Watch this space for more info closer to the date.

This will be a great opportunity to show your appreciation for one of our bushland areas that we are so lucky to have so close and that has served as a great venue for Dirt Crits for the past 3 years.

Otway Bike Adventure
By Dylan McKenna

Designed around the village of Forrest the Otway MTB trails showcase the natural beauty of the Otway ranges. They pass through tall eucalypt forests, dry heathy scrub and dense fern gullies. These trails have been built with real mountain bikers in mind. Luckily for our family, there are trails for beginners as well as hard-core dirt fanatics, so there is a trail for everyone.

Day 1
All of the 16 trails have different names and ratings. A green circle means easy and two black diamonds means extremely difficult. We went for a ride on Roller Coaster, Third Time Lucky and Follow the Dog. These trails showed us some of Forrest’s best forests. They were really smooth and flowing, with fast, steep descents and sudden pinch climbs. They also showed us that Mum’s mountain bike skills are a bit rusty. She stacked five times on the first day.

Day 2
I rode to Lake Elizabeth on Trail 2, Barlidjaru. Unfortunately it was not very well marked and I got lost between Trail 2 and Trail 3, the Red Carpet. Finally I made it to Lake Elizabeth and the views were amazing. Later that day we went to Apollo Bay Beach and then went on the bumper cars at the carnival.

Day 3
We went for a ride on some of the trails for the Otway Odyssey 50km Kona Shorty. I did a loop that included Trail 12 the Yo Yo, which is a black diamond, Trail 10, Foxtail, and trails 7 and 14.  I didn’t find the Yo Yo too difficult at all. Trail 7, the Yaugher Super Loop, was very sandy and I greased it on a slippery corner. The weather became really hot and muggy later in the day. I discovered that riding Trail 5, Vista, in these conditions isn’t a good thing to do. In the undergrowth it felt very hot, with sandy ascents and overgrown tracks.

Overall, it was a great holiday and the Otway trails have to be second best in the world (after ours, of course!)
www.rideforrest.com.au

Profession - Teacher at the Coastal School for Student Leadership

Uphill or Downhill? Definantely uphill for sure. I am a bit of a wuss on the downhills and Courtney is sick of buying me new helmets (recently bought my 4th helmet in about 1 year)

Most epic day on a bike? 24 hour races always epic, the mud at the Garmin 24 was pretty brutal but in terms of epicness it would have to be one of Dave Whyte’s death marches through the famed “pipeline” and “bastard hill tracks” in East Gippsland. Mainly epic because he tells you the ride will be about 2 hours yet 7 hours later you crawl home after only consuming 2 muesli bars.

I’m currently riding… Good points and bad points. – A Niner SIR Single Speed. 32-20 gearing.
Good Points: Bottom bracket does not creak or move. Servicing the bike is very easy and more riding and less fixing things. Also, the steel reynolds 583 tubing makes for a comfy ride and is very light for steel.
Bad Points: When you get tired having only 1 gear doesn’t help much. People think you’ve escaped from the psychiatric ward because your on a SS, which is probably true but the stereotype is not fair for the other SS riders out there.

Favourite trails (other than Castlemaine) – Rotorua, NZ. Mt Stromlo, Canberra, Forrest

If I wasn’t mountain biking I’d be… Probably adventure racing.

One day I’ll ride… The Colorado Trail Race, Ride the Divide (Banff to Mexico), The A-Line at Jubberland.

When I head out for a ride I never leave without… My Rocky Riders jersey.

My race highlight – Training and racing in 24hour races without getting injured.

Put the 9th February in your diary. Another 8 race dirt crit series begins. 6:30pm every Thursday to the end of March. More info: Dirt Crits

Payment is required on collection by either cash, cheque or direct deposit.

Extra stock has also been ordered so if you missed out on placing your order, a selection of men’s and women’s knicks and jerseys across most sizes are available to purchase at the shop.

• Jerseys – $60
• Knicks – $110

Please note, the clothing is subsidized by the club to help keep costs down for our members.

So make your way into Cycle Concepts Castlemaine and pick up your new club kit today!