A massive build today with only 10 volunteers working from 8:30am to 4:30pm.
A huge thanks to those who helped today, moving two truck trailer loads of soil along Lower Blair Witch.
This trail has many more features... so please roll slowly through the short section before you "send it". We realigned the trail in 3 or 4 sections to improve the drainage and water flow. There are a lot of 1-2 metre long rollers with large drains to catch or the sediment. There's two roller sections which can be manual'd or gapped.
We also added a bunch of berms to help you catch your speed in some of the corners. Thanks to Renae from Parks Vic for organizing the power barrow and for sourcing logs for us with the chainsaw. Big thanks to Nick from Coates Hire for the discount on the machinery. You've been a pleasure to work with the past 4 months! This was a massive build and one of the biggest yet due to how many features and drainage points we had to cap off. The old trail has been covered over and blocked off. FAQ for the riders who like communication before they even ride it: Why did we do this? The old trail was very much a fall line trail and riders loved it for its ruts, roots and roughness. It was short and steep. Unfortunately it also was extremely under-maintained and the condition it was in meant there was always 40-50mm of sediment/sandy soil on top. This old trail alignment became a river when it rained and was extremely unsustainable with the ruts that were forming and caused the track to always be in poor condition. Re-aligning the trail with large self flushing reverse grade drains not only allows for riders to learn their pumping skills, but it also helps with the erosion. Why are the berms/corners so tight right before the walking track? To slow you down. That walking track cops many many walkers, especially on the weekend. Minimising a collision not only improves the safety for all visitors of the park, but it also helps you improve your cornering skills and your skill of looking ahead for dangers. I like ruts and rough natural trails!? Ruts are great, and eventually the new alignment will get rougher the more people ride it. So ride it and have fun and try to learn something on the new alignment that you haven't been bothered trying before.
Gaps are dangerous!? They aren't gaps if you roll them or manual them. If you can't manage your speed to roll the features or manual them, check yourself and your skills before your ride this trail level. There are B lines for those who aren't confident enough, but all the features ARE roll able.
When's your next build? We usually have builds once a month. Once we know the date, we'll post up on facebook, instagram and our website at www.lysterfieldmtb.com How to I give back to the trails and the club? Donate here: https://www.lysterfieldmtb.com/ Volunteer here: https://www.lysterfieldmtb.com/volunteering
See you all out on the trails!
