees covered in lichen moss.
Old grazing lands upon the plains.
The trails we rode were predictable, mellow and fun, with a mixture of old and fresh loam to lay your tyres into.
Nice and open to let the brakes off.Whoa, look at that paint job!The sunsets and view from Hotham, up the road from Dinner Plain, is massive!
Teagan and Julian cruised through with ease, popping off natural jumps here and there, and racing to the start of the singletrack for pole position. Pausing under magnificent trees, Julian shared his knowledge of local flora and fauna, while we admired Teagan’s lustrously painted race, custom painted in Liv livery, a Giant Anthem in a size she needed with for her height.
Staying in the region, there are many options, either in Dinner Plain or up the road in Hotham. We’d stay up in Hotham for the epic sunset views, or Dinner Plain for more food options.
So if you’re in the region, passing through or it’s too damn hot in Bright, head up to Dinner Plain for a fresh trail experience, you’ll dig it.
For more information, trail maps and everything else you need, head to Ride High Country’s website.
An e-bike may seem like the last thing a professional Enduro rider needs – after all, Josh Carlson has a level of fitness and stamina that makes most of us just shake our heads. Surely he doesn’t need any help getting up the hills?
Carlson’s Trance E+ is built around a size XL frame, which is the closest possible match to the dimensions of his Giant Reign race bike.
Well, no. But that’s not what inspired Josh Carlson to build up a custom team spec Trance E+ recently. As Josh explained when we caught up with him on his home trails in Wollongong, this project was all about allowing him to cram more descending time into his training rides.
“Originally, my coach and I thought that an e-bike might be a good way to do some huge training days, you know, 4000 metres of descending” explains Carlso. “But that’s not what really transpired. It turned out, the real training benefits of this bike have come on those shorter, more intense training days.”
Far from holding him back, the extra weight of the eMTB carries even more speed on the descents, so when he’s back on his regular bike, his brain is one step ahead.
We head to one his regular training zones. It’s full of short, intense 3-4 minute downhill runs, with a horribly steep fireroad slog back up. “Normally, in a two hour session, I might get in six laps on my Reign. But on the Trance E+, I can easily get in 10 or sometimes 12 laps,” says Carlso. “I’m not getting fatigued from grinding back up the hills, I’m getting fatigued from doing so many downhill runs. Rather than getting to the top and then needing to recover before dropping in, I just roll straight into the next downhill run. And for me, that kind of training is ideal.”
Will other Enduro pros embrace eMTBs? We hope so. It’s good for their training and good for the sport too.Carlson is a tall lad, and he likes his bikes to feel big a room too, hence the 60mm stem and 30mm of spacers.The 140mm of rear travel is handled by DVO, who have been using Carlson to test some eMTB specific prototype products.
With his Trance E+ weighing in around 10kg heavier than his Enduro race bike, there are obvious strength and handling training benefits too. “The heavier bike forces my body to adapt, I need to brake earlier too, because the bike carries more speed, so my mind is having to get used to coming into sections faster.” explains Carlson. “When I jump back on my normal bike, I’m stronger and it’s lighter, so I feel like a super hero.”
Deep in one of Carlson’s regular training zones, in Wollongong.
Carlson’s bike is not an off-the-shelf machine obviously. It’s been built up with parts from the team’s sponsors, including Shimano and DVO suspension. “I wanted it to emulate my race bike as much as possible, so I went for an X-large frame, which is pretty similar in dimensions to my Reign. Suspension travel is 140mm out back and 160mm up front, so a little less than my Reign.”
Big brakes front and rear. Carlson says the bike has been helping him learn to brake earlier, then carrying more speed through the corners.Double Down casings, front and back. No point in running light tyres on a bike like this.Carlson is actually going to be racing a round of the E-EWS this year, in France.
Will we see other Enduro racers following suit. “I think so. I think these bikes are going to become a training tool for Enduro that’s more important than a road bike. I just hope my competitors don’t work it out too soon.”
It’s hard to miss this young fella’s unmistakable blonde dreadlocked hair, cheeky attitude and likeable demeanour. We assumed Miles was just a local ratbag washing hire bikes for pocket money, but when photos and videos surfaced of this kid shredding the Derby trails with killer skill and speed, we took note.
Watch Miles and Gus ride the new jump trail in Derby, Air-Ya-GArn.
15-year-old Miles from Derby, the stoke is high with this one.
Turns out that Miles Smith is a third generation Derby-Ite, and he didn’t choose mountain biking as such, it came knocking right on his front door. We often say that Derby is the number one success story in Australian mountain biking, but we’re probably referring to the great trails we get to ride, the economic benefit to the region etc, but what about the opportunities it creates for the locals and in particular the younger generation? This is a big success story in its own right.
Yiew, let’s ride!
Pop, after living in Derby for 76 years, he thinks it is “bloody perfect now”.
Only a few short years ago Miles was bashing about the fresh new trails on a clapped out Giant hardtail with Manitou forks that didn’t move much. Fast forward to today, Miles has started college in Launceston and might only be able to ride Derby on the weekends, but as Wyn Masters put it; “He’s well on his way to being Derby’s first pro rider!”
It was Buck at Vertigo that picked up on the potential, the keenness, curiosity. He quickly offered the kid a job at the bike shop one day that his Nan brought him in to buy a Derby t-shirt.
Working at the bike shop in the main street of Derby was where it all started to ramp up, as he washed bikes and fixed stuff, he listened, learnt, and soaked it all up like a sponge. “He’s very easily distracted, and we had to crack the whip to keep him focussed,” Buck says. Though when good riders came to town Miles was all ears and eyes.
Derby was now on the world stage, with people like Wyn Masters, Martin Maes, Nigel Page and Sam Hill in town, it paid to be a frothing grommet, it’s a supportive community that way, it’s natural to lend a hand, and take a junior under your wing.
Only been into mountain biking for two or three years? Do this then, go on…Whipping down Air-Ya-Garn, the new jump trail is a total playground!A quick spot of tobogganing after school.You probably think it’s time to get back to Tassie and ride this new jump trail, right…?You can bet that Air-Ya-Garn will be one of the tracks used in the EWS this year, so imagine this spot for spectating!
With the World Trail crew working and living in town, Miles was exposed to some very fine characters and role models, guys like Max Connor, Ryan De La Rue and Rhys Atkinson would have the local grommet join their rides.
I got to know Miles around the start of 2017, when building the EWS trails in Derby. He was hanging around Vertigo, washing bikes after school. He’d join our rides, (more likely try and keep up with us) on his old clapped out Giant Stance. One ride I took him down Detonate the first time, in hindsight, probably a trail that was too advanced for him at the time, his facial expression was ecstatic with the fear, but he showed determination to one day ride it fully.
Fast forward to the Asia Pacific Enduro in November 2018, I watched him smoothly navigate the Big Crack on Detonate with no fear. He’s one stoked kid, willing to try new lines, to throw different shapes of jumps, just wanting to drive and push himself. I just wish I had this opportunity when I grew up” – Max Connor, World Trail Crew.
From a clapped out hardtail, to an aluminium Enduro, right up to this sweet carbon Enduro that took him to first place in the Asia Pacific Enduro.
It’d be intimidating having pro riders walk into your bike shop, Wyn Masters needs little introduction, this man noticed Miles right away.
“I first travelled to Derby in early 2017 to produce a video promoting the upcoming EWS race, and whilst at the Vertigo shop Buck, the unofficial president of Derby introduced me to a young Miles; probably the most stoked kid in town and wheelie’n up and down the Main Street every day living and breathing mountain bikes.
It was rad to go back in November 2018 and see how much Miles had progressed, and then to see him win his category at the Asia Pacific Enduro. He’s well on his way to being Derby’s first pro rider!” – Wyn Masters, GT Factory Racing.
When your tiny Tasmanian town turns into a mountain bike Mecca, many opportunities are laid out in front of you, in this case, a young superstar is fostered and who knows what path it will take him on, certainly a different one to what could have been.
We’ve been making the journey up to Mt Buller for many years. Since 1998 to be precise when the steep and rocky mountain played host to one of the terrifying DH race a diminutive and unprepared junior would encounter. More recently, Buller was leading the charge and building premium mountain bike trails like mad with World Trail at the helm and what appeared to be more funding than anywhere else in Australia, it was pumping, and the trails were the greatest.
While things may have gone a little quiet up there over the last couple of summers and the appeal of new trail openings might not have lured in the crowds, the Bike Buller crew still host premium events with the big event companies (Bike Buller, Enduro World Series, VIC State Rounds etc) and the trails certainly haven’t gone anywhere. On the flipside, they have worn in nicely, into what could be the perfect balance of raw, flow, fun and challenge.
We spent two fabulous days up there and got a solid dose of what we love about Mt Buller; this is how it all went down.
The local bike shop – All Terrain Cycles – put us in touch with Ness and Andrew, they know these hills like the back of their gloves, so it was up to us and our cameras to find sections of the vast mountain bike park to shoot that we think are distinctly Buller. We love the beautiful and spectacular Misty Twist and the raging river under the mammoth bridges on the Delatite River Trail, and it’d be rude not to catch a sunset, so with those three zones in the plan, off we set!
Ness and Andrew swoop under the ghostly white gums on Misty Twist.
Misty Twist is a flowing combination of lush and loamy dirt, spooky white gum trees and vibrant green grass. Built many years ago by machine, you’d never know as the riding line has worn into a narrow winding singletrack delight. We caught the afternoon light on Misty Twist as Ness and Andrew did their thing, swooping through the open turns and jumping off the natural kickers into the next corner, over and over again.
The gum trees take their shape and colour from the 2006 bushfires that tore through the mountain, boiling the undergrowth to the point that the skeletal trees died but stood their ground, it’s quite a sight.
Iconic textures of Buller, very photogenic and distinctive.Andrew, he smiles in his sleep, for sure. Must be the balanced diet of great singletrack, fresh air and his Kenevo.
Descending the Delatite River Trail could be the fastest you’ll ever travel on a mountain bike, with open and straight sections of the fire trail so fast you feel like something out of Star Wars. It slows when it joins the river, crisscrossing over its raging torrent on large bridges made from gum trees.
Sometimes you want to race down, while another time it’s nice to slow it down and take it in. Keep a keen eye out for trout in the river, admire the massive ferns, gargantuan gum trees and note how the temperature lifts the further down you go.
There is over a dozen of these river crossings, amazing!Icons of Buller.On one of the flatter sections of Delatite River Trail, check out the gum trees!Delicious!
Popping out at Mirimbah there are facilities for a BBQ, camp, food and coffee and the best part – uplift. Check out the Bike Buller site for details on how to get back up to Buller; we’d not recommend pedalling up on the same bike you rode down on, that’s for sure.
Up at the Mt Buller Summit, you’ll see forever, and while bike riding isn’t allowed up at the peak, anywhere up that way, you’ll be treated to a light show if the clouds and sun are playing nicely. The layers of mountains below you form distinct lines and different shades of blue for eternity. We’ve had many soulful moments up there and after a big day of riding it’s the ultimate spot to feel high up.
Always worth a visit to the summit, those lines in the distance!
Our second day was a very different one. With the weather coming in, the forecast was ominous as the alps can be so we knew we didn’t have long. And we had e-bikes, that is so exciting! We’ve said it many times, Buller has the potential to become the ultimate e-bike destination, it’s tough there wherever you go, but with the added power it’s a whole lot more enjoyable.
What comes with good sunsets? Great sunrises, of course! Up early we waited patiently for the sun to rare its head over the east, and when it finally popped it set Buller on fire, in a good way of course. For a moment in time, our cameras were in heaven, snapping wildly at the golden-lit trails and backlit leg hair on the Copperhead Trail, right next to the village.
Ka-pow, sunrise show yourself!Light turns from gold to warm quickly up there.
Down trails named Gang Gangs, Woolly Butt and bursting through Howqwa Gap we passed a large group of school kids on a camping expedition having breakfast with worried looks on their faces, the weather headed their way was indeed not in their favour, but hey, character building, right?
Woolly Butt, a photographers dream.Is the ascent better than the descent on Stonefly? Yes, we know, we’re going backwards for this photo…
We wanted to ride Stonefly, Jasper hadn’t been to Buller before, and that experience had to happen for him. Stonefly was long regarded as the best trail in Australia; we wrote it on the cover of AMB once, it’s true! Stonefly is a masterpiece in trail alignment and construction; a 10km loop up near the summit of Mount Stirling and back down. It’s incredible, and worth the trip to Buller alone, just to do this great ride.
We could have photographed the Stonefly climb all day long.Jasper under a big snow gum, near the summit of Stirling.
Stonefly forms a part of the Buller Epic, too, if you’re game, it’s a memorable experience. The Epic is a 50km ride from Mt Buller to Mirimbah, taking in many of the best parts and then heading way out along a spur deep into the high country. It’s tough, and it’s had its share of criticism from riders who may have hoped for more descending in their day, but it’s a great adventure. Keen? Do it.
Almost to the top!Looking from Stirling to Buller. It’s a long way there, with plenty to look forward to on the way back.Horsing around on One Tree Hill, so dramatic up there, the vegetation must withstand the most challenging weather.Down we go! Put the oven on; it’s lunchtime!
We didn’t do the Epic this time around, it was up to the summit of Mt Stirling for some shots, before plummeting back down. Stirling gives you a view of where you’ve come from, a great sense of achievement. Buller seems so far away, but we know that between us and lunch is a whole lot of great singletrack, there’s SO much of it.
Buller will always be a great place to visit; it’s hard, it’s rewarding, pretty, fresh, and epic. Don’t count it out, put it on your list.
For more information, trail maps and everything else you need, head to Ride High Country’s website.
Local shredder, Mason tames one of the A-line rock gardens that bites.
Rolling into town, we had a plan to capture what makes this town tick; the friendly social scene, young talent, the distinctive terrain, and the place where most rides finish, that famous brewery.
Ben Kraus, founder of Bridge Road Brewery, lined up a couple of fresh young talents, Kane and Mason, to ride the trails the way we all wish we could, these two shredders blew the doors off as they sprinted through the trails at ridiculous speeds.
The Beechworth MTB Park is easy to navigate and splits into A and B-line options all over the place, we let the fearless youth loose onto the A-lines with bigger jumps and rowdy rocks and opted to follow Ben through the classic singletrack the place is famous for.
B-line Ben from the brewery, and A-line groms Mason and Kane.Leading the groms into the network.Plenty of features and alternate lines to play with in this place.
Ben scoots underneath one of Beechworth’s more iconic trail features, always fun to muck around on this rock. So much grip!A-lines for the groms.
After watching Kane and Mason tear the place apart, we moved on to join the regular Wednesday night social ride, though we didn’t expect such a mad turnout! The social riding scene in Beechworth brings in riders from neighbouring towns, from all walks of life.
With night-riding lights ready, the mob heads out to the trails and takes in the setting sun upon Ingram’s Rock, an iconic landmark where a lot of the town’s granite building materials were sourced in earlier times.
The local crew!Are all Wednesday nights like this in Beechworth? Maybe…Banter before a dash through the trails at dusk.Sweet evening light in the High Country.Chris from The Woolshed Cabins accommodation bringing the cheer.
Picturesque Beechworth is well preserved, turning the corner to town is like taking a step back in time, and offers plenty to do when you’re not riding the trails. If you’re a fan of that iconic architectural country Victorian style sandstone buildings or the austere agricultural landscape, swimming under fresh waterfalls, eating really well, drinking the best beer or even wandering the retail stores down the main street, you won’t have a shortage of things to do when your legs have had enough riding.
Shane on his locally made, steel hardtail frame, Tor.Incoming thirst!Great beer, no better place to sign off a good ride with the crew.Small town, tight crew when the staff are pouring beers in their riding kit.
See what we mean? Visiting this town, and riding the trails is a must, maybe turn up on a Wednesday, too?
For more information, trail maps and everything else you need, head to Ride High Country’s website.
Round two of the Shimano Enduro Tour saw the series head to Derby, and seven of Shimano’s best enduro racers piled in to get amongst it! The crew was a good one: Wyn Masters, Josh Carlson, Paul Van Der Ploeg, Chris Panozzo, James Cannonball Hall, Ben McIlroy, Jonny Odams and Shimano Australia athlete manager Toby Shingleton.
What followed was a bloody hilarious weekend of razzing, trash talking, burnouts, pizza, trivia, plank-offs, beer swilling, donuts and one podium finish. Watch the vid and peruse the pics below!
Derby has grown like mad. The new pump track, fresh green trails for beginners and the incredible new Air Ya Goin’ jump trail are just superb.The riders all scored new XTR group sets for the weekend. The only catch, they had to fit them! Bike building in the dark is standard pre-race fare, and always makes for good banter.The bike builds moved to the kitchen when it was time to deal with internal cable routing.Kitchen table / work bench.Pizza scavengers. Cheers!Panozzo and McIlroy get Beemac’s sled dialled.How many riders does it take to fit a chain guide?We stayed in the recently (as in, just finished the afternoon we checked in!) refurbished Postmaster’s Lodge. Highly recommended!Panozzo and his morning brew. Does like a strong coffee.Jonny Odams contemplates freehub standards in the morning light.This is how pros eat breakfast – surrounded by expensive bike parts.You know you’re good when you have personalised tools.Stunning bit of the world.Friday morning’s practice and it was straight into the rocks of Detonate.Odams chose to ride the short travel Giant Trance 29er. Detonate definitely tested its big hit capabilities.James Cannonball Hall emerges from the rocks.Eyeing up one of the heftiest rock gardens out there on Shearpin.Wyn lets it run on the damp rocks.Vandy couldn’t help himself with a quick huck down the new Air Ya Goin’ trail.Little Rivers Brewery in Scottsdale was the pick for some post-ride ales.Chris, the Little Rivers Brewer, was all too happy to talk us through the brew process.Sampling the Sour Series.Wyn and Cannonball through the chunky terrain of Shearpin.Good mullets in Scottsdale.Floating through the Air Ya Goin’ jump trail.Donut talk to me.Odams lays the big wheels into a big berm.Cannonball goes a little deep (deep enough to land into the bank about 5m past the lander!).Surfing perfect dirt.The Derby Main Street crew. This town has a fantastic core crew making it happen.The team that soft serves together, stays together.
It’s hard to picture a better weekend really; you and your brother, reunited in Bright Victoria, with two brand new bikes, and a massive schedule of riding, dining, beering and bantering ahead of you. We’re stoked to have been able to give that opportunity to David and Michael Nye, the winners of our GT Ultimate Weekend competition!
These two brothers had the weekend of their lives, discovering what Bright is all about. Watch the vid and soak up the pics below for a taste of their experience!
Thanks to everyone who made this amazing prize come together:
Dave, our comp winner, with his new 2019 GT Sensor Carbon Elite.And his brother, Micheal, with his fresh 2019 GT Force Comp.The digs for the weekend, Bright River Rest.Beers and bike setup. Getting things dialled in before a big day of shuttles.All aboard the beast! Our winners had a full day of shuttles with Blue Dirt.Top of Bright, top of the world.Let’s get to it!
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Hucking amongst the pines.A little bit of rain made for tacky perfection in the corners.Navigating Bright’s tech steeps.The face of a good day out.Muddy, rooted, happy.That’s how it should look.Best burgers in town at Tomahawks.The mountain bikers’ beer.A few takeaways? Why not.Fuel for another big day on the trails.Sunday was spent exploring the twisty singletrack of the lower slopes of Mt Mystic.Did we mention that David gets to keep this bike?The weekend wrapped up with a session at Bright Brewery, with head brewer and owner, Scott.Dark and story. Bright Brewery’s beers are delicious.And that’s a wrap! Lock that weekend in the memory bank and enjoy the afterglow.
For years, we’ve ridden past entrances to mysterious singletracks in the Pokolbin State Forest, high above the Hunter Valley. Normally we’re here as part of the Port to Port MTB race, and so heading into the forest, chasing fresh trails, isn’t an option. Not to mention that we’re usually way too buckled after climbing all the way up to the escarpment from the valley floor to even consider exploring! So we’ve always been left wondering – where do those trails go? Are they even rideable?
Well, this time we came back to find out. Our mission was to follow those trails, wherever the hell they led us. So we charged up the STEPS powered e-MTBs, loaded up on bakery treats, and headed into the hills.
What we found out there left us grinning for days; raw and wild singletracks, dusty and loose, and some jaw-dropping views over the whole Hunter Valley. Watch the vid, and start planning your own Mission Impassable!
We never expected views like this! Finding gems is what exploring is all about. We’d never have made it here without the eMTBs – the climb and challenging singletrack would’ve been a back breaker on our conventional bikes.Humming up the steady, 12km climb to the escarpment. Anyone who has ridden Port to Port will remember this one well!Lunch break vibes. We brought the big backpacks, and loaded them up with food and water, for a full day on the trails.Penny, the wonder dog, came out to say g’day.Warm weather meant these fellas were out in force.Roosting dusty moto ruts. These kinds of trails suddenly become not just rideable, but a lot of fun, with a STEPS motor behind you.Bombing down rock-strewn ridge lines.Banofee Pie Point. Snack time, with a view over the whole Hunter Valley.
Chris was on board a Merida eOne Sixty 900, with a Shimano STEPS e8000 motor.Mick’s bike for this ride was a carbon Focus JAM 9.7, running the extra volume TEC battery to boost the bike’s range.The Merida took a couple of tumbles, but kept on trucking!With the second battery pack fitted, the Focus had power to burn – Boost mode, all day long!Now THAT was a cracking day out.
In 1999, when Trek brought out their first Women’s Specific Design, gendered bikes that moved beyond a step-through frame became a thing. Other brands followed in the early 2000’s, momentum built and designs quickly improved. Then recently, some of the brands that had invested most heavily in gender-specific designs suddenly went ‘gender neutral’. So what’s the deal?
Having tested bikes for cycling media for the last ten years, this is a question I get asked a lot. The short answer: unisex designs are more informed than they’ve ever been. Thanks largely to research into what works for women. But there’s more to the story than that. This article talks through why early messaging was so confusing, and highlights some of the things we should be saying instead.
Kath Bicknell, author of this piece, rides a Specialized Epic. And while her bike is billed as a women’s model, the size small frame is identical to the men’s bike, it’s just a few components and the shock tune that are different.
The elephant in the room
Early marketing around bikes for women went something like: “Women have shorter upper bodies than men, and are less flexible. So we’ve made the bikes shorter and taller in the reach to accommodate for that.”
Drawing in broad strokes when it comes to body shape differences between men and women doesn’t always work. Earlier theories suggested men are more flexible than women, with longer torsos, but in this case, that’s clearly not true. Chris, left, has the flexibility of a 90 year-old removalist, while Kath can head butt her own shins.
According to these initial claims, if you look at the image above, you’ll see very clearly that Chris Southwood is female, and me, with my hypermobile joints and a longer torso, I’m clearly male.
It’s not surprising then that a whole lot of women dismissed these early female-specific bikes saying, ‘but I’m not like that at all.’
That said, designs have since improved. And there are a lot of women who do benefit from shorter-reach design philosophies. Canyon has reportedly suggested this is partly because women’s arms are 2cm shorter, on average, than dudes (read it here). Liv has said previously that their geometries are also responsive to differences in body weight distribution and more strength coming from the legs (read the article here).
Scott are another brand going down the route of having one frame for both men and women. The Contessa Genius frame is identical to the men’s version, it’s just components and suspension tune that changes.
Trek and Specialized have found that in bikes where men and women want the same ride experience – eg. high-performance bikes where snappy handling is paramount – person-specific contact points and suspension tunes are crucial, but removing gender from their fit data for a certain size frame didn’t have the impact people previously thought. Their performance-oriented cross-country and longer-travel trail bikes use unisex frames, with the smaller frame sizes benefiting from previous research into what works for women and what doesn’t.
Brands like Yeti and Santa Cruz/Juliana have stayed with a unisex frame design philosophy all along, designing small and extra-small models for riders demanding good handling, not smaller versions of bigger bikes, since before it was cool.
Liv are the largest women’s specific bike brand in the world, and you’ll find marked differences in the geometry between Liv models and the equivalent men’s bikes.
My take is that different women benefit from different designs, in the same way that different people of all shapes and sizes do. Ongoing research is important. Whatever side of the fence the major brands are sitting on, a constant drive to better understand bodies and fit can only be a good thing.
Like all good debates, including the best wheel size, tyre tread and gelato, we can be certain there will be more exciting and innovative options to come. In the meantime, there’s a lot more we should be saying about gender-(non-)specific bike designs, and why this research and marketing is really important.
We’re getting better at fitting all types of bodies to bikes, including guys.
For some reason men’s-specific fit isn’t spoken about nearly as much as women’s-specific fit. Why is that?
Solving design problems for body types that have been poorly catered to can have big impacts on products for the mass market.
To take an example from Specialized: the research and development process for the women’s Myth saddle led to the hugely popular unisex Power and Power Arc saddles. While women benefit from pressure relief sooner, live pressure mapping data shows that men benefit from this too. Bontrager found the same thing with the Women’s Ajna saddle.
The women’s specific Specialized Myth saddle, left, led to the development of the Specialized Power Arc, which is popular with both men and women.
Most early critics of gender-specific designs weren’t the target market.
This includes women who weren’t deterred by modifying bikes to fit them better or entering a male-dominated sporting culture and a whole lot of men. But these bikes weren’t aimed at those riders. They were aimed at making the sport more accessible for riders who felt deterred from the sport by a lack of visibility and obvious options for people like them. Brands that have invested heavily in products for female riders have done a tremendous job of making women and girl riders feel like part of a community. Not just through designs catering for recreational through to high-performance goals, but through social rides, imagery, apparel, regular events and media.
Liv might be an outlier in terms of their truly women’s specific design approach, but it must be working for them – they’re one of the fastest growing bike brands in the world.
The marketing is really, really important.
Let’s reverse the typical gender story here for a minute. First, imagine if you’re a guy (if you’re not already). Now imagine a high performance XC bike that is meant to be amazing for men. World Champion Kate Courtney, champion of almost everything you can do on an XC bike, Annika Langvad, and a whole bunch of local privateer ladies are racing it from one podium to the next. But there are no pro male riders on that bike. In fact, there are no images of men using that bike in media or on company websites or social platforms. Not. A. Single. Image. There are no informative reviews that consider male riders and your local shop staff don’t seem to understand how to set the bike up for your needs….Would you buy it? Would you even consider it?
Liv even have women’s specific e-bikes. Now that is niche.
A broader range of bodies reviewing bikes will better address a broader range of riders.
See for example our review of the Specialized Epic, the bike from point 4, and an alternative avenue for addressing the gaps often seen in reviews of unisex bikes. Adding a women’s perspective to this article not only addressed a female audience but pointed out areas where the small size frame excels in comparison to other bikes on the market at the time.
Women’s bikes tend to be the ones coming with narrower bars, on the understanding that women’s shoulders are narrower. But a quick look at Chris’s shoulder width (right) will make you realise why he often takes a hacksaw to the big 800mm hangers that come on many ‘men’s’ bikes.
Guys modify contact points too.
Selling popular model bikes with saddles, bars and suspension tunes specced for women makes sense and provides a better initial ride, or test ride, experience for people new to the sport, unaware of which personal mods to make. This is an important starting point, but there is no right answer for everyone.
Unique women’s frames tend to be updated less frequently than unisex ones.
Moulds are expensive and the demand still isn’t as high. Even if some female-specific frames fit better, newer tech has its appeal too. Which leads me to point 8.
The thing we should be most glad for is a great deal more choice.
Foregrounding the needs of female riders has led to important shifts in bike design, fit, visibility and variety. These are things that affect all types of riders. So whatever bike, or bikes, you look at next, be glad for options. Read up, keep an open mind, and choose the bike that is most right for you.
Standing in the pouring rain deep in the lush forest of Derby, Tasmania, watching the Enduro World Series riders slog it out in horrendous conditions, we randomly bump into Mello Bouwmeester. Eagerly awaiting the appearance of his team rider from the darkness we vowed to catch up on a new wheel project he was working on. But that never happened, Mello’s engineering skills were noticed by Crankbrothers. Leaving his own brand behind in Adelaide, he packed up to move his life to Utah to be a part of SR56 the design and engineering centre for the Selle Royal Group.
Read our first ride impressions of the new Synthesis wheels here.
We knew very little about what was going on until now, with Crankbrothers releasing their extraordinarily unique wheel system, Synthesis. And guess who played a large part in the development? Mello.
Flow – Mello, long time no speak! So, this is what you’ve been up to, eh, a new wheel system. It’s a pretty big call to bring a new product into the wheel game, let’s hear about it.
MB – Yeah absolutely, it’s a very saturated market. What I’ll do is I’ll give you a bit of background how I got here. Because that part is, actually, ties into the Jason Schiers part of the story and certainly the dynamic of Jason and I in the overall story of how the wheels development. Jason is the general manager of SR56 and in a previous life the founder of ENVE. Obviously, ENVE very renowned for very stiff wheels through their M-series and unforgiving to ride. But, at the same time, quite responsive and stiff and supportive of lines out of corners, those sorts of things.
The new Synthesis wheels are set to shake up the game a bit, we expect.
I met Jason and Gaspare, the CEO of Crankbrothers, couple of years back now. I actually got introduced to them by Cedric Garcia, who had ridden my wheels and put me in contact with Jason and Gaspare. Jason and I obviously being from different schools of thought with wheels, he could see what I’d done with the Tammar wheel, a really compliant wheel.
MB – Jason and I argued what wheel was going to be better, and we had some really heated discussions on theories about wheels and what they should do. But that’s part of the process. So, it’s cool that the product’s done the talking for us now and the tests didn’t lie.
Yeah, Jason and I can’t argue anymore (laughs).
Flow – So how long, overall have you been working on this wheel.
MB – I signed on July 1, 2017.
Flow – When you came on to the group, what were the first tasks you’re working on?
MB – Well, myself and Jason, we were pretty lucky, in the sense that, Gaspare, the CEO and the Crankbrothers team just gave us an open slate. They just said make the best wheel you can.
We got a lot of freedom from a design perspective. Obviously, we had some constraints regarding budget and taking into account what the customer actually needs to enhance their riding experience.
But definitely Crankbrothers wanted to do something new and come up with something really unique. And as you pointed out, it’s still in a saturated market. So, it did have to be special and, luckily, we developed what we did.
Dampening the ride, maintaining tire-contact patch with the ground, those sorts of things are important to me, and together we could definitely see some of the benefits of a compliant wheel in a mountain bike scenario. So, the idea was to bring me on and work with him on a new wheel range. We didn’t really have any preconceived ideas of what we wanted to do.
This is the Synthesis E11, the top-level enduro/all-mountain wheelset with a big price tag – $3799 AUD.
In the early days, we relied heavily on rider testing and blind testing with some of the ideas we were working on. Then also, test a lot of competitors wheels and tie it all together with data from the lab. What we actually found, is there’s a big split in the marketplace, 50% tend to like stiff wheels, 50% tend to like compliant wheels that have more dampening.
Then, out of frustration, out of looking for something better, we started mismatching sets; A compliant front wheel matched with stiff rear, then, compliant rear, matched with a stiff front. And we started playing around with different combinations of different wheels that we had, and different moulds that we were using.
After we completed all the testing data, uniformly, regardless of a rider’s preference, whether it be compliant or stiff, everyone liked one particular combination. So, we settled on a wheel set that is compliant up front, which gives you more damping and holds the trail better. Then you’ve got the rear which is stiffer and it’s supporting peak loads.
So, for Jason who’s done so much already, with many more years in the industry than I have had. He remarked that, that was one of the only test sessions where he’s had a hundred percent of people give the same or similar feedback, that’s pretty impressive. So yeah, we thought we’re on a winner there. Then we started doing more and more testing and refining the product.
That is how we got to Synthesis; thesis is really stiff, and then the antithesis, which is me, is compliance. Then it’s the combination of those two ideas that is the Synthesis, which is compliant front and stiff rear.
Look closely, you’ll see the differences in the rim profile from front to back.
Flow – Who did you involve with the prototype testing process?
MB – We were doing batches of testing locally in our team. But then, once we get to a certain point we started giving product out to some of our sponsored riders.
Flow – Any idea how many rims you may have experimented with during the time?
MB – Lots. Well the thing is in the R&D cycle you’ve not only got the goal of coming up with a really good wheel that handles well, but you’ve also got the design considerations of how it fails as well. And if you’ve got a wheel that handles a certain way, depending on your layup, you may not get the failure mode you want to achieve. So extensive testing is needed to balance all design considerations.
It was a really, really extensive testing program with the impact testing. So, what we’ve got is a failure mode that is safer than an explosion, or a catastrophic failure. And then that’s balanced out with the characteristics that we were trying to find in the rim.
Flow – Crikey, a lot of considerations, huh?
MB – Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Flow – How does the Synthesis wheel relate to the Bouwmeester wheels you designed yourself in Australia?
MB – It’s a different product from the perspective that, obviously, it’s a hollow rim rather than a solid rim. We went to a hollow rim because it offered some other benefits that the solid rim had limitations with. And also changing the profile gave us more ability in tuning the layout as well.
Back in the day; one of Mello’s team riders on Australian made Bouwmeester Composites wheels. Kaine Cannan using the Tammar wheelset.
Flow – Tell us a bit about the differences between the hollow rim and a solid rim. Were there any other solid rims on the market at the time?
MB – No, they are very unique. The Bouwmeester wheels were only offered in 27.5” size. In the same design, moving up to a 29” it didn’t have the ride qualities and stiffness we were searching for at the time.
Going to a shallow hollow section also enabled weight savings compared to a solid rim. From a compliance perspective and stiffness wise, you still get a lot of damping because it is so shallow. We feel we are leading the market in that space.
The rims have a much smaller cavity than most.Thinner and lower tension spokes on the front, compared to the rear.
Certainly, from a compliance perspective, being so shallow, we can still offer a lot of damping up front. Then the whole tuned wheel system (compliant front, stiff rear) we achieved that through a lot of very small, subtle changes.
Flow – How do the wheels differ?
MB – We use lower spoke count on front, high spoke count on the rear. In the 11 Series wheels we use Sapim CX Ray on the front. Then Sapim CX Sprint in the rear. We also play around with tensions as well, lower spoke tension on the front and higher spoke tensions on the rear. The rim on the front is also wider.
Flow – Different spokes, spoke tension, and rim width varies front to back?
MB – Yes, the front inner rim width measures to be 31.5mm, and then 29.5 on the rear. It’s just a subtle change but all these subtle changes that add up to what is a pretty amazing ride.
Flow – What’s the theory behind such a shallow rim profile?
MB – When you go to a really shallow rim you get to start to play with the fibres more. Fibres dictate more what the rim does, and that’s why going to the shallow rim, you have more design freedom to tune a ride characteristic.
Flow – That’s pretty interesting. How does the layup between the front and rear wheels differ?
MB – So, the main difference is in the profiles. The layup itself is part of our secret sauce I guess you could say, but are similar front to rear. Depending on model the front is also 15 – 20 grams lighter in the front.
Flow – If you could make a wheel that if it were to fail, it wouldn’t be catastrophic and potentially ending a race or ride, how different could things be?
MB – A good way to think about it is like a crumple zone on a car. Depending on how you design your laminate, it can dictate how it crumples.
So, certainly if you can design a rim that doesn’t fail at all, you’re set. But, everything’s destructible. Everything’s breakable.
Rims are really that first point of impact out on the trail. So, in some of our early laminates we made some slightly stronger and heavier. But, then the failure mode isn’t as good, so it’s better to control the failure mode, making sure it’s a safe rim.
Which is what you see a lot in cheap rims out of Asia and when they fail they just go boom. There just hasn’t been enough R&D and process control.
Flow – Tell us about the Unno Factory Race downhill team? Because that was the first time we saw the unique looking wheels.
MB – I knew Cesar Rojo or Cero Design prior to working with Crankbrothers. He was also quite good friends with Gaspare. So, he happened to get talking with Gaspare and asked Jason and I, “Can we do it?” and we said, “Yeah, we can do it.” So that’s how the 2018 World Cup kicked off with Unno.
The wheels had a baptism of fire, the World Cup in Losinj, Croatia.Mello with Greg Williamson, Unno Factory DH Team rider.
We were definitely in a R&D cycle though. We were testing different laminates, making improvements and the wheels that Greg Williamson rode on at the World Cup at Mont Sainte Anne was completely different set to the first World Cup in Croatia.
We fared lot better than other teams at Croatia, we had one or two cracks. It’s just inevitable on a track like that. Greg didn’t break a single rim at MSA. So, that was pretty impressive.
Flow – Croatia was quite a testing ground for wheels!
MB – I was going over on the ferry to Losinj and I was so nervous because I’ve seen the photos and I was just like, “Okay, I’m on the world stage with these wheels, this is their first public outing.”
Testing at this level validates a lot of things and you also get to accelerate the failing process because you can learn from failures. Whereas, if you’re not racing at that level and competing at that level, you don’t get to put your wheels against the fastest riders, under the fastest riders or gnarliest tracks. And put them through their paces quickly. So, failing is good because you learn and then you can speed up your R&D process.
Riders are doing testing with the team and it is really valuable. Feedback from the riders has been crucial in the process.
Flow – There’s a large price to pay for a carbon wheel. But, in your mind, what occurs when going to carbon from an aluminium wheel?
MB – There are certain ride characteristics and qualities that you just can’t get out of aluminium. The ride dampening especially, particularly in the front is a large part. Even if you do a rim profile exactly the same in aluminium, it’s not going to handle the same as carbon. Aluminium is uniform structure, whereas carbon you get that ability to tune. So, you pay a premium for carbon. There’s no doubt about it, but that purely comes down to the R&D involved, manufacturing and the cost of premium materials.
Will the Synthesis wheels live up to the hype, and price tag, or will their legacy and looks be their selling point? Time will tell!US made 321 hubs on the 11 series models, they come with a brilliant reputation and a clever magnetic pawl freehub system.
A good way to explain one of the benefits of carbon is that because it absorbs more of the vibrations and the trail chatter, you’re more at one with the trail, because there’s less interference and noise between you and trail. So especially, when you go back to an aluminium bike on aluminium wheels compared to a full carbon setup is just like it’s a vibrating tin can almost.
Whereas I think when you jump onto carbon, it’s like you’re actually at one with the trail. I think when you’re buying a riding experience, the better, the closer you can get to the trail, that and the performance gains are what you pay for.
Flow – Well, thanks for your time, we are going to fit these wheels and give them a run!
MB – Awesome, man. Good to chat again. I’m sure we’ll cross paths again one day.
Flow – Yeah, we hope so, any secret stuff you’re working on, just come and tell us all about it.
Our inbox cops a lot of Derby love; excited tales from people who’ve just been there, frothing questions from people who are planning a trip, plus plenty of people just wanting to know if it really lives up to the hype. So we thought we’d outline a few of the basics that you really ought to know before you book your trip to Derby.
As we’ve long recommended, if you’re heading to Derby, make sure you get in touch with Vertigo MTB, Derby’s local experts – whether it be shuttles, guiding, ride advice or help with a group booking, they’ve got you covered. Check them out: www.vertigomtb.com.au
5am – Early start for the transfer for the finish to the start at Wetherby Station up on top of the range.
We’d like to say this is how we arrived at the race start. But we actually caught the bus.
8am – Warm up completed and quick sighting of the first few kilometres and its intro the race chute to wait for the start.
9am – The first outback loop of the day takes is through some dry and snakey red rock with some steep punches to sort everyone out. We get a small gap but it comes back together as we ride back through Wetherby Station. Our sighting run of the Bump Track pays off and we ride out our own pace to get a gap and shred down steeper section and towards port Douglas.
Boosting into the Bump Track.Wet socks dry fast up here.Blasting past bemused beach loungers.
945am – We are on the final stretch down Four Mile Beach and Trekky is gassing it. Time to sit on and enjoy the run along the sands and into the finish line. It’s an amazing spot to finish a mountain bike race.
11am – Bikes are washed, shakes had and it’s time for a quick dip in the pool.
12pm – Lunch time and laughs with the Shimano crew.
The race finish, just metres from the beer taps of the surf club.
130pm – Great time to catch up with some cairns legends and have a couple of well earned XXXX.
230pm – Presentation time and there are certainly some relived faces in the crowd. Locals everywhere and great to catch up with some of the finest folks around.
Sizzling hot alright.
4pm – Airport bound with Tim Bardsley-Smith, Anthony Shippard and Moderate Mike.
530pm – Checked in at Cairns airport and time to chill out and think about what the next adventure might be.
Do we have to go back to the cold?
630pm – Time to have a nap on the flight back to Sydney and prepare for work tomorrow and spending some much needed time with my awesome wife Alyce and kids. They are awesome letting me escape on bike adventures.
The final day of Reef to Reef 2018 is upon us and the effects of three days of onerous racing are unequivocal as riders slowly pull themselves up the two steps on to the shuttle buses headed for Wetherby Station, up in the mountains west of Port Douglas. The coffee line is far reaching and the pre-race stretching seems more common compared to previous days – but with an amusing backdrop of “mooing” from some of the local cattle.
Golden pre-race light at historic Wetherby Station.The race leading pair of Jon Adams and Brendan Johnston getting ready to crack the whip.
Cattle country is where riders start, negotiating farm tracks, stock runs, pinchy climbs and loose, off-camber single track that hugs some of the ridge lines. The tenderness in everyone’s legs seems to be put to one side as attacks are launched in all sorts of places, right across the field – put a foot out and be prepared to dig deep for five minutes in the hope of catching back on to the wheel.
Out of cattle country, and into the dense rainforest of the Bump Track.Mid-way down the Bump, riders had a tricky crossing to deal with.Flying down towards Port Douglas.
You know you have finished the first loop when the cows welcome you back to Wetherby with their distinctive and astonishingly loud moos. Shortly after the farm roads end, the rainforest begins as you sweep through some of the trails used yesterday on your way out to the famous “Bump” track.
And they do mean steep!Lots of concentration (ok, sometimes fear) down the Bump.The King of Cairns and one of the most influential men in mountain biking, Mr Glen Jacobs.
I’m not quite sure why it is called the “Bump” track, other than the fact it does have a number of bumps in it – but riders lose a great deal of elevation in a very short amount of time as they fly down, down and down the old road used originally by Indigenous people and early pioneers to connect Port Douglas with the Hinterland.
Safety in numbers down the Bump.Hard on the brakes down The Pinch.Yiew!
From the base of the Bump Track the final 9km of Reef to Reef awaits you, which includes a stunning pedal along Four Mile Beach, where all you can contemplate is finish arch, the cold drinks and the salty water you are going to float in as soon as you can get your cycling shoes off.
And would you look at the bloody weather! Onto the beach at Port Douglas for the home stretch.Perfection.Hello, Tourism Queesland? Yes, we have your next bill board ready.
I’m calling the inaugural Reef to Reef a great success – with four days of varied riding, it made for a great race at the pointy end as a great deal of fun across the rest of the field. It’s the ideal place to bring the family and escape the miserable winter conditions that grip the southern states. As with Port to Port and Cape to Cape, organisation is impeccable and event staff/volunteers make you feel most welcome with every interaction. This race will only grow in stature in further years.
Taking a breather on the Bump to soak it all up.Gotta love that finish line feeling.Marty, local legend and top bloke. See you in 2019!
6am – All too familiar alarms goes off. No mucking around, breakfast, coffee and race bag sorted and we are off on the rally road to Mount Molloy. Trekky pretends the Pajero is a go kart. We arrive early.
715am – Warm up done properly today and we briefly chat on what is likely to happen during today’s stage.
The historic Mt Molloy crematorium.
8am – Race starts and it’s flat out along open dirt roads and double tracks around cane fields and through some creeks. The loop is broken up with some fast rough singletrack which is a blast to ride (I snuck on the front for that bit).
1030am – 66km covered at an average of 29km/h or there abouts. It was a fast day and we swapped turns with Masters combo of Rohan and Brad. We roll over the line on their wheels. Smiles all round.
“I’m sorry sir, Queensland law forbids us from serving you till you shave that moustache and put on some sensible pants.”
11am – We visit Mt Molloy’s best and only cafe. Strawberry Milkshakes. We route plan the way to the Bump Track for the roll home.
12pm – Race presentation occurs and we roll off to for a cool down and reco spin. Decision is made to do a recon down the Bump Track which is the most part of tomorrow’s stage, I feel like we are doing this so I don’t kill both of us tomorrow in race mode. It was a good call.
At the top of the Bump Track, getting ready for some brake cooking action.
1pm – Post race adventure down the Bump Track takes us to a cane field. Where we use all our navigational skills (none) to make the ride home even longer. 20km from home and we had both had enough, but we tap it out in prompt fashion.
The classic look of a lost cyclist.
230pm – Riding done and make it back to the hotel. Straight to the pool for a cool down and get rehydrated.
530pm – It appears Mexican is the choice for dinner, shower up and we are off for some much needed carb refuelling for tomorrow’s final stage from Wetherby Station back to Port Douglas beach.
When you’re three days into a stage race, and you’ve just ridden 66km at full pace, getting lost and adding another 20km+ to your day is not ideal.
6pm – Port Douglas actually has North Queensland best Mexican. Winning.
A shot of tequila to end the day. Olé!
7pm – Dinner with a shot of Tequila was well earnt today. Quick stop by the supermarket and we get ready for a movie and some relaxation.
Stage three of the inaugural Reef to Reef kicked off today in the historic mining and timber town of Mt Molloy, which sits roughly 55km north west of Cairns. Billed as a 65km out-and-back course with a loop of single-track acting as a turnaround point, whispers and scandalous assumptions prior to the start had it pegged as a fast and furious course with a lot of pedalling. For many riders, the objective of the day would have been to attach themselves to sizable bunches that form on the open farm roads and hang the hell on!
Croc’ll get ya.Today’s racing saw lots of fast bunches working together.
With adults in charge of the start noises today, there was no false start as riders rolled out of the local park at Mt Molloy at soon as the clock hit eight. A number of small bergs through the initial sections of grass and farm roads were enough to break up the race, with Rohin Adams/Brad Clarke (Masters) and Jon Odams/Brendan Johnson (Open) making a break early, with smaller bunches forming in the dust clouds – smattered with rays from the early morning sun – behind them.
You find some wild ones out there in the rainforest.Wayne’o, just loving it.
Things suddenly became quite interesting when the field hit a long section of farm track wearing the scars of previous months of heavy rain and burdened with downed trees and ruts – some of them quite savage! You needed to either pick the right line or follow the right wheel, which left many riders scrambling as a result of some poor (or unlucky) decision making.
Jon Odams in a familiar position on the front.Imogen Smith and Mike Blewitt from Marathon MTB sharing a little dust.
The farm and scrubland turned into tropical rainforest and before long we were sweeping in and out of gullies and through creeks in the shade of the natural canopy, home to all sorts of freakish Australian wildlife (I’m looking at you Mr Cassowary).
Focus fox.Shaka brah! Riders were loving the high speeds of today’s racing.
The calm was interrupted by a two minute road climb, where stems were chewed in an attempt to be first into the next section – the single-track loop (HOORAY!). Rutted, rooty, twisty turny and full of fallen trees, this loop proved to be a stack of fun, especially if you were lucky enough to have a bit of space in front of you (which I did as my partner attacked at this point).
Yiew to you too, mate!Reef to Reef medal soon to be added!
Back through the rainforest, back through the farm track and commence the grovel for the final five kilometres home. Honestly, looking at stage three on paper there didn’t look like it was worthy of the title “Queen” – however it proved to be a fantastic day on the mountain bike. Stunning, technical at times, fast and full of laughter as you spent time riding with (or clinging on for dear life to) plenty of different people and teams.
“Mate, so I poked the croc in the eye, like this.”Recovery mochafrappecino?Pass the soap, would you mate?
545am – Breakfast and packing the car straight up. The standard game of car Tetris gets in full swing. A cup of instant and we are on the way (a little behind schedule).
Race faces, but no warm up.
730am – We arrive at the race HQ for the day at Davies Mountain Bike park. Kit up and intend to do a warm up. Unfortunately we cut things a little too fine and we are straight into the start area.
8am – The start keg is banged and the race is on. Some smooth but undulating fire road takes the race through the first half hour with a couple of creek crossings to cool off.
Briony Mattocks getting loosened up.
10am – We finish on some great singletrack sections through some ant hills. and get the stage win after riding smoothly and pacing well. This was a really enjoyable stage.
Port Douglas, here we come. Lock up your poppers.
11am – Post race interviews completed and warm down underway. Brendan goes for a long road spin and I opt for a short spin and a dip in the creek. I think all mountain bike parks should install a crystal clear watered creek for post ride relaxation. Good vibes.
12pm – Stage presentation. Car Tetris round 2.
Ah, that’s better.
1pm – The all important message to my lovely wife to let her know I am in one piece and we got the win. full tourist mode switched on at Kuranda. Burgers and thick shakes to make me feel human again. Amazing t-shirt selection I might add.
139pm – we are on the way to Port Douglas and tonight’s accomodation. Education session on electric ants after a road signs suggests we should not spread them around. They don’t like tortoises by the way.
