Dozer
19-02-2007, 06:44 AM
Welcome to the first of the fortnightly interviews for MTF.
We've all seen this member's name pop up in a lot of threads here on farkin and his input on the site is very valued.
The Cat.....I thought his username was something to do with the alleged black cat that cruises around Lithgow and surrounding areas......as you'll read, it is nothing like that!
Ladies and Gentlemen.....meet the cat.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat2.jpg
Who are you? (Name, age, job etc)
Craig Flynn. 33. Partners in Insane Cycles at Lithgow
Why did you become a member of Farkin?
I think it was in 2004. I was trying to rebuild the Central Tablelands Mountain bike club and FARKIN seemed to be the best place to get info out to riders.
What made you choose that username?
I used to get called The Cat as an apprentice. One guy thought I was a bit hypoactive and Bad Boy Bubby had just come out so he took to yelling “Be Still Cat!” whenever I did anything. But it's Ok Me be Poppy now and if that's all there is we're farked!
What’s your favorite section of Farkin and why?
I’m not sure I could pick just a section but the way it brings riders together from across the country to share their experiences is the main attraction for me.
What would attract riders to your area?
Like you guys up there in Coffs, we are blessed with a lot of great natural terrain, whether you are into DH XC or All day epics it’s all on our doorstep. Being so close to Sydney and the Gong makes it a viable day trip for some great riding.
You’ve had some things happening lately with a certain trail closure. What is the situation now?
The situation is that the land that the track crosses appears to have been sold.
It was part of an old mining lease. When we first started using the track there were a couple of maps showing different parcels and different owners.
We contacted the mining company in question, spoke to their contract surveyor and showed him the map outlining where the track was. His advice to us at that time was that the land no longer belonged to the mining company as it was all part of the parcel donated back to the State Mine Heritage Park. This corresponded with the other map we had and we thought we was all good to go.
Unfortunitely it seems that advice was incorrect. The mining company was taken over by Exstrata Coal who looked into it a bit further and realized they owned the land and decided to sell it off(I should point out Exstrata didn’t know about us using the track at that stage).
A contract of sale has been entered into between Exstrata Coal and Australian Eco Systems. Australian Eco Systems have asked us not to ride the track any more and to help clean it up (Remove the pallets and bridges). They say they plan to feral proof fence it and create some walking tracks and that the liability risk and environmental concerns posed by DH racing are unacceptable to them.
There is still some confusion of where the actual boundaries are and Lithgow Council is trying to intervene with Exstrata before the deed title changes hands but I don’t think there is much they can do if the contracts have already been exchanged. Council has voted to help us find a new venue if a compromise can not be found with Aussie Eco.
Moral of the story is to dot the T’s and cross the I’s when getting permission to use a block of land. We had thought we’d done everything by the book. In hindsight I was a little nieve and we should have gotten a lot more stuff in writing.
Best and worst MTB moments?
Best: There’s so many. A wet day of shuttle runs with mates comes to mind, as does doing the dawn lap at the first Sydney 24hr.
Worst: Hearing about the loss of the State Mine Track through a rumour.
Who will win the world champs in 2007 for downhill?
I hope Rennie takes it out. He has been chasing it so long and really deserves it. At the 06 National round up here he had 15min to grab lunch between his practice runs and getting back on the bus to go back up for racing yet he spent all of that time signing hats, frames, posters and the crappiest looking foam helmet you’ve ever seen for kids and had time to talk to anyone game enough to approach. That’s the type of guy you need at the top.
How do you see the Aussie mountain bike scene changing in the future?
Racing is getting bigger and starting to push its way into the mainstream. We already have kids in our club who are giving cricket and football a miss this year to concentrate on riding.
Is getting bigger a good thing? I don’t know. It will be interesting to see.
I think it is also going to get a lot more professional in the way it is ran. MTBA’s guideline to hosting national rounds is getting more demanding and the clubs are stepping up. Private promoters are becoming more common place for big races. Whether that is getting better or loosing its soul is yet to be seen.
