Sunday Epic MTB Carnage

Met Buzz down at the Belgian cafe for a coffee before we took off for a 4 hour MTB ride. After last week's 80k classic ride, we were looking to back up with another long mtb ride around the many varied trails around Davidson and Terry Hills.

Some of the damage

Things didn't start well when I rolled over a small branch which flicked up into my rear derailleur causing me to have to stop. A bent derailleur was the result. With a 5 minute trackside bush repair, we were off again. Shifting was a little sticky, but the bike was rideable. We headed out down the Heath track. This is a fast descent over 2k long on loose rocky fire trails with water bars threatening to make the rider to fly off his bike if you hit them too hard and don't keep your weight down on top of the bike.

I missed the track line on the second bend and Buzz who was 40 metres in front of me was gone in a flash. A quick review of strava afterwards showed that although my descent was top 20 out of 500 riders, but Buzz was in a class of his own, taking the Strava KOM. We then had the climb out up the Cascades trail and moved across to the Terry hills side of Mona Vale Road. There are some great flowing single trail

sections here and we pushed through posting good times. We then headed over the other side of Forest Way to the technical rocky Bunnings track, known for breaking the odd collarbone or two. I took it pretty easy, choosing to bike hike the real techie bits. There was a small rock ledge about 400mm high and I launched off it. I landed pretty evenly, however there was a major cracking sound coming from the bike as the rear wheel collapsed. I had broken 3 spokes as well as suffering a rear wheel puncture. Major carnage!!

Stuck doing trail repairs in the middle of nowhere!!

We hung the bike on the nearest tree and started to patch it all together.

We limped back back to Manly. Another god day, but an expensive one!!