As any regular readers will know I’m currently on a mountain biking and writing hiatus, travelling around the world for 4 or 5 months, so not much mountain biking writing going on in this post. Check out some of my more popular articles in the meantime, such as Buying a Second Hand Bike on eBay or check out the scottish mountain bike trail guides.
I’m currently in Melbourne, Australia, though, and I’ve discovered there’s actually tons of great mountain biking out here. Instead of the dry, flat deserts I’d pictured when I thought of Australia there are actually some hugely mountainous regions.
Who knew you could ski in Australia for example! The name of the snowy mountains probably should have given me a clue to be fair, but hey, I’m not always that sharp…
Anyway, the biking – imagine being a mountain biker in a country where your process for preparing for a ride consists of the following:
- Before ride, check current season.
- If season is currently Spring, Summer or Autumn then put on your bare minimum lycra, stick a tube and pump in your pocket, and 20 litres of water in your frame-mounted bottle.
- If season is winter then pack as above, but put on one extra t-shirt.
It’s the predictability of the weather in Australia that gets me, something we know nothing of whatsoever in Scotland. You can plan a weekend mountain bike ride, taking the tent in tow, a month in advance, and you know exactly what you need to take because you know exactly what the weather will be like. Because it’s practically ALWAYS the same weather at the same time every year. To know I could go riding in Skye in July and expect Sun would be amazing. Instead, I have to pack for every eventuality… oh well.
Anyway, check out the link below for a local bike mag with a great list of trails and next time you’re down under you can hire a bike one day and try some warm, dry winter biking.
Get to canberra and head straight to mount stromlo. world class facility with miles of primed singletrack. Host of the 2009 MTB world championships!
Also, just near the canberra airport make sure you ride the famous majura pines trail network.
Check out the Gibb River Road Mountain Bike Challenge over in Western Australia being held in May 2010, 800kms ride from Derby to Kunnunurra, Im aiming to do it next year.
Cheers for that Vilma, that’s one hell of a marathon!
Sounds like a good race though, how long do people generally complete it in?