For over a hundred years the West Coast was a rugged frontier where men have chased precious metals and valuable timber through landscapes that as a trail-builder, I couldn’t comprehend trying to access. Now, tourism plays an increasing role in the economy of the region and the development of absolutely unique mountain bike experiences in some of its remarkable landscapes is hoped to bring more visitors to the Coast.
The first time I visited the West Coast I was working as a mechanic for an XC stage race called Wildside that ran for nearly a decade on some of the old mining trails that litter the region. I attended that event every year it ran, riding as a sweep on some of the stages some years and doing my best to delegate that task most years, simply because the sort of riding that event was based around was not and is not what I was into. That said, there was one stage in particular that captured my attention and I was convinced there must be more like that which just hadn’t been found, or rather rediscovered…
Because of this one trail I’ve spent hours staring at maps, looking for lines on Google Earth, convincing people I’d just met to hand over hundred-year-old surveys of forgotten settlements and walked, carried, dragged and crawled with my bike to try to find more like it. For all the searching and hints of trails departing most of the roads I drove along, I actually didn’t find much.
While there were a couple of exceptions and these are the trails I continue to ride, the greatest product of this process was absolute confidence that the landscapes in which I’d been searching were an incredible place to develop mountain bike trails that, while not for everyone, would be unlike anything else in Australia.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 57-Ausgabe von Revolution MTB.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der Issue 57-Ausgabe von Revolution MTB.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
How To Whip How To Instructional
Have you heard the news? Australia’s hottest rising star on the gravity front, Dan Booker, has recently signed a deal to ride for nuke proof bikes’ with global support!
Diaries Of A Professional Trail Fairy
Well hello, my name is Baxter and welcome to the first edition of my brand- new regular column right here in [R]evo Mag. Each issue I will be aiming to tell stories that give insight into the world of trail building as I see it.
Rocky Mountain Instinct Carbon 70
If you’ve been following the mag over the years you’ll know that rocky mountain’s are a definite favourite amongst our staff here at [r]evo.
PEAK AROUSAL
HERE HAS BEEN ONE KEY QUESTION WHICH ALWAYS INTRIGUES ME ABOUT ATHLETES AND HOW THEY PERFORM AT THEIR VERY BEST WHEN THE PRESSURE IS AT IT’S GREATEST, AND THAT IS, WHAT GETS THEM AMPED UP? WHAT GETS THEM INTO ‘THAT ZONE’ MENTALLY WHERE THEY’RE ABLE TO BE THE BEST VERSION OF THEMSELVES AND NET THE BEST RESULTS?
RAISING CHAMPIONS THE A'HERN
LET’S MEET THE A’HERNS; THERE’S MUM AND DAD, OTHERWISE KNOWNS AS JEN AND NICK (A DUAL COMMONWEALTH GAMES GOLD MEDALIST AND TRIPLE OLYMPIAN IN HIS OWN RIGHT!) AND THEN THERE’S THE KIDS, BROTHER KYE (19) WHO’S A JUNIOR WORLD CHAMP AND MULTI-NATIONAL CHAMP, AND THEN OF COURSE THERE’S SISTER SIAN (22) WHO HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST RECOGNISABLE FACES IN AUSTRALIA WOMAN’S CYCLING, A MULTIPLE-NATIONAL CHAMP AND OCEANIA CHAMP.
THE BEST BRAKES ON THE MARKET RIGHT NOW? GROUP TEST WITH NO DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION.
ASK ANY RIDER AND THEY’LL ALMOST CERTAINLY TELL YOU OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT PARTS THAT MAKE UP A BIKE ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IS A SET OF BRAKES THAT PERFORM REALLY WELL AND MOST IMPORTANT ‘FEEL’ JUST RIGHT.
SUPPLY CHAIN PAIN
A KIN TO A LOT OF YOU OUT THERE WE’VE RECENTLY FOUND OURSELVES SWINGING BY OUR LOCAL BIKE STORE TO STOCK UPON A FEW PARTS AHEAD OF OUR PLANNED TRAIL ADVENTURES, ONLY TO FIND, EMPTY RACKS AND SHELVES? IS THIS THE NEW VERSION OF LAST YEAR’S SUPERMARKET TOILET PAPER PANIC BUYING? WHERE HAVE ALL THE BIKES, BRAKE PADS, TIRES AND EVERYTHING ELSE GONE? WITH AROUND A 30% INCREASE IN BIKE SALES ACROSS AUSTRALIA (AND THE WORLD) DURING THE PAST 12 MONTHS ALONE, BIKES HAVE BEEN FLYING OUT THE DOOR THE SAME DAY THAT THEY ARRIVE… WANT A NEW BIKE? GET READY TO WAIT. THIS TIME LAST YEAR THE PRE-ORDER WAITING LISTS FROM MOST BRANDS FOR POPULAR BIKES WAS AVERAGING 1-3 MONTHS, NOW, IT’S BLOWING OUT TO ANYWHERE FROM 6 MONTHS TO A FULL YEAR! IT’S CRAZY. IT’S SCARY. IT SUCKS. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE BIKE INDUSTRY IS ON OUR SIDE AND BRANDS ARE DOING THEIR VERY BEST RIGHT NOW TO FIND SOLUTIONS TO TURN IT AROUND.
INDUSTRY AU
IN THIS EDITION OF INDUSTRY.AU WE’RE CHECKING IN WITH ONE OF AUSTRALIA’S LATEST AND MOST EXCITING COMPONENT FABRICATORS WHO ARE PRODUCING SOME REALLY INTERESTING AND INNOVATIVE GEAR FROM THEIR ADELAIDE WORKSHOP.
PIVOT 2021
WHEN IT COMES TO PICKING YOUR NEXT DREAM BIKE IN A PACKAGE THAT PERFECTLY SUITS THE STYLE OF RIDING THAT YOU LOVE MOST, YOU REALLY ARE GOING TO FIND YOURSELF UTTERLY SPOILT FOR CHOICE WITH PIVOT’S LATEST OFFERINGS.
AUS CYCLING 2021 DH NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
FOLLOWING THE CRAZY YEAR OR CONFUSION AND CANCELATIONS THAT WAS 2020, THE VIBE FOR THIS YEAR’S AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL DOWNHILL MTB CHAMPS WAS ALL ABOUT A ‘NEW YEAR, NEW ME’ ATTITUDE. FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME WE GOT TO SEE THE COUNTRY’S BEST GRAVITY RIDERS BATTLING FOR NATIONAL TITLES AT THE ULTIMATE VENUE FOR SUCH AN EVENT, MAYDENA!