Hello Port Douglas!
3pm – Arrive at port Douglas. Hotel score is a ten. Bike wash completed in prompt fashion to get into the pool.
5pm – Pool side review of the days stage complete aided by a few cc’s and a whole lot of laughs discussing training and other important topics.
This is racing?
6pm – dinner time with the race crew at Hemmingsway brewery Port Douglas. Good chat with team Shippy / Moderate and Team Fox and Raccoon.
730pm – Ice cream stop on the way home and it’s time to put the legs up and catch up with my wife Alyce about home life.
The sounds of legendary Gang Gajang were humming on the breeze today – “Out on the patio we’d sit, and the humidity we’d breathe, we’d watch the lightning crack over canefields. Laugh and think, this is Australia”. Women’s Pairs leader Anna Beck was humming it for a good hour, but it was a more than adequate theme to the activities today at Reef to Reef up in Davies Creek.
The pack of leaders roll out onto superbly fast trails.
The day started briskly as riders grabbed early coffees and migrated inland to Davies Creek – a 45min twisty drive from Cairns – for the promise of 50km filled with fast and flowy single track, supported by ~1000m of climbing. Yesterday was all about sweet, flowy, rainforesty single-track and grovelling up 30 percent inclines. Today would be a stark contrast with hard packed gravelly trails wrapping through endless scrubland and wide open bush sections – the real Australia.
Anna Beck, Aussie racing icon. Her pedals stayed attached to her bike. Her team mate’s did not.
The day started, and then started again as the first “start noise” was just a practice run – much to the bemusement of Jon Odams who led the charge of riders down the chute one minute early. After the “real” start, a lap of the event centre was enough to break up the field adequately so as to squeeze through a gate before some of the big boys and girls commenced dishing out watts along vast sections of open and undulating fire road.
Jon Odams and Brendan Johnston are working well as a team, riding to each other’s strengths.Anthony Shippard, on the hunt.Today’s stage was a complete contrast to day 1.
Sections of single-track followed, where most riders probably started a re-enactment of “Bambi on Ice” as they accustomed themselves with pea gravel cornering. The advertised climb of the day came at 15km up a beautiful set of switch backs hugging a ridge line. The reward for tapping your way up was an amazing fast and flowy descent back into a valley with plenty of corners, kickers and berms. A few loose rear wheel moments just added to the fun!
Open trails, dry bush, make for quick racing.Yip!
The second half of the stage featured some more firetail traverse and a few creeks to really get your feet wet, but all with plenty of energetic volunteers cheering you on (or laughing if you encountered an unplanned dismount into the cool, fresh water). The best was saved up for last, with over 5km of gullies and bushland smattered with simply wonderful trails built and maintained by the local club. They had a bit of everything, including “Grug” shaped bushes, a few sneaky A-Lines and plenty of opportunities to get your wheels in the air. Hold your speed and have plenty of fun, rewarding yourself and your team mate with a burger and beers at the end.
Yeeeeha!Beers under brollies, it’s nice to be in the tropics.
From the people who bring you the incredibly popular Port to Port (NSW) and Cape to Cape (WA), we now have the “Triple Crown” with the North Queenslanders getting in on the act.
Pairs racing. Building and wrecking relationships in equal measure since 1974. Kyle Ward and Samara Sheppard, partners in life and racing.
You can ride Reef to Reef as an individual or in a two person team. Pairs racing is such an energising dynamic – if you have chosen the right partner you will have an absolute ball as you follow each other down single-track descents, swap off on open road sections or grovel up climbs together in a little sweaty and dusty ball of cohesion.
Jon Odams leads out Brendan Johnston. The pair set the day’s fastest time.
The teams were the first let loose on to Stage One of Reef to Reef, racing 20km around Smithfield Mountain Bike Park. The course was essentially split into two sections – the first loop with a few little punchy climbs and dry creek crossings, rewarded with sweeping rainforest single-track, countless berms through a leafy pine plantation and a twisty red dirt section to test your cornering ability.
Classic Smithfield flow.
The second loop – a whole different ball game. Once you navigated out of a twisty, grassy maze (keeping an eye out for those 20 foot pythons North Queensland is famous for), you were set to face three savage climbs that can forever be known as the new Axis of Evil.
Your author, Briony Mattocks, smashing through a dry creek bed, hot on the heels of team mate Anna Beck.
The first, up and past a water tower, is sealed for the first three quarters, but requires a bit of pacing. It’s rewarded with a superb single-track descent with plenty of flow, large berms and the odd double for those who appreciate a bit of flight time. The second, an endless set of switchbacks that have freshly been cut in, which were quite enjoyable until the final 200m, which required going up a downhill track, that had many scrambling up on foot. The descent that followed was incredibly steep, covered in loose rock and rather unrewarding given the effort required to get there.
Mad Dog Marty on home turf. This man is a fixture in these P2P, C2C and now R2R stage races. Legend!Shimano Boss Man, Matt Bazzano, cruising down the fast, buff Caterpillars trail.
The third prong of the Axis of Evil was nicknamed “The Driveway”, which was apt as it did seem to be someone’s actual driveway, even if the house at the top seemed somewhat unfinished and half abandoned. Riders struggled up in “granny gear”, zig zagging for the odd bit of relief. A short section of single-track was followed by more climbing until you and your team mate finally peaked over the summit and flew down a fast descent with scatterings of asphalt and the odd water bar.
The finish was exceptional, with a chance to shoot down the famous Jacob’s Ladder (A or B lines) from the World Cup track, followed by an awesome section of fast, jumpy single track with plenty of speed. 20km of racing with 800m of climbing in the bank, ready for Stage 2 tomorrow!
The famous Jacob’s Ladder, offering up A and B Line options.
Whatever you do, DON’T STOP.
“Hahaha, did you see what I put on Flow’s Instagram Stories?! Can’t believe they gave me the login…… Jeez I wish I’d ironed my shirt.”
7am – Little bit of a sleep in today before a lunch time race start for the stage one time trail around Smithfield. Priorities in place with coffee quickly made and chilling time on the lounge as the body gets it self together.
Super smooth instant coffee is a reasonable starting point for the day.
Just so you know.
8am – A brief discussion on what needs to be done prior to race start and what will actually happen takes place. Then we aredown to breakfast for some of the accom’s finest cereals.
9am – Bike prep time with a bike wash , bolt check, last minute adjustments and tyre pressure checks. Both of our Giant Anthem pro 29’s are running full Shimano XTR which keeps running smoothly wherever the trails goes.
XTR Di2 for consistent shifting, no matter what the trail throws at you.
1030am – Kit up and get the race bags sorted before heading for a spin and to find a good brew.
1130am – Spin over to the race start for plate collection. Lots crew frothing to get out on the trails.
1200pm – Number plates are on and we squeeze in a quick spin to get the legs ready for the start. Brendan and I are feeling good and ready to get it done.
Notice the aero plate curve? Like the wave breaker on a ship. Pro tip.
1230pm – Count down timer goes off. Watt bomb trigger is pulled and were off down the start straight and into the jungle.
We ride together the full loop and pace each other well on the climbs and descents to scrap in under the hour for the 20km and 800m of vert.
No crashes, I didn’t spew or lead Brendan into anything too dangerous on the descents.
130pm – Finished the stage and I’m pretty happy. No crashes, I didn’t spew or lead Brendan into anything too dangerous on the descents. A few interviews with local news and the event team done and we are rolling back to HQ.
The traditional student accommodation post race fire hose bike clean.
230pm – Bike wash completed and its time for a deserved shake. Room is still smelling pretty fresh, I might add.
4pm – Made it to the beach for a quick dip and a beer at trinity beach. Recovery done right. Good to see some other competitors down the beach heading for a dip too.
Lube it. Bike maintenance is vital when you’re racing day after day.
530pm – Presentation and a Yellow jersey after the win on stage one. Added bonus to be the only team to break the hour mark.
630 pm– Quick dash to the super market for snacking and tomorrow’s breakfast. Down to palm cove with the Shimano crew for dinner. Great way to end the day. Pizza and Peroni’s make mountain bikers happy.
Never too old for a popper.
830pm – Time to pack and prepare for tomorrow’s stage at Davies creek. Some smoove lube on the chain and a protein shake and it’s time to get some rest.
4am – Alarm goes on and I’m out of bed and grabbing my things for the ride to the airport. Last minute double check of the essentials to make sure pedals, shoes, helmet are all packed. A quick bite to eat and I’m out the door.
6am – I scored a great seat on the plane and fall back asleep straight away to wake up again at 730. Winning. Coffee on board not so much of a win.
Can you feel the warmth? It’s nice to escape the southern cold.
9am – Touch down in Cairns, car collected and I’m on the way to meet Brendan Johnston, my Giant – Shimano team mate for a pedal around Smithfield’s singletrack and some media shots once my bike is together.
11am – We are out on the famous Smithfield trails talking bike tech then moving onto some riding footage.
Media life.
1pm – Bite of lunch and a course recon for tomorrow’s time trial 20km stage – talk about trails and conditions
Fast, dry trails.
3:30pm – Riding for the day completed with an iced chocolate and some track talk. The time trial loop of 20km includes some truly steep climbing to the Alien Tree up high on the downhill track, and past the ruins of the German’s house on the north side of Smithfield. The loop finishes with the famous Jacobs ladder and caterpillar. Our favourite bit of trail is the singletrack through the first half of the course with plenty of jumps, berms and smiles to be had.
Can you imagine how this room will smell by tomorrow evening?
5:30pm – Media team chat about our riding, the Reef to Reef and how we are riding together for the first time as a pair. Lots of laughs and even a cheeky beer to round out the afternoon at the event welcome party.
7:30pm – Dinner time burgers and fries done right with mayo. Good catch up with the other riders and industry folk.
8:30pm – Drive home with an ice cream stop and supplies for the morning.
Day done. Sleep in tomorrow morning before the stage 1 time trial kicks off for trekky and I on our Giant Anthem at 1230.
A mountain bike race is much more than the sweat, dust and suffering that happens while the clock is ticking. In fact, a race can be an intrinsic part of the community, and its success and survival can have far-reaching impacts that most participants would never stop to consider. The cancellation (and subsequent re-birth) of WA’s famous Dwellingup 100 race earlier this month, highlighted to us again that a mountain bike race can be far more important than what happens on the racetrack.
2018 was to be the tenth anniversary of the Dwellingup 100, an event that has become a highlight of the WA mountain bike calendar, and an important stop for the National XCM Series. Things were locked and loaded; entries taken, course set, accommodation booked – the stage was set for a huge event. And then, the phone call came through from TriEvents – their parent company was shutting them down. And not in a few weeks or months, like right now, immediately. The whole apparatus in place behind the Dwellingup 100 was being yanked away.
Cutting the long, stressful story short, an insane amount of work from a few key people (in particular Tony Tucknott and family, plus John Carney of Single Track Minds) has saved the event from the brink of extinction. As Tony Tucknott put it, “There has been too much time, effort, and physical work invested in the Dwellingup 100 for it not to happen, especially for the tenth year.” With a new name, now the WA100, and perhaps a few less frills, the event is going ahead. This is a relief to those who had been looking forward to racing, but also the businesses and charities who rely upon the event to keep the doors open. We got in touch with some of these people to find out what the survival of the event means to them, including local businesses, the event’s charity partner, plus the Shire CEO to find out how the event has driven change in the town.
The Local Business:
The Blue Wren Cafe, Amee Lyons.
“After nine years of building relationships and the expectation of a busy week for all aspects of town, it was concerning for businesses, community groups and the profile of Dwellingup to be losing this national event.Businesses and community groups have come to rely on the income and fundraising opportunities that came with the event.It has put Dwellingup on the map as a destination for mountain biking.
“Many friendships and professional relationships have been built over the last nine years.Even the lead up to race day sees an increase in activity for businesses as organisers and riders descend on the area to prepare, practice and adjust to conditions.
“The event gives community groups the opportunity to fundraise from a different cohort, brings the community together with volunteering opportunities and the town is abuzz with new patrons for shops, cafes, and accommodation.
“We need to applaud John Carney from Single Track Minds and Tony Tucknott and Dave Budge for liaising and saving the event in difficult circumstances for the benefit of MTBing which in turn promotes and benefits out town.”
The Charity Partner:
Muscular Dystrophy WA, CEO Hayley Lethlean
The Dwellingup100 had forged a place in all of our hearts. It is an event which has raised over three quarters of a million dollars for MDWA. Long-term friendships have been formed between our community and committed mountain bikers who have trudged the beaten trails for the past 10 years, raising the profile of muscular dystrophy as a condition and, at the same time, a remarkable amount of money for our cause.
It has always been fantastic brining our community together and each year families, caregivers and those living this MD travel to Dwellingup to support the mountain bikers. It’s truly wonderful to see.
And personally, I love this event. I have participated with my family for the last three years, with my two boys (11 and 12) and my hubby Matthew. We ride for an amazing young man, Ruben Cheuk. We raise funds, we ride to raise awareness and we have lots of fun as a family. It’s just brilliant.
Had this event fallen away, it would have had a real impact upon MDWA. MDWA does not receive any government funding and we rely quite heavily on donations and fundraising to deliver our services and to support our community, donations from sources such as this event represents 70% of our income. The loss of this event would have left a massive gap.
We are certainly surrounded by good people who have recognised the hole that has been left by the closure of TriEvents, not just for the local Dwellingup community and avid WA mountain bikers, but most importantly for us as a charity and our awesome community. We’re so grateful for the work of Tony Tucknott, his family, committed friends, John Carney and their company Single Track Minds for saving this incredibly important event.
The Shire Perspective:
Shire of Murray CEO, Dean Unsworth
The Dwellingup 100, now the WA100, has been instrumental in raising the prominence of Dwellingup as a trail destination and driving investment in trails infrastructure.
Dwellingup is an iconic tourist town and the Shire is investing $4.5 million to transform Dwellingup into a Trails Town of national, and in the future international, significance. The growth of this event was a significant trigger for the Shire to then work with the local community towards turning Dwellingup into a Trails Town and hence such significant capital expenditure.
Within 12 months there will be a Trails Hub building, pump track, skate park, RV facilities, playgrounds, bike hire, increased ablutions and hot showers, laundry, lockers, 272 additional parking bays, pathways and way finding, free wi-fi and much more.
The town is grateful for this event as it showcases the town to a broad audience and provides significant economic benefit. The Shire and the broader community welcome the WA 100 with open arms and will work with the organisers to ensure it goes from strength to strength.
Entries are still open for the WA 100, with a special course that goes back to the roots of the event.
Loop 1 = 42 kms NW of town, 812 metres of climbing
Loop 2 = 26 kms South of town, 612 metres of climbing
Loop 3 = 35 kms NW of town, 610 metres of climbing
There are four race distances:
The Wallaby – 14 km separate loop
The Joey – 42 km = loop 1 only
The Buck – 68 km = loop 1 and loop 2
The Boomer – 104 km = loop 1, 2 and 3 (2034 metres of climbing)
G’day Samara, tell us a little bit about where you are from, and where you currently call home?
I was born in Clyde (Central Otago, NZ) but Windy Wellington is home for me in NZ. After I finished school in Wellington, I joined a sports academy in Rotorua while I completed a Diploma in Communications.
From Wellington to Wollongong, the journey to Tokyo is a tough one.
From there I spent two seasons racing mountain bikes based out of Switzerland, another two seasons based out of Belgium and also one season racing on the road based out of Spain. In 2016 I moved to Wollongong, NSW to live with my partner, Kyle Ward.
The definition of a fitness couple, partner Kyle Ward is key to their success abroad.
The past two years Kyle and I have also been living the MTB life in Basel, Switzerland (on the outskirts of the Black Forrest in Germany).
So, you’re living between New Zealand and Australia?
My Aussie half, Kyle after we met at an event in Australia in 2015 (Hellfire Cup). Australia’s cycling community is also a massive drawcard with more events and social groups.
I love the people, trails and culture in Wellington, NZ, but I also love to ride in the warm and calm climate of Wollongong and have made some great friends here.
Are there any more opportunities for you as an athlete in Australia versus New Zealand?
I would say so. Most of the cycling brands for Australia and New Zealand are based in Australia, so it’s easier to make a connection with them.
I’m in a unique situation by being based in Australia while also representing New Zealand; this means that I can give my sponsors exposure in both countries.
Winning the 2017 Cape to Cape MTB, the four day stage race around Margaret River, Western Australia.
As far as the racing scene goes in Australia, the added depth of competition makes for closer racing and more of an opportunity to learn how to be faster.
What is your plan for this racing season?
The plan initially was to race the full 2018 World Cup Season, to build on the results I had last year and to improve my UCI World Ranking from the Top 30’s to Top 20’s. However, after a rough start to the season, I have since decided to return to Australia.
Last year and the beginning of this year I was intensely focused around qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, which I am really proud to have achieved. This meant that I raced the 2016/17 domestic season, 2017 international season and domestic 2017/18 season all back-to-back. When most racers were taking their ‘off-season’ break to reset, I was chasing selection for the Commonwealth Games which I raced in April.
After the Commonwealth Games, Kyle and I flew straight to Europe for the international season. It was during the first block of racing abroad where the strain of back-to-back racing seasons caught up with me.
Around this time I also found out about the new Olympic selection policy, and I decided to take a different pathway towards my next big goal of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics.
Sounds like a significant shift of focus, mid-season for you then?
The rest of the 2018 season will see some new challenges thrown into the mix. But first, I will take a small break for “pleasure” riding, before attending to the weakness which Kyle and I have identified over the past few seasons of racing high-end XCO events.
At home on the trails with Kyle and Samara’s training buddy.
I’m excited to be returning to Cape to Cape in October where I hope to win this event for the third year in a row! Heading into the summer months, my primary focus will be to return to the National XCO Series in preparation for the 2019 National and Oceania Championships.
What type of events motivate you the most, you mention that the stage races vs XCO have you considering a change in direction?
Event’s where I can represent New Zealand and fight for a title motivate me – National Champs, Oceania Champs, World Cups, World Champs, Commonwealth Games and Olympics. It’s a special feeling to be racing in the silver fern (and Oceania stripes)!
I love XCO racing specifically because of the way it combines strength with skill. No two race tracks are the same which makes for diverse courses and keeps the sport fun. XCO is 1.5 hours of pure excitement.
Putting in the hard yards.Holiday destination, or home training ground? Wollongong, NSW.
I do also enjoy racing my cross-country bike in other disciplines like marathons and stage races. When I first started mountain biking at school, on the weekend, I would join Dad and some friends on massive all-day adventure rides. It was such a great way to discover some remote parts of New Zealand – just some friends our bikes and plenty of snacks. These big rides at a young age mean that naturally, my endurance is pretty good now.
Someday when I ‘retire’ from XCO, you will see me at more marathon and stage race events.
How have you seen the sport change from your point of view, in particular, the impact Red Bull has had on the sport?
Red Bull has had a considerable impact on XCO racing, making the sport more entertaining and accessible for fans.
XCO courses have shortened in length (4-5km laps), with a target race time of 1.5 hours. Instead of a couple of technical features on each lap, now the majority of the lap is technically challenging.
Behind the scenes of a self-funded racer on the world circuit.
This means you need a high level of skill to navigate a course at race pace. Fitness is still essential, but it is only useful if you can steer a bike at the same time.
Once upon a time, everyone raced on hardtails, now it’s all about full suspension bikes, dropper posts and 2.3” tyres.
Tokyo 2020 is in your sights, can you tell us more about the selection process?
To represent NZ at Tokyo is the dream, absolutely. However, the selection criteria to qualify has recently changed making this dream more dreamlike than ever.
In past Australia and/or New Zealand, have been able to qualify one male and female Olympic spot by winning the Oceania Championships, but this is no longer a possibility.
The two ways for a country to qualify an Olympic spot for Tokyo are:
Being one of the Top 21 ranked nations (an accumulation of UCI points from the top 3 UCI point earning riders from each nation between May 2018 – May 2020) this is separate for men and women. New Zealand is currently ranked 26th women’s nation.
Being one of the Top 2 performing nations (outside the Top 21 ranked nations with a qualified Olympic spot) at the 2019 World Championships (again, this is an accumulation of UCI points from the top 3 UCI point earning riders).
Given the new selection criteria, it’s not likely for NZ to qualify a women’s Olympic spot via option one because it’s just too expensive to chase the amount of UCI points needed. This means that option 2 is the only option.
I will do a specific build up for the 2019 World Championship with the ambition to help qualify New Zealand a spot there. The good news is that this race will be held in Mont Sainte Anne, Canada where I have always raced well (I even won a U23 World Cup there in 2012).
All going well and New Zealand qualifies a spot; then the goal is to show excellent form at the earlier World Cups in 2020 to earn that spot.
Was the 2018 Commonwealth Games a satisfying journey?
The Commonwealth Games was a fantastic experience and journey. I’m really proud to have competed for New Zealand while in front of many family and friends.
The journey for selection began two years out by gaining the race experience and world ranking points I needed. The selection criteria was a bit grey in my eyes, so I set my high standards and essentially paved my path to get there. All of which was made possible with a lot of help from Kyle and the support from our families, our friends and my sponsors.
There were tough times on our journey, it was a massive investment in our lives, including lots of sacrifices, stress, a spell of sickness and an untimely injury that needed nursing. But it was worth it.
The journey rewarded us with genuinely awesome experiences; racing my heart out around the world, making friends with new people, exploring new places, learning about different cultures, as well as the satisfaction of working towards a goal.
Would I do it all again? Absolutely.
What are the benefits of being a self-funded privateer?
Being a privateer gives you freedom in the choice of direction, it allows you to build a race schedule around your own specific racing targets/goals. You also get to seek support and build relationships with brands and products you believe in and trust.
*Self-funded – I guess this gives extra determination benefits 😉
If you could have a place on a factory team, what would it be and what are the things you’d appreciate the most?
Specialized Factory Racing Team would be an obvious choice as I love the equipment and as a female, they also offer a vast range of Women’s specific parts and accessories.
Next to the equipment, I see a lot of value in being on a team with more accomplished racers. Having the opportunity to see and learn first-hand how the best go about their business would be awesome.
And obviously, the financial and manpower assistance to do what I want to do would be tip-top.
Do you have a bucket list for places or events to ride, that you wish to tick off?
I guess you could say the XCO track in Tokyo is on my bucket list!
I’ve been very fortunate to travel the world racing my bike over the years which has provided me with the opportunity the experience everything from the French Alps to the Belgium cobbles. It has however meant that some great trails and locations closer to home have been neglected and are definitely on the radar.
Places to go:
– Old Ghost Road, NZ
– Derby, Tasmania
Events to embrace:
– Cape Epic, SA
– BC Bike Race, Vancouver
Cheers for the insights, Samara, we wish you all the very best, see you again at Cape to Cape!
With more and more pro riders posting their workouts on social media, you probably have noticed a lot of them aren’t only posting about their riding sessions, but also their strength training. A good example of this is Nino Schurter who constantly released training clips. But do we ‘normal‘ mountain bikers need this type of training? Isn’t just riding our bikes enough?
The benefits of strength training are varied, the most obvious one is developing a stronger body, which in turn will allow us to put more power onto the pedals, resist injuries better and essentially ride faster.
Other benefits from strength training are increasing our bone density (which tends to be lower for cyclists), improve joint health, correcting imbalances and poor posture, weight loss and prevent muscle loss from ageing.
Nino Schurter has posted many of his workouts online. Needless to say, strength training plays a big part in how the champ keeps in supreme shape.
However it is important to note that these benefits can only come from a well executed strength program, that takes into account you particular goals and needs, but also limitations (knowledge, skills, equipment, injuries, mobility among others).
So in short – yes – the above benefits make it worth spending time in the gym or on a simple (but effective!) exercise routine. Below is an example of 5 simple exercises you can do with minimal equipment. Where possible I provided alternatives if you don’t have access to a gym.
These are included as they complement the muscles used when riding, but also to develop strength in areas more likely to be weaker (e.g. hamstrings), to prevent injuries, address imbalances and correct posture problems.
To develop individual leg strength, lunges are my go to exercise. Walking lunges challenge all muscles used in cycling, and adding the twist takes your body out of that ever forward facing position. The twist also helps better activate the glutes which tend to be under-active for most people.
How?
Walk forward bending the front and back knee to 90-degree almost touching the ground, but keeping the front shin vertical. Turn towards the same side as the front leg (right foot forward means tun right), turning your head together with your shoulders.
You can add weight is all sorts of ways, just make sure you can maintain good form with a straight back and not lose balance. Try to aim for 30 steps to begin with.
