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Mowbray Park Farm track official opening
Just out of Picton. Enter off Barkers Lodge Rd. The track entrance is opposite the main carpark.
This is the official opening of the Wollondilly Trailblazers MTB Club track at Mowbray Park Farm that we have been working on since April 2013. The first 50 riders will receive a showbag with a few bits and pieces in it.
The track is definitely an XC track. It's fast and flowy and has been tested using 26" and 29" bikes, male and female riders, 13-60 year olds and one crazy guy on a fatbike.
The venue is also a working farm so there should be plenty to do for the rest of the family.
http://www.wollondillytrailblazers.asn.au/
http://www.farmstayholidays.com.au/
Update: The owners of MPF have said that unless you are a Wollondilly Trailblazers MTB Club member or holder of a current MTBA license you will not be able to ride the track.
Update: Insurance is an obvious issue for MPF with the track being on their private property.
The WTB MTB Club can offer $5 MTBA Participation Permits on the day, of which the club makes no money.
I think this track is a positive step forward for mtbing in the Wollondilly Shire, otherwise I would not have dedicated so much time and effort towards making it happen.
I apologise if this arrangement doesn't work for you.
Update: Plan for the day...
This is the plan for Saturdays opening at MPF.
From 10am - Participation Permit and new club memberships taken. The $5 from the PP goes to MTBA. The $20 WTB mtb club membership goes to the club. The PP is just for the day. The club membership will let you ride MPF by signing in and showing your membership card. Temporary cards will be issued on the day.
11:00 - Brief introduction to the track, WTB mtb club and MPF.
11:15 - I will lead a guided lap. Other club members who are familiar with the track may take faster or slower groups as we determine how everyone is going. Sausage sandwiches and some salad stuff will also be available. Show bags will be handed out at the track entrance to the first 50 riders. I'll have a marker there to write your name on the bags so you can pick them up after the first lap.
Animal visits and horse rides might be available for non riding family members depending on the condition of the animals in the projected heat.
12:00 - 12:15 - The first lap should be completed and you can go for a spin at your leisure, or grab a sausage sandwich or do whatever you want.
It is going to be hot! Estimated finish time will be 4pm.
Bring sunscreen and plenty of water. You must also wear a helmet while riding, be on a bike that is in good functioning condition with working brakes, gears, wheels and steering. That should cover it.
Feel free to ask questions and/or pass this information on.
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Here is a Strava link for those interested.
http://www.strava.com/activities/103865090
I've added a trails DB entry for Mowbray Park Farm. As you know - our trails DB is like a WIKI, anyone can edit and add details that are missing. Hint, hint...
If someone was kind enough to take a swag of pictures - preferably geo-coded (let your smartphone get a solid GPS lock before shooting) - and add to the ride gallery here we can also have them appear in the trail gallery.
I'll pull the GPX from Strava above to add in a bit.Ah... can't download that as it's been locked. Can anyone email me a profile to put on the trail page?Rode past this on my roadie today, didn't even know it was there! can't wait to check it out.
I don't think I can make the official opening, will this trail be open 7 days a week to the public after the opening?
It'll be open to club members. The owner hasn't decided if he is going to close it to others or make it a pay for use set up.
I live in Penrith so I'm near the middle of Yellomundee and Wollindilly. I'm already a member of WSMTB. Wollondilly's Non-mtba membership is $20 and that would get access for a year? sounds like a good deal.
That's right.
I will come try with my boy if he likes it then we will join up
Update: The owners of MPF have said that unless you are a Wollondilly Trailblazers MTB Club member or holder of a current MTBA racing license you will not be able to ride the track.
Insurance is an obvious issue for MPF with the track being on their private property.
The WTB MTB Club can offer $5 MTBA Participation Permits on the day, of which the club makes no money.
I think this track is a positive step forward for mtbing in the Wollondilly Shire, otherwise I would not have dedicated so much time and effort towards making it happen.
I apologise if this arrangement doesn't work for you.
Is there insurance for riders under the age of 10 ? My boy wasnt keen on the ramps over the fences he did 1 then walked up and rode the rest we covered over 5 kms of the track .
The Participation Permit covers Public Liability insurance and death benefit, but not Professional Indemnity and Personal Accident insurances.
There are also gates near each ramp. They can be used but need to be left how they were found. Open if open, closed if closed.
I have mtba race membership. What are the open hours for use for this track? 7 days a week? What is the process for entry? Do we just park and ride or are we required to see someone somewhere first?
Cheers Tim
You'll have to sign in at reception, which is just down from the car park. If no one is in reception the book should still be available. It is a working farm and reception should be open around 8am until 5pm, 7 days.
Are day memberships available?
You will be able to join the club on the day ($20) or buy a Participation Permit ($5, all of which goes to MTBA).
This is the plan for Saturdays opening at MPF.
From 10am - Participation Permit and new club memberships taken. The $5 from the PP goes to MTBA. The $20 WTB mtb club membership goes to the club. The PP is just for the day. The club membership will let you ride MPF by signing in and showing your membership card. Temporary cards will be issued on the day.
11:00 - Brief introduction to the track, WTB mtb club and MPF.
