Australian Mountain Bike Issue 189

RIDERS: TROY BROSNAN AND SIAN A’HERN It was a new stage but the same result as 2020. The National Championships flew south to Maydena Bike Park in Maydena, Tasmania, a change up from Mystic Bike Park in Bright, Victoria. A fresh course for the Downhill National Championships was welcomed with open arms, and it delivered exactly what riders wanted, with a diverse and challenging course on steep terrain. When it came down to the final race runs, the 2020 National Champions Sian A’Hern and Troy Brosnan laid down the fastest times, earning the honour to wear the stripes for another year in 2021. RIDERS: DAN MCCONNELL AND BEC MCCONNELL Australia’s cross-country race scene has plenty of great riders, but Dan McConnell and Bec McConnell are the two biggest stars. Year…

The journey to creating this issue felt a little more normal than the past twelve months. I’m certain anyone reading this can relate to feeling a little bit isolated at one time or another since late March in 2020. There is no doubt that here in Australia we have had a really different time to any other country over the last year, but that’s not to say it’s been normal. However things have felt a bit like regular programming the past couple of months while compiling this issue. Firstly, there was a trip to Tasmania for coverage of the National Championships at Maydena Bike Park. This was a big trip for anyone who went, and for many people it was the first time catching up for 12 months. What was…

Australia’s most popular stage race is back in 2021, and you can be sure that Australia’s top racers will be chomping at the bit to be Cape to Cape champions this October. But let’s not get caught up with line honours here, the big event in the Margaret River region of Western Australia attracts so many riders because it’s a great place to visit, a great time to be in the south-west, and there’s so much to see and do when you’re not on the bike. Throw in 4-days of really varied stages through the forests, singletrack mazes and farmland, and you can see why Cape to Cape draws such a big crowd each year. The event runs from 21-24 October, but our suggestion would be to tag on a…

The Dwellingup 100 (D100) on September 18th 2021 will not just be an epic marathon mountain bike challenge on the trails around Dwellingup, but it will also host the 2021 Australian Cross-Country Marathon (XCM) Mountain Bike National Championships. This is a big move for the Dwellingup 100 and the National Titles. The event has a route that covers a broad variety of terrain, including the infamous pea gravel of the west, and delivers a course that is a true test for any mountain biker. For the last decade, the XCM National Titles have been contest on a lap-based route, but that won’t be the case in 2021. While the Dwellingup 100 route uses a loop based format, it is not repeated laps of the one set of trails. Here at…

Mountain biking only hits mainstream television for the occasional feat of derring-do on a slow news day. That all changes on Saturday 5th June, when Trail Towns airs on SBS, with the first of 6 episodes of the new travel programme that centres on bikes and travel experiences. One of the hosts is mountain bike personality Paul van der Ploeg, and I asked him what a trail town is anyway. “A trail town could be any town in Australia really, that has trails, whether they be mountain bike, rail trails, road or gravel or all of the above! But I guess more specifically, it’s any town that welcomes families, couples and friends to stay for a holiday, offers great riding, lots of places to stay, pubs, breweries and wineries and…

In April, the suspension specialists released an all-new Fox 34, along with a completely new Fox 34 Step Cast (SC) – while also bringing the Float X and DHX back as rear shock options. BUSINESS IN THE FRONT The Fox 34 forks share some of the new features from the Fox 38 and Fox 36, while also sticking to their roots as lighter weight trail and cross-country options. The Fox 34 adopts lower leg bypass channels, which help even out pressure during compression and keeps oil circulating where it needs to. Your benefit is more consistent performance and reduced stiction. Visually, you’ll notice the new lower leg arch. It looks rounder, and sits more pronounced from the lower legs. The new design is not just lighter and stiffer, but it…