Your favourite ride

[Cardy George]

Back to what Dale's was trying to get at.

I'll have to hunt down the video, but the ride where Little Sender earnt his nickname. He'd cranked out a good 5km on his 16", sending it off every root and rock. Video shows him riding down a head high dirt slope into loose sand and drifting it through like a champ.

And then there's these. Muddy race day.

New bike day. For him.

And to finish off, we raced last weekend. After 9 months of a new car based job I'm slow. And for end first time ever I truly didn't care. I thoroughly enjoyed just being on the trails, ripping on a perfectly set up bike.

 

[Haakon]

I wasn't referring to the place more the practice.

Oh right. Hard to pick one, just lots of memorable moments.

Coming across the top of Stromlo as dawn broke on my last lap of the Scott 25 hour was a standout. Actually any of the laps of 24 hour races that are during ridiculous hours of night/pre dawn!

First proper ride on the roadie when I bought it was all the way up Mt Buller and down again. Massive climb, insane and highly stupid speeds on the way down. A great day though and cemented the questionable decision to get a decent roadie

One from my teenage years still sticks, banging out a PB from home about 30km over to Newstead to see my Gran. Late 80s full rigid Repco Tracer, blundstones and toe clips. Bit of single track and fire trail to cut over the ridge to the highway, and then back bitumen roads. Must have been when I was fittest, maybe 16 or 17 I reckon and was able to just hold decent watts the whole way.

 

[Dales Cannon]

Back to what Dale's was trying to get at.

I'll have to hunt down the video, but the ride where Little Sender earnt his nickname. He'd cranked out a good 5km on his 16", sending it off every root and rock. Video shows him riding down a head high dirt slope into loose sand and drifting it through like a champ.

And then there's these. Muddy race day.

View attachment 403643

New bike day. For him.
View attachment 403644

And to finish off, we raced last weekend. After 9 months of a new car based job I'm slow. And for end first time ever I truly didn't care. I thoroughly enjoyed just being on the trails, ripping on a perfectly set up bike.

#1 went through 12" and 16" basic kids bikes and when we went to WA he graduated to a fairly decent 20" bike. The change from a back pedal braked lump to a geared 20" was amazing and his first ride along the Leschenault foreshore was about 10km.

 

[Chriso_29er]

Such a hard question!

But my first Enduro race stands out. The anticipation waiting at the start of the first stage, all the noise, carry on and encouragement as you hit the harder sections were the spectators gathered and then the relief of getting to the end.

Other end of the spectrum, I have great memories of a 3 day bike hike I did all over Mt Sterling/Buller long before mtb trails even existed there. I call it a bike hike because we literally loaded up a couple of panniers on my Shogun MTB and chucked a fully loaded hiking pack on and went for a ride through the high country. Some of the 4wd tracks we took were absolutely punishing lol.

Other standout was being one of the first to head down the at the time brand new Lake Mountain epic trail. I'll never forget going mach chicken blind down a new trail ripping endless brand new smooth berms. So much fun.

 

[silentbutdeadly]

My favourite ride (so far) was the Flinders Epic 109 km back in the mid 20teens.

I'd wanted to ride in the northern Flinders ever since first going there but we don't tend to travel like that as M'lady is not a bike rider. The Epic came up and I suggested that I do it and she supports then we hang out in the area for a week or so.

I'd been riding at Coomealla for a bit and done at least one three hour and plenty other bits in between but never done very much with hills and never done anything near the distance.

Sent it anyway. Had a glorious time, largely on my own, wandering up and down hills and even reeling a few punters in at the end when I realised that not many riders in hilly country have to pedal for hours like those on the flats. So I still had some legs for Wilcolo Creek...and made it to the end in roughly the time I'd hoped for (well back in the pack!).

I've never had another shot at it but it was a glorious day out...

 

[ozzybmx]

My favourite ride (so far) was the Flinders Epic 109 km back in the mid 20teens.

I've never had another shot at it but it was a glorious day out...

What a sensational event that was, 64km, 109km and 205km. The 205km was the whole Flinders Ranges By Bike trail in one hit.

I did it all 6 years it ran, hoping to get back up at some stage and do it again. Its in 4 sections and the land owners apparently take a fee for riding each section

2013 109km Got a FROE Tankard for being a foundation rider
2014 205km supported solo DNF at 120km with a torn tyre
2015 205km supported solo (win)
2016 205km supported solo (win)
2017 109km on a CX bike with 38c tyres (win)
2018 109k chaperone for my 13yr olds doing a duo (win for them, tankard for dad)

They now house my trail rock collection, I can see a part of Kingswall and Bay of Fires in the 2nd from right Tankard

 

[zac]

I've got a couple that were really awesome.

99 GT Palomar, probably 2000. Nerang state forest as it was back then with a couple of mates from school. It was pissing down, we tried a couple of trails that we hadn't done before and ended up slightly lost and wading through knee deep puddles - was an absolute blast.

98 Norco Rampage, 2003ish. Blacksnots, at Parkwood, now underneath part of the health precinct near Griffith Uni. Tim from Cycleogical, Adrian, Ben and Justin. As usual I was slow as, but watching the others session skinnies and jumps was awesome. It was a great trail too, not much climbing at all but varying terrain, pretty much everything was rollable and just awesome fun to ride. Got back there a few times before it was flattened but that first was by far and away the best.

06ish Norco Manik, Tuesday just gone. Daisy Hill. I hadn't been on the bike in nearly 6 months, put on a shitload of weight and had been having a bit of a bad time. Put the wheels on and started down Jim's, got maybe 50m in and I felt like giggling. Didn't ride particularly fast, rode 5 trails then back to the car but I felt so carefree, just concentrating on pedalling, picking lines and looking out for snakes. By far the best ride I've had in years, if not longer.