Ball pushup
Another simple but effective exercise, this time to develop upper body strength. Adding a ball under one hand creates a less stable position to push from, much like when you are rumbling down that downhill section, get thrown out of balance, and need to get yourself back into attack position.
How?
Simply alternate the ball under one hand and then the other while doing a pushup. Any other contraption to create an asymmetrical position helps too. Make sure you are holding a straight back and your hips don’t drop trough (pull your abs tight!). To make it easier, have your hands elevated against a table and progressively make it harder, starting at 10 reps.
Deadlifts (and single leg variation)
Probably my favorite exercise for raw strength, and an excellent option to develop strong hamstrings to counter those strong quads you (hopefully) already have.
How?
The key is to maintain good form, a straight back, hips behind the heels, lats (side of your torso and back) engaged and lifting from the hips until locking out (squeeze your butt!). If you feel that your back is in any way doing part of the lifting, review your technique until all you can feel is your hamstrings and glutes.
I also love the single leg variation with lighter weights, to develop individual leg strength, balance and increased glute engagement.
Renegade row or TRX row
To get a strong and healthy upper back, this is a key exercise for my athletes. All that pulling on the handlebars to bunnyhop, jump or just get over that bigger rock needs strong pulling muscles. Also a stromg upper back will counter the hunched over position we spend too much time in (riding and also sitting, driving, etc.).
How?
You can either do the plank based renegade row, pulling one weight up to your shoulder, or using a TRX pulling your bodyweight up.
For either variation, you must maintain a straight body, keeping the hips aligned with shoulders, knees and ankles, but also pull your shoulders back, squeezing your shoulder blades backwards (think of puffing your chest out).
Side plank drops (with reach)
This exercise will strengthen your core and shoulders. Your core is constantly being called into action while riding, positions where you are leaning sideways into a corner are a good example of engaging the side of your trunk, but also any really strong sprint needs a steady core, to allow the force from your legs to go into the pedals and not wobbling side to side losing energy, speed and control.
How?
On your elbow, with the shoulder stacked vertically put both feet on top of each other. Drop the hip to touch the floor and come back up to side plank. If this is easy, add a twist and reach towards the ceiling, for even greater stability challenge and core engagement.
Try to progress towards the harder options, increasing the weight or reps (or both) as you see fit. For more advanced exercises, find a good trainer and program, and always work prioritizing good form and technique over speed or higher weights.
Complete 3-4 rounds of the above exercises, give this a try for 4 weeks, aiming for 2 sessions a week like the above and let us know how you go!
Mathias Witt is a qualified Personal Trainer as well as a strength and nutrition coach. A former elite athlete and lifelong sports fanatic he is passionate about sharing his knowledge and expertise to create better performing and goal orientated athletes.
In his past life Mathias was part of the Chilean National MTB team as well as a Karate black belt and running enthusiast. He is an MBA qualified engineer who 4 years ago decided to change paths and share his unique approach towards sports performance and overall wellbeing by becoming a fitness and health coach.
Mathias lives and works in Sydney’s Northern beaches, CBD and offers remote training as well as online programs. You can get in touch with him on www.orbiscoaching.com and [email protected] or follow on instagram @orbis_coaching.
Join Greg and Tom, both total rippers, as they get their first ever taste of what Derby is all about, and get acquainted with the latest long-travel additions to the Polygon line up, the Siskiu N, in 27.5″ and 29er. Watch the vid below, and check out the bikes in more detail here.
The Derby Lodge, we never wanted to leave. If you’re Derby-bound, make sure you put them at the top of your accommodation list – a full workshop, bike wash, secure storage, superb deck for sunset beers…. it’s got the lot. Take a look here.
The Polygon Siskiu N series:
The Siskiu N is Polygon’s new, long-travel Enduro line up, building upon the success of the Siskiu T trail bike range (you can check out our video review of the Siskiu T here).
The Siskiu N9, in 27.5″ format – $3999
These bikes are going to have real appeal to the weekend Enduro ripper – full aluminium construction, with a reliable parts spec delivered in a truly obscene value-for-money package. We’re talking $3899 for the top tier Siskiu N9, and $3499 for the N8. The spec looks ace too: FOX DPX2 shocks on both bikes, a FOX 36 on the N9 and a Yari on the N8, SRAM 1x drivetrains, aggro Schwalbe rubber – nothing has been missed. All the details are up here.
The Siskiu N8, here in 29er format. $3499 is all it costs!
The bikes use Polygon’s Wheelfit System approach, which matches the wheel size to the frame size; a size small is 27.5″ only, a medium frame is available with either 27.5 or 29″ wheels, and the large and X-large are 29er only. The 29ers are 160mm-travel front and rear, while the 27.5″ bikes are 170mm. Rest assured, we’ll be getting one on test very soon!
It was time to turn it up a notch on our third day in Atherton.
We didn’t bring Dave McMillan all this way for just his good looks, we wanted some trails for him to let loose on and see what he’s capable of.
This photo of Dave McMillan sits alongside the definition of ‘steeze’ in the dictionary, we’re sure of it.
Casual gap boosting.“Yeah, jump from here over this huge hole to that tiny landing space just before the hard right-hand corner, ok?”Big turns, loads of speed.
On the trail map, there were a few black runs to explore, but the one we remember from a few years ago ‘Ricochet’ was reportedly running super-sweet with some fresh work done, especially on the big banked turns.
It sounded like our jam, so up we went, the long pedal to the top. It can be shuttled, perhaps not in our Kia people mover, but a 4WD with decent clearance would make life a little easier.
Looked like fun at first, just didn’t think ahead for a plan to return to land…
Ka Powww, Ricochet.
This track rips, with some of the biggest jumps, deepest turns and fastest lines on the hill. It was time to let Dave do his thing, entertain us, and make us all feel inadequate with his effortless style and carefree riding at the speed of lightning.
Keep it low, or…Let it fly.
Corner after corner he pushed his Stumpjumper harder and harder, finding traction where we certainly wouldn’t, and gapping between sections of the trail that we don’t even know that the trail builders would have thought possible.
It’s the type of descent that is made for riders like Dave, with many years on the World Cup DH circuit his speed is unbounded but the way he does it is what makes it such a pleasure to watch.
Tools down, time to roam the Tablelands some more.
From the hair-raising descents to the valley floor we could feel a hunger coming on, a hunger that only one thing could satisfy. A classic pub-style parmigiana.
Banana picking Atherton style.
Gin, whisky, vodka and everything in between.
A distillery tour at Mt Uncle Distillery is a fun and enlightening way to sample a little more of what the Tablelands can offer, we gave it a good nudge and learnt quite a lot along the way.
Where we stayed – Big 4 Caravan Park is a stone’s throw from the trails and is well set up for mountain bikes with a dedicated wash bay, work stand and tools.
Why does life feel like it is ending when summer draws to a close, how could it be considered ‘good news’ to hear that the mountains have received their first snowfalls for the season?
Why can’t we live some nomadic life and chase the sun? Ok, while that’s clearly not going to happen – it’d take too long to pack – we do have some fairly sensational options here in Australia. As mountain bikers, a typical holiday can be so much more than seeing the sights or lying on a towel, lucky us we get to ride.
Head north, soak in the warmth.
On a recent trip to Atherton in Tropical North Queensland, we rode the sun-drenched singletrack, swam in the crater lakes and under incredible waterfalls, ate our way through the delicious local produce, kicked back in historic old pubs and repeated it all again three days in a row.
It was awesome.
Warm singletrack, bliss!
Getting there is easy, with a very scenic 1.5-hour drive west from Cairns. Up on the Atherton Tablelands, the spaces are incredibly unique; it’s tropical, lush, vivid, and being at a higher altitude than Cairns it’s typically a few degrees cooler.
Atherton is a small town that received a huge government grant to build mountain bike trails by professional mountain bike trail companies, the network is extensive, varied and well signed. The green trails in the flatter areas are mellow and remarkably scenic, blue trails take you higher into the foothills of the range for a longer ride, and black runs pack a punch with a faster ride and options to boost jumps and tackle technical rock sections.
The trails start right in town, literally, from town you have hours of riding available to you, it’s pretty sweet. We arrived just after an unseasonably wet summer, which saw the mountain bike park closed for quite some time to preserve its state and minimise damage.
But the trails in Atherton MTB Park is only half of the reason we love travelling there, the region is packed with things to do when your legs have had enough. We’re talking about feasting on all that the Atherton Tablelands offers, eat, swim, drink, relax, repeat.
Day One – Ride, eat, swim, drink, eat, repeat.
We bit off a big chunk of riding on our first day, taking on an epic loop of trails including Stairway to Heaven, a big climb that takes you right up high where the views over the whole region make up for the burning in your legs.
What goes up must come down, and it was our first run down Drop Zone, aptly named this black grade trail gave our resident bike magician Dave McMillan the chance to let fly.
Yeoooo, A-line versus B-line.
As the speeds crept up, so did the technicality of the descent with dozens of sections of trail that kept us on our toes, negotiating loose corners and sharp embedded rocky bits. Drop Zone could be the training ground for a keen enduro racer it’s that wild.
Rack your bike, it’s time to submerge.
Grabbing a bowl of fruit and avocado for lunch we were recharged to relax the arvo away. Lake Eacham is a short drive from Atherton, and it’s a complete paradise! A lake formed from a volcanic crater and free from any powered craft, its clear water and the overhanging jungle is amazing.
Give your legs and bike a rest, time to get submerged in a clear freshwater lake.
Like some dream, the swimming is such a sweet way to wind away the day, and we were lucky to be there on a sunny afternoon to watch the sun go down. We were buzzing.
Pub timewarp.
Look, we aren’t going to hide the fact we love a good old pub, and the Tablelands do them so well. There are half-a-dozen great old pubs on the area worth checking out, well preserved and littered with historic photos and artefacts from the original farming and sawmilling days.
While the craft beer scene doesn’t seem to have migrated that far north yet, the food servings are generous and the mixture of locals and fruit picking backpackers from the UK is quite bizarre. It’s a really good time.
Where we stayed – Big 4 Caravan Park is a stone’s throw from the trails and is well set up for mountain bikes with a dedicated wash bay, work stand and tools.
Flow’s in Atherton, in Tropical North Queensland for three fun days of riding, swimming, eating, drinking and everything in between.
Three days of this? Sounds terrible, let’s get to it.
After splitting our time on and off the bike on our first day, our legs were more than ready by the time the sun came up on our second. The morning light in the Atherton MTB Park is really special, the vibrant vegetation and lush pockets of forest glow green and it’s nice to cruise about the weaving singletrack in the valley floor.
Green grade trails at first light in the tropics? Yes, please.
Early morning lush fest, tropical awakening.Someone said to us once that any spider in a web like this is harmless, mildly comforting.
Atherton Women’s Enduro, woohoo!
The Atherton Women’s Enduro, big day out on the trails with a few new tracks open ahead of schedule for the day.
By chance, we were in town when the Atherton Women’s Enduro was on, with a course laid out taking in some of the choices trails and a few fresh additions the day looked like a lot of fun to be involved in. The riding community shared between Cairns and the Atherton Tablelands is loaded with riders engrained in mountain bike folklore, new to the sport, and anywhere in between.
Rocks, creek crossing, cycad ferns and finding flow.
Ticking off the many blue graded trails is a great way to get a proper taste of the terrain in Atherton. The surfaces can be quite challenging on the steeper slopes of the mountains, and the sounds of the bike ripping by getting louder with the tyres tearing into the rock and rubble.
Catching up with Trina from Cairns, a rider who knows the trails well and makes the trip up to the Tablelands often for the ride.
It’s an actual waterfall, not a GIF.
Nothing compares to lying under a waterfall, looking up at the deep blue sky with the after riding all day, it’s an experience we’ve not had anywhere else in the world.
Atherton Tablelands is well-known for its swimming holes and waterfalls and there is a whole lot of them to explore. The most common one, Millaa Millaa Falls, is an exceptionally beautiful spot. We’ll let the pictures do the talking here…
Mermaids everywhere.Pinch yourself.Underwater, under a waterfall, utterly epic.
Yungaburra Hotel, no shortage of timber in the old days, eh?
Ah, the old style timber pubs. This old gem has stood the test of time and feels like a real step back in time, always pumping with patrons due to its hearty fare and rustic feel this place is a must visit spot for dinner after a long day. You could skulk around the halls for hours learning the history of the area and generations that have used the old joints as a place of community for many years.
Where we stayed – Big 4 Caravan Park is a stone’s throw from the trails and is well set up for mountain bikes with a dedicated wash bay, work stand and tools.
Every time you leave the village in Mt Buller it’s an epic adventure. The trails are tough but very rewarding.
The village of Mt Buller is atop the mountain so you start each ride amongst the snow gums.You need a big map board when you’ve got big mountains.Misty Twist at its best.
Shuttles from Mirimbah on the valley floor back up to the mountaintop village open up some of the tallest descents in Australia; the Australian Alpine Epic Trail boasts over 2000m of descending in 40km and the scarily high speed 1000m Delatite River Trail descent makes you rethink how awesome firetrails can be!
Straight ahead to single track heaven, or left to fly down the side of a mountain? Can’t go wrong either way.
The final stretches of Delatite.Fuel up at Mirimbah Store after the Delatite descent.With so much descending on offer, this is the best way to climb 1000 vertical metres!
Got a spare half hour to start planning a getaway? Watch our ultimate Victorian High Country MTB Road Trip video where we spend a week riding seven of Victoria’s best mountain biking destinations.
Nice part of the world. Can we stay longer?
For more information on riding at Buller, and across the whole Victorian north-east, head to ridehighcountry.com.au
The riding in Yackandandah is gloriously simple; you don’t need a shuttle, you don’t need a map, you don’t need to psych yourself up, or even be that fit. These are trails built for the pure enjoyment of it all, not for scaring yourself or finding your limits. You can lose yourself (metaphorically -the signage is too good to get genuinely lost) for a few hours; just you and the bike in the bush, with seemingly never-ending, flowing cross-country singletrack. It’s really interesting terrain too, especially in the areas where mining has re-shaped the landscape, with deep gullies, old water races, and caves gouged into the clay.
Yack is a real feather in the cap of the Victorian High Country, and a spot that is going to play a big role in ensuring a stream of fresh riders find their feet in the sport.
Got a spare half hour to start planning a getaway? Watch our ultimate Victorian High Country MTB Road Trip video where we spend a week riding seven of Victoria’s best mountain biking destinations.
For more information about riding in Yackandandah, and across the Victorian High Country, head to ridehighcountry.com.au.
Vandy: Paul ‘Vandy’ Van Der Ploeg is a big presence both on the bike and off it. This large unit is a natural freak on the bike – he’s born to pedal hard – and he’s excelled at whatever discipline he’s pointed his tree-trunk quads at. He’s the man you want on an adventure like this, especially when the rain’s coming in sideways mid-way up a monster liaison stage and the spirits need a lift! This was Vandy’s second crack at the Trans NZ, after a podium in 2o17, and this year he came in fourth with some stage wins along the way.
RonRon: Michael Ronning’s name has been etched in Australian mountain bike folklore for more than a quarter of a century, and he’s still pinning it! The crafty old dog has more riding experience in his little finger than most of us do in our whole body, which is exactly why he’s so good at this kind of blind racing. RonRon held onto 1st in Masters Men for the first two days in Craigieburn, then continued to race consistently over the remaining three days to a second place overall.
Cannonball: EWS pinner but Trans NZ first-timer James Hall (aka ‘Cannonball) finished 5th in Elite, one spot behind Shimano team mate @paulvanderplow. For Cannonball, it was an event like nothing he’d ever done before. “The camaraderie was awesome. Everyone was in it together. We were riding such varied trails; for many of us completely blind. I had to back the pace off a bit but with that came consistency, less blowing out corners, and some decent stage results. It was great training for EWS and I’m looking forward to coming back again and definitely adding other international Trans-Races to the bucket list.”
There’s always a silver lining. Even in the biggest, nastiest rain cloud, like the ones that dumped down on Rotorua yesterday. The upshot of the Slopestyle being postponed yesterday, was that it mean we had a MASSIVE final day here at Crankworx, with both the downhill and Slopestyle taking place. It couldn’t have been more prefect really; the mud made the downhill a thrilling battle to survive, and then the sun came out enough to leave the Slopestyle course in prime condition.
It has been an absolutely incredible few days here in Rotorua – our head spins when we think about how much we’ve crammed into the last five days! Check out what we’ve been up to in our four previous photo diaries: day 1, day 2, day 3, day 4. We’ll see you next time, Roto, it’s been real!
Bits and pieces of sunshine today helped dry up the track a little for the juniors and amateurs making their way down early this morning.The gondola ride up this morning gave us nothing but bad signs weather wise… But how did the day turn out?Finn Iles during practice in the bottom section of the Skyline downhill track.Some radiant sunlight striking lake Rotorua early this morning gave us some hope for a slopestyle contest,The rain and mud didn’t stop this shredder form taking a drop over the b-line option.The mist clings to web high up on the Skyline downhill track, if you look closely in the background, you can see an out-of-focus Jill Kitner, unfortunately sliding off course on a super slick B-Line.This track was seriously hard to walk, and this guy seemed onto something for some extra grip!Taking the top spot for the women was Tahnee Seagrave, launching this gap even in the less then ideal conditions.Muddy, rutty, greasy sickness! Today’s conditions put everyone to the test.George Branningan was looking pinned, but this corner, like many others today, got the better of him!
It was amazing to see a loyal cheer squad out in force for the whole race, singing happy birthday, counting how many seconds riders weren’t on the bike as a nice way to remind them they’d come off and pumping Darude Sandstorm every third song!Alex Fayole tripoding or fast planting over this root.Loic couldn’t take the win today in tough conditions!Matt Walker getting a little drifty with the crowds egging him on from all angles.Talking out the top step of the podium for the men’s, Kiwi rider Sam Blenkinsop.YIEWWWW!Sam Blenkinsop happy to sign some jerseys for fans after his victory in the Crankworx downhill!Some lucky pinners got to take home Sam’s goggles and cap…Safe to say, they were pretty stoked!Men 1st. Sam Blenkinsop 2nd. Mick Hannah 3rd. Finn Iles Women 1st. Tahnee Seagrave 2nd. Emilie Siegenthaler 3rd. Miranda MillerWhat a relief it was to start seeing all the riders getting comfy and ready to throw down some runs after so many rain delays!Slopestyle has now become a very special, sacred part of Crankworx, Rotorua, with the event being run in the memory of our lost friend, Kelly McGarry.A new adaption to the Crankworx Rotorua slopestyle this year with a right hand hip jump first up after the wooden drop in.The starting feature, complete with New Zealand wood carving!Warm up trains with the boys!Defending champ Nicoli Rogatkin warming up with just a few tail-whips.The redwoods, the town, the slopestyle!Crowds flocked up the trails, running along the slopstyle course to get a good view of the athletes on course.Up close and personal tail-whips are good tail-whips.The highly photogenic SRAM wooden feature is always one to impress!
Old school BMX shredder Ryan Nyquist showing than an old dog can definitely learn new tricks… or at least do the same tricks on new bikes.Thank you t McGazza for holding the weather at bay today and letting us all witness some incredible mountain biking.Brett Rheeder in his winning first run, reclaiming the title. He was the winner here way back when Crankworx first came to Rotorua.Nicoli Rogatkin put it all on the line in his second run and unfortunately came unstuck on his trademark trick, ‘the twister’ on the final jump
Logan Peat put together two great runs, but still hasn’t been able to crack the podium!Crazy to think this is basically a straight air after not quite nailing the first feature.Jumping into the weekend like.
Tomas Lemoine and his pretty, pastel, pink pushy!Nicoli loading up his unreal triple tail-whip!The memorial train for McGazza.Your 2018 Crankworx, Rotorua Slopestyle Podium! 1st Brett Rheeder 2nd Thomas Genon 3rd Diago CavezasiA champagne shower well earnt.It’s ya boy… Brett Rheeder!
The winnings + the steed that took Rheeder to victory.
The fourth of our Five Rad Days in Rotorua got started with some serious off-bike adrenaline, as we jet-boated, bungee-swinged, sky dived (kinda) and got sent flying down a hill inside a massive, inflatable golf ball thingo! It was quite the way to start the day! We’d hoped the morning’s madness would just be warm up for an afternoon of action at the Slopestyle, but you can’t fight the weather, and rain has seen the main event pushed back to tomorrow.
Velocity Valley is where you head if you’re looking for a serious thrill off the bike. The misty morning tells the tale of a wet afternoon to come.5ooo,000 horse power! (Well, lots anyhow). Feeling the mad g-forces in the Agrojet at Velocity Valley.It’s crazy feeling taking on the faux sky dive.This is the face of pure fear. Shitting bricks on the Swoop giant swing.Just next door the Crankworx site is Ogo, Rotorua, the original downhill ball rolling crew.There’s only one way in…“What do you mean there’s rain coming… It’s Slopestyle day bru!”Probably wouldn’t look this green if it was part of a downhill track amiright?!Meanwhile, back at the Crankworx site. That moment when you realise you’re still not quite as good at jumps as Brett Rheeder…Unfortunate scenes with racing coming in on and off all day at Skyline. The crowds huddle, waiting for gaps in the rain for the Slopestyle boys to drop in.The feeling when you’re stoked on seeing pro riders and all, but the weather is kinda bumming you out!While we all waited at least we could still checkout the downhill riders in practice.Bit of Karate Kid for the trail crew. Tarp on, tarp off…Tarp on, tarp off…If you can beat them, join em?A tease of blu skies that never quite made it to us…Certainly some interesting looks going around this Crankworx… Riders being good sports with the fans as always.The rain stopped and tools were rushed to the course to fix up some muddy spots the rain had left.Everybody getting into it, even Deputy Mayor Dave Donaldson!Finally the patient fans got a chance to see some riders coming though.Most riders were just getting used to the new course and conditions, but Brett Rheeder was stomping tricks on most features in his ‘warm ups’.Even straight airs somehow look rad when these guys pull them off.Thomas Lemoine pulling off a 360 on possibly the sickest looking Canyon frame we’ve seen.Defending champ Nicoli Rogatkin getting comfy with some tailwhips before the rain came again and unfortunately postponed the event which now, weather depending, will be run Sunday arvo after the downhill!The Deep Summer Photo Challenge has become a ket part of the Crankworx experience. Four photographers have three days to put together an inspiring montage of Rotorua mountain bike life. The crowds loved it, seeing their town through the lens of some incredible shooters.Eat St, the main food strip in town, was flooded with riders and mountainbike fans watching the Deep Summer slideshow.The well deserved winner for the night, Laurence Crossman-Emms alongside Rotorua local Connor Mahuika who feautred in Laurence’s presentation!No better way to finish a day at Crankworx than heading to Eat St to have a few bevs and laughs with ya mates!
Our third day in mountain bike paradise began with another trip to the Redwoods, this time with a guided ride from the team at Mountain Bike Rotorua, to make sure we didn’t miss any tasty bits. With a belly full of Roto loam, it was back out to Skyline, to join the frothing masses for the Dual Speed and Style finals, before the big wigs sent it sideways under lights in the Whip-Off Champs. Yiew!
We joined back up with Mountain Bike Rotorua today for a guided MTB ride in Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa forest. Hire bikes galore, get ’em dirty.Our rad ride guide Wade, apart from chosing trails to ride based on what style of riding we wanted to tackle, also gave some really interesting insight into the commercial logging forest that has been adapted into such a huge MTB destination in NZ. This place just goes to show mountain bikers and commercial logging can co-exist.A friend from the States joined us today, riding through some prime climate and perfect light. It was hard to keep the camera in the bag.Wade, our guide, leading the way down.Our photographer / media squid Do-Mini-Chook sending it with a full camera pack.One of the best parts of Rotorua’s Whakarewarewa Forrest is the diversity of trails, which is something we were reminded of today. There is such a huge range of routes to take, weaving in and out of the 80+ trails through the forest, with options for the most gnarly pros, all the way through to beginners and little shredders. It was awesome to see so many kids out there today!Perfect loam chutes walled by green.The little pockets of light that shine through the Redwood’s canopy make for some amazing looking gems of nature.Wade our guide shredding down the trail network he has enjoyed riding for over 15 years. He’s been ripping around this place since the very first track in the Redwoods, ‘Old BMX Track’.Being on a guided ride is a great way to have a perfect day on the bike, without stressing over trail maps and worrying if you’ll make it back to homebase. Alongside this, it’s great to be shown lesser known spots that you might not hear abut, like this winding grade 3 trail that follows a natural cold water creek, that rises out of the ground chrystal clear and flows through the forest.The upside of this particualr trail is a super chilly & refreshing drink top up and maybe even a quick dip if it’s really hot.A traditional carving, created by a wrong-doer completing community service, a great initiative to put people who have done minor wrongs to good use, creating new trails for the community to enjoy.Yet another great spot to stop and take in the beautiful surroundsDid we mention the cool light on interesting artifacts, EVERYWHERE?!?!Our American vistor officially approves of the Redwoods as well as our guided ride with Mountain Bike Rotorua.From the trails, we headed trackside, to the perfect berms and booters of the Dual Speed and Style. This event is a funny beast – the name says it all – pretty much a head to race, with bonuses for tricks. That makes it just as awesome to watch as you’d expect. Barry Nobles head to head with Kiwi rider Joe Simpson, who advanced to the next round over the American rider.Crowds flood the gnarly, dusty flat corners that lead into the final featureNothing better then heading to Crankworx on a Friday night in Rotorua for the Mons Royale Dual Speed & Style.R-Dog bringing the style points.Kaos Seagrave seemed like an easy winner in a lot of eyes, but ended up his Dual Speed & Style campaign in the 1/8 final.Martin Soderstrom. So much style! Busting some rad 360 tables over the heads of the crowds and Lake Rotorua.Races were won and lost in this technical flat turn component of the course.
