The day that I first got hooked on adventure cycling was the day I headed out on the Mawson Trail. For those who don’t know, the Mawson Trail is a South Australian off-road adventure cycling trail that starts in Adelaide and winds its way north over 900 kilometres through beautiful and changing scenery to Blinman.
It was a beautiful winter’s day in July 2012. I had bought my mountain bike only a few weeks before and done a few flat commutes to work. I drove the car with my bike loaded on the back up the Gorge Road to a side road at Castambul where the Mawson Trail heads off the bitumen. The dirt track headed up a hill and frost lay on the grass where the sun had not yet warmed it.
While I was unpacking my bike, two strong and very tall (over six feet) men arrived, got their bikes off their car, threw backpacks on their back and headed up the trail. They disappeared up the first hill with their bikes still in high gear so that they looked like two giants striding across the countryside.
After this slightly demoralising start, I finished unpacking my bike, loaded up my bike bag, locked the car and began to follow the track. Halfway up the first hill I had to get off and walk and so it continued for most of the next three kilometres.
I climbed 300 metres in three kilometres, pushing my bike most of the way. I was rewarded with a beautiful view looking back towards Adelaide.
Getting Down Again
By this time I was feeling pretty wobbly and I still had to get down again. I had a snack enjoying the view and then began the extremely scary descent. At that stage I had not had the opportunity to ride with a more experienced rider, so I didn’t know about feathering the back brakes while descending on gravel. Needless to say it was not a pretty sight but I eventually got down again safely.
On the face of it this was an ignominious start to my adventures on the Mawson Trail, but I was entranced by the gorgeous scenery. I later learned that this is one of the steepest sections. I resolved to improve my fitness and try some of the easier sections first.
Here are some stories about some of my more successful rides on the Mawson Trail:
