Category: Cycling

Cycling, Pine Rivers

Spectators

by NeilEnnis 19 May 2010 No Comments Shortlink

Spectators
I had the distinct feeling I was being watched by dozens of pairs of eyes as I cycled through the wetlands at Deepwater Bend this morning.

This beautiful reserve at the mouth of the Pine River has many hectares of swampy pastureland inhabited by a large number of kangaroos and wallabys.
Spectators
It also has some picturesque fire-trails that are perfect for riding around early in the morning!

Spectators
Photographing these guys while riding a bike is almost impossible. In fact at the first opportunity I found for a photo, I forgot to un-clip from my pedals, and fell off. I could almost hear the Kangaroo snickering (or maybe saying "Tut tut tut" as he bounded off.
Spectators
In full flight they’re magnificent to watch – muscular, streamlined and effortless.

Cycling, South East Qld, xc

Lost in the Hills

by NeilEnnis 16 May 2010 1 Comment Shortlink

I wanted to climb the Toowoomba range via single track and fire trails, so I found a quiet back road out the back of Withcott, followed it to the end, jumped a few gates, and ended up in the middle of nowhere.

After climbing a few monster hills that ended (sadly) in dead-ends, I finally found a fire break and followed it.

But what was supposed to be a 60 minute adventure ended up taking three hours.

I eventually found my way home, up a couple more amazingly steep hills, but (alas) I only managed to get one photo. Light was fading quickly in the late autumn afternoon, and I didn’t want to stop too long.

The total ascent was about 720m, total descent, about 380m.
Lost at Withcott

The next day, Paul and I rode along some of the fire trails along the escarpment below Picnic Point. These are mostly steep rocky walking tracks, so attacking them with a mountain bike was a bit “adventurous”. Still not being totally comfortable with my clip-in pedals I fell off a few times, luckily with no damage. The view out to Tabletop Mountain is spectacular.
Tabletop Mountain
We also had a quick look out to the North towards Prince Henry Heights at some of the hills where I managed to get a bit lost the day before:
Picnic Point

Cycling, Pine Rivers

King of the Hill

by NeilEnnis 9 May 2010 No Comments Shortlink

I finally managed to cycle to the top of Old School Road – a very steep dirt road in Cashmere with gradients in excess of 27%.

This hill has beaten me a few times. At times I’ve fallen off trying to climb it, or just given up. But today I kept my head down, kept up a good rhythm, and powered to the top.

Although exhausted at the top, I still felt like doing a "Who da man" dance, punched the air, and let out a loud "Whoop!!!".
King of the Hill
1273376734-12618-P-165.228.233.115

Australia, Cycling, Tasmania

Exploring Launceston by Mountain Bike

by NeilEnnis 2 May 2010 2 Comments Shortlink

I’ll be working in Launceston for the next week, so I thought I’d come down a day and a bit earlier and explore the place by mountain bike.

I hired a basic hardtail bike from a local shop, donned my cold weather gear, and took off into the hills on this beautiful cloudless late autumn day.

The first part of the trip was up to Trevallyn Reserve which is perched atop some of the hills to the west of town.

The reserve has some pretty steep and rocky trails which were hard work to negotiate, but worth the effort. The view down the river towards the dam is spectacular.

After a quick break, I then headed to the Kate Reed reserve to the south of town. This has a lot more narrow single track than Trevallyn, and it was here I suffered a pretty nasty “Gumby Stack” where I fell off my bike for no reason other than I couldn’t pull my feet out of my clip-in pedals. Luckily my shoulder survived the fall and I have no broken bones.

I’ve never ridden in such cold weather before. It takes a lot more preparation than I’m used to. And you still get hot, and cold, and wet with perspiration.

But it’s a great way to explore a city. I’ll definitely try this again!
Looking towards the GorgeEarly morning near the SummitDewy trailsReachng for the CloudsThe Hoo Hoo HutLake TrevallynTrevallyn Dam

Children, Cycling, Pine Rivers

Samsonvale Sunset

by NeilEnnis 29 April 2010 No Comments Shortlink

Samsonvale Sunset
Harrison and I took a quick ride by Lake Samsonvale this afternoon. As the sun was setting over the D’Aguilar Ranges, I was fortunate to get this quick picture. I’m so happy to be living in such a beautiful place and to be able to explore it with my son.

He’s doing pretty well on the hills too!

Cycling, Pine Rivers, xc

More Fun at Mount Glorious

by NeilEnnis 26 April 2010 No Comments Shortlink

We did an epic ride around Mt Glorious again today – this time with some amazing mountain bikers from MTBDirt.com.au.

This involved some tough climbs to Mount Glorious, and then a bone jarring steep downhill ride down the Lepidozamia Track. This track has to be seen to be believed with some incredibly steep sections, strewn with rocks, sticks and logs. It was doubly difficult for me this time as it was my first serious bash on dirt using my new clip-in pedals which still occasionally refuse to free my feet when I need them, which results in some humiliating “gumby stacks” where I come to a stop and just fall sideways for no apparent reason.

I was impressed with the skill of the other riders – powerful hill climbers and amazingly nimble over some of the more rocky sections. Despite this, they were patient with me, waiting for me when I dropped behind, and never complaining about it.

The view at the top was breathtaking.
Western Window

Some of the spiders on this track are huge. Here’s one that hitched a ride part-way down:
A Passenger

Cycling, Pine Rivers

Deepwater Bend

by NeilEnnis 25 April 2010 No Comments Shortlink



Deepwater bend is a quiet reserve at the mouth of the Pine River and forms part of the 380 hectare Tinchi Tamba wetlands.

It has some beautiful boardwalks and tracks among mangroves, she-oak swamps and grasslands, and best of all, it’s pretty close to where we live.

I decided to take a quite ride down there today on the bike, and was amazed at the cloud formations.

Cycling, South East Qld

Ewen Maddock Dam

by NeilEnnis 17 April 2010 1 Comment Shortlink

A Giant's View of the DamNeil's new bikeDown the trail
Today we did a short loop around Ewen Maddock Dam on the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane.

It was the first chance I had to give my new Giant XTC 29er a try out on the trail, and it (she?) passed with flying colours! The 29er has larger tyres than the usual 26 inch ones found on a mountain bike. This gives a smoother ride, less rolling resistance and more fun.

We rode through quite a bit of mud and sand in the rainy weather, and the bikes held up really well.

Ewen Maddock Dam is a beautiful reserve bounded by ferns, tee-tree swamps, eucalyptus and sub-tropical forest. The tracks are well developed, clearly marked, and low gradient – so anyone could walk them, ride a bike, or a horse.

For the last bit of the ride we got onto the bitumen and burned up the Steve Irwin Way. On the flat my speed maxed at about 50km and Simon went even faster – he’s been working out and was keen to see whether it made a difference (it does, Simon!).