General riding will find its voice and the lobby groups will begin to win their access battles. All will be good and rosy. The Cat has declared it be so :o)
When will you stop riding, and why?
When I first opened the shop there was an old guy who’d come in all the time he was ninety and rode up the Drift (the hill on the shuttle road to the State Mine) 3 times a week and did the 7km single track loop that runs along the Glowworm tunnel road. "Don't tell mum." He'd say "she doesn't like me going up there on my own."
If I’m still going that well at that age I’ll be very happy.
Who would you love to see become a member of
Farkin?
Jim Morrison (Because it would be cool and just a little freaky), Van Morrison (‘cause the grumpy little prick would fit right in), James Morrison (Cause we need someone who their own trumpet in a good way), Lindy Morrison (just be-farkin-cause) and someone else.
What are your best and worst movies?
I'm not a big movie person.
The Crow, Mall rats, Chasing Amy would be up there with Lord of the Rings for fav
Jay and Silent bob movie down there with the worst.
What music is in your CD player at the moment?
The Grates: Gravity won’t get you high (I preferred "the Ouch the Touch" but still good)
Pilot: Assess the Moment (Local Lithgow band with a top sound)
If you were a bike, what spec would you be and where would you want to be ridden?
That reminds me of the Krispy quote in Down. It went something like "If I were to come back I'd like to come back as Leigh Donovan’s bike shorts."
If you were a politician, what is the first thing you would change in Australia?
Land access. Finding solutions to sustainable access should be a top priority not locking people out.
If half the energy went to finding ways to accommodate sustainable access as went into keeping people out we'd be a long way in front.
What are your hobbies apart from being around bikes?
There are other hobbies?
My two kids, Thing 1 and Thing 2, keep me busy. I get out for the occasional canyon trip but haven't done any real rock climbing for far too long.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat1.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat3.jpg
There you have it, the cat is a big part of the MTB community in Australia and his work with his local MTB comes straight from his heart.
You can read more on the cat and how he operates his shovel by checking out his interview in the trail building section of Meet the Fairies here.... http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=73969
We've all seen this member's name pop up in a lot of threads here on farkin and his input on the site is very valued.
The Cat.....I thought his username was something to do with the alleged black cat that cruises around Lithgow and surrounding areas......as you'll read, it is nothing like that!
Ladies and Gentlemen.....meet the cat.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat2.jpg
Who are you? (Name, age, job etc)
Craig Flynn. 33. Partners in Insane Cycles at Lithgow
Why did you become a member of Farkin?
I think it was in 2004. I was trying to rebuild the Central Tablelands Mountain bike club and FARKIN seemed to be the best place to get info out to riders.
What made you choose that username?
I used to get called The Cat as an apprentice. One guy thought I was a bit hypoactive and Bad Boy Bubby had just come out so he took to yelling “Be Still Cat!” whenever I did anything. But it's Ok Me be Poppy now and if that's all there is we're farked!
What’s your favorite section of Farkin and why?
I’m not sure I could pick just a section but the way it brings riders together from across the country to share their experiences is the main attraction for me.
What would attract riders to your area?
Like you guys up there in Coffs, we are blessed with a lot of great natural terrain, whether you are into DH XC or All day epics it’s all on our doorstep. Being so close to Sydney and the Gong makes it a viable day trip for some great riding.
You’ve had some things happening lately with a certain trail closure. What is the situation now?
The situation is that the land that the track crosses appears to have been sold.
It was part of an old mining lease. When we first started using the track there were a couple of maps showing different parcels and different owners.
We contacted the mining company in question, spoke to their contract surveyor and showed him the map outlining where the track was. His advice to us at that time was that the land no longer belonged to the mining company as it was all part of the parcel donated back to the State Mine Heritage Park. This corresponded with the other map we had and we thought we was all good to go.
Unfortunitely it seems that advice was incorrect. The mining company was taken over by Exstrata Coal who looked into it a bit further and realized they owned the land and decided to sell it off(I should point out Exstrata didn’t know about us using the track at that stage).
