Myself, Niall, Kev and Tom drove out to the base of the Blue Mountains on Sunday morning to do some mountain biking around the Yarramundi Working Week Series (WWS) race track in Yellowmundi Regional Park. It was raining as we left the house, so we were prepared for the worst, but by the time we go to the track it was a lovely sunny day.

We had a couple of issues locating the track, but once on it we had a great time swooping around banked turns, in between trees and bushes and across creeks. The first loop was around 3km, after which there was a bit more searching for the other half of the lap. That turned out to be more technical, with some rocky descents requiring decent bike control. There was also a nice, steep downhill section onto a bridge over a creek which was tough, though myself and Niall backtracked to give it a second go and managed to complete it without having to put a foot down. After a little more rocky stuff we were back to banked turns through tall grass and a last little bit through the trees to finish the lap.

After a bit of a rest we decided to head out on another lap, and since we knew where to go this time, and everyone knew what to expect, we wouldn’t be stopping all the time comparing notes on the various sections. Everything seemed easier this time, particularly the rocky section, though I took three attempts to do the downhill/stream section properly, as I came in on the wrong line the first time, then couldn’t my shoes clipped in soon enough the second time. We still had one or two regroups stops, and managed to see a White-bellied Sea Eagle sitting in a tree watching us go by. I presume it must have have been hunting along the Hawkesbury river.

We were all pretty tired by the end of the second lap, and running out of water in the 30C+ heat, so we called it a day and headed home. It was an enjoyable course, with its own unique character and quite different from Sparrow Hill or Penrose. We now have to organise trips to Newcastle and Lithgow to ride the other two WWS courses. The lads are coming down to Canberra again in two weeks for another MTB extravaganza, so this time I’ll be sure to bring the video camera and get some footage.

B: 62.1km – R: 5.7km