Crowds weren’t just huddled down the finish straight, but spread all the way up the hill to the start gatesThe local crowds favourite came super close to the top step, but unfortunately due to a fall in the first run of the finals, he wasn’t able to make up the time. However, he was still pretty stoked with 2nd and gave the crowd something to cheer about!Martin Soderstrom 1st, Joe Simpson 2nd, smiles all round.Joe Simpson. Thanking the home crowd and having a blast!
Soak it up boy!
What a day for Joe Simpson!With Speed and Style in the bag, the crowds massed around the whopping Whip Off booter. Adrian Loron spending some time with fans before joining in on the Whip Offs.The groms are out in force. Stoked!The scene is set for some big, nasty whips.Straight from his win on the Dual Speed & Style, Soderstrom pulled out some incredible whips alongside a plethora of riding steez.No shuttles for the whip off! Riders scramble back up to the drop in to get as many whips in as possible, as the Whip Off is a jam format competition.Media swamp the MASSIVE Whip Off jump.To be honest, the wooden drop to gain the right amount of speed looks just as gnarly as the actual whip jump!
Friday done right, whipping into the weekend with your mates!Dave McMillan looked unreal all night with his super lazy, steezy whips.Some familiar faces on this year’s Whip Off podium, alongside some new additions including Kiwi female shredder Vinny Armstrong.The usual culprits took out the top spot in an event they excel in. Casey Brown and Ryan Howard do it again.Rain poked its head in the door, but left immediately after being so intimidated by the phat whips being thrown down.
Bloody fantastic morning light yet again! This is place is special, no doubt.Beautiful scenes with huge flocks of birds travelling in packs over the edge of Lake Rotorua.This is what mountain bikers around the world do when they hear Crankworx, Rotorua is on again… Migrate in huge packs to come see all the action!Before heading to the Crankworx venue, it was time for a dip in the Kaituna River, one of New Zealand’s most famous rafting destinations. Throwing ourselves off a six-metre waterfall in a raft only moments after breakfast felt like a very Kiwi way to start the day. Directly opposite Skyline and across Lake Rotorua you’ll find Kaitiaki Adventures where you start and finish the rafting experience.Getting suited up by our friendly guide Henry for the suprisingly warm waters of the Kaituna riverWe arrived at Skyline just in time to catch the Dual Speed & Style Qualifiers. Even though it was just qualifiers, riders were still throwing it down in a big way, crazy tricks with some serious speed.Ryan R-Dog Howard with a steezy 360 on the final hit on the course against the Rotorua Lake backdrop.
R-Dog on the back wheel.The dusty flat turns in the slalom portion of the track are just as crucial to nail as the rest of the course.Kidsworx is such a great part of the event, fostering then next generation of shredders.Knee down and tipping ‘er in at Kidsworx.Last light falls across Rotorua before the Pumptrack kicks off.Barry Nobles looked strong early on, but was knocked out of contention. The fast, technical new pumptrack built by Empire Of Dirt NZ was definitely challenging riders once the pace cranked up.The new track took out many of the top riders with its gnarly g-forces in the tight fast, first turns.Brett Tippie and the crowds getting into the party vibes. This event has such a good feel!
They may look like stars, but all those bright white things in the sky are actually moths! Hey.. It’s not just humans who dig mountain bikes.Kyle Strait (looking sick in his fresh DHaRCO kit!) alongside the local crowds favourite, Michael Bias, battling it out for 3rd place, which the Kiwi took from Strait with much joy from proud New ZealandersJill Kitner rolling through with another win under her belt, in for a good shot at this year’s Queen of Crankworx.Thomas Lemoine was looking quick all night, even when he threw a cheeky bar spin in at the end of a run!The new track location and layout for the Rockshox Pumptrack Challenge, presented by Torpedo 7 was a major success, enabling a lot more people to get a good view of the track and providing some high intensity riding with the new, super fast pumptrack.After practicing slopestyle during the day, Lemoine transitioned seemlesly into race mode, taking the win over Chaney Guennet.After a mammoth evening, the crowds head home, and so do we. Bring on Day 3 of the Five Rad Days in Roto.
Early mornings aren’t so bad when you have epic views like this. Rotorua’s famous geothermal activity is never far from the surface.A must-visit for mountain bikers in Rotorua, Zippy Central cafe! Great food and even greater coffee! This is the best place to start your day.And they stock you up with M&M’s too. Perfect.Getting my bike setup for the week ahead. Cheers to the team at Mountain Bike Rotorua!Mountain Bike Rotorua is the place to go for bike hire, guided MTB rides and all other things bikes in this rad little town.On the way up at the Redwoods thanks to Southstar Shuttles. It’s always a great vibe on the bus.Throughout Crankworx the shuttles are running overtime to keep up. They run seven days a week during school holidays and most days throughout the rest of the year too. Check out the schedule here.Local Kiwi, James Carley, leading the way. The only way is down.Lachie McKillop heading down the legendary Taniwha downhill track.Jackson Davis tipping it in in perfect Rotorua loam.Turn bar Tuesday, on a Wednesday?The boys lost in the greenery on the way to find some jumps.Unreal views are everywhere you turn on these trails.Jackson Davis and Dave McMillan provide the sweet timing, Rotorua provides the stunning backdrop.Dave sending it in the green.Dave sending it pt.2Snakes on a train.Something you can’t tell from these photos is how nice the climate is in these forrest, on a 22 degree day like today, the forest was absolute perfect temperature for a day of riding.
How good are the ferns here too?Dave McMillan, all angles in the loam.
For a different look at the forest, we spent the afternoon at Rotorua Canopy Tours, who specialise in awesome zip lining tours amongst the trees.The guided zip-line tour is heaps of fun, but also a great way to learn more about the forests of New Zealand and some of the conservation projects that the tourism company are also tackling.More epic views, this time from above trail level.The three- hour course takes you on a variety of zip-lines, the longest of which is more than 200m.The nature around here is seriously something that needs to be experienced in the flesh. Everything is growing. Unreal.If you don’t know what the geothermal nature of Rotorua smells like… Well dirty riding socks don’t come close. But you forget about it quickly, and everytime we come back it brings a big smile to our faces, knowing how much shredding there is to come!We finished off the day with an MTB trivia night, all for charity. Anyone know who won the 1992 XC World Champs?Points being doubled checked from the nights fun.The all important points tally. Quiz On Your Face…. great team name.Local councillor and long time mountain bike advocate, Dave Donaldson supporting the Trails Trust charity eventCongrats, don’t drink it all at once.And the winner is…???
All of Falls Creek’s trails start and finish from the mountainside village which attracts cyclists of all persuasions through summer and features a surprisingly buzzing vibe. Beginner and intermediate trails loop close to the village making Falls a perfect family-friendly destination.
Since the opening of Flow Town trail, you can easily flow a perfect 20-minute descent from the summit, all the way down to the Blue Dirt shuttle waiting at the resort gates.
Got a spare half hour to start planning a getaway? Watch our ultimate Victorian High Country MTB Road Trip video where we spend a week riding seven of Victoria’s best mountain biking destinations.
Hot tub and a Bridge Road Beechworth Pale Ale – relaxing after a big day on the mountain
For more information about riding in Falls Creek, and across the whole region, head to www.ridehighcountry.com.au
Every mountain biker has an event that’s special to them, one that sticks out as a highlight amongst the years of bunting, finish lines and training rides. Perhaps it’s an event you do every year, maybe it’s an event you’ve just ridden once. It could be special because it’s a rare chance to ride with old friends, an annual reunion, maybe it was a race where you pushed yourself harder ever before, or it’s a yearly yardstick, a chance to compete with your previous best, maybe it’s special because the location is somewhere mind blowing.
Battle stories in the Settler’s Arms beer garden.
For me, that special race is the Convict 100. This brilliant, long-established marathon race loops out of St Albans, a tiny village that’s one of the hidden gems of NSW. Sydney’s sprawl hasn’t conquered the divide of the Hawkesbury River yet, and this place hasn’t lost its charm.
It feels like a trip back through the ages; even though each bike on the small ferry across the Hawkesbury River has $5000 worth of mountain bike hanging off it.
The journey to and from the Convict is a tremendous part of our own sentimentality for this race. It feels like a trip back through the ages; even though each bike on the small ferry across the Hawkesbury River has $5000 worth of mountain bike hanging off it, the very act of piling onto a punt to cross the water still feels like an undertaking from a different time. With the setting sun making the sandstone ridges glow, you can easily imagine what it was like 150 years ago, when Wiseman’s Ferry was a far-flung commercial outpost of the Sydney colony, and the ferry was transporting wheat and salt meats, not carbon and lycra.
There’s always an autumn chill in the air on the start line.
Even though the race itself is going to be hard – a furious effort to hold a wheel, a tough grind up sandy climbs – the journey out there into the stunning landscape of the Hawkesbury puts you in a different frame of mind. You cross the river, Sydney is now 100 years away, suddenly it’s tranquil, and any nerves about your race performance start to abate.
Eventually, excuses are made, tents are assembled in the dewy campground, last minute bike adjustments are done under a headlamp’s glow, and quiet falls on St Albans.
In deep Autumn, when the race is run, the Friday night before the Convict is invariably chilly. But the fire in the Settler’s Arms Tavern is always roaring, and the tiny pub, its stone imbued with 150 years of drinkers’ sweat, heaves with riders lifting beers and joking about carbo-loading for the race tomorrow, carefully counting their drinks, so as to not undo a couple of months’ training. The stories and bullshit flow, adding themselves to the encyclopaedia of tall tales these walls have already heard. Eventually, excuses are made, tents are assembled in the dewy campground, last minute bike adjustments are done under a headlamp’s glow, and quiet falls on St Albans.
Some of the descents along the course see you drop like a stone down fast, water bar covered fire roads, drifting on the sand and dodging loose rocks.
A fog greets you in the morning. The warmth of the river meeting the cool night air creates a blanket of mist and gives the village a fairytale quality before the stillness soon gives way to frantic action; riders queue to piss, scramble to find shoes or helmets, peer skyward into the soup hoping to get a GPS signal, or fret about how many or few layers to wear against the morning cold. Horses watch on from the paddocks. I wonder what the locals make of it.
The picturesque valley floor.
There’s no singletrack, none at all, but that’s not a negative, the weathered rocky fire roads are way more engaging than any ribbon of buff singletrack could ever be. Loose rocks pepper the edges of the trail, ruts and ledges give a natural rhythm, sandy water bars launch you into next Wednesday. The terrain is uniquely Sydney too, chunky sandstone under your wheels and rising up all around you in big cliff faces, long patches of sand that send tired riders careering across the trail. You drop from the ridge lines to the valley floor, descending like mad, then claw your way back up to the top again on brutalising, long climbs. You curse each one, but affectionately.
The canoe bridge is possibly the race’s most notorious feature, the mere mention of it sends some riders into convulsions!
Much of the race follows the old convict road; racing on something so established, with so much history, feels somehow more consequential than simply riding loops in the bush on a purpose-built bermed racetrack. It’s one of those intangibles of this race makes it special, makes it stick in your mind.
Back in St Albans, 100km later, the presentation takes place under the branches of stout fig trees in the beer garden, a flock of chickens clucking off to one side. Riders lie with swollen legs extended in the shade, reluctant to join the procession back to the ferry queue and onwards to the bustle of Sydney. It’d be nice to stay, just for another night or two, wouldn’t it?
If we had to pick someone to head to a mountain biking mecca with, and that place just happened to be a tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, riders like Fabien Barel and Joe Barnes would be at the top of our list.
If you’re planning a mountain biking holiday, Madeira should be a contender.
Well, luckily for us this obscure hypothetical was our reality when we attended the launch of the new Canyon Spectral and Torque models in Madeira, Portugal.
Madeira is home to some unique landscapes and amazing trails.
Before Joe headed back home for some blood lactate testing (EWS racing is serious business!) and Fabien went on his way to continue his never-ending product development schedule, we sat down with them to have a yarn about the new bikes and much more.
Fabien Barel:
F (Flow) – G’day Fabien! With your role at Canyon, you’re pretty important to the development of new bikes. Tell us a bit about your involvement with the new Torque and Spectral?
FB (Fabien Barel) – I’ve been with Canyon for six years now, and a huge part of our collaboration is the development of the new bikes, where I bring the racing background and the ‘feeling’ of the bikes. Canyon provides the technical know-how and plenty of technological resources.
Where I’m based I can also ride all year around, so I’m able to spend many hours on the bike to test the reliability and the actual ride feel as we develop the prototypes.
F – How long has the development cycle been for the Spectral and Torque since the first prototype?
FB – The Spectral and Torque projects have been going for a year and a half now.
Fabien floating aboard the new Torque.
F – Tell us a bit about the ‘family’ concept with regards to the Spectral, Torque and Sender?
FB –
When we developed the Sender, what we realised was that the three-stage suspension platform gave us what we were after not only for downhill riding, but it was also a platform that could work effectively for trail riding.
Some riders want progressivity throughout the entirety of their travel these days, but they don’t realise if this is the case they may be fighting the bike more than the terrain at times.
The stable mid stroke of our suspension really allows you to get the correct steering feedback when riding a corner, or pumping the bike through a compression, and the progressivity is saved solely for what I call ‘saver mode’, or when you really need it (laughs).
Fabien was integral in the development of Canyon’s Triple Phase Suspension.
F – This week we’ve seen the Torque make a comeback – and it’s a beast of a bike. Tell us in your mind who the ideal rider for this bike is?
FB – Whilst the Torque and the Spectral share the same kinematics, they’re part of the same ‘family’, we wanted to develop a big bike that we could do everything with.
For our testing, we used all of our professional riders, from freeriders like Thomas Genon, enduro racers like Joe (Barnes) who took the bike on long climbs to ensure it could pedal, and downhillers like Troy (Brosnan) who really pushed the bike to the limits.
What we achieved from this was essentially an ultra-capable bike for the rider who is truly focussed on the descents.
Troy Brosnan spent a week in Whistler aboard the new Torque.
F – So there really was a lot of involvement from Canyon’s professional riders when developing the Torque, how much of their feedback do you rely on when altering and advancing prototypes towards production?
FB – Being in a team like ours is like being in a family. We need to be able to take on board everything that our pro riders say and then consider how this helps us make not only the fastest bikes for racing, but also dynamic bikes for the average consumer, bikes that are fun and playful. Their feedback is invaluable, but it is only one part of the puzzle.
Unfortunately, not everybody can ride like this.
F – Do you personally spend much time on the more budget friendly bikes that the average consumer is more likely to purchase?
FB – To be honest no. Typically the only difference is the componentry, as when we release a carbon bike, we usually develop an aluminium model, and also models that mix the two materials.
I will always ride the aluminium prototype to find the right amount of rigidity, and ensure the performance of the aluminium is as close to the carbon as possible.
Even at the budget end of the Canyon range, you can be confident many, many hours have been put into frame development.
F – Do you think many riders could actually discern the different properties of an aluminium frame versus a carbon one?
FB – There is a difference in terms of performance, for sure. In terms of weight, in terms of rigidity you’re able to optimise the general chassis better with carbon than you are with aluminium.
I’ll be honest though, ninety to ninety five percent of people wouldn’t be able to pick up the difference, unless they really, really push the bike to the limits.
Thomas Genon making sure the new Torque is up to the task.
F – Moving onto next year, what’s coming up for yourself and Canyon?
FB – Next year will be exciting! This is a time for the brand where we are continuing to develop this new family of bikes that the Spectral and Torque are a part of, and we have exciting things planned for next year and beyond.
Spend five minutes with Fabien, and his passion for bike and product development will become evident.
F – Some Torque models feature your new ‘G5’ cockpit componentry, do you see not only Canyon, but also other brands internalising componentry development and specifications in the future?
FB – In the last five to seven years we’ve seen many brands try this, developing their own wheels, bars and stems mainly for cost purposes, but for us there is an interest to work on these components for other reasons.
Security is one of these reasons, for example if you get a cockpit from a third party you don’t have complete control over the product, but by working closely with brands, and now developing our own components, we have more control.
More control gives us more possibilities to spec the bike as we want, and look into other exciting areas such as integration in the future.
Canyon’s new G5 componentry range consists of premium products, not cost cutting measures.
F – Canyon’s mountain biking sector seems to be expanding at a rapid rate, with new bikes, professional racing teams and the company expanding into new markets, how is the mountain bike side of the brand tracking?
FB – I have to say firstly that I work with a great bunch of people. As much as Canyon is very much a brand that employs high level German efficiency and engineering, we’re also a very human brand.
The real relationships are what I feel drives our success, and today I don’t want to talk about numbers, but mountain biking is a big, big part of Canyon as a brand, and our investment into the mountain biking sector, be it marketing, engineering or servicing to the customer is growing every year.
Canyon certainly took this launch very seriously, renting possibly the biggest house in Madeira for their many staff.
F – Lastly Fabien, you’re a big fan of Australian reds (wine), but if you had to choose between an Australian red and a Madeiran Poncha, what would it be?
FB – Ha! The Australian red, not a doubt, not a doubt!
Steer clear of too much Poncha if you’re keen on riding the next day.
F – Cheers Fabien!
Joe Barnes:
F – G’day Joe! You’ve been working closely with Canyon to develop the new Spectral, tell us a bit about your involvement?
JB – I was always a huge fan of the old Spectral, as it really suited the riding I have back home, so when it came to the next step I actually worked last year with Canyon to develop a new linkage to achieve the feel the new bike has, which was not so much creating a supportive mid stroke as we already had that, but having a more sensitive initial stroke whilst retaining the mid-stroke support that makes the bike so playful.
It was pretty cool that I had the old chassis with the custom linkage that gave me a fairly similar leverage curve as the new bike, but it had nowhere near the same anti-squat and anti-rise, which are real features of the new bike.
Joe is one of the most switched on guys around when it comes to feeling how a bike is working.
F – Why is it that you prefer the Spectral for your home trails and surrounds?
JB – I find the Spectral to be a very poppy bike, and where I’m from a lighter, more agile bike suits the trails better for sure, as well as the fact that I’m pedalling everywhere with no uplifts.
Joe’s riding style is very flowy and precise, making him a joy to watch.
F – Will you be riding the Spectral on the EWS circuit next year?
JB – I’m in the lucky position where I can keep my options open when it comes to EWS racing with a few bikes to select from, so it’ll depend on the race really.
At the Scottish Enduro Series though, which is my secondary focus after the EWS I’ll race the Spectral, it’s very suited to the regional style of enduro racing that’s typically raced on less demanding tracks than the EWS.
Joe certainly looks at home aboard the new Spectral.
F – We know that you’re a bit of a of wizard when it comes to bike setup, be it contact points, brakes, suspension, you name it really – what do you see as the key elements of setting up a bike?
JB – I guess it’s a personal thing, but I do like to play around with the bike and just make sure I’m on top of everything. I always check my sag, just in case the temperature has changed, my bar height is also really important.
I do a fair bit of work with my mechanic Craig also, particularly on the suspension, which is pretty useful feedback for Canyon when developing the bikes.
I don’t like my brakes to bitey, or high performance, I actually like them a bit consistently mushy (laughs).
Joe likes his brakes and trails the same way, mushy.
F – With the new linkage providing a more progressive feel at the end of the travel, should riders expect to be running less volume spacers?
JB – I’d expect so. I went down from two spacers to one spacer on the new bike, but I’d almost say the supportive mid stroke is more important in being able to do this, as it takes quite a strong force to reach the point where you’re bottoming the suspension out.
F – Is the supportive mid stroke the key element that you think creates the ‘playful feel’ you’ve used to describe the new bike?
JB – For sure. There’s no wallow in the bike at all, you can feel the ground beneath you and you’re able to react to it, and I really like this as it allows you to make quick decisions out on the trail.
F – People often bump up the fork travel on bikes in this travel bracket, have you experimented with longer forks on the new Spectral?
JB – Yeah, I put a 160mm fork on when I first built the bike up as it was lying around the shed, and that felt pretty spot on. I certainly wouldn’t go more than 160, the bike’s angles would be effected too much then.
Joe shoots the breeze as we wait for another lift up the hill courtesy of Freeride Madeira.
F – Onto a slightly different track, tell us a bit about the Dudes of Hazzard?
JB – Yeah (laughs), it’s just a video blog we started eight years or so ago.
It’s essentially a video blog highlighting what me and my friends get up to with a pretty low production value.
F – You seem to go on some pretty amazing trips, what’s been the best trip you’ve been on?
JB – There’s been a few, but this one trip we went on we ended up in Sweden and Norway, proper winging it, it was good fun!
There was three of us in the van and the van was pretty beat up, but we decided with no planning to head to Sweden and Norway after finishing a World Cup at Val Di Sole. The drive took a solid four days and the van sounded like it was going to break any minute, but it turned out to be pretty incredible.
F – So have you got any hot tips for people wanting to load up a van and head on an adventure?
JB – I did a really good job kitting out my van, I made myself a comfy armchair, a folding bed and heaps of nooks and crannies to put things in.
I’m not a joiner, not at all, but it’s only screwing bits of wood onto other bits of wood, right?
It turned out to be pretty luxury for an old Transit van really, with some nice lights for ambience.
The magnificent Landship III, Joe’s current home away from home.
F – Did you have a shower, or was washing optional?
JB – Nah, that was part of the fun really, the old where can you get your wash every day (laughs). Normally it was an ice-cold river in the alps, the bike wash shower is a classic also. Don’t know how that would go in Australia, you might get bitten by a Crocodile or something?
F – Have you got any plans to come to Australia in the future?
JB – Yeah for sure! I’ve not been to mainland Australia but I went to Tasmania this year for the EWS and loved every minute of it, so I’d love to go back there and cruise around.
Watch out Australian corners.
F – Speaking of the EWS, in an ideal world where are you hoping to be next year?
JB – It’s been a couple of years since I’ve been consistently in the top ten, and next year I want to be back up there. There’s a few races where I’ll push for a top five, La Thuile is certainly one of those. If I can achieve the consistency I’m after then a series result will look after itself.
F – Why does somewhere like La Thuile suit you?
JB – I just find places where the dirt is a bit looser a bit easier, perhaps because of what I ride back home I don’t really like the hardpack, I like to float around a wee bit more.
I’ve done two EWS races there before (in La Thuile) and done well, so I think I can do well again.
There was certainly a ‘wee bit’ of floating around in Madeira.
F – Do you think it’s just the lack of familiarity that makes hardpack a bit more difficult for you?
JB – For sure. I’ve grown up with no hardpack whatsoever, and while I’ve obviously ridden lots of hardpack in places like the French Alps, I just find myself in the zone when it gets loose.
Remember the Canyon Maydena Dream Weekend comp from a few months back? Been wondering who was the lucky bugger chosen by Canyon to head to Maydena Bike Park for a weekend of riding? Meet said lucky bugger, Jacob Schellen, and enjoy a few shots from a spectacular weekend of frothing and ripping.
Lucky winner Jacob Schellen (second from right) was joined by his dad (far right). Joining them were, from left to right: new Canyon Enduro signing Sam Walsh; Aaron Pelttari (Troy’s mechanic); Canyon Australia head man Darryl ‘Razzle’ Moliere; and the one and only Troy Brosnan.
Mate, you’re the envy of the Australian MTB public. Who are you?
My name is Jacob Schellen, I’m a 19 year old from a small town called Heyfield in Victoria.
What are your home trails?
I’m pretty lucky to live just a few minutes from Blores Hill MTB Park. It doesn’t have the biggest elevation out there but it’s just had a few track updates from Dirt Art and it’s super fun.”
