HERE’S TO THE FUTURE
WORDS MIKE BLEWITT PHOTO COLIN LEVITCH
Putting together a mountain bike magazine seven times a year creates a little bit of forward thinking. While I’m writing this editorial in early March, I know that once this magazine goes on sale, we’ll have new National Champions in eMTB, Pump Track, Trials, Downhill and Cross-Country. I hope you liked the coverage that I’ll be putting online next week, in my current time.
On the topic of time, there is no denying that some elements of mountain biking are accelerating forward in leaps and bounds. Trail design and bike capability is a key area, and that’s driving a lot of the new trails that are being built around Australia right now. We’ve got the tiniest of summaries on that in Fast Track, and in talking with cover star Ryan De La Rue – but Colin Levitch jumps in deeper in his story on what the future of mountain biking may hold.
While some things change, some things don’t! And as such I went down the rabbit hole to come up with a bit of a summary on chain lubricants. No matter how much our suspension, frame materials and the number of sprockets changes – chains still do the work. And there are huge benefits financially, time wise and in a waste reduction sense on making the right choice for you.
The future will also be full of the kids who are on bikes now, and based on that, mountain biking may be coming into another golden era. Will Shaw has taken a look at kids’ mountain bike programmes around the country, while Leo Cerda shared his tips for getting your kid off road.
Maybe I’m an optimist – but I reckon our future looks bright!
We’ve said it before, but let’s repeat it again anyway – when have mountain bikers ever had it so good? We can start by looking at how capable modern mountain bikes are, along with their reliability. But what really makes mountain biking so great currently is the variety and lengths of new mountain bike trails being developed around the country.
We talked about this through winter last year, and progress isn’t slowing down. Here’s a look at a few places that are opening now, or later this year. We've got plans afoot to visit a couple of these locations in the coming months, to see if they're going to be everything we expect.
WILD MERSEY, TASMANIA
This one is exciting, especially for anyone in Melbourne. With trails just a short roll from Devonport where you get off the Spirit of Tasmania, the Wild Mersey trail network is well over half way done. With another 40km recently opened between Railton and Sheffield, Wild Mersey now boasts 70km of mountain bike trails, with 100km set to be open for this summer. Thanks to the ease of access with Devonport, the Wild Mersey trails might be the easiest for anyone on the mainland to access – you probably won’t even need a hire car.
QUEENSTOWN, TASMANIA
The wild west coast of Tasmania is known for extremes, and the Dirt Art trail teams have been busy creating a new Tasmanian trail network at Mt Owen (above). With trails cut into steep slopes, there are views for days! The elevation range on offer is a massive 800m and with lots of rocky soil, you can expect trails that will drain well and even run better with some rain.
The trail network of 35km runs from Queenstown, with two loop trails and five gravity trails built. The trails range from intermediate to double black diamond for those who want to test themselves. This network looks to offer a real backcountry experience, and one we are very keen to check out when it opens. We hear there is more to come to the West Coast later this year, with Zeehan next on the build list.
OMEO, VICTORIA
Omeo have got their pump track, and have progressed to the trail planning stage. For the first round of trail construction. The aim is to have the first stage (55km) completed by the end of summer, with rolling openings as trails are completed. We’re excited about the growing network in Omeo, as it adds yet another place to visit in the Victorian High Country.
COLLIE, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Common Ground Trails are still hard at work in Collie, Western Australia, where they are building another 20km of trails, with a mix of multi-use and mountain bike specific trails, with the trails being open to the public by late Autumn. Collie is the jewel in the crown of Western Australia and with over 100km of mountain bike trails to be developed about 200km south of Perth, it's a place to keep an eye on.
FOX CREEK, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Fox Creek Bike Park has long been a popular location in South Australia but badly suffered significant bushfire damage. However the recent announcement of $2.5 million of Federal bushfire funds adding to ForestrySA committed funds, its stunning trail network is set to be revitalised and expand by an additional 30kms by early 2022. That means a freshly groomed 80kms of ‘heaps good’ purpose built mountain bike trails with new dedicated eMTB and Adaptive MTB trails, a gravel network, Epic designation trails and sweet new ‘international event-level’ park facilities in an iconic trail destination on the edge of Adelaide.
GEORGE TOWN, TASMANIA
Just a stone’s throw from Launceston, the George Town trail development is split into two areas at Mount George and Lauriston Park, with 80km of mountain bike trails planned in total. World Trail are under way with the build of the trail centres, with both networks designed for easy shuttle access. Current schedules have the trails open and ready to ride in October this year, and given the proximity to Launceston and Launceston airport, we reckon this one is going to be popular with locals and mainlanders alike.
WANGETTI TRAIL, QUEENSLAND
Travelling 94km from Palm Cove to Port Douglas, this multi-use trail has now started construction, with the first 32km to Wangetti already under construction. While there has been some hoohah about major trail builders being snubbed on the contract, that doesn’t change the location, and the community connections this trail will deliver once it’s finished. After a bit of a lull in Tropical North Queensland since the 2017 World Championships, this project should really bring the location to the fore.