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Trail ettiquette
Excuse the rant but I felt compelled to share.
I was very busy out on the Perimeter and Long Tracks today everybody from Mum-n-Daugther to the boys clearing 4 metres off the water bars, horses, walkers you name it.
There was plenty of give and take on the trail with the vast majority of riders ensuring everyone had a great time .. but
On 2 occasions I was forced off the trail by riders 2 abreast coming at me who totally refused to yield. I also came up on one group riding 2 wide in the sandpit area, the irony was not 100m earlier was a sign saying keep left unless overtaking.
The most dangerous were the 2 guys walking their bikes up the riding line and stopping still on that steep section at the end of the Long Track while another rider was walking up the inside. They didn't leave many options. Minnon/High Rollers to the rescue!
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Did you make it up the hill?
On the best of days i cant get up there without putting a foot down.
i was riding mona vale sniggle today and it was verrrry busy aswell!
Dont get caught up in them i guess with that much traffic its understandable a few knobs will be out and about.
Traction up that hill last weekend was the best I remember it. Normally it's a loose sandy mess. If you want to have a go at clearing it, now is the time!
I've never got close to clearing the first lip. I'll need a bike with less head angle and better climbing tyres - probably lose 20kg would help too
I know how you feel, you're out having a great ride only to be forced into an unsavoury option. But....
You're a regular rider of pretty much everywhere. So you should also have a pretty good understanding that like Sunday drivers, there are Sunday riders. Staying left, staying right, going down the middle, switching for no apparent reason... Changing a flat with the bike upside down across the ride line, and more crazy things. These people are usually the ones that have dusted off the bike, put on some shorts and gone for the first ride in months.
Hence they are novices with most likely no real understanding of trail etiquette. They're too busy trying not to fall off their bikes to think about what to do in any given Mtb situation.
And it's for this reason I tend to avoid the times of day they usually ride. If I want to go fast (ish) then I'll go early (<7am) I may still encounter traffic, but they're usually like minded enthusiasts whom understand Mtb etiquette.
To the point. If you want to avoid these situations, avoid the times they tend to occur.
Granted, there is still the occasional Tool out there, the boy racer on a strava hot lap, but they are few and far between which is why I love the local Mtb fraternity. Mostly, people are always happy to help (with tools, advice and even education on etiquette)
Friendly education is probably the key to guiding these folk moving forward. You're a nice guy, and I'm sure you did this (as you pulled the twigs out of your teeth
)
I was once a novice (still am in some ways) and it was through people on the trails that made me understand the awesome past time of mountain biking better.
Anyways, I'm sorry I forced you I to the bushes today.... Just kidding, I was playing at the dam today.
Oh and I like your vids too.
I'll get off my box now.
+1 to the early starts. Since taking up MTBing I've become a 'morning person' and have seen more sunrises in the last 18 months than I have in the last 18 years
Whether it be riding through a misty old man's valley, squinting as the sun pokes through the tall gums of Ku Ring Kai national park or fanging it down a foggy bobbin head road the 6:30 - 8:30am timeslot really is the sweet spot I reckon.
And you avoid the crowds - mostly.
Regarding the guys stopped on the riding line etc a friendly word to them r.e. trail etiquette should do the trick in most situations. They may have just been new to MTBing and feeling buggered, not knowing the right thing to do was to get off the main line?