The Oaks Trail Part Two.

I went out mountain biking again this Saturday with Roger on the Oaks Trail. This is the same bike route that I fell off quite badly on the last time. Hopefully this time I won't fall off and break my bike.

We went out at a more civilised time this morning and caught the 8.18am train to Woodford where the trail starts. We got there around 10.50 all ready to take on the trail.

Here is a photo of the trail. It's mostly a fire-break trail that has been created to stop any bush fires spreading in the Blue Mountains. The length of the course is around 30km and should take about two and a half hours or so as it's mostly downhill.

I must admit that I was more nervous than I thought I would be when I started out riding along the course. I did take the first few kilometres quite gently, especially around the place where I fell over the last time. However once I got further along the course the more my confidence built up, and by the end I was flying along almost as fast as I was before.

I think that the fall has helped me have more of an appreciation of the speeds that I was recklessly going down the route before. More so along the really rough rocky parts of the course. Before I would have gone as fast as I could and not quite been in control of my bike. This time however I was much more in control when dropping and jumping the bumps and rocks.

I guess it's all part of being a better mountain biker. I may not be as fast as I was before but at least I stand a much better chance of not falling off and breaking any bones.

It wasn't all roses though as I did fall off once on the course and at certain points when trying to go up the uphill sections I thought it wasn't so much fun, more of an endurance that I had to really push myself quite hard to get though. I had to get off and walk up the last parts of the up hill sections as I was really gasping for air. It was also very hot in the mountains, according to my bikes trip computer it reached 37 to 41 degrees in the sun!

My fall was at a walking pace, but enough to graze my right palm and give me a couple of bruises from my bike. I was just coming up to Roger who had stopped in front of me. Unfortunately he stopped only a bikes length in front of a small drop. As I came down the hill to the drop I slowed to a walking pace and as I hit the drop my bike was going so slow that it just stopped and bottomed out on the drop and I went flying over the handle bars! It was either do a face plant on the rocks or put my hand out to break my fall. I chose the latter option.

Some parts of the course were really good fun though. There is one massively long downhill section where you could go really fast along more or less a double lane gravel track. There was also a great single track section where you can really go quite fast weaving left and right though trees and bushes along rocks, tree roots and sand. They all put a big smile on my face. My bike looks quite worn now and covered in mud and dust. I'm sure for a $500 bike it wasn't meant to be put though the punishment that it's gone though.

On Sunday the great weather continued and it felt like you were opening an oven door when you stepped out into the Sydney CBD streets. We all went down to Manly beach for the afternoon. We must have had some of the (very) tail end of the winds that you've been having in the UK as it was a little windy along Manly beach. They closed most of the beach from swimming as the rips were quite strong. The sand was also blowing up occasionally and you could really feel it blowing against your back. I know it's nothing like the weather you've been having there, and it's nice to be in the Australian summer rather than the English winter. :-)

We spent most of the time catching some sun along the beach and did go for a quick dip in the sea. I could see what they meant by the strong rips as at times I could feel myself being pulled out by the strong current and this was only when the sea was just above waist height.