MTB Trailcare

OK, recent reports have been absent, but every MTBer has received more than they expected for Christmas this year at Nerang. Thanks to money from a Friends of the Park grant and the Specialized Every Metre Counts raffle, Trailworx completed 2 large re-routes on Three Hills Singletrack.  

The third hill re-route had been approved by QPWS some time ago, but MTBtrailcare asked to complete the Casuarina to Three Hills to Exit Trail link first, because it was more urgently needed and also the place Nerang National Park MTB makes its first impression on users. Like the re-route bypassing eroded sections on the first hill, the aim was to improve the riding experience both ascending and descending with a completely new, sustainable trail line. 

We were really excited to ride the new sections which are a buzz for sure. After inspecting them in the rain late yesterday, it seems fair to post some sample pics. There's so much going on that I could post pages of them. Better that riders experience the trail changes in person. Be aware that after all the rain that has fallen, these new sections do have some vulnerable spots and some mud issues at the bottom of the first hill. Please take care to remain in the centre of the trail as the edges are soft as you would expect. In fact, with all this ongoing rain, why not avoid all the new and low-lying trails for now and wait for them to dry and speed up.

MTBtrailcare has also been busy at work down the bottom of Three Hills. Since the last Trail News we had a bit of help from Trailworx' machine in a stony section below the walled turn and have partly completed a series of TTFs between there and where we left off in the last post. The walled turn is now a bermed turn after Trailworx removed the stump at the upper end of the wall and had to re-shape the turn. It's a bit different to the original plan and quite soft after the rain. It was all draining well in the rain yesterday and will be fine by the time the trail opens - more of that later in this post

After the stony section comes a series of TTF, starting with 2 drops and followed by 4 doubles and then a low, shooter double into the flowy turns already completed. The drops can be climbed for those looking for a more technical ascent

So far we are about 3 doubles into the next section. The general aim is to increase the speed and size (length) of the jumps as riders descend. There is almost no stone in this area. You can craft features beautifully with this stuff, but it takes time and attention to compaction. In addition, water (rain) is an essential ingredient.  Water and time to cure.

Sadly, while we are getting the water, riders are not giving us the time we need. The Nerang trail vandal may have gone quiet, but MTBtrailcare seems to have aquired a vandal or vandals of our own. After each building session (most of the last 10 days) we come back to trail use and damage. Our trail closure signs are thrown into the bush, often some distance from the trail ends, wasting more of our time in finding and replacing them.

20 hours of work went into these double jumps; layer by layer of shaping drains and contours carefully where the base of clay and limited outslope leave little room for error

Therefore, when the dickhead removing our signs started the poaching again in terrible conditions, it hurt. Skidding off muddy trail, getting bogged between rollers and damaging the easy line less experienced riders will use, creating ruts that hold water on the trail line above the "drains", sliding around on foot because the trail is not rideable and leaving a mess for us to repair is no way for riders to say thanks for all the hard work. Not only that, but you cannot make repairs here until it dries because it just tuns to jelly under the tools. When that happens it will be hard to get a new surface to bond to the base and very hard to make those drains work properly again

For the life of us we cannot understand why you would make life harder for people building you new trail. It's not like we closed a section of existing trail; there was no trail and is no trail here until we close the old Three hills line. Until then, we are in a piece of bush no-one went to on a bike, so patience is all that is required. The more we have to go back and re-work damage caused by this sort of selfish activity, the longer it takes to get the job done.

As it was too wet to dig yesterday, we did some clearing of the trail line on the first hill. Better vision makes for better riding.

Sorry this Merry Christmas blog has a mostly sour ending, but anything that slows progress is disappointing. Another request to all riders to please be our allies and not enemies by staying off this incomplete and vulnerable section of trail.