You F#&Kin' Beauty

You can only be a victim if you admit defeat. – The Descendents There comes a time when you have to take a stand about things that you believe in. Recently I gave in to feelings that I was loosing my touch on a bike and lost my faith in riding as a whole. On the Anzac Day just gone I got my game back. After kicking around ideas with friends and doing a lot of soul searching to find what I wanted out of riding I decided my number one priority was to get the ‘fun’ back. When I thought about what off-road riding I’d done in the past 12 months I decided that the tiny amounts of XC and DH that I’d actually managed really didn’t cut it for inspiration. NO amount of riding to work on the flat and concrete is replacement for actual dirt time. Let’s leave that for the roadies eh? After putting the idea up on the Soul-Riders Forum I had myself an invite to North Eastern Victoria to ride with Spinner at Mt Beauty. For me, Mt Beauty holds a special place in my mountain biking riding as it has been the scene of many a Nationals and the first place I ever raced DH on my first DH capable bike. After a bad bushfire season a few years ago Mt Beauty has been off the cards as a destination but my trip has just proved to me that it’s back in a big way. Late night packing and anticipation brought back the memories of seasons gone. Leaving way late from work on Monday, 4 hours in the car and way too much caffeine later I arrived in Mt Beauty ready to rock the next day. I had a bunch of just delivered CD’s, my bike, a massive pile of bike gear and drinks and not enough food. Bring on the trails. The morning of Anzac day arrived sunny and warm (Whoohoo!!At last). Looking out my motel window I got a good look at the ugly little hill that is ironically the alleged Mountain of Beauty. After meeting Spinner at the Bakery (the official meeting place and good food provider to all) we headed up to the MTB area. We both brought mid-long travel duallies and the first climb of the morning got my lungs working hard, lactic burning and body temperature rising. Half way up the XC course I quickly realised that climbing can not be trained for on my flat ride to work. I also remembered that climbing on my beefcake little bike wasn’t quite as easy as I’d hoped but that it rocked the singletrack and the rollers. At the top (ish bit) of the hill we dropped back onto the DH course and rocked down some super twisty and fun trails that twisted and traversed the front of the mountain. Toward the bottom some new sections have been added to some deep ruts with steel mesh ramps creating a mini rollercoaster section at high speed with some tight corners and switchbacks. By the bottom I had a massive grin from the tail despite one small get off and a wimp out on a small rock drop. One thing that the first hour back on dirt proved to me was I really needed to do it more often. Having to get used to the feel of a bike I’ve owned for over 3 years was bizarre at first but the weirdness went away and I felt at home once again. I was well on the way back to digging bikes again. Between the two of us we were keen to hit up the hill again but neither of us could face the climb twice in one morning. Better to leave with a smile than look back with a frown so we headed out to Beechworth and the next of our trail stops. Arriving at the Beechworth Bike Park we met up with Paul, Sue and Rob already enjoying the trails and the sun. Starting out with a loop of the XC trails the much lower grade of climbing and technical trails quickly got my morning stoke back. Another lap put us on the DH trail and over some rocky and rough fun mini descents. One of the highlights for me was cleaning the MASSIVE rock rollover toward the bottom on my first trip down. It’s pretty easy once you clean it but it’s damn tall and the backside isn’t there until the point of no return. A quick shuttle back to the top and we were ready for another run and I managed to find a bit more speed and flow. The Bike Park is a rad place to ride for any level and style of rider. There are sweet tech XC trails, fast flowy singletracks, freeride sections and short DH runs. Take a crew, HAVE FUN. Next up we jumped in the 4WD and headed over to a new trail for me the Woolshed DH Singletrack. This is a trail that follows beside the main road down toward the falls but is entirely tight, flowing, technical singletrack. The terrain varies from loose and leafy to barren and rocky but has so much variation and mini technical sections it’s an absolute blast. It’s not the easiest trail for beginners but it you are looking for something you can ride at speed and really work your skills it’s a blast. We did 4 shuttles on that trail (Cheers guys!) and every time I tried or learned something new. Getting my dirt handling skills back on this trail really gave me confidence and the confidence let me go fast and rail and pump the terrain. One section has a small steeply dropping dirt roller into another and gapping the spine between the two gave me the rush of the day. That trail rocked my day. The final destination for our riding for the day was on a far flung ridge on a hill out of Stanley. We seemed to be heading up and out for a LONG time before we reached a random saddle on the side of the dirt road and the newly discovered trail. After a quick climb to the top of the trail head we pointed our bikes down a steep, shaly trail and rolled as fast as the terrain and traction would allow. After 5 minutes of descent the trail opened up to forested land and a mellow singletrack back to the road. 5 minutes later we hooked back onto the main road and our perfectly timed shuttle pickup. There are plans for the Beechworth crew to work on this trail and make it more suited for bikes and add some flow to the down. Keep your eye’s open for more. I was tired but still peaking on caffeine and looking back on the day I had hit up 4 different trails of totally different styles and met a whole new crew of good people and riders. 5pm had rolled around pretty damn quick and I had 3+hrs driving ahead of me. As soon as I loaded my car with gear and got a bite to eat at the Beechworth Bakery I knew I was back. My body was starting to get sore and the temperature was dropping rapidly but I’d had a full day of the type of riding that I like the best; Fun, technical singletrack. The long drive let me think about my day’s adventure (and what I’d spent on a single day on the trails!) but I finally got my love of riding back and the driving and the spending was all worth it. Mental note: Buy snacks and drinks at the supermarket BEFORE you leave not @ the servo on the way up. Never rely on Road House hot food to actually be edible on a long drive… shudder. A massive thanks to Tony, Paul, Sue and Rob for the invite and letting me tag along on the rides and shuttles. I really needed a good day in the saddle and with a good crew and you guys were the best. Cheers to all who sent suggestions for getting back on the bike and making it fun. Soul-Riders has had it’s first mini road trip. Now you gotta get onboard for the next one. Keep your eye’s open on the forum. Bring it on. Sounds from a road trip: NOFX – Wolves in Wolves Clothing (New and Wow!) NOFX – Never Trust a Hippy Reggie and the Full Effect – Songs Not to Get Married To (Rocking and different) Lifetime – Somewhere in the Swamps of New Jersey (Old stuff, remixes and rare stuff) Sommerset – Say What You Want (Harder, rockinger and farking GREAT!) None More Black (ALL – these guys are awesome). For more details on the trails and the area’s in this article check out: www.beechworthchaingang.com.au www.teammtbeauty.org