So the big question is - where are we at with the new trails opening?
The exciting news is that it’s proposed that there will be a soft opening on or around the 23rd of December, all going well, just in time for the Christmas break.
Why is it a soft opening?
- The full trail system may not be finished in its entirety. Further works or alterations still need to be carried out in some areas and this will necessitate rolling closures.
- The trail head works are yet to be fully completed, temporary measures will be taken to ensure access to the pump tracks and opened sections of the skills park.
- Please note, the pump will be one way only, it must be ridden in an anticlockwise direction however the signage may not be complete by the soft opening.
- With the wettest winter we have encountered in ages there's been springs popping up where there has never been one before, creating some soft spots that are being dealt with as they arise.
- The permanent signage is yet to be completed, so in the interim there will be temporary signage. The benefit of this will be that any issues with the layout can be altered to suit.
- It's important to note that with new trail works it will take some time for the surfaces and riding lines to settle and bed in. These works have been carried out with an eye to “winter-proofing” the system as best as can be, and as such it may take a while for this to happen.
- Please also take the time to understand which direction trails are to be ridden. It’s quite important as they are single direction in most cases, and may have even changed direction since you last rode here. For example, the track formerly known as Track 4 “Rollercoaster” has been reversed and extended.
- Existing trails may be renumbered to incorporate the new trails before maps are finalised.
- Please ride through the trails once or twice to get the lay of them before trying for your best ever STRAVA run.
A massive thanks goes out to all the people and organisations which have contributed their time, resources and energy to this project to get it this far.
We are grateful to (in no particular order) DEWLP, Colac Otway Shire, Regional Development Victoria, Eastern Marr Aboriginal Corporation, and Forest Fire Management for their contributions to the project.
We’d also like to give a shout out to the amazing trail builders, Dirt Art, Distinctive Trail Development, Earth Culture and the pump track specialists Velo Solutions. Thanks for your awesome work building us some ripping new places to ride.
Last but not least, a big thanks to those club members who have volunteered countless hours over the last decade to get this project off the ground, in particular Sandy Maxwell and Paul Miller. It’s only fitting that two new tracks will honour you both - your contributions will be long remembered! Special mention also goes to Jeff “Foxy” Fox - the original trail builder from the very conception of this trail network. Without him, none of us would probably be riding bikes in Forrest.
Please continue to follow the page for future updates.