How did it feel to find yourself at the top of Maydena, on a kick arse Canyon, with one of the world’s best riders?
I’m still trying to get my head around that! Awesome people, awesome place and awesome bikes, it doesn’t get much better.
Jacob getting loose in the grease on board a Canyon Torque.
What bike did you ride at Maydena, and how did it compare to your usual bike?
Between the two of us we rode a Torque and Strive although I didn’t really get off the torque. As expected it was a lot more aggressive than my Kona Process and just felt perfect for the types of tracks at Maydena. What really surprised me was how easy it was to pedal up the steep hill back to our accommodation considering its descending capabilities.
What did you learn from riding with Troy?
I think I was having way too much fun to be trying to learn from Troy! But I did probably get better at taking sketchy inside lines in the greasy conditions on the second day of riding.
Do you reckon Troy learnt a few things riding with you too?
I’m not sure I’d have too much to offer Troy but I hope so! Haha.
Jacob launches into the loam.Going down with the ship.Brosnan, embracing some time on flat pedals in Maydena, with a classic inside line.
Tell us about riding the Maydena trails – how did you find them?
Riding the trails at Maydena would have to be the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike. We had great weather the first day then the rain came down that night which made for super slippery and loose riding on the Sunday. The trails themselves were incredible and need to be ridden to understand just how good they are. The guys who have built them have done an amazing job – big ups to those fellas!
Anyone you’d like to thank?
I can’t thank Darryl enough for the whole weekend, also to Sam, Troy, Aaron, Luke, and Jasper for the best riding crew ever. Finally thanks to the whole Maydena team, you guys have done something amazing and I’ll definitely be back soon!
These trails have been cranking for over 30 years, and there’s more singletrack appearing every year. We always get a buzz out of this spot, and we hope you do too!
Mt Beauty is one of Australia’s original mountain bike towns, the trails have been here since the 1980s… which is why team Flow donned some genuinely vintage mountain bike jerseys for the occasion.
Mt Beauty’s very own World Champ, Paul Van Der Ploeg, was on hand to lead us into the wild trails of Beauty.
The trails of Beauty are the anti-flow-trail; 100% tech! These are old school, hand built single tracks, and you need to be committed and alert to ride them well. You can see why this place breeds some exceptional riders.Mt Beauty, like most of these great High Country towns, has its own brewery – the Sweetwater Brewing Company is right in town, about 500m from the trails. Drop on in for a tasting.
Got a spare half hour to start planning a get away? Watch our ultimate Victorian High Country MTB Road Trip video here where we spent a week riding seven of Victoria’s best mountain biking destinations.
Maydena Bike Park’s opening weekend went off; we were there with bells on, we rode the trails, tested out the whole operation (including the bike patrol and medics). We rode their bikes, drank their beer, swam in the river, and got a proper feel for what this place is all about.
Oh, Tasmania, you’re spoiling us, it’s all just too good!
Watch our full road trip video below!
What, where, how?
In a nutshell, Maydena Bike Park is a brand new privately run gravity mountain bike park with some massive amount of elevation for trail builders Dirt Art to carve out a vast network from scratch. Think Australia’s own version of Queenstown or Whistler with uplift services running all-year long.
It’s one hour drive from Hobart in Tasmania, and it is now open with all systems go. It’s more than just trails though, Maydena Bike Park is a pretty sweet place to hang out!
SO MUCH VERT, 820m of it!
We’ve been harping on about this place for a while now so that we won’t repeat ourselves on the known facts, all the details are right here – Tell me all about Maydena!
Flow loves a road trip, so, how was the road trip?
Getting to Maydena has all the right ingredients of a cracking road trip, for the mainlanders a flight to Hobart or taking the car on the ferry to Tasmania is a fabulous travel experience and a great escape from the major cities. Travelling about or to Tasmania is terrific, its natural beauty, fascinating and well-preserved history, and healthy tourism industry make it worthwhile over an overseas trip any day.
Those who’ve travelled around the Apple Isle would know how much fun can be had, it’s a kooky place with its free-and-easy flavour, it’s another world.
Beautiful Hobart, there’s so much to do in this city, we love wandering the old town of Battery Point, the historical port area and the majestic Mount Wellington.
For residents of Tasmania, and especially lucky locals of Hobart, Maydena is a worthy day-trip or weekender to fill your boots with loads of time descending great trails. We expect a fast new generation of gravity racers to come out of this place; it’s going to foster talent into big names, for sure.
Jumping in the car from Hobart the drive to Maydena is a beautiful one, while it’s around 1-1.25 hour journey, we’d suggest slowing it down a little, take in the surrounds. Check out the old town of Hobart, swim in the River Derwent on the way, explore the historical sights like Australia’s first asylum – Willow Court – in the historical and unique town of New Norfolk. The drive takes you through some seriously epic scenery too, past rows of hop farms that smell like the best beer ever, and along picture-perfect rivers begging for a swim.
En-route to Gordon Dam.Eye-boggling sights of the South West Tassie region.
For the ultimate South-West-Tassie experience, take an afternoon and drive past Maydena to Gordon’s Dam which holds back Lake Gordon which at full capacity is the largest lake in the country, the spectacle of the dam and the incredible story behind its history and application makes it one of the most iconic developments in the country.
Just 15 minutes short of Maydena is one of Tasmania’s most popular day-trip tourist spot – Russell Falls – a postcard-perfect waterfall in the National Park with many walks and sights amongst classic Tasmanian Wilderness.
A 20-minute drive from the bike park is sights like these – Russell Falls.
See, there’s plenty to do!
Anything happening in the town of Maydena?
Hmmm, well, yes, sort of. Maydena is a tiny town that time forgot, a stop for fuel and a sandwich on the way into the deep south-west, en-route to Strathgordon and Gordon Dam. There’s a pub up the road at National Park which looks pretty authentic when we passed by, and there’s a small milk bar that provides an essential service and a service station that makes a good lunch, breaky and coffee too.
The road to Maydena is a pretty one.A dip in the River Derwent is hard to pass up.
But don’t get caught out with no dinner plans, it’s pretty quiet around town when the riding is done, for now.
A bike park with a restaurant and bar next to a pumptrack…?
Part of the Bike Park’s appeal is that not only will the town benefit from hoards of hungry mountain bikers coming from all over the place, with no doubt more food and accommodation sprouting up, but they have also launched a new cafe and bar at the bottom that is set to expand.
So, right now you can roll out from the trails, rack your bike and take just five paces to the bar to order pizza, burgers, rolls, beer, cider, drinks and coffee.
Pizza in the bike park!The re-purposed school is a perfect place for a bike park, the undercover beer garden and bike rack area was cranking with good vibes all day long.
Take a seat in the beer garden, watch the pump track and fuel the stoke for more runs. Pretty bloody sweet!
Yeooo, pump track!
The repurposed school now hosts the Maydena Bike Park HQ.
Bike hire, test ride a Canyon, bike school, complete workshop and retail store, the whole lot.
It’s the complete package of this place that impresses us, like the way you can go to Thredbo with no gear and hire everything you need Maydena also has you covered. There are currently ten Canyon Senders, and ten Canyon Strives in the hire fleet. A full complement of Canyon Torques and Spectrals are on their way soon, too. We rode a Strive on the first day and scored a lucky first ride on the Torque (oh, yes, it’s perfect for Maydena).
Maydena has partnered with Canyon for their hire fleet, this in itself is appealing to a potential Canyon customer as they are sold only online, a demo or test ride is not as simple as regular retail brands. Maydena will provide that opportunity to hire one to test out properly.
Canyons for hire, the best place to actually try one out on legit trails!
The workshop is manned by a fulltime mechanic operating like a proper bike shop with spares and loads of trick stock from the likes of Deity, Maxxis, FOX, Dharco, SRAM, Rockshox, 100%, FIST, Krush and much more.
What’s at the summit?
It’s pretty hard to tear your eyes away from the view of the summit and get riding; it’s a massive view that lies below you, stretching as far as the eye can see. The Eagle Eyrie building is a striking structure and currently hosts a cafe and plans are to lift the capabilities of the building to host sunset functions, as well as more food and drink options for everyone, not just mountain bikers.
Sunset summit beers with trail builder and absolute shredder, Brad Segda.A meal with one of the best views in Tasmania?Breathtaking stuff, this view won’t ever grow old.
What did we think of the trails?
Yes, it’s nice to drive there, there are pizza and beer, but that’s not what you’re there for, how are the trails!??
We’re not going to beat around the bush; we were pretty blown away by the trails, everyone was. Partly due to the amount of trail that was finished and ready to ride for the open day, the flow and feel of them, the variety on offer, and the fact we can’t remember going to a destination in Australia and having our asses handed to us like we did that day, Maydena is legit!
Spot the human. This is the final jump on Maydena Hits, the big jump line that scared the daylights out of us but was amazing to watch riders soaring overhead.Shelly Flood going large.Trail builder – Jai Motherwell – brings his wild riding skills to the build crew.
Mark our words, this is a gravity park, and the trails are fast, steep and very long. While there are plenty of blue-grade trails they err on the darker side of blue, it’s the daunting gradients and how you need to manage your speed well to avoid exploding on a simple piece of track that turns a trail with simple features into something more tricky. The jumps are epic, from small-ish to enormous they are the biggest jumps we’ve seen in this country! The jumps are safe though, well designed and never a nasty surprise as you rip down the descents, visibility is excellent and it makes you push your comfort zone. Spend some time here, and you’ll come away a better rider and jumping bigger than before, guaranteed.
There’s a real mixture too, one run you could take in insanely fast bike-park style runs with superbly constructed berms that catch you and send you hurtling into the next one if you’re committed and hundreds of jumps. Then on another lap down, you could be sinking your tyres into a lush and loamy wonderland on one of the natural hand-built trails that dart and weave through the dense and ever-changing bush.
You think you’ve seen steep trails…? We walked away from this one, it was practically vertical!
Diving into ‘Zen Garden’ one of our favourites, a natural hand-built run with some seriously lush loam and natural technical sections.Connor Fearon in deep.
We could have ridden on that dirt for weeks; it’s so nice to shred hand-built trails that are designed to drift and roost soil everywhere.
Because the whole project is privately run, there are billions of benefits over a public facility most notable is that trail builders are freed of any ‘sanitising’ influences – steeper, wilder trails, with more challenging lines than you’ll find on public lands are in abundance in Maydena.
How many runs can you do in one day?
Bike park laps, yesssss!
The uplift is around 20 minutes long with a new more direct route up the mountain and in the new turbo diesel bus fleet (unfortunately red tape got in the way of us experiencing the turbo vans this weekend) will provide a rapid and comfortable uplift.
On average five runs (totalling about 5km of vertical descent) in one day would be comfortable, it takes a long time to get down! Though if you are mad keen and quick seven-eight runs (a whopping 6.5km of vert earnt) in one day is also achievable.
How many runs to do them all?
There are currently 34 trails open, totalling a mighty 32km, it would take you 14 runs to do each track right now. The challenge is set!
Shred hard in safe hands.
As Tasmania doesn’t have significant ski resorts like NSW or VIC, the safety program is second to none, and they have had to write their own state code practically. The fees to uplift and use the park go toward a full-time bike patrol medical team. They have already put in the time to work on a comprehensive safety and extraction system that covers the whole park.
Trust us on this one, we personally tested this out, though an unfortunate accident, we were indeed in safe hands.
What bike to bring?
We started on a Canyon Strive, their burly enduro race bike with 160mm travel forks and found it to be quite ample. The park is varied, but a long-travel (150mm and up) bike is highly recommended. Make sure you have plenty of meat on your tyres and have brakes that bite and are not prone to fading on longer descents, if there was a place to test out brakes, Maydena would be on our list.
After the Strive we stepped it up a notch to the new Canyon Torque, their recently released 180mm travel ‘park bike’ which gave us a lot more confidence to let the speeds trickle up and commit harder to the turns and let it hang out on the natural tech lines.
Team builder and phenomenal rider, Baxter Maiwald on the new Canyon Torque.
Even a downhill bike would be great there, we’d just recommend that whatever you bring, make sure you can control it on long and steep descents!
The bike park is big, the riding level is advanced, so what is next?
We expect a lot of experienced riders to rock up to Maydena and find the trails a bit daunting, but that was the plan from the outset, Maydena is its own place, setting it apart from other hot spots in Tassie like Derby. Right now the park will appeal to the more experienced riders, but the next six months will see the place exploding with variety as they embark on construction and continue to introduce more trails to maintain interest. We won’t get bored!
A climbing trail is under construction which will take riders up to Midline Trail, (not to the top, that’d be too brutal to climb) where you’ll have 13 trails to choose from to descend back down.
‘Flow’ and ‘technical’ intermediate level tracks are in the works, designed to provide a stepping stone for riders, an introduction to more blue grade trails.
An intermediate jump line will be under construction soon, a contouring track with multiple table top jumps, like B-line or Crank it Up in Whistler.
Green/beginner 15km Flow Trail, early summer season 2018/19.
A 25km wilderness trail, like Blue Tier Derby with twice the vertical. Contouring, short climbs, a proper wilderness adventure. Taking you to beautiful rivers and viewpoints. Completion early 2019.
Oh, and there are events!
Yep, alternating fortnightly there will be a Fat Friday social, for $20 the crew will provide an evening uplift with a beer after, with a new track to be raced selected before the day.
And alternating each Sunday, a Turn Earner event, $5 with a beer a 10km trail ride/race up the climbing trail and down again, a social affair, and sounds pretty good fun to us.
Race to find your flow down 820m vertical of incredible flow trails! We’ve pieced together the ultimate combination of trails to find Maydena’s Queen and King of flow!
Air DH
Australia’s first ever full-scale Air DH Event! This event will test riders ability to rail corners, scrub jumps and maintain momentum through the absolute best selection of the park’s jumps trails.
Tech Assault
Rocks, roots, loam and hand-built trail goodness, the Tech Assault is a top-to-bottom race through some of the park’s most technical trails.
Pump Track Challenge
Race a series of laps around the park’s mega pump track, or simply spectate from our trackside beer garden!
Dual Slalom
Dual slalom is back! And we’re not sure why it ever left. Side by side racing down our ‘old school’ dual slalom course, with a mix of flat turns and built features.
Whip off (invite only)
A collection of jump legends sessioning our whip off jump for the battle of who can get most sideways!
Just near the base of Mount Hotham you’ll find the mountain biking mecca of Bright. Learn why we love it so much in our Bright video and photo gallery.
Find out more about planning your own trip to Dinner Plain in Victoria’s High Country at www.ridehighcountry.com.au
We’ve looked up to Troy Brosnan and his commitment to the craft for many years now. From an irrepressible junior, bouncing around on a bike that seemed far too big for him, he’s grown into one of the sport’s most talented riders. We’re in awe of his incredible precision, that famous light touch, barely seeming to buzz the earth.
When the racing’s done for the year, Troy Brosnan returns home to Adelaide, South Australia. We spent the week with Troy, to get a unique and honest insight into his life during his downtime in the off-season. Though to call it an off-season is a real misnomer – his commitment to training is unbelievable. Whether it be on the road bike, the BMX track or rock climbing, Troy’s approach to each training block is to get as much from it as possible. It all translates – those fractions of a second that might separate him from being first or second on the podium when he gets back on the track.
We also learnt a lot about the man himself. How he values spending as much time as possible with close friends and family too; under the full-face you’ll find a down-to-earth, genuine Aussie bloke. Just one that happens to be extremely fast on a bike.
In this interview, I talked with Josh Carlson about his psychological strategies as one of the world’s best EWS riders. After a brilliant 2016 experience, Josh had a disappointing 2017 season – so I was really keen to learn what he’s been doing to overcome these challenges as the 2018 season approaches.
Does fast happen in the legs or the head – which is more important in racing?
Josh Carlson (JC): It’s a bit of both really. The legs have to be there – EWS racing is hard, and you have to be able to rely on your body (so training is really important), but in the top 20 pretty much everyone has the same skills and fitness, so those top 20 places are decided by who has their head in the game that day.
EWS is very different form DH-racing. Downhillers can have a very specific physical and mental warmup routine. They already know the track intimately, they know what’s coming. They can time their meals perfectly, make sure that the caffeine hit kicks in at exactly the right time, listen to their perfect playlist while they spin on a warmup bike, and then they perform for three to five minutes. EWS riders are out for seven hours, in all conditions, and we have to concentrate on tracks not that different from DH courses, which we might have only ridden once or twice before if we’re lucky, when we’re tired, hungry, and cold, over and over again.
No one can concentrate for seven-hours flat, but being able to bring yourself back into the here and now when you need to is everything.
To be able to focus when it matters is the real key. No one can concentrate for seven-hours flat, but being able to bring yourself back into the here and now when you need to is everything. I can’t afford to be picky about how I get my head in the game. For example, in Ireland this year, I was getting ready when a local kid asked me for an autograph – he was so excited, was telling me his stories, and a big part of what I do for my team is be an ambassador, so I can’t just say “piss of kid”, I had to give him my attention, and then I had to bring my attention back to the ride ahead of me. What I’m saying is, because I have no control over what’s going to happen, I’ve had to learn how to choose when and where to focus, and when to be distracted.
Tell us about the toughest mental challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how you overcame it.
JC: It was actually this last season. It was really hard, and I wasn’t properly prepared, physically or mentally. The most frustrating thing was that once the season starts you can only maintain, there’s no room for development – that’s all got to happen in training off-season. So, all I could do was to try to hang on, and not make things worse.
The most frustrating thing was that once the season starts you can only maintain, there’s no room for development – that’s all got to happen in training off-season.
Probably the hardest challenge this year was in France at Millau – the weather was pretty crap, and there were a whole load of marshalling and timing errors. The marshals didn’t speak English, so I’m at the top of a stage and it’s raining, and I’m under a shelter and trying to get ready, and the guy translating for me tells me I’ve got three minutes, so I start to get my jacket off and my goggles out of their case. Then, like a minute later, the timing marshal says “20 seconds” and I can’t argue, so I had to shove my goggles on and take-off. It was wet and slippery and technical, and it needed all of my attention – there was no room to be pissed off about what had just happened.
Do you have a routine, either practically or mentally, pre-race and what importance does this have for your preparation?
JC: Like I said earlier, I can’t really do a specific routine. But being consistent is important. I need to do the same things during my season, trusting in my training, my technical ability, and my team. Going over to Giant was a big deal – all of a sudden there were all these people whose job was to help me go faster. I had to get used to that and to learn to delegate stuff to other people.
My mechanic has been amazing for this. He is as committed to doing his job well as I am to mine. Back in Chile, I think in 2015, he’d dialled the bike pre-race, and then noticed that a bearing was damaged. So, he stripped the whole bike and rebuilt it to be perfect – he stayed up until 2.30 in the morning to get it right. I trust him to do his part really well (which he does), so I can relax and get on with riding my bike fast, not having to worry about the other stuff.
On the other hand, I’ve had to learn to be a bit more selfish. I’m usually a pretty chatty guy and nearly all of the EWS riders get on really well – it’s like going for a ride with your mates. Except that it isn’t really, because it’s also my job. So, I have to be a bit less chatty, to give a bit less away to other riders, because I have to be focused on what I need to do. That’s been a challenge.
Do you have to deal with fear? How do you handle it?
JC: Fear isn’t really a problem for me. I mean, I’m frightened of not performing, and of letting down my team, but not of the riding itself. The EWS tracks are hard, and you really need the skills properly dialled down, from lots of practice and training, to be able to compete effectively, so I can’t be second guessing features on the trail – I just have to trust in my training.
You’ve also got to remember that I’m paid to take risks. If you’re not OK with those risks, you really don’t have any place doing what we do.
Is confidence more important than form?
JC: Neither. Form is a given in what we do – you get it from lots of practice, and you have to trust it. That’s competence, and it’s more important than confidence. Confidence is unreliable, but competence comes from proper preparation. Also, confidence is variable – you certainly can’t rely on it when you’re wet and cold and exhausted. That’s where the repetition and practice comes in. It’s all about being able to come back when you need to, and to focus on the job at hand without getting distracted by all of the other crap.
I’ve been working heavily with Lululemon to dial in some good meditation techniques that help me to regain focus. I’ve also worked with a sport psychologist this year on how to be present and focused under pressure. In my opinion, being able to perform consistently under pressure is everything and, thanks to the work I’ve been doing and the help I’ve been getting, my ability to choose when to focus is getting easier.
Is mental training part of your regime? If so, what do you do?
JC: As I mentioned, mental training has become a huge part of my approach. Physical fitness, endurance, and skills are essential, but in EWS the difference between 5th and 20th is focus. So, again, it’s all down to choosing when to focus; balancing everything so that you’re able to do what you need to do when you need to do it. Chat on way up, or play with your phone and Instagram at the top. But then it’s goggles on and leave it behind.
How do you handle situations when it all hits the fan? Do you prepare for this?
JC: The day we brought our daughter home from hospital she started choking, and going blue. I had to stay focused and calm while I worked on getting her to breathe. I amazed myself being able to focus on the (very important) job at hand, even though it was unbelievably scary. In comparison to that, anything that happens during a race is pretty small! I learnt that even with extreme emotional pressure, it is possible to choose to focus on what’s important, and to function effectively. But to do that, you can’t struggle with the emotions, you just have to accept what’s going on and redirect your attention to what matters then and there.
The other thing I’ve learnt over the last few years is to take time coming back from injury. Obviously, if you injure during the season, you just have to hang on and try not to make it worse (because you don’t really have a chance to recover properly) – but as soon as you get the chance, applying yourself to recovery at a slow pace is important. That way you get to rebuild properly physically, but also reintroduce yourself mentally to challenge, so that you don’t just freak out and damage your competence base.
If I was going to summarise what’s important, I’d say that it’s is about being able to notice the distractions and then come back to the moment despite those distractions – because they’re not going away, so the only thing you get to actually control is your actions.
Jeremy’s Observations
Josh has a very different take on his approach compared with the other riders I’ve interviewed. For starters, Josh has worked extensively with a sport psychologist, and between them, they’ve nailed down what it’s important for him to focus on, and have come up with good ways to make this work. Although the others I’ve talked with have great mental strategies, they’ve also had to spend a long time figuring these out by themselves, and then improving them through trial and error. Instead, Josh identified a deficit in his ability, and sought out ways to fix that deficit as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Josh’s strategies can be summarised in three main themes:
1) Adaptability and flexibility. Josh has been specifically working on improving his overall adaptability: recognising that things outside of his control will change (like the weather, or marshalling errors), so rather than trying to keep things the same and controllable, he’s learning to work with variability in environments where there are only a small number of things that he can control. The easier and faster it is for him to adapt, the better his chances of performing well.
2) Being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Josh has realised that to succeed in the EWS, he has to accept that it’s going to be really uncomfortable. If you watched any of the 2017 EWS season, you’ll know what I mean: wet, cold, long, and muddy were the norm for nearly all of the races, and if you’re not prepared to accept that sort of discomfort, you’re wasting precious resources. Josh has been working hard to improve his ability to process discomfort as information – and to be better at functioning in the presence of that information – no matter how unpleasant it might be. He knows that, compared to real challenges, like dealing with a life or death moment with his daughter, pretty much anything he experiences on the trails is both smaller and temporary.
3) Choosing tofocus, focus, focus. An important addition to Josh’s work on being more adaptable, is his ability to choose when to focus. I keep using the word “choose” for a reason: focus is a conscious action and, by definition, requires conscious choice. Josh is learning to be much better at choosing to focus on what matters to him, in the presence of everything else. He doesn’t block things out or force himself to ignore distractions, he notices them, accepts them, and then focuses his attention on what he needs to. The faster he can do this the better; bringing himself back as rapidly as possible when he’s been distracted can be the difference between a good race and a disaster.
In my opinion, the areas Josh has been working on are extremely important – so important, in fact, that I’ll dedicate a Flow article (in the near future) on how to cultivate and improve adaptability, comfort with discomfort, and focus under pressure. In the meantime, read here for some info on focus and attention: https://flowmountainbike.com/features/the-soapbox-riding-in-the-here-and-now/
About the author:
Dr. Jeremy Adams has a PhD in sport psychology, is a registered psychologist, and director of Eclectic Consulting Ltd. He divides his time between mountain biking, working with athletes and other performers, executive coaching, and private practice.
In past lives, Jeremy has been a principal lecturer in sport and performance psychology at a university in London, a senior manager in a large consulting firm in Melbourne, a personal trainer in Paris, and a scuba instructor in Byron Bay. He’s also the author of a textbook on performance in organisational management, a large range of professional and popular articles, and a regular blog about the joys and perils of being human (www.eclectic-moose.com).