A contract of sale has been entered into between Exstrata Coal and Australian Eco Systems. Australian Eco Systems have asked us not to ride the track any more and to help clean it up (Remove the pallets and bridges). They say they plan to feral proof fence it and create some walking tracks and that the liability risk and environmental concerns posed by DH racing are unacceptable to them.
There is still some confusion of where the actual boundaries are and Lithgow Council is trying to intervene with Exstrata before the deed title changes hands but I don’t think there is much they can do if the contracts have already been exchanged. Council has voted to help us find a new venue if a compromise can not be found with Aussie Eco.
Moral of the story is to dot the T’s and cross the I’s when getting permission to use a block of land. We had thought we’d done everything by the book. In hindsight I was a little nieve and we should have gotten a lot more stuff in writing.
Best and worst MTB moments?
Best: There’s so many. A wet day of shuttle runs with mates comes to mind, as does doing the dawn lap at the first Sydney 24hr.
Worst: Hearing about the loss of the State Mine Track through a rumour.
Who will win the world champs in 2007 for downhill?
I hope Rennie takes it out. He has been chasing it so long and really deserves it. At the 06 National round up here he had 15min to grab lunch between his practice runs and getting back on the bus to go back up for racing yet he spent all of that time signing hats, frames, posters and the crappiest looking foam helmet you’ve ever seen for kids and had time to talk to anyone game enough to approach. That’s the type of guy you need at the top.
How do you see the Aussie mountain bike scene changing in the future?
Racing is getting bigger and starting to push its way into the mainstream. We already have kids in our club who are giving cricket and football a miss this year to concentrate on riding.
Is getting bigger a good thing? I don’t know. It will be interesting to see.
I think it is also going to get a lot more professional in the way it is ran. MTBA’s guideline to hosting national rounds is getting more demanding and the clubs are stepping up. Private promoters are becoming more common place for big races. Whether that is getting better or loosing its soul is yet to be seen.
General riding will find its voice and the lobby groups will begin to win their access battles. All will be good and rosy. The Cat has declared it be so :o)
When will you stop riding, and why?
When I first opened the shop there was an old guy who’d come in all the time he was ninety and rode up the Drift (the hill on the shuttle road to the State Mine) 3 times a week and did the 7km single track loop that runs along the Glowworm tunnel road. "Don't tell mum." He'd say "she doesn't like me going up there on my own."
If I’m still going that well at that age I’ll be very happy.
Who would you love to see become a member of
Farkin?
Jim Morrison (Because it would be cool and just a little freaky), Van Morrison (‘cause the grumpy little prick would fit right in), James Morrison (Cause we need someone who their own trumpet in a good way), Lindy Morrison (just be-farkin-cause) and someone else.
What are your best and worst movies?
I'm not a big movie person.
The Crow, Mall rats, Chasing Amy would be up there with Lord of the Rings for fav
Jay and Silent bob movie down there with the worst.
What music is in your CD player at the moment?
The Grates: Gravity won’t get you high (I preferred "the Ouch the Touch" but still good)
Pilot: Assess the Moment (Local Lithgow band with a top sound)
If you were a bike, what spec would you be and where would you want to be ridden?
That reminds me of the Krispy quote in Down. It went something like "If I were to come back I'd like to come back as Leigh Donovan’s bike shorts."
If you were a politician, what is the first thing you would change in Australia?
Land access. Finding solutions to sustainable access should be a top priority not locking people out.
If half the energy went to finding ways to accommodate sustainable access as went into keeping people out we'd be a long way in front.
What are your hobbies apart from being around bikes?
There are other hobbies?
My two kids, Thing 1 and Thing 2, keep me busy. I get out for the occasional canyon trip but haven't done any real rock climbing for far too long.
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat1.jpg
http://i163.photobucket.com/albums/t317/dhdozer/thecat3.jpg
There you have it, the cat is a big part of the MTB community in Australia and his work with his local MTB comes straight from his heart.
You can read more on the cat and how he operates his shovel by checking out his interview in the trail building section of Meet the Fairies here.... http://forums.farkin.net/showthread.php?t=73969