Some people say you should do something every day that scares you. I kind of prefer to think of that statement as something that inspires you (but might sometimes feel a bit out of reach). Today I did both. I opened an email, crapped my pants, and entered the Sydney to Gong ride.Continue reading “Fundraise for MS”
Category Archives: Events
SRAM Singletrack Mind Series – Rd 2
To quote event photographer Dave Bateman, who took the great image above, “I got so many awesome shots because riders looked like they were absolutely loving it! I got so many “this track is rad”, “this is awesome” comments from riders of all abilities. Great to be part of it.”
BG/Merida Demo Day Wrap
The two things I enjoyed most about the Bicycle Garage/Merida Bikes demo day were watching other people (re)discover mountain biking and getting to ride types of bikes I’ve heard about, but never experienced. On the new experience front, the stand out for me was the new Merida 29er, the “Twenty-nine Lite 1000-D”. Being 5’4″ I’ve never been too interested in the clown wheel hype that’s going around (I feel like my 26″ wheels are clown-like compared to my stature in any case). What surprised me was how nicely balanced this bike felt. The way it glided through singletrack like a boat through water made me see why people are enjoying the ride experiences these bikes offer. The Shimano SLX-ish build felt solid and reliable to use and the Rock Shox Recon forks soaked up the trail nicely. While this spec is not top technology by today’s race weenie standards, the way technology has trickled down to this mid-range spec over the years makes a bike at this level a much nicer experience than it would have been 5 – 10 years ago. And given the cost of replacement parts to a nice race steed after a wet ride or some ambitious crashes, I can’t help but think what a great second bike something like this would be.
All in all, the demo day re-affirmed my love for all things riding (like I needed any help with that) and it was a great, fun way for people to feel what sort of set up suits their riding best, rather than just wonder about it. If you get the chance to do something similar, get stuck into it!
Thanks to the Bicycle Garage and Merida Bikes for making this day happen, it’s another example of how a good local bike shop really can make your local neighbourhood an even more fun place to live!
2011 Mont 24 Hour Race
You can’t have an amazing Mont experience without having an amazing team to share it with and it amazes me how many times I’ve hit the 24 hour jackpot. This year I teamed up with Dan Mackay, Kevin Wells, Jason McAvoy, Paul Traynor and Brad Morton to race for Radical Lights in the Mixed Six category. We entered as a ‘fun’ team, meaning our emphasis was on enjoying the trails and not destroying ourselves racing for every extra second, although fast legs, awesome attitudes, quick night laps (due to exceptional Radical night vision) and a whole lot of 24 hour racing experience meant we quickly found ourselves on the sixed mixed leader board.Continue reading “2011 Mont 24 Hour Race”
Women’s MTB Chat Session at the Mont
How would you like to see women’s mountain biking develop?
Anne Napier, one of the Canberra Off-Road Cyclist Club’s enthusiastic women’s development officers, has initiated a one hour public chat session centred around women’s riding. The session will be held from 5.30 – 6.30pm on the Friday of the Mont 24 Hour race (April 8th) in the recreation tent. I’m looking forward to taking part and hearing about other riders’ perspectives on how things are and how things could be.
Follow this link for further information. I hope to see you there!
Kath Bicknell 