Mtb Article

Posted by Braedan on 4 March 2009 | 8574 Comments

Last week the Greymouth Star featured and Great article about the West Coast Mtb Scene written by Tui Pizzato. Please read on.
Pdf version of the page to come.
Road cycling is a popular sport on the West Coast, with active clubs in Hokitika and Westport. However, not so visible to the public eye are the mountainbike enthusiasts who ride their way along gravel roads, 4WD tracks, open plateaux and bush tracks, through puddles, mud, snow and creeks, and up and down rugged hills. TINA PIZZATO spoke to those pedalling the mountainbiking movement on the Coast.
"It's amazing the places you can take a bike," says Tony Coll, president of the Westland Mountain Bike Club.Huge developments in technology, including dual suspension bikes, mean riding over varied terrain is not that difficult - with a littlepractice.
Mountainbiking has been gaining increasing momentum on the Coast in recent years, with growing numbers of people getting into the sport, including a notable number of younger riders. The Westland club has a membership of about 75, while the Buller Cycling Club, which includes road cyclists and mountainbikers, has about 35 members.Nationally, it is estimated there are about 350,000 mountainbikers."It's just a lot of fun - a good buzz," says Coll, a former rugby leagueKiwi, outdoor enthusiast and convert to mountainbiking."It's a great way to get people into the outdoors. And (on the West Coast) there's such a cross-section of rides. There's good hills, long flat tracks ... I just think it's superb (for mountainbiking) - and that's not just because I'm a local."
Locally, for beginners, there are various gravel roads that are suitablefor riders to build up fitness. There's the Lake Mahinapua track, which has recently been opened up by the Department of Conservation (DOC) as amountainbiking track, and is an ideal entry level track. The No Name/Bundi ride, near Marsden, along gravel roads and single track, is another good ride for beginners, as too is Adairs Road, between Rimu and Takutai.
For those with a few kilometres under their legs, there is quite a bit of choice, including the Croesus and Moonlight tracks, near Blackball, Powerstation Loop, in Greymouth, Kumara Mudplug/No Name (the reference to 'mudplug' being particularly fitting during wet weather), Kaniere Water Race and Lake Kaniere track, Big River-Waiuta track and Kirwan's Track, near Reefton, and the Denniston Plateau, Tiropahi Track and Charming Creek Walkway, in Buller.
Coll rates the Croesus ride as one of the best on the Coast. The track contains a mix of terrain, from rocky sections to single track and wider, benched sections, and the gradual uphill climb makes for an awesome descent."
It's rated by many riders as a No 1 ride ... It's downhill all the way (from the Ces Clarke Hut to the Smoke Ho car park), with a flowingtrack."
The club has arrangements for access for its members to former Timberlands land as well as privately-owned land.Most notable, at the Blue Spur and Nationals Track, near Hokitika, the club has an agreement with Crown Forestry for access rights for club members. Tracks such as the infamous and appropriately named 'Downhill' were developed in the area about 10 years ago for the National Mountainbike Championships, and since then considerable work has been done by club members to further develop the area for riders.The club has also been working closely with local groups to foster mountainbiking on the West Coast, including DOC and also with the Westland and Grey district councils. The club has negotiated increased access for mountainbike users on lands managed by DOC, and recently the Lake Mahinapua and Lake Kaniere tracks were approved for mountainbiking."Mountainbiking is now a popular recreational activity that needs to be catered for, and that's been recognised," says Coll.That said, he appreciates that the interests of other user and interest groups, such as walkers, trampers and historic interest groups, also need to be accommodated."I'm a keen tramper too, and there's some tracks that aren't suitable for both (walkers/trampers and mountainbikers), while others can accommodate it (dual user groups)."
Up at Denniston, the Buller Cycling Club, in partnership with the DOC, has created an opportunity for mountainbike use on the DennistonPlateau.The club has developed a network of tracks on the plateau. The riding terrain is typically rocky tracks, connected via gravel roads, 4WD tracks and old pylon service tracks. The tracks are generally graded 2 (easy) and 3 (intermediate), thus accommodating a range of riding abilities.Denniston is a unique area, both in terms of history and geography. The plateau is perched about 600m above sea level and is a spectacular natural landscape."The landscape is incredible," says Buller Cycle Club president Peter Marich."Within a short space of time you can be in isolation; the weather changes quickly, and it's quite barren."Mountainbiker Tim Sikma says the biking opportunities at Denniston are unique: "It's a unique landscape. There's the mining history; visually it's quite remarkable; it's got interesting geology, flora and fauna. Also, a lot of the tracks are on bed rock, which means you can ride in all weather."In developing the mountainbike tracks, a key part of the philosophy has been to leave the area in its existing condition as much as possible. Most of the tracks are still in much the same condition as when the clubfirst began work on the tracks, with the exception of some improvements around boggy areas and to develop routes away from historical interest sites. The development at Denniston involved consultation with Friends of the Hill.Track markers and route guides have been provided to assist riders with navigation. So, while the track work has not been extensive, the work done through signs and the promotion of mountainbiking in the area has made the tracks much more accessible and a popular destination by enthusiasts. Walkers also utilise the tracks.The club says it is grateful for DOC's support to the project. The mountainbiking tracks extend over about 15ha of conservation land. The club maintains the tracks, while DOC has provided signs and assistance with brochure development and publicity.And what is the appeal of mountainbiking? In contrast to road cycling, says Marich, "with mountainbiking you're more like a kid. You get to play ... there's downhills, puddles, bumps."It's a bit more technical and a bit more fun I guess. It's something different from those long rides on the road."In the winter you can ride along and hear the sand crinkle, and ride through puddles and crack the ice."


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