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BJ's Urgent Trailwork
Just wondering when some trailwork is planned for BJ's? This area has been constantly degrading for years now, and has reached a point where it is getting quite dangerous due to the continual emergence of new lines emerging around the obstacles, such as the rock drop offs.
As you can see in my photos there are now multiple lines do not flow, running off camber across the face of the hill which is being ripped up by rear wheel skidding. This is starting to cause erosion which will get worse with this weeks rainfall.
Could you please plan a days maintenance here to at least block off these damaging lines, and hopefully the Strava dicks will learn how to ride drop offs, and people who aren't at the required skill level can either dismount before the rocks or head left and go across high roller instead..
BJ's is one of the best and challenging parts of Glenrock, but if it continues to be left as is will turn into a washed out rutted mess.
Count me in for the trailwork day.
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Mav, it's got nothing to do with strava dicks, or even probably technical skills.
Blocking off lines and fixing it before seems to end with similar outcomes. Personally I feel that the rock right in the centre causes most problems because you come off the previous drop aimed straight at it, I'm sure Mic has some views, and maybe watching a few people ride it will reveal where it goes wrong. Perhaps even taking the top off one or 2 rocks will align things down the centre - when it was built, the rocks were sticking up more than intended from memory
If its nothing to do with Strava times or skills I don't understand why there are so many shortcuts appearing, take It Happens and Shaft for example.
I've never had problems riding the rocks on BJ's, and I'm not that good. I know people who dont like riding those rocks as they are worried about going over the bars, which is why there rare 'ride arounds'.
It's a prick of a section, from memory it had to stay on that line to keep NPWS happy. The ground is stupidly hard to dig and it is a difficult line to sort out as it is straight and has quite a bit of fall.
I am no trail builder but my uneducated opinion- Have a simple feature after the Right hand berm so people don't fly in then dig down and widen the next section then use all the rock and dirt you have pulled to create a cambered mound for riders to slow down on.
Thats correct, it is only on that alignment because NPWS at the time would not let the GTA or World Trail deviate, despite us all saying it needed to go elsewhere.
Ive stood and watched riders on the trail. The riders who end up on the downhill side of the big rock on the first photo all got there by trying to stay high early. The tree on the uphill side comes into play sending people to the low side.
Everyone that rode straight down the guts, continued on straight down the guts.
I agree the trail needs work. Simple blocking of the lines doesn't work as they just get unblocked. We have spoken about the need to do major works there, but the issue is access to the machinery needed to do it. The budget has dried up with parks limiting the major works we can undertake.
I really agree something needs to be done, it bugs me riding this section to see the mess where you have pointed out, and further down where riders try and avoid the rock steps. Its a technical trail suffering by people trying to avoid the technical lines.
I don't ride it at all, I get no joy from it then have to ride up a hill, stuff that, hahahaha!
Looks like a few folks have washed out trying to get back up off the low off-camber line, only to find themselves caught in the loose stuff.
Is there anything to stop people just dropping off the rock in the background in photo 1 and then taking the high line keeping the rock on their left (right in the photo)? The drop doesn't look that big.'
When it was constructed there was no line below the rock.
It started as a few people skidding our of control and quickly evolved into a line for people trying to avoid the technical bits. Armouring that part of the trail would be a major exercise and getting machinery in would be nigh on impossible, so it would be a hand job.
Further down there is a series of single rock steps. Riders have tried to avoid these by riding off the uphill side of the trail and this has created ruts on the high side of the features and wash outs under them.