Cairns wc track
- Thread starter zacapp
- Start date
Ivan
Eats Squid
FYI, World Cup DH track is closed for repair, and is only open for designated ride/race days anyway. Plenty of other DH tracks in Cairns to ride though!
Last I heard, all the XC tracks are open, so enjoy the awesomeness that is Cairns (and Atherton if you get the chance)!
Last I heard, all the XC tracks are open, so enjoy the awesomeness that is Cairns (and Atherton if you get the chance)!
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I understand having them closed for repair after that hectic WC round, but, now that it has been on a WC circuit I think it should be open after repairs.
Could be a good chance to create jobs and money.
5 dollar entry fee just for facility upkeep etc and 5 10 dollars for shuttles 20 dollars for a full weekend of shuttles.
Get that advertising out once the track is fixed up and show the government that this sport is capable of giving good money when there's no big races happening just from people riding.
I know it's protected area but surely something could be worked out?
Sadly things are not as easy or as simple as you make it out. The WC course is now designated a restricted access area. That means you have to meet certain criteria to have access to it commercially. Obviously the club meets the criteria as it runs events etc... and complies with MTBA regulations for those events. This has all come about as a result of Parks putting their money into the park. With the money they have spent they are keen to protect that investment so they have now set guidelines for its use.
These guidelines are to help maintain the park and trails and also to protect all users with respect to liability issues. Lawsuits have occurred and will more than likely occur again.
That said, access is available through the Cairns Mtb Club on organised social DH days and on race days and is the cost of entry (to cover shuttle vehicles) and day license, if you don't have a MTBA race license.
The WC course was described by most of the riders at the WC as one of the most technically specific they have ridden . It is considered an international race course not a tourist course.
Tourist trails exist, and are being created by Parks, all over the region so there is plenty to ride. For example there is 60 km of trail in the Smithfield park and the DH is only 1.9km long. The XC is also quite challenging.
There are most certainly a large number of DH tracks well within reach of Cairns that you can enjoy as well and I suggest you try and hook up with the local DHillers who will be more than happy to ride with you. They are always looking for an excuse to ride.
This may seem unfair and Govt departments not understanding and overegulating blah blah blah. In perspective, 4 years ago MTB was considered a painful bunch of yobbos riding bikes in the Smithfield conservation park and Parks really didn't like it. 4 years later the trails are rebuilt and the WC has come and gone and there are more to come. Trails are being created all over the region and Parks are putting in place policy to ensure they last and are not just blown out in a year. This all seems to be common sense to me.
If you are coming up to just ride the WC Downhill, sadly that won't happen unless you are here when the club runs a social ride or race on it. (next race 24 may).
Perhaps in the distant future those things will change. Who knows?
Things have come a long way in 4 years and given they are paying the bills it is reasonable that we move with them, comprise and negotiate change along the way.
Sorry that is not going to help you right now cause you want to ride the course but there are options for the moment, work with them and lets see if we can change them in the future.
Go to the Cairns Mtb Club Facebook page and make contact with some local guys they will happily show you around.
Enjoy your trip.
Sooo, once again government bureaucracy runing a potential good money making thing?
Now that has been shown surely the club could make pushes to having it open on weekends for riding at least?
Huh? Tourist tracks? I don't understand that comment, the reason we ride downhill is to challenge ourselves, sure it's fun riding the odd flowy jumpy trail, but we also ride to challenge ourselves.
The club should be making pushes to try and get it open for riding on weekends at least or once a fort night or something, It seems a bit of a waste having a WC trail and keeping it closed.
Govt is not destroying anything. Read what I posted carefully and you will see the club has access and will open it up every opportunity it can to allow people to ride it. The club currently has social DH days added to its calender and they are every sunday, when there are willing volunteers. They can't be every day because no one is able to volunteer everyday. We are volunteers and have real jobs.
