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turon gates mountain bike trail
NB: Originally posted elsewhere on the Global Riders Network and appears via syndication.
Hi there,
we have a bush resort with log cabins which has fire trails but no marked bike trails. would this be of interest to mountain bike riders? the website link is:
located on the Mudgee Rd between Lithgow and Mudgee.
Pristine bush wilderness.
I am not a mountain biker personally but am wondering what would mountain bikers like to have in terms of marked trails etc and how we would go about creating this at our farm if anyone knows?
I look forward to hearing from you.
Kirsten
Turon Gates
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It's been some time since I visited Turon Gates, it's a beautiful location. would definitely head up there to ride some nice single trail.
Great thinking Kirsten and I would love to give you my 2cents about it. I'm not only a mountain biker but work in tourism as well. A friend of mine had stayed at your place and I am still due to visit as well. Do you have an email address we can get in contact with?
Great to hear you want to create some new single track.
For a few ideas of what they could be like, head into Mudgee. They have some great trails and are currently adding and improving them. Search for Mudgee MTB on Facebook for pics and location.
There are also trails in Bathurst, I've not ridden them but I've heard they're good so it could be worth paying a visit for more inspiration.
Good to see many land owners/managers looking at mtb to improve tourism.
Clandulla is the closest official trail network to you and then either rydal or bathurst.
There are plenty of professional trail building companies that could set up a trail network for you but you really need to find local riders who would be keen to help you create and maintain the trails otherwise it's going to get expensive and that may out weigh the benefit to you.
The other thing you need to consider is there is a lot of riding to be had with great variation around you.
That's an angle that you can push. "Hey all this riding is on our doorstep use us as a base, checkout our private trail and then go explore the nps state forests and club trails that surround us."
Hi Kirsten, what exactly do you guys have in mind?
I stayed at The Steps at Barrington Tops over NYE.
For a campsite, they have a great little XC and in fact the downhill section had some great features (banked berms, table tops, doubles etc). The trail is great because it caters to so many levels. Whereas an easy trail might cater to a large number of lower skilled riders, something that is well considered and constructed will also create interest for a larger range of riders who will spread word of mouth info and also most likely return. You will attract a larger range of clientele with a propensity to return and, given the nature of MTBers, possibly those with a higher disposable income.
Apparently the track was built by one or two guys over a couple of seasons however I was told neither of those guys work there anymore. If you have the chance to visit, it might give you an idea as to what could be done with limited space and vertical drop. They might even be able to tell you where the original builders are!
Also look into the camp site at Del Rio at Wisemans ferry. They have a track that caters to national level downhill riders. People go there just for the dedicated riding days due to the quality (its not open to the public every day of the week, only specified days or to people staying at the resort).
I think getting an army of volunteers could be a good way to go. Their free labour and expertise in exchange for free accommodation and some form of agreed access to the trails in the future. However if you do, just make sure there is a dedicated project manager!!
Oh and for anyone interested, the descent section at The Steps shames the equivalent at OMV, Bantry Bay etc. Four meter doubles and transfer jumps anyone?
Hi Kirsten,
This great to see some initiative, you could potentially make a lot of money from mountain biking and making a lot of mountain bikers happy.
What all mountain bikers want is variety and the exceptional.
For trail design, you want Variety for skill levels, length and style.
With cross country riding, You would want to consider short and easy rides for beginners/families, these are ideally between 1-4km in length and Medium to Extra-Long challenging rides for intermediates and experienced mountain bikers. Medium being around 6-10km in length. Extra Long is looking at 20km plus in length. This can be assisted with stacked loops. Example 1 Example 2.
If you have some very big hills, gravity fed trails are well loved especially if there is vehicle access from bottom to top to allow for shuttle runs. (A group ride where riders travel down hill on the single track while one drives the car to a meeting spot at the bottom to pick them up and take them back to the top, the driver is usually rotated each time). Alternatively, you could offer shuttles as a service for a charge. Cross country riders like trails to ride back to the top.
Having more than one trail choice increases variety and the more likelihood of tourism. This applies to both the Cross Country and Downhill.
Here is a youtube playlist of 9 videos that would give you a good idea of trail design and some do's and don't. Definitely worth watching.
You could consider trails for racing events. This can bring in large numbers of visitors and if they enjoy the course they ride on and there is more on offer they are far more likely to return for a holiday. Contacting a Race promoter like Rocky trail Entertainment can give you some great advice on what would be ideal for a race course and event centre.
Contacting a Professional Trail builder like Synergy Trails can offer great advice on what could be done and how. Definitely worth contacting for some advice.
I would recommend contacting your local council, you may need approval for a build.
Should also check with your insurance company. Mowbray Park farm built a Mountain bike Trail for tourism and racing but failed to get council approval before construction. Luckily they managed to get the approval after the build, but then their insurance company refused to cover mountain biking so it all went to waste.
Also look to locals who could maintain the trails for free in exchange for riding the trails for free.
Best Regards, and Good Luck,
Tim Rowe
PS, I'm very wary of Mountain Bikers who claim they know how to build trails. While there are some that can do a great job. There are many who only think they know what they are doing but are very poor at it. Some can claim 20 years of experience, but it has only been a hobby and are more likely to have 20 years experience of doing it wrong. As you would have a lot riding on this for the success of the tourism. It is my personal opinion and strongly recommended that you hire a professional builder to design the layout and either build it themselves or project manage volunteers.
OMG!!!, Just found Turon Gates on Google maps/earth -33.148464,149.919875
You have so much potential for something epic. Those green hills at the front all the way to those mountains and river at the back. I hope you're seriously considering this!