When things go wrong on Mt Stromlo

ZOMG! ROCKS! EEK! HIGH SPEEDS! Puhleez…

Anyone wanna help me get these pesky rocks out of the way of the smooth and safe (read: boring and facile) trail?

It’s about challenging yourself and being rewarded when you conquer your fears – just like any other adrenalin sport. Riders don’t just accept the risk, they embrace it – it is part of the appeal of the sport.

No lycra in that video anyway.

Why not make cricket and golf balls out of cotton wool buds! Baseball bats, hockey sticks, goal posts -> pool noodles!

“Life is too short to be spending time in hospital.”

Some would argue it’s too short to be passing comment in an online forum about an obviously unfamiliar topic, and yet here we are…

Get rid of the rocks. It’s fair enough to have a stack in that sport but there is no need to head butt rocks like that on the way down. Life is too short to be spending time in hospital.
I guess this is the OHS rep coming out in me…

Gungahlin Al said :

I fail to see why the custodians of the venue have not moved those rocks away from the side of the track.

They haven’t moved them because it’s a Mountain Bike track, not a fairy-floss-covered my-first-pony trail, you big girl. If you don’t like them then there’s always full-face helmets, pressure suits, padded shorts and knee-shin guards .. Oh, and deciding to NOT RIDE IT.

I don’t see anyone in the video blaming anyone but the rider for the fall – Real MTBers take personal responsibility for their actions.

FYI – the trail is called Double Dissolution, because of the doubles (which Postalgeek calls camel back jumps.) Thousands of riders rode down the trail a couple of weeks ago at the Scott 24 Hour, with no serious damage done.

James-T-Kirk said :

And that – is why they should be licensed and registered to ride on the roads….

Can you imaging the outcry when somebody posted the equivalent driving video…

If the person was driving in a risky manner in an area designated for that type of activity, for example a race track, it wouldn’t be an issue. In this case, the cyclist was riding in an area designated for that purpose, away from roads and motor vehicle traffic and was using the required safety equipment (helmet).

The kid in the second video, well, he should have been wearing a helmet, and probably will next time.

And that – is why they should be licensed and registered to ride on the roads….

Can you imaging the outcry when somebody posted the equivalent driving video…

neanderthalsis said :

Why anyone would feel the desire to travel at high speed down a mountain with nothing between their vital organs and some sharp rocks but a bit of lycra is beyond me.

At least the rider was wearing a helmet, unlike this kid at Majura:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mg1n12zIsGo

That’s the green downhill on the backside of stromlo. Fast, fun, and now getting increasingly rutted. Being wet doesn’t make it any easier at speed. Rocks give you added incentive not to come off. With MTBing people either learn or give up. And knockers are usually the biggest pussies of all.

There are several camel jumps that can catch the back wheel if you don’t pump through or clear both humps. I think the rider either had a table top or a camel in the latter part of that run and over-compensated. Not like a forgiving single hump. And it wasn’t a rock that did the damage. It was landing with the arms extended like that and the weight of the body pile-driving them into the ground. I imagine the shoulders and collarbone would’ve copped a lot of punishment. That would hurt.

Hope it mends quickly.

Dagget66 said :

/q

However, I fail to see why the custodians of the venue have not moved those rocks away from the side of the track. Begging for serious trouble…

/q

It’s called mountain bike riding.
If the rockes were removed it would be called road bike riding.

If you don’t fall off every now and then, you’re not trying hard enough .

Road bike riding has its own hazards as the rocks are moving with stupid people encapsulated inside………..:)

/q

However, I fail to see why the custodians of the venue have not moved those rocks away from the side of the track. Begging for serious trouble…

/q

It’s called mountain bike riding.
If the rockes were removed it would be called road bike riding.

If you don’t fall off every now and then, you’re not trying hard enough .

I might add, I always clench my but cheeks tight on Terminal Velocity, especially at night…….

p1 said :

Wouldn’t have been that bad a crash on nice soft grass, but that was a decent rock she collected.

KB1971 said :

Does anyone have a direct link? Websense is saving me from myself.

To the vid on youtube?

Thanks P1.

Captain, easy collarbone breaker at 20-40km/h, especially landing on those rocks.

Wouldn’t have been that bad a crash on nice soft grass, but that was a decent rock she collected.

KB1971 said :

Does anyone have a direct link? Websense is saving me from myself.

To the vid on youtube?

She was incredibly lucky not have to scored that large rock right in the face. Other that that, just a crook landing off a jump about the size of the lump in the footpath on Northbourne in front of where the Citygate Motel was.

However, I fail to see why the custodians of the venue have not moved those rocks away from the side of the track. Begging for serious trouble…

neanderthalsis said :

Why anyone would feel the desire to travel at high speed down a mountain with nothing between their vital organs and some sharp rocks but a bit of lycra is beyond me.

Get out much??

Does anyone have a direct link? Websense is saving me from myself.

stacking and blood is half the fun.

It’s a she?

Well that explains everything!

hehe that’s why i don’t do jumps. anyone know what injuries she suffered? hope she is ok now.

As far as stacks go, that was pretty lame!

The rider, eager to get the most air as possible, leaped out of the saddle too early and was off the pedals when the bike hit the jump, causing the bike to shift sideways and the rider to lose control.

How such a spill could have ended with the rider in hospital leaves me to determine that a large can of harden up is needed.

Why anyone would feel the desire to travel at high speed down a mountain with nothing between their vital organs and some sharp rocks but a bit of lycra is beyond me.