Over 4 years we have reversed Parks thinking. There have been a lot of big turnarounds in Govt thinking in the last 4 years. More will come. Govt is very onside with MTB Toursim hence the fact that more and more trails are being opened up and created around this region. This one trail will not make a million dollars for the region, The Smithfield trails and the WC will lure riders here and the hundreds of kilometres of trail being created around the region will keep people here and coming back to go riding.
You should come here but don't just set yourself to ride one track and get upset when you can't ride it everyday. There is a reason so many top class Downhillers come from Cairns. There is more than one track here in Cairns that will test you, hook up with local riders and they will have you riding a different track everyday. You will go home wanting to come back and ride them all again. During the Gravitate MTB Festival the Dawn to dusk DH day rides 9 different and unique trails in one day. That is why you should come here. I rode Fort Bill for a day and there are only two tracks to ride, an all mountain track and the DH oh an another easier one that I didnt ride. Here in Cairns I can think of at least 15 within 30 minutes of the city. There are apparentlly more than double that but most havent been ridden in years and would be overgrown and hard to find.
Just because you can't challenge yourself on this course everyday you are here doesn't mean the govt is destroying everything. Think outside yourself for a minute and remember a lot of time and money has gone into what has happened here and anywhere this is happening.
Just so you know it isnt just Cairns even if you go to Fort Bill you can't just ride the World Cup DH course. 45% of it is closed. You can ride the single track and the detours around the areas that would challenge you but you cant ride the race course or the areas that you would want to ride. There is a reason for that. if you want to challenge yourself do it in a race or during an open social club day event, it is sanctioned and insured. Outside of that it is restricted. This park is no different. I am sure that sections of Stromlo are closed to the daily rider as well. The difference at Smithfield is there are no detours therefore the entire trail is deemed restricted unless attending with an authorised operator.
An important thing to remember is if you do crash and hurt yourself in the restricted access area your rider insurance will not pay because you are in a restricted access area without permission.
Stop whining, get your arse to Cairns and ride your dam bike.
4dabush
Likes Dirt
Guys, you really don't understand just how much work has gone into getting this to happen in a World Heritige Area and National Park. And even though I am here and involved, and heavily involved with some of the bureaucrats, I only know half of it.
Sure you can push up...it's about an hour up. Southerners better bring a bloody big camelbak 'cause our weather will kill you by the time you get to the top...you won't need to worry about the track.
IF you hurt yourself - you WILL be on your own... There's two ways out, walk up, or walk down. Ask Dru Berryman how much fun it was to walk up with a broken collarbone, or Matti who had to walk himself out with a compound broken arm ( bone through the skin). There is no one coming to carry you out unless you need a spine board...if you are with someone who can raise the alarm.
Watch Brook MacDonald's latest video...not one bit of that was the WC trail...he had a ball here on everything else.
Finally, as for the cost of shuttles. As its a 4wd only access track to shuttle, $20 per rider doesn't cover the cost of hiring a troopy and fuel on race days...a weekend of shuttles would be ten times that plus. That wouldn't cover road maintenance.
Enjoy your trip here...smash out runs at Kuranda. 5 minute downhill, bitumen shuttle, don't stuff around and you will do 4 runs an hour...that will keep you pretty chuffed, challenged, and stuffed!
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outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Really?? I clearly am missing something
What Frankie is saying about the quality of the downhill is absolutely correct. Yes, you may not be able to ride the WC course, but there are at least 6 tracks locally that will be equally as hard if not more challenging.
I dare you to come up and try ride all of them
Mud Gecko
Likes Bikes
It can be shuttled but I won't divulge on a public forum. Most locals know how to do it. I don't understand why it isn't open like the Nationals track.
Definitely, although you could say the same about most of the tracks around here. I walked down from the "G-out" on Kuranda with a broken collarbone
Absolutely! There are other great tracks here to shuttle as well but the turnaround time can be a bitch, waddlebla and slipperies for example is almost an hour turnaround.
If you love to downhill, Cairns is the place to be. :first:
Quintin
Eats Squid
$20 for a weekend of shuttles is awesome money! how can they resist!?
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
That can hardly be called a shuttle unless you have a key for the last part?? Takes me 35 minutes to ride/push from there...
