MTB Trailcare

We explored 911, Netti and B&Bs this weekend, by bike.  911 has been targeted by the trail saboteur with multiple bridges damaged.  As with Bailey's, the damage is malicious with the intention being to hurt MTB riders.  In many places you cannot see the vandalism until it is too late with the second half of a bridge missing, or the damage hidden behind trees until the rider is committed.  

Emergency bridge repairs are taking place, consistent with our advice from QPWS to repair any safety hazard and over time all the bridge damage can be rectified.  Either a new bridge or an alternate line without a bridge is acceptable.  

Fire roads are still being booby trapped with rocks.  We cleared Centre Fire Road (Three Hills to Baileys) and steeper parts of North Street Fire Road down to the velodrome yesterday.  Again the clusters and patterns of stones is designed to catch riders out.  On the steepest section of Castle Hill Fire Road, below the intersection with Centre FR at Baileys start, we found several intentional patterns that would catch and then further catch a rider travelling at maximum speed.  Perhaps here a good rider would be more at risk than the beginners and families who normally use the fire roads!

We believe the way to solve this problem is to toss all the stones so far off the trail they will not be used again.  Please do the same.

Here are the stupidities of the trail saboteur:  

- They set traps for us on riding lines and we remove them, permanently.  Even if we don't catch them and we will, the fire roads will ride like velvet if they keep up their stupidity.  

- Bridges are already being repaired stronger, wider and better.  Therefore issues that have raised conflict with QPWS over current black diamond bridges can be more reliably resolved by creating new creek crossings at ground level and the safer bridges will help them get accepted as alternate lines.  

- Riders, trail care volunteers, QPWS and Qld Police are working together on this issue.  That adds legitimacy to our sport (recreation, user group, passion) and builds bonds the MTB community benefit from and have struggled to consolidate.

So, trail saboteur, your malicious and antisocial plan actually helps the cause of MTB in the Nerang National Park.  It is bringing us together.  You have given us new enthusiasm.

If you can identify this sociopath, please contact mtbtrailcare.com as we have direct contacts in Qld Police and QPWS.

On a less disturbing note, we also did some minor modifications to Pete's yesterday by clearing more stabbers and fall hazards and clearing drainages, plus shaping a few corners.  We also removed some skinny, dead trunks currently impeding sightlines because in the near future they were a safety concern via fall risk.  

Not just because the trail vandal got me injured there, but because the gap between the broken and standing trees 250m into Baileys was too narrow for modern handlebars in such a critical spot, we cut the broken tree at ground level and modified the trail above the choke by reshaping a bermed turn, fashioning a new entry line with a small drop and making the whole section more visible to the committed rider.  We know this one will not impress everyone, but we are happy to guide critics through the section and then discuss it more....