Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Ourimbah, Arriba!

Anzac Day. A day to remember the diggers who fought for our country, to pay homage to their heroic efforts on the battlefields from Gallipoli to the Kokoda Track. Or to go riding. I chose the latter, but with a thought in my heart for the old soldiers, their medals polished up for the day, playing two-up and downing cold ales while trying to forget the traumas that they are now honoured for surviving. As we drove out of town, the crowds were still thick on the streets, and when we arrived at the Ourimbah car park, it wasn't much better. Seems everyone in the Central Coast MTB community was out, mainly downhillers getting shuttled up to the top, so the XC trails weren't too crowded. Tim didn't make it, so it was the brothers Back and myself left to explore. Nath had ridden here once before, so had a vague idea of where to go, but we gleaned most of our directions from Fiona and John, up from Sydney for the day. The trails were a nice surprise too, some nice flowing singletrack and good steady climbs followed by fun descents. The Rollercoaster trail was a ton of fun, as any trail named 'Rollercoaster' usually is! The only downside is that there just isn't enough length to the trails, so we ended up doing three laps to get maximum satisfaction. But in this last week, I have seen that our trails aren't so bad after all, I still think Rotorua is the best shit ever, but we are pretty lucky here too. After all, the diggers fought to save these trails for us. And for that, we salute you!

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