'Digging Dirt' Session No. 1

This time the gloves were on:

Sunday 17th June saw the Velocity Rough Riders finally getting their hands dirty, clearing the corridor for the first new section of mountain bike trail in the QECP. This was the culmination of months of meetings, proposals, planning and discussion between the club and the park. Club (and MtbSouth) members alongside QECP rangers set out the course in the weeks since the first trail day, using IMBA guidelines for sustainable trails.

This will hopefully meet the needs and expectations of both the park managers and bike riders alike. The next stage is for the digger, complete with driver chosen for his trail build experience, to come in to do the bulk of the digging. The QECP team deserves the credit for both sourcing the machine and driver and stumping up the funds to pay for them.

A superb turnout of club members ensured the day's toil was never too heavy. Even those who had muttered about losing a days riding ended up enjoying the hard work, team atmosphere, banter and free flowing sarcasm only found when like minded souls pull together.

The rangers were on hand all day, supplying tools, expertise and most importantly, refreshments from the visitor centre café! The lunch break even saw some impromptu entertainment in the form of club crash test dummy Stuart's repeated displays of how not to tackle technical climbs!

The day was a definite success, with both the rangers and rough riders beaming with pride at the first glimpse of how their new creation was shaping up. More work is already scheduled to complete the trail and after Sunday, we just can't wait!

The QECP have asked us to extend a pat on the back and a well earned Thanks (and hot bath) to those who turned out.

Written by Peter Hearn (Club Secretary)