Sunday, October 21, 2012

Kalamunda MTB circuit.. virgin ride:)

It was a hot Sunday.. and we had decided earlier on an MTB trail as my bike has arrived. Syafiq bought his 2 weeks ago and was itchy to get it into a proper trail. Initially we planned for a simple trail for beginners but early this morning, he texted me and asked if we could go for a better track.. I googled and found the Kalamunda trail which is highly recommended for a full MTB experience.
 MTB has never really been my forte as it required more effort to do it. Not just the preparation, the ongoing and when yo return. It can be really messy and tedious to clean the bike after the ride. I bought a proton 4 years ago but never really had the time to use it as how it should be used.
Syafiq really influenced me to get one of this when he bought his; and after a year of doing road bike i thought it'll be good for a change.I've always wanted to venture with a bike into the woods and WA is the place to do it. Its good that Syafiq has contacts with vehicles as again, for a proper mountain biking you need to travel afar for a proper trail.
 The Kalamunda circuit is situated in Perth Hill, and around the circuit; a whole lot of MTB trails are available for use. They have keen MTB clubs here that would preserve their trails, ensuring that it is safe and at the same time protecting the environment. Initially i thought of doing the John Forrest trail which was relatively flat & easy; but a sudden change of plan brought us here. I must say it was worth it.. all the way!
 Again being my first ride, it was not really wise in retrospective to have my cleats on. Perhaps if the track was less technical i could have breezed easily but with the technical part of this track, i had my fair share of terbabasness.. hahaha Bruises and bangs tak payah cakap la.. It was not easy to handle MTB in such terrains in balancing between speed and avoidance of injury. I had fun trying to negotiate the single track bands and rocks, as well as the proper jumps as required! hahahaIt was memorable and i really enjoyed the character of this track!They had signature names for specific parts of the trail and i reckon I'd do a proper review the next time I am on this circuit again..
 Of course, something had to happen. Zamir, Syafiq's friend made a meal out of a shortcut that we gave to him.. We ended up doing an SnR ( Search and Rescue) to get him back! hahaha.. memang jauh gile where he went and we were damn exhausted & pancit.. hahaha
It was a good day out and now i do really understand how MTB can satisfy one's needs:) It was not eaqsy as the requirement for handling is totally different from a road bike.. the amount of concentration and playing with the gears is essential for a safe and controlled ride. Now i understand why i have quite a few of my patients coming to me after an MTB crash :)

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