4x4

I've owned a 4x4 for a few years now and haven't really used it too much. Apart from a few DH missions, The Wonnongattta Epix, and occasionally needing 4x to get out of my drive(wet dirt) its stayed in 2wd.

After the Wonnongatta Epix I replaced the bald tyres, fitted non sagged springs, shocks, fixed the death whine in the transfer case and got myself a UHF. Still its taken a good year before i've found time to hit the dirt.

An invite from Ash saw me and a mate rockup to Gisbourne for some fun in the mud.

The day had a few false starts.... I needed a jump start, then couldn't get the engine to rev at all. Flat to the floor and it would barely idle. Eventually it got going but throughout the day i would occasionally have to "stoke the Boiler" to get some power out of the ole 2.4
Hopefully its just a clogged fuel filter. We'll see....



The little Hilux that could. Early on before it got covered in Wombat Forest Mud...

All the other 4x4's out were slightly better prepared for the bogs. I picked which ones to go through or go around. Later in the day I would have no choice. ( Funnily enough i don't have any shots of me driving...)

The Red Dragon... This guy drove hard, love to see someone who's not too worried about their vehicle. Checkout Ash's blog for video.

Cleanup time!! Driving home after its wash I had every warning light on... Damn electrics. what little there is in an 85 hilux were having fun all by themselves.

Yeah, this post has nothing to do with Yeti's or riding them.

Something different

Work progresses in the backyard.


Switchbacks to climb back up



Scrape off the grass and there is perfect loam to dig your tyres into...

So far i've got about half way down the hill and have attempted a few laps.

New soil, rain and fresh trail = mud in the eyes. Plus i've discovered a corner or two that need to be reshaped slightly....

Might have to have a BBQ/working bee too get things moved along.

Inspired Digging...

Normally I hit the local trails wednesday night with the old FTF ride but this week i got an early out and decided to ride in the daylight. Since getting back from Alice Springs I've been taking it easy(read CBF riding in the dark/wet) so a bit of sunshine was welcomed for a ride....

On my way i took a small detour to look at a pump track one of my mates has been building. Heaps of fun. couldn't quite get around without putting a crank in but i'm tipping with my seat down and a few more laps I'd get it dialed.



So I've been inspired. I need a pump track in my backyard. Pity i don't have any flat ground to play with....

After a bit of thinking i decided mini DH/XC course will have to do.


Beginnings... Straight down there


Plenty of roots to float over around the pine tree. I've dug the dirt out between them to get the suspension working.





First drift corner. Shove the back wheel hard into this one cause there's a small double (which will get larger...) coming up.

Small double next to the shed takes the trail off to the left. On the right is the return trail which will wind its way up the hill.

So while it looks like rain and winter sets in I'll be building...

Winter Series Rd1, forgotten clothing, Skinsuits and a couple of more Alice photos

Today was the first round of Fat Tyre Flyers Winter series. Officer. A great course was put together with climbing flowing singletrack and fast descents.

After spending saturday at Warburton on my Downhill bike I was ready to rock. Pity i didn't quite get all the required items for racing in the car....

Everyone has done it. Get to a ride, forgot the helmet, shoes, front wheel etc etc... Today I forgot my jersey. Having a full compliment of DH gear in the ute didn't help either. Full face helmet and a t shirt with cutoff sleeves?? oh no....

Thankfully one Paul VPD carries a few spares and even tho it was not the right colour or brand I was happy to not be racing bare chested. Cheers mate!!

Turns out Paul and I wear the same size jersey but i fill it out a little better...

Paul won today's race, in a Discover Tasmainia skinsuit, a minute ahead of AJ with Luke Fetch a close 3rd. I took advantage of an early pile up and a World Champ having bike dramas to slot into 4th. Riding the whole race by myself, unable to catch the front runners.

GO THE SKINSUIT!!

Big thanks to Stephen Rowe for taking photos and having them up ready to view only a few hours after the race. Top effort. All his images are available to purchase at very reasonable prices.

Alice Springs(Pro Photos..)

Stage 1. Rough trails, sand. A good introduction to the weeks riding.

Stage 2. Monday evening. Hillclimb. Skinsuit.

Stage 3. Tuesday. Unused backroads early in the stage.

Stage 4. Wednesday. Early start for the "Long" stage. The stage had to be shortened due to local landmanagers and we were done before midday.... I think in the end it was only 64km

Stage 5. Thursday Morning. Time trial. The rider in the background started 30seconds before me....


Stage 6. Thursday Night. On the same course as the morning time trial. Night riding out there was awesome.

Stage 7 Friday. All Finished!! Done. This stage and the TT/Night race was some of the best single track ridden all week.

An Apology, of sorts...

My first lap of the 2009 Mont 24 hour. Flat tyre... Unlucky? probably, not carrying a spare was stupid....

See Jase, happens to us all.... some just more than others...

Alice wrap up

Its been over a week since the finish line of the last stage, so before its all forgotten about here's some random images from my Alice trip..





Packing up the ASR Carbon, fits perfectly. I flew Qantas, mainly for the infrequent flyer points and i got the tickets on sale. Those that flew Tiger enjoyed delays while they repacked the plane. Too many bikes apparently.






Heavitree Gap Lodge, our digs for the week, right on the MacDonnell Ranges next to the Todd River(dry, sandy).


We had rock wallaby's at our back door every night. The event centre was setup at the Heavitree Gap Lodge so it was a perfect place to stay.

Carbo loading saturday night..... XXXX was our beer of choice.


ME thinks the locals like a different brew....





One of the race requirements was an Anaconda Enduro sticker. I chose to use as frame protection. Worked well. No chips.



Stage 3 was my only excursion off the bike. 2 riders in front hit a sand pocket and stopped very quickly, collision avoidance ended me up in a barb wire fence. No real damage, just a few small scratches.


The view from the top of Anzac Hill. Stage 2 Hill Climb finish. For the winners it was a 42second smash fest. The skinsuit got its one and only airing for the week and it secured me 4th place....

There was a lot of talk about flats and "which tyres" to run. I ran a new set of Maxxis Crossmarks and had no dramas. Midway through the week i went on thorn patrol and found nothing to be worries about.... Barring bad luck i think unless you ride 'heavy' most tyres should have no dramas on the Alice Trails. That said, one J. Jackson should carry tubes....







Stage 7 took us through Emily Gap in the MacDonnell range. On The Sunday after the race i rode back out there to enjoy the magic trails and see the rock paintings I'd missed during the race...

Our Lodge neighbour Darren's daughter drew us all a picture of a dog doing something. Mine was diggin a hole. The Digging Dog was taken on all stages and awesome results followed...

Giant Inside... If in doubt.... wrap it up in tape!!


The Red Centre... Where old bikes go to die.... Amazing to see a GT STS still in one piece


I've just ordered some event shots that actually show me riding so I'll get a few of them up as soon as they arrive...

Anaconda Enduro

Top Ten Finish....

At the end of 7 stages I worked my way up to 9th overall. Not Bad i says.

More details will be posted later, plus some crappy pics. Until then enjoy some of the local Alice Trail Humour...