Adelaide readers may be familiar with the work of Bike SA – the peak body for recreational and commuter cycling in South Australia. In their quest to get more people riding more often, they have launched a series of three Mountain Bike events called ‘Dirty Days’ which showcase some of the amazing forest trails in and around Adelaide.
Aimed at getting beginners and intermediate mountain bike riders out and experiencing the forest in a safe and fun format, Dirty Days is more than just a day out riding the bike. It’s an opportunity to build your riding confidence and explore mountain biking with helpful marshals on hand, signposting to keep you heading in the right direction, on-site mechanical assistance from Reid Cycles and a sausage sizzle around a fire at the finish line to satisfy the post-ride hunger.
Getting your off-road confidence up or introducing Mountain Biking to the family with this kind of support is the best way to get a feel for the sport and learn an area you can revisit and fully explore in future. A lot of work has gone into these South Australian trails over recent years and few people appreciate just how much riding you can now do.
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Dirty Days[/caption]
Each of the trails were chosen to give new riders enough variety to enjoy the session, but not be so challenging as to make it difficult. With a mix of fire trails and single-track on each ride, there is always enough to keep everyone happy.
The events for 2018 covered 3 popular riding areas:
Ride 1: Mount Crawford
The series kicked off on the first Sunday of July in Mount Crawford with over 100 participants. There was a friendly vibe all round with more experienced riders helping the newbies along and displaying that characteristic welcoming attitude of the trail riding family.
Ride 2: Fox Creek Trails
Sunday 12 August saw many brave souls take on the rain at Cuddle Creek (aka Fox Creek Trails). As is always the case with an MTB ride in the wet, those who braved the muddy conditions reported the filth as being the highlight!
Ride 3: Kuitpo Forest
At time of writing this event is still coming up at Kuitpo Forest on Sunday 16 September (sign up here https://bikesa.asn.au/dirtydays ). All the support that has made the previous rides such a success will be on hand for this final event.
Dirty Days MTB has been a great event for Reid Cycles to be associated with and provide support for. Australia’s capital cities are well served with some world-class riding through amazing forest environments within easy striking distance of the CBD, and events like Dirty Days open these possibilities up to more people. The more people enjoying these spaces mean the trails get more funding and can be expanded further – meaning more amazing riding opportunities for everybody!
If you’re living in Adelaide keep an eye out for this annual event and others put on by the good people at Bike SA. For trail maps and info on joining the rides head to https://bikesa.asn.au/dirtydays
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