Jeremy lives and works in Hobart and can be contacted through his website (www.eclectic-consult.com) or on (03) 9016 0306.
VitaminG, Groading, Gnar-road, Gravel Grinding, Adventure Bicycling, Graventure; whatever hashtag you subscribe to, riding drop-bar bikes on dirt is almost as popular as long travel 29ers right now. Welcome to the world of gravel bikes.
This kind of stuff becomes nice and gnarly on a gravel bike, whereas you’d barely blink at it on your mountain bike.
We’ve been closet roadies for a long time. The fitness gains from riding the road, plus the ease of shooting the breeze while riding or during the post-ride coffee park up are just some of the reasons we’ve always liked to throw a bit of road into our riding.
But the passion for road riding has tempered a little lately, both amongst us here at Flow and across the bike industry more broadly. Maybe it’s the number of cars on the road or the fact that half the drivers seem to be flicking at the phones, but the road bike has been gathering dust.
The Cannondale Super X SE is one gravel bike we’ve been riding a lot lately.
Yes, often that means we add to the traffic as we drive to the trailhead and get out on the mountain bike more. But we’ve also found ourselves seeking out the roads less travelled to get our drop-bar fix in the past year or two. We’ve gone gravel.
So it’s a road bike, on the dirt. What a dumb idea.
That’s what we thought at first. Except it’s not.
Firstly, it’s amazing where you end up on gravel bikes. Planning routes through parts of your backyard that you never knew existed is a big part of the experience. There’s some beautiful countryside out there, places you wouldn’t bother to take your mountain bike, and couldn’t take your roadie. And let’s not even mention the possibilities of bike packing for multi-day gravel adventures.
Single ring drivetrains on road bikes, now you have our attention!BEER. Gravel essentials. Frame bags let you carry more gear.
It’s a very social way to ride too. You’re not stuck single file like you tend to be on the mountain bike, nor are you stressing about traffic like you would on the roadie. We’ve churned out 170km+ rides on the gravel that have been banter from go to woah, it’s a bloody good catch up.
This descent wasn’t part of the plan, but following your nose is part of what riding gravel bikes is all about.
The new Specialized Diverge borrows from the mountain bike world, with a suspension stem/steerer setup.
Plus there’s the challenge of it all. Fire roads and gravel roads that would be dull on a full suspension mountain bike suddenly become white-knuckled, rim-pinging insanity when you ditch the suspension with 40mm tyres and your seat at full height. It’s scary as hell sometimes, in a mad cackling kind of way.
Gravel bikes are far more capable than you’d expect
Gravel bikes as we know them now really didn’t exist a few years ago. You were limited to either scraping the paint off your road bike with too-big tyres or perhaps buying a cyclocross bike, which had room for bigger rubber but still ran cantilever deathtrap brakes.
Tubeless tyres for dedicated gravel use have really changed the game in this segement. This kind of riding with tubes is a nightmare.
But the modern gravel bike is a different kettle of kippers; disc brakes, single-ring drivetrains, proper tubeless tyres with 40mm+ tyres, thru axles, some even run dropper posts. They may look a lot like road bikes, but they share plenty of DNA with your mountain bike and you can certainly get pretty wild on them.
Compared to a mountain bike, they’re both versatile and relatively affordable too. Around $1500 is the starting point for a gravel bike that’s well and truly up to speed.
So what are you trying to tell us?
Basically, we’re saying don’t be surprised if you start to see the odd gravel bike in the mix here on Flow – it’s part of the way we enjoy riding on dirt. And don’t be surprised if you find one of these kinds of bikes in your garage one day soon. We thought it was a hoax until we gave it a go too.
We’ve already featured a few gravel-ish bikes on Flow over the past couple of years. Check out our review of the funky Cannondale Slate, and the Cell Brunswick.
Jump on board with one of the world’s best Enduro racers for a full run down the new Thredbo All-Mountain Trail, with classic Carlson commentary the whole way, of course.
Late November in the Victorian High Country; the snow has almost all melted and the mountain bike trails have been primed for the summer season. Riders David McMillan, Ryan De La Rue & Tom Anderson hit the highway with Blue Dirt Mountain Biking and Specialized Bicycles on a road trip to three of the best mountain biking destinations in Victoria: Falls Creek, Bright & Mt Buller.
These three destinations should be on every mountain bikers hit list. On board the latest 2018 Specialized Enduro and Stumpjumpers with the help from Blue Dirt’s shuttle service, see what all the fuss is about!
Join Specialized Australia riders Dave MacMillan, Ryan De La Rue and Tom Anderson for some loose riding at Falls Creek, Bright and Mt Buller, three of the primo destinations where Blue Dirt offer their uplift services.
Heading to the top of Mt Mackay above Falls Creek, the highest public road in Australia.Falls Creek chills.Diving into the pines of Bright.Morning light on Falls Creek.Mt Mystic, Bright.Should’ve zigged when I zagged.The Victorian Alps are just a stunning place to be.Buller summit sunsets.Top of the world.
In this interview, I asked Rachel Atherton, the most successful female downhiller of all time, about her strategies for dealing with challenges when racing and training. Given Rachel’s challenging 2017 season, I was excited to hear how she uses her head to go fast.
During the 2017 UCI MTB World Championships in Cairns Australia.
Does fast happen in the legs or the head – which is more important in racing?
Rachel Atherton (RA): Really it is a combination of both. Obviously, you have to be physically strong enough, fit enough with the ability to process the lactic acid, have the ability to take the forces in your body that hurtling down a mountain at 40kmph requires. But if ultimately, your mind isn’t in the right place, you won’t be able to deliver, no matter how strong you are. So, really, racing is probably slightly more in your head, when you are fired up, confident in yourself, your bike and your line choice, and you are just generally strong mentally then you can put it all down in those five minutes. You can commit and race faster and easier, but that confidence comes from having trained right, and knowing you are strong and fit enough to deal with the race speed, so really you HAVE to have both, without both you don’t get on the top step!
If ultimately, your mind isn’t in the right place, you won’t be able to deliver, no matter how strong you are.
What’s the toughest mental challenge you’ve faced in your career, and how did you overcome it?
RA: Injury is definitely the biggest mental challenge and I’ve had my fair share of injuries! I think the worst thing about being injured is the fear of hurting yourself again, you can’t imagine ever being strong enough or confident enough to go that fast again, you totally lose it. But as with everything in life you start small, with small realistic goals each day and before you know it you’re back racing! I used to have an “injury loop” that I would ride each time I was recovering from injury, the same loop, the same climb and descent and I knew if I could get to point A, then I could get to point B next time, and point C the time after, and so on until I’d completed the loop. When that happened, I knew I was ready to ride properly. You just have to do whatever it is that makes you FEEL confident.
In 2009 I had to have a whole year out when I got hit by a truck on my road bike and dislocated my shoulder. I severed the nerves and had to have nerve grafts and operations all year long, it was a tough injury because the year before I had won the World Championships and World Cup overall – in 2008 – so I went from being on top of the world to not even racing! But the hardest bit of all was that after training for the next season all winter I shattered my little finger two days before the first World Cup! I was so gutted but I couldn’t think about not racing, it was so painful bending my broken finger around my handlebars each day, and to get through it and toughen myself mentally, between every practice run I watched the movie 300 on my laptop – I choose clips that made me feel like ROARING, I AM SPARTA, it worked, I won! But I won by being smart – I went around some big road gaps because I couldn’t take the hit on landing, so I made sure I went faster everywhere else, I did what was right for me at that time.
Between every practice run I watched the movie 300 on my laptop – I choose clips that made me feel like ROARING, I AM SPARTA, it worked, I won!
Do you have a routine, either practically or mentally, pre-race and what importance does this have for your preparation?
RA: Yes, a routine is really super important, I would say it is the most simple and effective way to prepare for a race. most of the time I am so so nervous on race day, I can’t function with the nerves, I puke in the bin and lose my head, but I know that if I follow my routine, it will lead me to that start gate, and then I know what I’m doing, that’s what I live for. Routine lets you switch off your head and just DO. I have everything planned down to the minute, we even factor in time for me to sit around before I leave the race pits, a time to sit and think of nothing, or ask for some last minute reassurance, my routine plans my day, from breakfast to warm up, practice, time to watch my GoPro, time to eat and drink, time to sleep, time to wake up again and warm up for race run, time to sing (singing helps ease my nerves and takes up the space in my mind so I can just go on auto-pilot).
Routine lets you switch off your head and just DO.
I think a routine is super important because it’s one thing that’s the same wherever you go, whatever country you’re in, or whatever the weather is doing or however you feel, you complete your routine and you know it gets you to that start gate and then you get to do what you love – race!
Do you have to deal with fear? How do you handle it?
RA: Yes! Fear is a big part of what we do, sometimes it is fear of a certain obstacle on course, sometimes it is a general fear of crashing and getting hurt or fear of losing and not performing to your ability. The way I try to deal with it is by using evidence – past evidence, which has already happened and I can’t undo that fact, I HAVE done big jumps before, I have won races before, I have gotten hurt before and come back to racing, so you use the past evidence to reassure yourself that you can do it. I tell myself that ”thoughts are not truths” and that what I’m thinking might come true, or it might not come true, but thoughts are not truths so anything can happen and will happen. I don’t try and stop fear or anxiety, I just try to manage it, control it. If I’m scared I control my fear by making sure I know exactly where I am going into a section by watching GoPro and walking the track more; it is the preparation that can help.
I tell myself that ”thoughts are not truths” and that what I’m thinking might come true, or it might not come true, but thoughts are not truths so anything can happen and will happen.
I tell people, if you are really scared and really don’t think you can do it, have you done something similar before? Or are you making too big a step? You have to take every step to get to the end goal, you can’t miss steps or cheat because then you will come unstuck. But if you work up to a big jump by doing millions of small and medium-sized jumps until you are so confident on them, then doing a big jump will be much easier than doing nothing then suddenly trying a big jump.
I tell people, if you are really scared and really don’t think you can do it, have you done something similar before?
How do you handle situations when it all hits the fan? Do you prepare for this?
RA: Sometimes no matter what you do or how you prepare, it all goes totally wrong and you get hurt or you don’t win.
For me the shit hitting the fan can be a good thing: it forces you to evaluate what happened and why? Sometimes you can find answers easily to why, and so you fix it: you change things on your bike, you train harder. But sometimes there is no reason why you crashed, and that is the hard part to accept that there is nothing you can change, nothing you can fix, you just crashed because riding bikes is a bit dangerous, or you just didn’t win because you weren’t fast enough; those are the hardest parts because you can’t change it. When there’s a problem to fix, something to focus on to get better it is easy and exciting, but when it’s just for no reason, you have to accept your fate and wait until your next chance to race again!
For me the shit hitting the fan can be a good thing: it forces you to evaluate what happened and why?
I do let myself get upset, and let myself get angry and sad because I believe that is part of the process, I am so competitive that I need to feel sorry for myself and let myself have a break then I can come back much more determined to try again!
Jeremy’s Observations
I was fascinated by Rachel’s responses, in part because they were so similar to those of the other riders I’ve interviewed so far. Like Bec Henderson, Dan O’Connell, and Tracey and Mick Hannah, Rachel hasn’t worked formally with a sport psychologist, but like these riders, she’s intuitively picked up on some very effective strategies for staying on form, despite substantial setbacks. As a sport psychologist, I often find that athletes who make it to the top usually figure out a lot of the important stuff by themselves through observation, and trial and error. There’s a lot for the rest of us to learn from their experience!
Rachel’s strategies can be summarised by four main themes:
1) Effective confidence is the result of competence which, in turn, is the result of lots of repetitive practice. This applies both to technique and form, as well as to psychological consistency. Rachel spends a lot of time training incrementally: rather than attempting major changes, or taking on large risks, she practises by stepping up both the challenge and the pressure in smaller, more achievable chunks. This gives Rachel not only the repetitive practice that builds skill, but it also provides her with an “evidence base” that shows her she has the competence to take on challenging obstacles, independently of how she might be feeling about it on a given day.
2) Injury is probably inevitable if you’re going to ride, so accept it. Rachel has had her share of spectacular crashes and some very nasty injuries requiring long recovery times. Because she accepts that this is an inescapable part of mountain biking, post-accident she is able to focus on her recovery, and on reprogramming herself to be able to ride hard stuff again (through incremental progression and repetitive practice). Accepting the unpleasant stuff like fear, pain, and injury means that when it happens, it’s less likely to have a traumatising impact, which means we can come back faster.
During the 2017 UCI MTB World Championships in Cairns Australia.
3) We are not our thoughts and feelings. Rachel realises that although her thoughts feel true (especially the ones that tell her that she can’t, or that she’s going to fail) they usually aren’t. Getting past the assumption that our internal experiences are valid simply because they’re internal is one of that hardest things for most of us to process. Sure we all have thoughts and feelings, often extremely strong and, sometimes, quite distressing; but having a thought or feeling doesn’t mean that you are that experience, or even that it has merit. It’s important to remember that strong thoughts and feelings (especially fear) only get our attention (resulting in a negative impact on our ability to perform as desired) if we become distracted by them in the first place. Learning to “notice and name” our thoughts and feelings is a great start – it helps us understand that our internal experiences are only an aspect of what’s going on in any given moment and, therefore, that they don’t have to influence our actions. Rachel understands that she can’t turn off her mind or emotions, so rather than struggling to “overcome’ them, she’s learnt to identify and work with them.
4) It’s OK to get pissed off!Learning to manage our actions in the presence of distracting thoughts and feelings is important, but it’s also important to acknowledge that we’re human and that the things we think and feel will happen whether we want them or not. Rachel understands that being human means that it’s OK to feel the range of human emotions and that challenging experiences often present us with the full spectrum. Taking time to allow an emotional experience helps us to recognise that it’s not necessarily as bad as we might think, and allows us the opportunity to be kind to ourselves in the face of disappointment, pain, and distress. Allowing these experiences can also help us to focus on the riding ahead of us, rather than the mistakes behind us. Equally important is the knowledge that unpleasant emotions can help to highlight the reasons we mountain bike.
Love and pain are both sides of the same coin: if we didn’t care about mountain biking, we wouldn’t feel angry, sad, or disappointed when things don’t go our way. Taking the time to acknowledge what mountain biking means to us (especially in the face of problems) can help us be more passionate, but also more forgiving when things go wrong.
Dr. Jeremy Adams has a PhD in sport psychology, is a registered psychologist, and director of Eclectic Consulting Ltd. He divides his time between mountain biking, working with athletes and other performers, executive coaching, and private practice.
In past lives, Jeremy has been a principal lecturer in sport and performance psychology at a university in London, a senior manager in a large consulting firm in Melbourne, a personal trainer in Paris, and a scuba instructor in Byron Bay. He’s also the author of a textbook on performance in organisational management, a large range of professional and popular articles, and a regular blog about the joys and perils of being human (www.eclectic-moose.com).
Jeremy lives and works in Hobart and can be contacted through his website (www.eclectic-consult.com) or on (03) 9016 0306.
Around a week ago, a rather innocuous looking email arrived in the Flow inbox, letting us know that Mountain Bike Australia (MTBA), the peak Australian MTB body, had gained official National Sporting Organisation status.
“So what?” you might ask. Well, there’s quite back story here! For a long time now, MTBA has operated in the shadow of Cycling Australia (CA) – all funding came via CA, and in a nutshell the situation has been rather complicated.
To shed a little more light on what gaining NSO status might mean for MTBA and Australian mountain bikers, we chatted with CEO of MTBA, Shane Coppin.
So Shane, for all of us out there who aren’t familiar with NSOs, the Australian Sports Commission or Cycling Australia, what does this all mean?
Shane Coppin (SC): MTBA will now be able to officially promote the status that; “The Australian Government through the Australian Sports Commission (ASC) recognises Mountain Bike Australia to develop mountain biking in Australia”.
MTBA will now be able to deal directly with the ASC across all programs and initiatives conducted by the ASC, including being invited to attend applicable NSO forums, communications, workshops, initiatives and programs as offered by the ASC / AIS from time to time (this wasn’t offered to MTBA previously);
MTBA may be directly funded and supported by the ASC under investment plans or individual grant opportunities (previously any financial support had to be provided via CA);
MTBA can directly assist (sign-off) and support applications from our riders / members / clubs for any applicable ASC programs and grants (previously required lodgement / sign-off via CA);
MTBA can directly engage with the ASC for support/assistance with initiatives and/or innovation projects
The ASC may choose to work directly with MTBA for specific projects and offers the ASC a purely Unitarian National Sports model to work with in MTBA;
MTBA can directly coordinate coaching and officiating programs for MTB with the ASC (whilst, we currently were doing some of this, the process is now formalised)
MTBA will be recognised by State Governments, Agencies and other Forums as the recognised NSO for MTB, giving our organisation a new standing in these forums that may encompass funding, advocacy and program opportunities;
MTBA will be included in the “tent” with all other recognised NSO’s by the ASC
The ASC will undertake Annual Sport Performance reviews of MTBA focused on governance and organisation performance in relation to the ASC’s Mandatory Sports Governance Principles with feedback being provided. The first is being conducted in December 2017.
Will this change the way the way that MTBA is funded? Can you tell us how?
SC: Initially no, MTBA has been recognised as a unfunded NSO. CA and BMXA are currently funded NSO’s. However, there are opportunities for improved funding for MTBA into the future.
MTBA is hopeful that in the future ASC participation funding across all sports and lifestyle/participation activities/sports may alter/increase and that MTBA may be receive some direct funding benefit. However, funding and grant opportunities for MTBA, MTBA Affiliated Clubs and individual members may improve now with MTBA recognised as an NSO. This has recently been highlighted with opportunities for riders between 12-18 years now able to apply for ASC Local Sporting Champion grants to help attend MTBA National Championships.
Road, track and BMX have been recognised as NSOs for some time – given that mountain biking has been an Olympic sport for 20 years, why it taken so long for mountain biking to gain that same recognition?
SC: There is a long history here and one that goes beyond my time. MTBA is quite unique as we operate under a unitarian governance structure rather than a federated model, that provided a new element for the ASC to consider.
The situation has involved unfortunately many challenges impacted through the politics of cycling governance in Australia and a desire at various times to have all cycling administered under one body for all disciplines.
Some sports are very clean in their nature; one sport (discipline) means they are the only form of the sport in the Country and easily recognised international. Whereas water sports, shooting and cycling face challenges in so far as; multiple and very different activities or disciplines operating under one international body, yet operating as individual sports and entities in their respective marketplaces. For example; in cycling BMX, MTB, Road & Track all operate under the UCI, the UCI recognises one National Federation per Country, in Australia that is Cycling Australia; yet BMX and Road & Track were recognised independently as NSO’s by the ASC. MTB has now be recognised equally by the ASC, placing us at parity with the other cycling disciplines in Australia.
What are your hopes that gaining NSO status all mean for Aussie mountain biking?
SC: Through this opportunity, numerous support from funding and resources will be available to MTBA and MTB groups to further develop opportunities for this great sport and lifestyle activity. In the past, MTBA was unable to be directly funded by pretty much most government groups or agencies. Historically, the few support grants the ASC provided in the past needed to be distributed to MTBA via CA. That has all now changed and MTBA can be funded directly. The new recognition will provide validity to our sport in future negotiations and elevates MTBA’s role as the recognised National Sporting Organisation for MTB in Australia.
Will recognition as an NSO give MTBA more leverage lobbying for trail access, and funding to our racers?
SC: Recognition will provide numerous opportunities for MTBA across multiple areas of the organisation; including sport development, lobbying for funding, advocacy, coaching and officiating development, digital development, participation and innovation opportunities as well as access to a significant network of data (including AusPlay) and information workshops, forums and industry networking. There is assistance with sports governance and specific MTB projects. Hopefully, in time, funding opportunities for the sports development, pathways and riders will improve.
Under the current Australia’s Winning Edge (AWE) model only XCO is recognised and funding is provided against a relentless performance criteria aimed at podium achievements. This provides a very real challenge for MTB, given there are numerous disciplines some of which Australian’s perform exceptionally well at the highest level, yet under AWE they remain unrecognised and subsequently unlikely to receive funding under the current AIS model. NSO recognition will provide MTBA with improved recognition at State levels as the Nationally recognised sporting organisation.
Row Fry is a legend of the sport here in Australia, though you’d most likely associate her name with XC racing, rather than ripping it in Enduro on a bike like the Scott Genius. She’s former National XC Champion and marathon racing star, and it’s only recently that she turned her hand to Enduro (read our interview with Row Fry here) and has quickly risen to the top.
Isabella Flint is a young pinner on the ascension – at just 15 her performance at the Enduro National Champs would have placed her fourth in Elite Women. She has the EWS in her sights and will be one to watch closely.
We caught up with Row and Izzy at Blue Derby, just a hour or so from their hometown of Launceston, for an arvo of ripping the trails. Enjoy!
Learn more about the 2018 Scott Genius range.
And if you want to read more about the bikes they’re riding, make sure you check out our Genius First Ride Impressions here, or our First Bite pieces on the Genius 920 and Contessa 720.
Tracey Hannah’s career has seen some huge setbacks through injury, but she’s risen back to the top of the game every time.
In this interview, I talked with Mick and Tracey Hannah, two of Australia’s top downhill riders. At the time, both riders were fresh off their successes at the 2017 World Championships in Cairns, their home track.
From your perspective, is riding about legs and body, or is it your head? Which is more important?
Mick Hannah (MH):
I was having this conversation with someone this morning: one of the aspects I love so much about downhill is that it takes a complete athlete in all of those aspects. The mental side is important, but the physical and technological sides are also hugely important. At different times, different parts of those things are the focus, but I don’t think that one’s more important than the other.
When you’re at the top of the start hill with a four-minute race ahead of you, you can’t get anything wrong.
Tracey Hannah (TH):
If you don’t have the physical fitness, you’ll lack confidence. If you lack confidence, your skills are going to be down. If your skills are down, if you’re not ticking every box, something’s going to go amiss. When you’re at the top of the start hill with a four-minute race ahead of you, you can’t get anything wrong.
On a high, Mick Hannah moments after laying down an incredible run and moving into the hot seat at the Cairns World Champs.
So is confidence more important than form?
TH: I think you can see the difference between the confident and the hesitant rider. A confident rider will get away with a lot more than a skilful rider that’s hesitating. I think you can get away with a lot (once you get to a certain skill level). At World Cup level, everyone’s a good rider, but the difference between confident and hesitant is huge. You can have the best form in the world but be hesitating, so the confident rider with less form is still going to be better. But really, confidence still comes from preparation!
You can fool others but not yourself. You can’t fool trees or rocks or the stop watch.
MH: Yeah, they say the harder you work the luckier you get. There are two different types of confidence. One isn’t earned or deserved, that kind of confidence (or arrogance) is a dangerous place to be. You think you can get away with it but you haven’t put the work in. I’ve seen some guys get away with it, but mostly if it’s false confidence (and they don’t put the preparation in) it’s going to blow up, it’s fickle and really easily shaken. The other type of confidence (real confidence) is fact, and it’s based on repetition. It’s about proving to yourself that you can actually do it over and over again.
Tracey Hannah on the gas into the finish at Cairns. Even with a huge crash she was just a few seconds away from the win.
TH: I think that the more preparation you do, the more concrete evidence you get that you can achieve. Confidence from nothing (without the preparation) is bluff. You can fool others but not yourself. You can’t fool trees or rocks or the stop watch.
Is mental training a part of your preparation regime?
TH: It’s not necessarily a part of my training, but my coach focuses on helping me push when I’m most mentally down – which is usually in the gym or out on the road bike. In a way, technically, you are mentally training if you’re working hard when you’re having a hard day or a down week, and it really helps if your coach can notice when you’re down so they can help you to get through the hard times.
It’s definitely about being in the moment – how you feel in the moment can affect you, and it’s how you can get back quickly that makes the difference. Especially when you don’t know when you’re going to be down mentally. So, the better prepared you are and the more practice you get, the easier it is to bring yourself back when it matters.
A total champion. Tracey Hannah signs autographs through the disappointment of coming so close to a dream win in front of a home crowd.
MH: Mental training’s a funny thing: it’s not like you can just go and lift weights like you can for physical training. You never know, figuratively speaking, when something mentally heavy is going to be there when you have to lift. That’s when it’s important to go back to the people that we have around us, like our trainers and team, and for me and Tracey, our Dad. Having the right people around you at the right time is important.
It’s also important to use the chances you have to get better: the other day I was in the gym and doing these intervals, and I looked up at my trainer and my mind was dead, it was so hard to keep pushing, and those are the times you need to realise that this is a chance to train my mind. You never know when a challenge will come up in World Cup, so when those opportunities occur in day-to-day training or even life in general, it’s really important to take those opportunities to strengthen your mind and develop the routines to get you back quickly when things go wrong.
