Dodging bullets
It’s great to share the good days we have on a Mountain Bike; yesterday we had that wonderful opportunity here on a trail called “Dodging Bullets” and I thought the perfect way to complete the great day would be to share it amongst us all. It’s so often in life that we seem to be doing just that; dodging something or coming under fire for this and that or facing challenges that aren’t really fun at all. Yesterday was one of those ride days that took us all away form all of that and allowed a small group of people from all over the world to share in the moments that make us all so passionate about the sport of cycling. These types of moments when we feel a bit more like a super hero dodging bullets and enjoying the heck out of it.
It’s just how we roll…
I’m still in Melrose South Australia where we did the Melrose Fat Tyre Festival last weekend over the Queens Birthday Aussie Holiday. Some 300 people were up for the 7th edition of the Melrose Fest; the second year since Over the Edge opened and has taken over the production. As it always works, there are a few insiders / VIP’s / Friends that stick around for a few extra days and ride and help sort things out and enjoy the smaller more intimate vibe of a few friends gathering in a bike place with other bike souls. Makes me want to shout out to those who have done that in Fruita over the years; Thanks, and to those who are already doing it up here; Cheers!
We all gathered for a ride at the OTE OZ on Thursday morning and rolled out after coffee through the streets of town a whole 2 blocks; one dirt, one paved (bitumen here) and passing through the gate we were on gorgeous singletrack along the creek climbing easily up “weaving camels”. Some sweet sections among the gorgeous green grass and towering white gum trees makes for a super track with the perfect profile for a warm up. We rolled that all the way up and then dropped back half way to climb up “text book 10 percent” towards the hill overlooking town. Text Book was one of, if not the, first trails in Melrose and one that existed before I was ever here at all. I rode it as a fresh track back in 2004. It winds you perfectly graded along a classic South Australian hillside with Roo’s occasionally strafing your path and the echo of Kookaburra’s singing in the creek bottom below you. If you’ve never heard a Kooka sing; google it, it’s an amazing song among any bird, maybe the best! So were climbing along getting an scenic show, wildlife show and some quite fun pedaling overlooking the small wonder of Melrose SA. At the top we roll quite fast around the summit of the mountain; passing several other options like “greener pastures”, the best down run in town possibly, “Hellrose” and so many others you can access from there. It’s really cool how the system is so well planned out here to where you can start up a singletrack and have a hundred options you can choose; all on singletrack, which can arrange you into such a variety of ride options that you’re never bored and never doing the same trail the same way in the same order. It’s just plain FUN riding here and today was proof.
Today we knew we were headed to Bullets and we rolled down the track with purpose. Traversing an intense side hill along the base of Mount Remarkable and rolling at speed through the trees and over some drops and through narrow spots and on and on we go. Dodging Bullets runs along an old shooting range for WW training; the ride goes up the open grassy lanes that were the gun range and then descends in the creeks in between. Steady easy climbs up with rolling to ripping descents in between with several cool speed sections and berm corners and great jumps and rollers and some pretty low hanging trees you occasionally have to duck to pass under (or lose your head) all in a really cool setting with Mt Remarkable looming above, wildlife all around and the amazing dramatic trees to wind through and around and occasionally over. We stopped for some photos or “pickies” if you will and the chance to spot Nicole on a tree roller that she had not yet ridden. We repeated several jumps sections, shot a bunch of cool photo’s and did hundreds of jumps and playful repeats of sweet sections. Most of all we shared a great ride under sunny skies (thank goodness – finally) and shared a day with no stress or deadlines or hassles; just great times with great friends and some sweet movement on a bike!
Good living and sharing something we all mutually love; the joys of mountain biking with friends. Possibly the one universal undisputed truth I have ever known.
We came back to town; had dinner with an ever bigger posse of friends at Richards new Hay stack house and then cam back to OTE to watch “religioulous” a sarcastic look at all the disparaging wack views that are certainly not “universal” and yet are always deemed to be so by each and every one of those holding one of those points of view. A stark contrast with the events of the day; Thanks to all who shared in Dodging Bullets and so many other times just like it where we all delighted in a a shared view of good livin’ – lovin’ life and passion for something beautiful and the joy of sharing it with others….
Must be how we roll…