Canberra has been my home for the last 5 years, and in that time I have had the opportunity to explore its diverse trail and reserve systems for sweet single track. The extent, and access to great trails really sets Canberra apart from any other Australian city I have ridden in.
I am leaving Canberra at the end of the year and would like to organise a nice social weekend for serious XC and all mountain unicyclers to have a bit of fun, pass on info on some great trails and have some epic days of riding.
This event is ideal for experienced (and fast) muni riders. It would be great to have folks like Ken Looi, Rob O’brien, Ashley kurtis, Jamey Mossengren etc to attend. The plan would be to ride anywhere up to 40km a day on pretty demanding terrain. If you think you are up to it- please join us!
The only thing yet to be decided is a date- at the moment the best weekend for me in the remainder of this year is the 12th-13th November.
Sounds epic and I hope to be able to join you and will try my hardest to come. Nov. 13-14th isn’t ideal for me as I have 2 festivals I am supposed to work at. Plus it’s the same weekend as the Highland Fling which I know at least one guy from the Blue Mts is doing. But after saying that, I just checked my calender and I’m booked up for pretty much every weekend for the rest of the year. But I’d be willing to cancel a festival…so for me either Nov. 13th-14th or the 26th-27th I could make work but would prefer Dec. 3 & 4th. Let’s see what the others say…
Hmmm… i knew it would be hard to find a date. As far as i’m concerned I am really busy with work and a siblings wedding (not to mention packing up my house and leaving Canberra) until the end of the year.
I didn’t realise that the dates I proposed were the weekend of the highland fling- which Rob is riding in. And it would be a shame to have him miss out. The only other weekend I could possibly do is the 5th-6th Nov- but that knocks out Ash. Depending on what the rest of people say it will have to be a toss up between those two.
Sounds fun, I will check to see if I can make it. I haven’t been unicycling much lately though, so I am going to be out of shape. I should be able to at least ride one of the days and take it casually the second or just hangout.
I’d love to come down for it and I think I can make the 5-6 Nov.
Just gotta confirm with my lovely wife.
Will post back in tonight to confirm.
It sounds like a blast.
Ok so it sounds as though the 5th/6th is going to suit more people- Ken, Jamey, James- how would that fit into your timetables? Free accommodation at my place for all those that need a place to crash.
The 5th does not work for me as I have a gig I can’t cancel but would come down that night if needed to ride on the 6th…then I’d probably stay and ride some trails on the 7th to make it worth the trip…hmmmm…
Ok, so it turns out I can get both the weekend of the 5th/ 6th and the 12th/13th off from work! So here is what i am proposing-
2 WEEKENDS OF SWEET MUNI MADNESS! Come to one, or both if you are keen. We will explore the awesome trails at Mt Stromlo MTB park, Majura Pines nature reserve, Black mountain reserve, and Sparrow Hill.
All are welcome to stay at my place- it is not the ritz, but comfortable enough if you bring a sleeping mat and bag.
For those of you who are particularly sore after a days riding- we can get our wood fired, outdoor hot tub cranking to help relax your aching legs.
So i’m going to start compiling a list of interested riders- add your name to the dates you want/ are able to come to!
I have gigs on both of the Saturdays so thinking of maybe coming for Sunday on both weekends…or I might cancel one and come just for the 12th/13th…for now I’ll just put my name on both weekends…will let you know which dates specifically as we get closer and I make some decisions.
5th/6th November
Mark Lavis
Rob O’brien
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
12th/13th
Mark Lavis
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
I’ll be heading up that way from Melbourne on the weekend of the 12/13th, so would be up for a ride on the Saturday (I have some other stuff happening on the Sunday)…
Cheers,
Daniel
5th/6th November
Mark Lavis
Rob O’brien
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
12th/13th
Mark Lavis
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
Daniel McIntyre (Saturday Only)
For a minute there i thought i was going to miss out, awesome. When u have confirmed this is the plan, can get cris to put it on the AUS web site, fb pages ect, sure lots of people will be keen.
Ash
5th/6th November
Mark Lavis
Rob O’brien
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
12th/13th
Mark Lavis
Jamey Mossengren (Sunday Only)
Daniel McIntyre (Saturday Only)
Ashley Curtis
Hey Ash, Glad you are going to be able to make it!
I would prefer not to advertise this event through the AUS for a few reasons
Anything sanctioned by the AUS needs to be covered by AUS insurance- which means all the participants need to become members. I know most of them probably already are, but nonetheless- i want to make it as easy and hassle free for the people coming here to ride.
I would prefer to have fewer riders that are capable of putting in big days of riding. I don’t want to end up babysitting newer riders who can’t hack the distances/terrain/speed I hope we will be covering. I really do enjoy spreading the muni love with new riders- but not on every ride.
Feel free to spread news of this event to people who you think could handle it- they are more than welcome. Just remember- beginner riders are not going to have a fun time at an event like this.
I’m probably not (yet) capable enough to be riding with you folks, but… You mentioned 40kms/day, can you elaborate on the speed at which you will be covering this? Would it be a 40km block, or 20kms in the morning, 20km in the afternoon?
I could be tempted to come along on the 5th/6th Nov.
Hi Graham,
I would like to do 2 rides a day- one in the cool of the morning and then one in the evening each day. They would probably range from 15-25km per ride. On a fairly technical trail I normally average about 12-14km/hr. With a group the speed would probably drop a bit.
At places like Stromlo MTB park it would be really easy to see how the pace suits you- and if it is too much, you can use the really well marked trail system to have a great day on the trails at a more leisurely pace. All the other locations require a bit more in the way of guidance (so people don’t get lost).
We could overcome the guidance issues with ground markings (or smartphone gps if you are technologically inclined) so that it is not too bad if the main group splits up into smaller riding groups.
You would be very welcome to come along. Riding with other people is a great way to upskill and i’m sure you would have a fun time.
Hey Corbin! It would be great to ride with you again some time- are you headed to UNICON next year? It was great meeting (and riding) with you at Wellington and would be sweet to do it all again in the Alps!
