A Rainy Saturday Morning Ride

The Eager Mountain Bikers on Saturday

Well it was overcast and the threat of rain was there but that did not  stop a bunch of mountain bikers going out and having some fun. Last Saturday our morning ride was full of adventurous people willing to enjoy the local bush even if it meant getting wet. The group was big enough to break up into 3 sub groups: the fast and furious, intermediate and the easy.

The Easy group out on our ride.

Proud Mum and Keely

I went on the easy ride with Keely, my 6 year old and we both had lots of fun. There was a good mix of riders with kids and their mums, adults who wanted to take it a little easy and Jim, our oldest rider, at 80, all riding the tracks in Wooroi. Lester did a great job leading, helping us to explore with enough fire roads and down hills to keep everyone entertained. I was amazed and proud of Keely climbing the hills and riding straight through the mud puddles, picking the good lines and trying everything. By the time we got back to Noosa Outlook we had done 9.5kms and let me tell you, the chocolate muffin she got was well deserved. All five of the kids (3 girls and 2 boys- girls rule) had a great time, challenging themselves with the tracks around the old quarry and some fast fire road downhills.It's a great way to get the family out, have fun and get fit while meeting new people and getting to know your local natural environment.

The Hovea on weetie Bix.

There are some beautiful native shrubs flowering at the moment which brings some great colours to the bush landscape. I have included a photo of the track, weetie bix with the native shrub Hovea. I was riding the track one morning to work and just had to stop to take it in. I love to ride this track fast but sometimes it good to stop and smell the hovea!!! 
If this sounded like fun or if  you are interested in more information about our Saturday ride or have any questions then give the shop a call or drop us an email, we would love to hear from you.
Yours in Cycling,
Mel Long

The Sunshine Coast New Specialized Dealer

We are proud to announce that Cognition has just taken on Specialized. Currently Greg Pott, co-owner of Cognition is test riding these awesome bikes in Keystone, Colorado. He took up the invitation by Specialized to go over and have an great experience riding and learning about the new 2011 range of bikes and accessories while enjoying the Northern hemisphere summer. For our local customers make sure in you come in next week and check out the photos and stories from Greg.
We now have some early release models of the 2011 range in store, so come in and check them out.

Congratulations to the Sunshine Coast Regional Council

Well done to our local government, Cr Vivien Griffiin, SCC, the head of the integrated transport systems portfolio and the team at TravelSmart for being a winner at the Bicycling Achievement Awards held by the Cycling Promotion Fund. These awards highlight cycling achievements throughout the community and the role it plays in supporting active living across all ages.
The Sunshine Coast Council won the Local Government Award for 'Special Initiative to Encourage and Promote Cycling'. Their vision is to be Australia's most sustainable region. We currently have 800kms of bikeways and over 13,000 hectares of parks and bushland. The council has committed $20 Million over the next 5 years for cycling infrastructure. Another initiative by the council has been the creation of a cycling reference group with representatives from state agencies, bicycle user groups and council staff which helps to set priorities for future cycling infrastructure improvements, education and encouragement programs and cycling policy direction for the region as a whole (CPF,2010, 2009 award winners, The Australian Bicycling Achievement awards website).

The winners above with Jo Cairns (TravelSmart Noosa)  in the front second to the right.

This is a great achievement by our community members and fellow cyclists, let's show our support and get on our bikes and have some fun.