So, when things go wrong, how do you handle it?
TH: I like it when the shit hits the fan! When I think back to the last season, I don’t think I had a race when something catastrophic didn’t happen… I remember, after I’d had a bad practice session, my team manager told me that he likes it when difficult things happen to me because it’s when I perform my best. If you take challenge the right way, it gives you a lot more energy, which is a big advantage. Some pressure and stress is a plus, it takes your mind off racing and puts your mind on “let’s get the job done and fight for this”. Some athletes handle it and some don’t, but I get fuel for my fire when shit hits the fan.
Some athletes handle it and some don’t, but I get fuel for my fire when shit hits the fan.
MH: It’s similar for me – when something goes wrong it takes the pressure off and gives me a problem to solve. Sort of the underdog feeling: I tell myself “if I’m able to perform in this situation I’ve really achieved something”. When everything’s going perfectly I’m more nervous, because my mind’s not as occupied which can let it get out of control. For me, when I’m sick, or there are mechanicals or crashes or weather, it gives me a problem to solve and a challenge to rise up to.
What could have been. The expressions says it all.
Do either of you have a routine pre-race to get you into a prepared headspace?
MH: I try to not make my race days much different from a regular training day. There’s obviously some routines we need to go through but I just get up and have my breakfast and get stuck into the routine of the race day and repeat things that work well in my training. Doing things repetitively helps when you’re under stress or when things go wrong – the things that you’ll do automatically when things are challenging are the things that you’ve done repetitively in training. To try and do something new on a race-day is a problem – because you haven’t practised it and your body won’t know what to do.
TH: It’s about keeping your race-day routine as normal as you can. Practise, practise, practise. No matter what comes your way – I try to keep exactly the same routine. That helps make you feel as prepared as possible; it’s routine that helps you feel most calm before a race.
I don’t think it matters if you’re racing, or starting a business, or working, or interacting socially, it’s the same for everybody. It’s learning how to work with the fear that’s important.
Mick Hannah has long ago come to grips with his fears.
What’s the toughest mental challenge you’ve faced in your career and how did you overcome it?
TH: Injury has been the toughest for me – going through injury is hard. When you try to come back riding you have so much fear and anxiety. I think my toughest was coming back after breaking my leg. I guess, physically it didn’t take long, but mentally it took years. Each year would pass and I’d realise that I’d made progress until finally I got to the point where I stopped thinking about being injured and the fear went away.
After you’ve had your first big injury you go from Superman to fragile, injury reminds you that you’re fragile and getting over that is really important.
Looking at the young, fast riders, they’re so good, but they’ve got to get through their first big crash and then we’ll see how fast they are.
MH: Injuries are the obvious one – looking at the young, fast riders, they’re so good, but they’ve got to get through their first big crash and then we’ll see how fast they are. Confidence is built on consistency, and consistency is achieving things and riding well. But when you have a big injury or a string of small injuries, you think “what am I doing wrong?” so you start trying to be careful and you still get hurt no matter what you do. Then you start thinking “am I any good at this, should I be doing this?”.
Leaving nothing in the tank.
A different part of challenge for me, is that I’ve got two boys and another on the way, and I’ve wrestled with myself about “should I be growing up and getting a real job and staying at home with the kids more?”. I’ve had to figure out what I want to teach the kids and to get to a place of realising that riding bikes is who I am. I’ve realised that quitting my dream won’t teach the kids to stick with theirs – that was tough to come to terms with. People say “oh, you’re still playing with your bikes”, but playing with my bikes is my profession – I have to get past the stereotype of a traditional job. I’ve done plenty of manual labour and regular jobs, but racing is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
I’ve realised that quitting my dream won’t teach the kids to stick with theirs – that was tough to come to terms with.
How do you deal with fear?
TH: I think fear is the biggest thing that stops a lot of riders (especially my female riding friends) from progressing. But you can’t really get past fear until you accept that mountain biking is a sport where you’re probably going to hurt yourself. Mountain biking is risky, and you have to be OK with taking on that risk. Crashing is part of my riding and until I accepted that pushing my limits was how I was going to get better, I wasn’t progressing. You have to teach yourself to overcome fear otherwise it’s a major limitation. It’s about accepting that this is what riding is about.
I think Jorge Lorenzo said, “if you can’t get over the fear, then you need to stop”, because that’s the most dangerous thing you can carry when you’re riding: fear is the biggest thing that’s going to stop you from riding and riding well.
MH: It’s basic psychology and physiology. It’s interesting to see that if you’re afraid of bad things happening, the biggest cause of those things happening is the fear! I don’t think it matters if you’re racing, or starting a business, or working, or interacting socially, it’s the same for everybody. It’s learning how to work with the fear that’s important.
Jeremy’s observations:
Like Bec Henderson and Dan McConnell (http://flowmountainbike.com/features/fast-heads-bec-henderson-and-dan-mcconnell/), Tracey and Mick haven’t worked formally with a sport psychologist. Nevertheless, like Bec and Dan, they’ve both developed some powerful ways of staying focused under pressure, and coming back quickly when things go wrong. Again, because they’ve had to figure this out for themselves, these methods have been advanced over time through a process of observation and practise.
From my perspective, there are five ways in which Tracey and Mick have learnt to excel from a sport-psychology outlook:
Preparation, practise, and repetition are the keys to consistent performance:When we’re under pressure we revert to our defaults. Because this is especially true on the mountain bike, it’s really important to train our defaults through consistent practice and repetition, so that we can trust that our bodies will do the right thing automatically when we’re stressed, distracted, or frightened. Both Tracey and Mick make daily, consistent practice the centre of their training, so that they can easily repeat those embedded skills when competing. They’ve also learnt that confidence is really about competence – the more you can trust in your ability (through repeated practise and hard work), the more confident you will be.
Take every opportunity to train your focus, especially when things are difficult:You can’t prepare for things to go wrong by waiting for things to go wrong. Mick and Tracey both use opportunities in their regular training to practise regaining their focus, and dealing with the difficulty in front of them. This skill is much more useful than distracting yourself when you’re not really there. Rather than letting your mind wander as a way of escaping discomfort, learn to pay attention when things are difficult, painful, or upsetting; by making room for the discomfort, you are training your ability to be present and focused no matter what the challenge.Read about riding in the here and now here: http://flowmountainbike.com/features/the-soapbox-riding-in-the-here-and-now/
Reframe difficulty as challenge:Tracey and Mick have both dealt with some pretty big challenges, but both of them actually enjoy it when things go wrong. Being able to reframe an annoyance, difficulty, or disaster as a challenge that you can step up to, is a huge advantage. Instead of focusing on the things that go wrong, both Mick and Tracey have learnt to enjoy these opportunities to excel.
It’s important to remember that without the hard work to develop a strong skills base, it’s difficult to see difficulty as challenge. In psychology, we talk about the perception of control. When a person perceives that she is in control of a situation, stress is interpreted as challenge (we call this eustress), but when we don’t feel in control we feel helpless, and experience distress. We can increase our perception of control by practising consistently in increasingly difficult situations, and by expecting that things will go wrong. Read about how to do that here: http://flowmountainbike.com/features/how-expecting-to-fail-can-improve-your-performance/
Don’t get too hung up on what’s happened, and work with yourself to move forward:Both Mick and Tracey have had major challenges (including injuries) throughout their careers. A big plus for both of them, is focusing on improving and moving forward as riders, rather than getting hung up on what’s happened in the past. To do this, they’ve both accepted that risk is a part of riding and competition, and are better able to deal with the consequences of those risks when they occur.Read about getting your mojo back here: http://flowmountainbike.com/features/the-soapbox-getting-your-mojo-back/
Accepting fear and pain is integral to being an effective rider:Tracey and Mick both acknowledge that one of the biggest dangers in mountain biking is fear: it’s usually the fear of something going wrong that leads to that very thing happening. Accepting fear as a normal part of riding, and committing to effective action in its presence is a key to improvement. Nevertheless, they also understand that fear is reasonable up to a point. Without the skills to back you up, confidence (or arrogance in this instance) will get you in trouble. Learning to know the difference is paramount.
Dr. Jeremy Adams has a PhD in sport psychology, is a registered psychologist, and director of Eclectic Consulting Ltd. He divides his time between mountain biking, working with athletes and other performers, executive coaching, and private practice.
In past lives, Jeremy has been a principal lecturer in sport and performance psychology at a university in London, a senior manager in a large consulting firm in Melbourne, a personal trainer in Paris, and a scuba instructor in Byron Bay. He’s also the author of a textbook on performance in organisational management, a large range of professional and popular articles, and a regular blog about the joys and perils of being human (www.eclectic-moose.com).
Jeremy lives and works in Hobart and can be contacted through his website (www.eclectic-consult.com) or on (03) 9016 0306.
New bike day! This year’s Cape to Cape coincided with a hotly anticipated new release from Giant, finally a 29er cross-country race bike that is made for events like this, the new Anthem 29. Lean, light, fast, short-travel and pretty damn sexy! So with a pair fresh bikes beneath them, these two threw themselves into the thick of it.
After four days of great racing had all wrapped up, it was number plates off, to revisit some of the guy’s favourite trails close to the town centre of Margaret River. From The Pines to Compartment Ten, it’s an absolute playground of goodness to sink your tyres into, and after nearly 2000 riders had gone through one day earlier, they were buffed to perfection!
It was gloves off, elbows out as they ripped into each other for a good old blast on great trails.
Woohoo!
Got that new bike feeling!PVDP on the gas.Giant Factory Off Road Team’s Josh Carlson back to his roots on a cross country race bike.
After wrapping the 2018 Enduro World Series season in Finale Ligure, Italy, it was time to turn an Australian summer of racing and downtime. For Josh, it was back home to Vancouver to pack up and relocate his family back to Australia only days before jetting over to Western Australia for to the C2C.
JC: Racing the Cape to Cape in 2017 was a little different experience for me! Being the 10th anniversary I was super excited to be apart of it and experience the new format of every stage being based out of Margaret River. Only two days prior I landed in Sydney after moving back from Vancouver to permanently base myself out of Wollongong. And to have the Cape to Cape as my first event back and also to catch up with so many people that I have seen in years was excellent, I have so many great memories of racing this event in the past and this year added much more to that list.
I also came out to ride the new Giant Anthem 29er thanks to the Giant Australia crew and was blown away by how awesome and capable it is.
The new Anthem 29er is so wild! No one could have prepared me it was going to be this good, it’s just so rad to get on a bike so fast and capable of racing hard! – Paul Van Der Ploeg
Flying up the singletrack climbs of Compartment 10, Margaret River.
While we can recall only a few years ago seeing a Josh and Paul fully committed to cross country racing they made the switch to enduro and have found their groove. Spending a year racing the long-travel Reign and the Trance, the Anthem was like a live rocket underneath them.
Every year the trails around Margaret River get better and better and more trails appear out of nowhere! All of the new singletrack in Compartment 10 is so much fun and flows really well through the native forest, ahhhh, so good! – Paul Van Der Ploeg
JC: The trails in Margaret River are phenomenal! Each day got better and better and more and more single track which left you wanting more. Day 3 and 4 of the Cape to Cape were by far my favourite days of the week. The endless flow single track felt awesome on the new bike, and I couldn’t help myself but to open it up and shred that thing as hard as I could…and it handled it with ease!
The Pines, Middle Earth, Compartment 10 and every other zone we rode left everyone with a smile from ear to ear. Massive congrats go out to all those who put their sweat and handwork into all of the trail areas to create some phenomenal riding for everyone to enjoy.
The vibe of the town and people in the area make the Cape to Cape a fantastic event for a massive range of people.
Yeahh, the flow lines of Compartment 10 are so sweet to ride. Jumps, transfer lines, huge berms, pumping and rolling goodness!
I race the Cape to Cape every year because it’s a chance to ride and catch up with all of my cycling mates. It’s a more relaxed event that allows plenty of time to chill out enjoy the area. Paul Van Der Ploeg
JC: The 2018 Giant Anthem 29er was a fantastic machine to race on over the week, I haven’t ridden a full blown cross country bike in many years and have not ridden a bike without a dropper seat post since 2013!
So to jump back on a full seat post, 100mm XC racing weapon that is so capable was a blast, it ate up the Margaret River trails, and I enjoyed riding it.
Cross-country racing is far from my speciality these days, but the new bike made it loads of fun and added to my excitement of the week.
I only had minutes to get used to it too, I was adjusting my handlebars and seat on the start line of day one and as I took off, was immediately comfortable. The bikes geometry and handling were standouts along with its pedalling efficiency and lightweight racer feel. It was awesome to ride on all types of terrain throughout the week and enjoy myself.
“Nice pants” “What you say?”
Race you to the sunset!
West coast sunsets are THE BEST!
Dive in more in-depth with the new Giant Anthem 29 with our first impressions piece here: OOOOH, new Anthem!
Chris Panozzo, 3rd in Elite Men.Jon Odams, 19th in Elite Men.James Hall, 10th in Elite.Michael Ronning, 1st in Master 3 Men.Ben McIlroy, 1st in one-armed Instagramming.
Take one World Cup downhiller and one cross-country National Champion, mix them with a little Fox Creek grit, and then stick them in the Adelaide oven for two days… Voila! They emerge as Enduro National Champs!
Rowena Fry adds another National Champion title to her collection, this time in Enduro.Troy Brosnan proved that it doesn’t matter what travel bike you put him on, he’s damn quick.
Troy Brosnan and Rowena Fry harken from completely opposite ends of the mountain bike spectrum, and given their niche backgrounds in mountain biking, you might have thought them a pretty unlikely pair to be donning the Enduro National Champs jersey for 2017. But that’s what’s great about this discipline; it allows riders to bring to bear experience from all areas of mountain biking, rewarding those with the full basket of skills and fitness.
We caught up with Troy and Rowena to chat with them about taking the win over two great days of racing in Fox Creek, Adelaide.
Troy Brosnan, hometown hero, had a close battle with fellow World Cup racer and Adelaide lad Connor Fearon at Fox Creek. Fearon had the edge on day 1, but Troy edged ahead on the final four stages.
Flow: Firstly, congrats on a great season – second overall in the World Cup, and now a National Enduro Champs jersey too.
TB: Yep, I’m super proud of how the season went. Obviously it worked well for me in terms of the team and the bike, it was my best season ever, and I’m super excited to have been the first rider to take a Canyon to the top step of a World Cup.
Flow: And then to come out in the off season and win the Enduro Champs too. Was that a focus for you at all?
TB: It certainly wasn’t something I’d planned to do or was training for, in fact I only entered a week or so before because it’s right in my backyard and the trails out there are pretty fun. I actually thought it was a one day race, so I when I found out it was two I thought about pulling out. Even though it was pretty painful, I’m glad I did it in the end!
Flow: It looked like a great battle with Connor, another hometown rider. Do you guys ride together very much?
TB: Yeah it was good racing him. We don’t actually ride together very much in the off season – I mean, if we both end up riding at the same place we do, but it’s not something we plan. We have talked about it a bit in the past, but with our training both being on different schedules it hasn’t worked out.
Flow: So what bike did you decide to ride for the Champs?
Just my usual trail bike, it’s a Canyon Spectral (read our review here). I prefer it to the Strive, it seems to stay planted a little better, and I prefer less travel on a trail bike. It’s completely stock other than the Rockshox and shock, but otherwise it’s the very same bike you can buy off the website. It’s pretty cool, you can buy a stock bike and then race it to a National Championship!
Flow: So, National Champ, we’re not going to see you stepping into the ranks of the EWS any time soon?
TB: No, EWS rounds are off the cards for me, it’s a bit too hectic with the World Cup too, and it’s not something I really enjoy doing. I love riding my trail bike, but when it comes to the EWS it’s a bit of semi shit show I feel, and it doesn’t really excite me. Maybe when I’m all washed up like all the other old downhillers I’ll think about it!
Flow: Haha! Are you calling Sam Hill washed up.
TB: I’d better not! He almost beat me at the World Champs!
Rowena Fry is a name you’ve probably seen at the top of cross-country, marathon and stage race results sheets a lot over the past decade. The Launceston local has shifted her focus to Enduro this year, and after a good result in Derby stoked the fire, she’s stepped up to beat some impressive names to win the Champs.
Row Fry nabbed the very first Scott Genius 900 Tuned to arrive in Australia, and put it to good use straight away!
Flow: Congratulations on the win. There are a lot of fast bike riders from Tassie.
Rowena: Yeah, we probably punch above our weight for that. We’ve got heaps of good roads and forests to ride in; and we don’t need to spend lots of time travelling in traffic anywhere!
Flow: Which local trails do you ride the most?
Rowena: We go out in Derby a fair bit; it’s only an hour from our place. The local Lonnie trails are more XC focused so we ride up Kate Reed and Trevallyn but they’re getting more gravity trails in now.
Flow: We see people coming to enduro from downhill backgrounds as well as cross country. Having been one of Australia’s top cross country racers, what brought you to enduro?
Rowena: Ummm, you don’t have to train as much! Enduro’s sort of just the best bits of cross country without as much of the not-so-nice bits – having to train for the hill climbs. I was probably one of the better cross country riders on technical trails. I’m trying to teach myself to jump at the ripe old age of 34, whereas the liaison and uphill or pedally stages come a lot more naturally to me than a lot of the downhillers.
Flow: You had a close battle with Philippa and Shelly. How did you feel coming to this race against these local women, both with quite a lot of downhill and enduro experience?
Rowena: I was feeling pretty good and then I saw the trails, and realised there was a fair old advantage if you know them. They were really hard trails to race on because they were so loose, so they were pretty demanding. I actually would’ve liked a few extra days practice, so will remember that for next time! Only practicing stages once or twice each was really hard work from my side of things. You also had to be conservative too because the trails were fairly unpredictable, if you were pinning it you could easily crash and loose massive chunks of time as well, so it was quite a tactical event in those regards.
We’re hoping to see Row at all the major Aussie enduro events next year, even if she’s not likely to head overseas to contest the EWS.
Flow: Can you tell us about the bike you were racing?
Rowena: I was lucky enough to have the first new Scott Genius Tuned 900 to arrive in Australia. Scott didn’t really have a true enduro trail bike before this. It’s bang on; super light, 65.6 degree head angle. I run it mostly stock. I use the integrated bar and stem which is only 760mm wide, which is what I was running anyway. The new SRAM Eagle is so good; the get out of gaol gear at the top is really amazing. I swapped out the tyres to a Maxxis Minion on the front and Aggressor on the rear which I’m running at about 17/21 PSI without any rim protection.
Flow: Earlier in the year we saw you race at the Derby EWS and finish 10th. How was that race for you?
Rowena: I loved it. That was my first enduro race so I really didn’t know what to expect. Obviously, training was super dry and dusty and then it pissed down in the race. That was actually the most fun I’ve ever had in a thunder storm for seven hours, completely saturated, I’ve never had so much fun! I was actually a bit disappointed with my result. I hadn’t done the first round in Rotorua so I didn’t have a ranking which meant I had a lot of issues with traffic and because of the riding conditions it was just so hard to pass the girls I was catching. To be honest, I was actually trying to plug for a top 5 down there. I was obviously still stoked to get 10th but it made me a bit hungry to do a couple more.
Yeah, I think I’ll do more enduro races. I haven’t raced national level cross country for a number of years because the enjoyment wasn’t quite there for me after racing it for so long.
Flow: So what are your plans for next year? Will we see you take on more enduro national series races?
Rowena: Yeah, I think I’ll do more enduro races. I haven’t raced national level cross country for a number of years because the enjoyment wasn’t quite there for me after racing it for so long. But this is like a new sport; it makes me want to get out there and push my skills, learn to jump and go bigger and further. If they fit in with what I’m doing in life then I’ll certainly try and do a few more.
Flow: What does fill up the rest of your life?
Rowena: My husband, Ben, and I own the Avanti Plus bike shop in Lonnie, but I’m a physio as well so work as a physio full time. We’re into fishing as well.
Flow: Despite being awarded the best EWS trail of 2017, Tassie doesn’t have a round of the EWS next year. Australia and NZ completely miss out. Are we likely to see you venture further abroad to race any EWS rounds?
Rowena: I’d love to but it’s probably going to be too expensive, I think. I’d love to race Whistler, but it is so hard for Australians, if you are self-funded, to get across to those events. Especially after doing it for so long with XC; I’d love to, but I don’t think it’s realistic. That said, there are some good races in New Zealand that look fun to go and do as well.
The international race season is over, the pressure’s off. With a week of downtime before the National Enduro Championships, defending champ Chris Panozzo and his protege Ben McIlroy head to their home turf for an arvo of roosting dusty Mt Beauty berms.
We’ll be following this pair, along with the rest of the Shimano Australia supported Enduro crew as they head to Adelaide for the Enduro National Champs too, so keep an eye out for all the coverage soon.
Mt Beauty is one of the original Aussie mountain bike towns, and it has probably produced more top quality riders per capita than anywhere else in the country. The trails play a big part in this – raw, loose, technical, and challenging to ride fast – if you can rip here, you can ride fast anywhere.
Looking for more from Mt Beauty? Check out our Ride High Country road trip videos below:
That’s the dream, but making it happen is another story. In reality, building your own trails is a lot of hard work. Walking the land, planning alignments, buying machinery, years of digging, tweaking, clearing, maintaining – it’s a labour of love, and it takes an especially motivated person to see the vision through to completion.
Flowing through the massive gums. Parts of the Trailshare loop feel a lot like riding in Mt Buller.
So we packed a couple of test bikes, and headed north, off the freeway, down a dirt road a few kay, and into paradise.
Neil Soderlund and his dog George at Trailshare Cabins.
Neil Soderlund is one of those people. An eccentric, inquisitive, unstoppable fellow, Neil had the same dream for us all, but then he worked like mad make it happen. When he recently invited us to come stay with him at his creation, Trailshare Cabins, located in Kulnura about an hour out of Sydney. So we packed a couple of test bikes, and headed north, off the freeway, down a dirt road a few kay, and into paradise.
The accommodation is all solar powered and uses tank water – it’s all built with sustainability in mind.Neil took advantage of this fallen tree to use it as the basis for a suspended deck.Looking north out towards the Watagans.
Sometimes the stars just align. Neil was looking for somewhere to build his trail network just as a 400-acre lot of rugged, undeveloped land came onto the market as part of a foreclosure sale, just out of Sydney. It was perfect: steep, rocky, with deep gullies, a few old logging benches cut through the bush, and useless to just about anyone except mountain bikers and bushwalkers. He snapped it up.
These aren’t your usual DIY trails!
Neil’s plans weren’t halfhearted; these weren’t going be few squiggles scratched into the hills. Inspired by the professionals, he set about getting the machinery to do it properly – Bobcats, dozers, quad bikes, and a whole arsenal of tools soon filled the new sheds and shelters built to house them.
Neil and his wife Karen, who also live on the property most weekends.Just some of the trail building arsenal.
Learning as he goes is just part of Neil’s life – by the age of 14 he’d taught himself how to smith knives, and he’d begun selling them to hunters in South Africa. Over the years he’s learnt how to build bike frames out of carbon fibre, designed and built his own e-bikes, created new systems of couplings for collapsible travel bikes and then ridden them around the globe, designed houses, started new businesses and much more. For him, learning how to build trails (and how to operate and maintain the machines to do it) was just another challenge.
Over the past two years, he and his co-builder Laszlo Varga (an Austrian ski instructor who turned trail builder after discovering there was wasn’t a lot of snow in Oz!) have spent their weekends carving in more than 20km of trail through some beautiful countryside, full of massive sandstone outcrops and caves, with huge Turpentine trees and rainforest gullies.
This suspension bridge was built by Neil to cross a deep gully, using methods first pioneered to build low-cost, safe bridges in African communities.Another angle of Neil’s hand-built bridge.
What started out as a personal playground has become something that Neil wants to share with other riders, and so he hatched plans for putting some accommodation on the property. Once again, it was Neil’s creative brain that went into overdrive; he had four shipping containers converted into neat cabins of his own design, assembled around an open-air dining area, complete with a cool suspended deck that looks out into the valley below.
The best bit? The trails start literally from the edge of the fire pit, so once you’ve had your morning coffee, it’s about a five metre roll into the first berm.
Take a seat in the beer garden, watch the pump track and fuel the stoke for more runs. Pretty bloody sweet!
JC: The 2018 Giant Anthem 29er was a fantastic machine to race on over the week, I haven’t ridden a full blown cross country bike in many years and have not ridden a bike without a dropper seat post since 2013!