11:15 - I will lead a guided lap. Other club members who are familiar with the track may take faster or slower groups as we determine how everyone is going. Sausage sandwiches and some salad stuff will also be available. Show bags will be handed out at the track entrance to the first 50 riders. I'll have a marker there to write your name on the bags so you can pick them up after the first lap.
Animal visits and horse rides might be available for non riding family members depending on the condition of the animals in the projected heat.
12:00 - 12:15 - The first lap should be completed and you can go for a spin at your leisure, or grab a sausage sandwich or do whatever you want.
It is going to be hot! Estimated finish time will be 4pm.
Bring sunscreen and plenty of water. You must also wear a helmet while riding, be on a bike that is in good functioning condition with working brakes, gears, wheels and steering. That should cover it.
Feel free to ask questions and/or pass this information on.
Forecast is around 40, its going to be very hot!
Can you clarify pls?
Is the track open at other times than this event? If so when?
If I have an MTBA membership, can I ride there at no extra cost or is there a usage charge?
Crank can clarify but My current understanding is the track will be open to the public for riding 7days a week 8am-5pm.
You are required to sign in at reception and present your existing mtba membership OR WTB membership OR purchace a $5 day pass. No additional charges will be made.
Have I got that right?
After the opening tomorrow the track will be open for Wollondilly Trailblazers MTB Club members only until some paperwork is fixed up.
Tomorrow, if you hold an MTBA license, no matter which club, you can ride without paying. If you are WTB Club member you can ride without paying. If you are neither of these you will need to pay for the $5 MTBA Participation Permit.
I'm anticipating that after tomorrow, non WTB club members will need to pay to ride. This is not a decision made by the club. The track is on private land, and while we have been lucky to have this opportunity to build a track and use it for club purposes, we still have to abide by the rules the MPF team put in place.
.. I can't get there tomorrow, but would like to get down there at some stage, so will keep an eye out for further details, hopefully in the near future.
Meet at Cheddington Lodge, opposite the car park at MPF, tomorrow for the opening. The building has a big sign on it saying "Cheddington Lodge". It is also one of the coolest places to be, temperature wise.
I plan on finishing my ride by 10am tomorrow,so I guess It will be a 6am start on the roadie for me.So I will head down to MPF after that and join the club and then ride the track on Sunday at 8am, so if anyone is keen for an 8am start on sunday feel free to join me.
Craig
Where are the reviews who showed up , how is the other half of the track?
I rode the track this morning and it is f@#$%&% unreal,I loved every bit especially "cow pats" great combination of flow and a bit of nice techy stuff,some testing pinch climbs and the bridges over the fences are spot on ,will make a great X/C race track lots of passing opps and just great fun.I am already planning my next ride out there. Well done to Grant and the Wollondilly trail Blazers.
Craig
What part of the trail is the techy stuff the dam wall area ?
There are a couple of short technical type sections. The bridge at the dam wall, the next bridge exiting the wetlands that then goes into the causeway and creek. The final bridge that includes a tight switchback climb as well.
I was happy with how the opening went. The feedback I received has been positive with minor issues that are easily fixed. A gate was open that should have been closed and made a ramp more difficult to get over than it normally would have been. Most people rode through the open gate, some still rode over the ramp. People were happy enough with the track to ride 3 laps in the heat and for me that was a good indication of what people thought. Those who attended and hadn't ridden the track before were able to ride with someone who knew the track and that helps speed up the intro to the track instead of trying to work it out blind.
As I posted elsewhere...
After the 18th it will be open every day for WTB club members only, providing it hasn't been raining for days on end. The Wollondilly Trailblazers MTB Club facebook page would be the best way to check if the track is open or not. It will not be closed as often as Mt Annan for example.
On the Mt Annan comparison, because I believe it is an obvious comparison to make. If you like Mt Annan, I think you'll love MPF. If you don't like Mt Annan, I think you will like MPF. If you love Mt Annan I think you wear dark coloured shorts over your knicks when riding MPF!
The MPF team still haven't determined if non WTB Club members will have to pay per use or simply not be allowed to ride the track. That isn't my decision to make unfortunately.
I guess different views of what is technical riding may vary from rider to rider.
It's a great XC course and would provide great racing with all the open overtaking areas. My definition of Tech is can my 10 yo ride it? He rode everything including most of the fence ramps (he paused at the top usually), except a couple of the small drops in the creek area and that was more about the surrounding terrain more than the specific obstacle. Some of the constructed berms and climbs out of the creek need a few wheels and some rain to bed them in (they tended to collapse a little). Otherwise a great fun ride and was great to see this put together by a solid local community of riders. Will be worth the small joining fee for the WTB club for access I would think.
I enjoyed the track, Will make a for a fast and flowing race course.
I got out for an early lap to get some photos and pre-explore before the group lap although after the Hanging ropes i went over the fence bridge and took the wrong firetrail at the fork which lead me back up the hill missing all of the Western side of the track. Second lap i did alot of short cutting to get photos of the track with riders on them and discovered the turn off I had missed on my first lap.
After a good feed and presentation I went back to the car and switched for my Cyclocross and took it out for a lap. Majority of the track ran very smoothly. Only difficulties was my rear tyre burbing on the off cambered corners so I had to add air and I almost sunk into one of the uncompacted berms. A bit of rain and more use will help this teack go along way. Looking forward to a club race.