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First timer advice for Ourimba
Hi,
I'm planning on heading up to Ourimba from Sydney with a mate on good Friday. Never been before and dont want to make the same mistakes I did with Menai. Too long of a drive to head home frustrated. Looking for some good XC trails and as much single track as possible. Is there good loops to tackle. I can put it up on the calendar if there's a bit of interest.
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if carrying bike on a rack on rear of car put number plate in avisible position!-NSW Highway Patrol will look to pay for their penalty rates of pay!!!-the F3 will be crawling with them!!!
but the last time I rode the XC there, only on loop was available.
However if you re keen, the DH track has recently been dressed up and looks superb. It also looks far more trail / XC bike friendly (far fewer rock gardens, drops and nasty bits).
at Ourimbah is technically very challenging and there is only one loop really, they have recently done some trackwork which has seen some nice new additions as well.
but your forearms will know they've had a good workout after a couple of laps. You'll be looking forward to the short fire road sections so you can get some carbs out of that drink bottle on the downtube.
Another option is Awaba 20 minutes north. Less techical and more flowy, I haven't ridden there yet but I've been reliably informed the high w00t! factor has placed it firmly on the list of tracks to ride before you die.
What time are you planning on being there? I've committed to a social night ride the evening before. There's a *chance* I might be able to organise a posse if it's not too early.
Its much better than Menai. If you're going on GF, chances are it would be pretty busy so just follow the crowd. You cant get lost, its a good circuit.
The drop off and bottom end of rollercoaster gets a little tricky but nothing too tech. You'll be right if you came away from Menai unscathed
Thats some good advice RobbieO, luckily i've the benefit of putting the bikes in the back of a van.
Hawkeye, I'm not planning anything too early, maybe 11ish. Will i post it up on the calendar?
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I wouldn't call Ourimbah technical compared to GNR, Yellowmundee (top sections) or Knapsack but it is unrelenting - especially the end of the loop coming back up the hill. By the 3rd lap you're feeling it.
I was following a mate around there but would have got lost myself but I'm terrible with directions.
Good place for a ride I recon.
Its up on the Calendar now if anyone does fancy tagging along.
I'm like you, not the best with directions. Is there signposts or a general path to follow?
I believe you are meant to use the upper carpark. So drive past the first clearing and up the hill to the second parking spot. The trail head should be pretty easy to spot from there.
I wouldn't call it technical though. The only real tricky bit is that massive roll down in the first third of the track.
Running through the track - there are more technical bits than you'd think:
- The drops in Jurassic Park Buck mentions.
- The rocks top of jellyleg climb can be tricky to get up.
- The rock roll down to the right at the bottom of the rollercoaster.
- The magic carpet with very sharp left hander.
- The switchback climbs along by the entrance road.
- Various other rocks to climb up are not so easy (I can think of a handful of places but all hard to describe).
Just take care until you know the course well
on Browns is tough as is the rock step up before the left hander in browns.
If you ride Long Meadows the rock climb up through there is a nightmare.
That rock rolldown is where I came off in the first race, it looks easy but its deceptively tough through there as well.
Put it this way, I race on that circuit I struggle to put togethor a clean lap when I am racing, I think its technically a very challenging course with some nasty climbs and corners with big rock step ups strategically placed to make life difficult.