nathanm
03-09-2006, 07:51 PM
Tasmania has one of the best lifestyles within a 30 minute drive of the city you can surf, swim, fish, dive, hike, sail and on a good day, even have a good old frolic in the snow!
What we also have is some of the best mountain bike trails within the country. With dozens of tracks available, including the Glenorchy MTB Park with the Glen Jacobs 4x and DH National tracks, plus the nationals xc course.
But the absolute best, most adrenaline pumping action of them all is the Mt Wellington Park and the surrounding bush trails that lead back to the city centre. Although the park trust reserves most for walkers, they have made available a range of tracks for mtb use. Bordering onto the park is also a range of bushland managed by the Hobart Council, who also make this available for MTB use.
http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/pdf/bikemapa.pdf
Earlier this week I arranged a ride for Saturday, with my mate and his bro, as we were all keen to try out some newly acquired parts, for me new Reba forks, for my mate a newly built up Jamis Komodo, and his brothers brand new Giant Trance.
Waking up in the morning I new it was going to be a top day with the sun shining brightly and the temperature already to a scorching 12 degrees. I walk out onto my front balcony to check how the mountain looked -
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/MtWellington.jpg
Around 9 I jumped into the car and headed off to me the bro's. From my house it's a 15 minute drive to the docks, which was our meeting point to shuttle up.
in the background is the famous salamanca markets
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/Docks.jpg
After meeting up we took the 15 minute drive to "The Springs", which is 4kms up the 12km road that takes you to the pinnacle and has an elevation of 720m
Radfords was our first run of the day and with a "difficult" rating on hardtails was quite a challenge due to the rock garden that stretches for about 500 metres through the track, combined with holes and drainage gutters, caught me out after planting a front wheel and going over the handlebars!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsTrack.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsRock.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsPotter.jpg
Radfords ends back onto the road to the mountains pinnacle and from here we headed back down the road, trying to catch and draft cars until we got to "Bracken Lane". This moderate rated track gives a fantastic view back into the valley and the city
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/BrackenLane.jpg
We took a new route down this track but missed a turn and ended up back on the road, so headed straight on down to S57, so named for the sign marker on the side of the road
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/S57.jpg
This is a fantastic track and has been essentially been built up by the locals, it features various lines, tracks, northshore and a massive creek jump that must be at least 5 metres wide and deep, with about a 2 metre landing spot. Unfortunately it was so much fun to ride, I forgot to stop and get pics :(
From here it was back up the road to luge. This apparently has been used for National DH racing?
The formidable track starts off with some sweet flowing single track but quickly becomes a eye watering descent with rocks, drops and berms all ready to test your skills. At the bottom is a short gully leading to the creek that is only for the brave or foolhardy!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/Luge.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/LugeTop.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/LugeMiddle.jpg
Although the photo's don't do it much justice, it never fails to get the heart pumping! This was my riding partners first attempt and after 3 aborted rolls in's he decided to start from half way down.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/rollin.jpg
But even that wasn't enough to see him hit it, but instead roll down with a safety foot dragging!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/footdrag.jpg
This track ends behind the cascade brewery, but no drinking today, instead back down for a quick spin through the city and return to pick up the cars at the docks and the trips highlight, ice-cream from sticky fingers :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/docks3.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/IceCream.jpg
What we also have is some of the best mountain bike trails within the country. With dozens of tracks available, including the Glenorchy MTB Park with the Glen Jacobs 4x and DH National tracks, plus the nationals xc course.
But the absolute best, most adrenaline pumping action of them all is the Mt Wellington Park and the surrounding bush trails that lead back to the city centre. Although the park trust reserves most for walkers, they have made available a range of tracks for mtb use. Bordering onto the park is also a range of bushland managed by the Hobart Council, who also make this available for MTB use.
http://www.wellingtonpark.tas.gov.au/pdf/bikemapa.pdf
Earlier this week I arranged a ride for Saturday, with my mate and his bro, as we were all keen to try out some newly acquired parts, for me new Reba forks, for my mate a newly built up Jamis Komodo, and his brothers brand new Giant Trance.
Waking up in the morning I new it was going to be a top day with the sun shining brightly and the temperature already to a scorching 12 degrees. I walk out onto my front balcony to check how the mountain looked -
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/MtWellington.jpg
Around 9 I jumped into the car and headed off to me the bro's. From my house it's a 15 minute drive to the docks, which was our meeting point to shuttle up.
in the background is the famous salamanca markets
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/Docks.jpg
After meeting up we took the 15 minute drive to "The Springs", which is 4kms up the 12km road that takes you to the pinnacle and has an elevation of 720m
Radfords was our first run of the day and with a "difficult" rating on hardtails was quite a challenge due to the rock garden that stretches for about 500 metres through the track, combined with holes and drainage gutters, caught me out after planting a front wheel and going over the handlebars!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsTrack.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsRock.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/RadfordsPotter.jpg
Radfords ends back onto the road to the mountains pinnacle and from here we headed back down the road, trying to catch and draft cars until we got to "Bracken Lane". This moderate rated track gives a fantastic view back into the valley and the city
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/BrackenLane.jpg
We took a new route down this track but missed a turn and ended up back on the road, so headed straight on down to S57, so named for the sign marker on the side of the road
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/S57.jpg
This is a fantastic track and has been essentially been built up by the locals, it features various lines, tracks, northshore and a massive creek jump that must be at least 5 metres wide and deep, with about a 2 metre landing spot. Unfortunately it was so much fun to ride, I forgot to stop and get pics :(
From here it was back up the road to luge. This apparently has been used for National DH racing?
The formidable track starts off with some sweet flowing single track but quickly becomes a eye watering descent with rocks, drops and berms all ready to test your skills. At the bottom is a short gully leading to the creek that is only for the brave or foolhardy!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/Luge.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/LugeTop.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/LugeMiddle.jpg
Although the photo's don't do it much justice, it never fails to get the heart pumping! This was my riding partners first attempt and after 3 aborted rolls in's he decided to start from half way down.
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/rollin.jpg
But even that wasn't enough to see him hit it, but instead roll down with a safety foot dragging!
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/footdrag.jpg
This track ends behind the cascade brewery, but no drinking today, instead back down for a quick spin through the city and return to pick up the cars at the docks and the trips highlight, ice-cream from sticky fingers :)
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/docks3.jpg
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g117/gtvi2000/IceCream.jpg