4dabush
Likes Dirt
+1 for all you said...
You're right about walking out from any of our tracks but at least on Kuranda you stand a really good chance of having another crew find you within a short time unless you are riding the last run of daylight...at least then someone can raise the alarm and rescue your bike. And there is a bitumen exit above mad dog, so it's a lot safer in that respect than doing a solo push run of the worlds - a stack there on your own and you could spend a day there without another rider passing.
jbg
Likes Dirt
Well put Mudflap, 4dabush.
Great to see Parks getting behind MTB like this making it possible to ride these great trails into the future.
After the 96 worlds most of the Smithfield trails were pretty much swallowed up by the jungle, washed away by cyclones or burnt by fires (dh wood berms r.i.p) Any "maintenance" done was quickly undone by mother nature.
Having Parks foot the bill for building and maintenance is laying the foundations for Cairns to have some amazing trails in the future, this is just the start of good things to come.
"Locals tracks" are harder to find and more likely to make you bleed, not fun if your on holidays.
Heading up there next month can't wait
Great to see Parks getting behind MTB like this making it possible to ride these great trails into the future.
After the 96 worlds most of the Smithfield trails were pretty much swallowed up by the jungle, washed away by cyclones or burnt by fires (dh wood berms r.i.p) Any "maintenance" done was quickly undone by mother nature.
Having Parks foot the bill for building and maintenance is laying the foundations for Cairns to have some amazing trails in the future, this is just the start of good things to come.
"Tourist track"s in Cairns are the easy ones to find and will still challenge everyone from plebs like us right up to the top pro's
"Locals tracks" are harder to find and more likely to make you bleed, not fun if your on holidays.
Heading up there next month can't wait
More long winded BS from the usual suspect!
Why is a track that has existed for nearly 20 years now in a "Restricted Access Area" and what does that exactly mean?
Parks reckons it's to protect the natural resource, since when is a man made track a natural resource?
Stromlo has a couple of gated sections but is open as are most other DH tracks on public land!
As for being too technical phht! The A line of the rock garden is for sure but there is a B & C line I know I've ridden it and I'm 54 and I rode it with an 11 year old albeit a talented one,who's father has the only DH Tour outfit in Qld. The local club will not allow him or his family to join, why is that Frank???? Conflict of interest you say, how so mate???
I've ridden a few other DH tracks here and in Europe most of them have about the same access for getting injured riders out, not much different to this track, some better some worse.
Go figure!
Watch this space private enterprise DH shuttles with limited numbers coming soon!
Puts on flame retardant suit and prepares the popcorn.:target:[HR][/HR
Why is a track that has existed for nearly 20 years now in a "Restricted Access Area" and what does that exactly mean?
Parks reckons it's to protect the natural resource, since when is a man made track a natural resource?
Stromlo has a couple of gated sections but is open as are most other DH tracks on public land!
As for being too technical phht! The A line of the rock garden is for sure but there is a B & C line I know I've ridden it and I'm 54 and I rode it with an 11 year old albeit a talented one,who's father has the only DH Tour outfit in Qld. The local club will not allow him or his family to join, why is that Frank???? Conflict of interest you say, how so mate???
I've ridden a few other DH tracks here and in Europe most of them have about the same access for getting injured riders out, not much different to this track, some better some worse.
Go figure!
Watch this space private enterprise DH shuttles with limited numbers coming soon!
Puts on flame retardant suit and prepares the popcorn.:target:[HR][/HR
rednightmare
Likes Dirt
Think some things are better left to private messages, right? Better still, sit down with old mate, have a beer and sort out your grievances. Last thing this place needs is club politics in the form of obscure, passive aggressive posts.
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Why would he start now??
I think the official line is that it is closed for liability issues. It is restricted and anyone who is riding it without permission has no come back when they smash themselves.
If you want to blame anyone for that, blame all the wankers that sue people at the drop of a hat..
You sir have no idea as to why what or how!
If that was the case all tracks would be closed.
Sheeesh grow a brain!