TEGAN MOLLOY
One of the fastest women in Australia, and the world, Tegan Molloy is lucky enough to call the NSW Snowy Mountains home. “I was born in Cooma and I went to school in Jindabyne, and that’s still where I live now.”
Just like riders from Sydney know how to ride ledges and drops, and mountain bikers in Perth know a thing or two about pea gravel, growing up mountain biking in the Snowies shaped Tegan’s riding.
“It’s pretty special having Thredbo as my local mountain. When I first started riding downhill there was only the Cannonball trail, which in the end really helped my riding. I didn’t have any choice to ride anything easier. But Thredbo now is the ultimate playground, and so are the surrounding areas as well.”
These days, Tegan even makes Thredbo her office. She guides for Thredbo MTB, taking courses on the mountain. But if she’s not clocking on to ride the trails and guide other riders, she still heads to Thredbo regularly for runs on her Kona downhill bike.
“I’d like to say I get up to Thredbo about twice a week for a good downhill session. And if I’m not up there I’m down in Jindabyne riding the trails before or after work, making sure I get my fitness up.” Jindabyne can get a little bit forgotten, but the trails near the lake and surrounding hills really offer a change from higher up the mountains. Tegan reckons that stopping off in Jindabyne for a trail ride, or a paddle on the lake, is a must-do when visiting.
“I’d recommend some of the trail riding around Jindabyne. There are some really good old school tracks as well as the new trails that have been built. You just have to get out there and head out on an adventure to find some of the older ones. Even heading out on a stand up paddle board on the lake is a great way to complement a day on the bikes, especially if you have been doing laps at Thredbo.”
“Even if the weather is not so good at Thredbo you can still come down to Jindy and get a ride in for the day, and I’d really suggest hitting the local brewery too.”
Tegan insists that the real drawcard for the NSW Snowy Mountains is Thredbo, with lifted riding all-season long.
“For me Thredbo is really unique because it is right in my backyard, I can drive 30 minutes and I’m there. I get to ride some of the longest runs in Australia and have the chair lift access as well. It means I can ride non-stop until I can’t ride anymore.”
There have been changes at Thredbo with the trails progressively moving off the ski slopes and into the trees. And Tegan thinks this is great for the progression of the trails – and how we all ride them.
“They’re having to change things in Thredbo and that keeps it fresh. It changes things for everyone. It will be really good. When they build features on the ski slopes they have to knock them down every year, so there is no progression. As when we come into the season they have to rebuild features, which takes a lot of time. So then the trails are only where they were before. Now with trails needing to stay within the trees it can be there over winter and the trails will be able to progress and be changed each year.”