Adventures in Tassie!

What an adventure! Two days, 50km of mountain biking each day, racing in pairs, big mountains, tasty beers…what more could you want?

The Blue Dragon is in its second year and this year attracted over 250 competitors from all over Tassie and the mainland. The racing was great: Niki and I teamed up together and were having a ball on the first day until she punctured and had to walk the last 10km…but the swim in the river post-stage was a great way to freshen up. The free lunch, watermelon and lollies were also a welcome treat. The town of Derby (host to the start/finish on the day) put on a great show too with some bustling cafes and a few pubs – the perfect way to unwind after a big day.

Day two was based in the very small town of Weldborough, about 30km up the road. The pub grounds served as the start/finish and the pub was the only place you could buy anything in the town. It was a great setting though. Unfortunately, Niki was sick the second day so I rode by myself with the front guys so I could watch the race unfold. It was exciting stuff and the trails were superb. We started with a long climb, hit a descent, hit another long climb, then were treated to about 15km of flowing descent. Some of it was super-technical too. It was awesome stuff.

I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face after that 2nd stage, it was pure fun mountain biking.

So, if you’ve got some free time in January next year, check out the Blue Dragon, I’ll be there with a big smile on!

Thanks to all my great sponsors for another great weekend and thanks to Andrew Harris for the pics.