In search of trails

It is hard to escape the excitement of riding new trails. Whether I am lucky enough to be at the trailhead of a new mountain bike destination, or just about to point down a scrub lined chute off the side of rough double-track, the excitable anticipation of riding new trails is hard to ignore.

Trail development continues to explode in Australia and around the world we have endless trails to explore by two wheels. When I visit somewhere new, or just have more time in one of my favourite riding destinations, I tend to run on one rule: singletrack is never wrong*. Lots of places I have been to have official trail maps and signage, but also plenty of other trails. Funding doesn’t always spread to trail signs and mapping for a complete network. Ride sharing apps and local knowledge are useful – but sometimes you just have to get out and explore trails yourself.

And that’s what a lot of this issue is about. From racing on trails that just opened in Margaret River at Cape to Cape, to a fully catered and guided mountain bike trip through some of the best bits of the Victorian High Country, riding private trails around Nelson, to exploring by bike in an area in Tibet that had probably never seen a mountain bike – all these stories from our crew of writers is about going out and riding somewhere new, all with a different level of commitment.

As the oven door of summer is closing a little, the high temperatures are passing and the best conditions to ride are here. So why not look beyond your local trails and explore some new lines this autumn?

*Except of course if it’ s marked as no riding. In that case, don’ t be that mountain biker.