Underground 2009

UNOFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE CYCLING REVOLUTION

Fat Tyre Touring in Italy Our original thought was to cycle tour through Italy. Then we mused that a mountain bike road trip might be more like us. The thought of combining the two didn’t really emerge until the drive train on my touring bike imploded during a test outing in the Black Forest. The cost to replace all the broken bits was about the same as buying a trailer. Decision made, we would ride our trail bikes from one mountain bike destination to the next. ‘Our’ and ‘us’ would be Sonja and myself. Sonja is Swiss and we were living near Basel at the time. Both had had our noses perilously close to the grindstone for longer than intended. So it was easy to justify some time off for bad behaviour. Traversing a small part of Europe on a 6” travel bike doesn’t immediately present as a brilliant concept. Dragging your life and a set of knobblies behind you on a trailer, an out-dated map of questionable accuracy, and an implausibly low allowance of €50 a day for the two should have telegraphed disaster. Unperturbed, we kicked off in the Pinzgau area of Austria. Blowing our nose, Monty Python style, in the general direction of such famous mountain bike destinations as Kitzbüel, Saalbach, Leogang and Kaprun – we headed instead for the fabulously named, but little known Neukirchen am Grossvenediger (literally but perhaps incorrectly translated as the New Church on Big Venetian). It’s a small town with some amazing tracks including the Rob J Supertrail, somewhat predictably built by local guru Rob J. Beyond the manufactured mountain bike tracks, the truly outstanding trails were those with a bit of history. Rewarding not only for the never-ending technical descents and uninterrupted views of the Alps but also for the ‘forests’ of wild blueberries we encountered on one memorable outing. Bashing through all that precious muffin filling we eventually emerged into town with huge smiles, a backpack full of berries and stained lower legs that suggested we had been attacked with a cricket bat. A kindly Austrian with a big car and a penchant for yodel music dropped us at Staller Saddle. Ahead of us lay three days of flowing downhill from the Austrian border, down and through Südtirol – the German speaking part of Italy. The route was close to 100% free of cars. Cycle touring in the region is amazing. A cycle path that includes an old rail line (complete with tunnels), runs from the north of the Dolomites

Issue 61 December 2009

by Tony Hutcheson

all the way to Venice. As tempting as that was, we exited stage right at Roveretto and set a course for the mountain biking utopia of Lake Garda. I’ve been to Riva del Garda three times now, and without wanting to spark a fiery debate, I rate it as a good time but have since found even better mountain biking destinations in Italy. However the setting, gelato and riding made Riva a worthy stop as part of this larger trip. We indulged in very big climbs and loose rocky descents terminated with pasta and wine. Windsurfing is really big at Garda and it blows seriously hard. With the wind on our backs we pedalled south to Verona to meet Romeo and Juliet. Once there, unable to navigate to our chosen campground, we enlisted the help of the police. It was frustrating and amusing in that order. The officers assured us that there was no camping in or around Verona and emphatically not at the address specified. An hour later, having embarrassingly climbed the same hill twice, our campground was discovered precisely where the police declared it wasn’t. An indirect route avoiding main roads lured us further south, through Parma (as in ham and therefore sandwiches) to Cinque Terra National Park. A small sachet of dried porcini was purchased at great expense and then promptly lost off the back of the bike trailer. Sadly there were no mushrooms with the risotto that night. We received conflicting information about cycling through the Cinque Terra. Some fellow travellers told us the tunnels were closed to cyclists while the locals said it wasn’t a problem. At the Tourist Office in La Spezia we were advised “you can’t ride there but if you go now it should be ok.” We split the odds and caught the train through, camped on the other side and then cycled back in and out of the Park as a day trip. The Cinque Terra is brochure perfect and worth the effort – terraced olive groves and vineyards step down to the lime washed ancient fishing villages and deep azure of the Mediterranean. Heading east along the Italian Riviera we dropped anchor at Finale Ligure. It’s the quintessential postcard town complete with stripy sun-bed filled beaches and a medieval town centre. Scratch the surface though and there’s an expansive trail network covering numerous valleys, dropping from 1400m to sea level. Mostly old Roman military or trade routes, the gradient is relaxed – making for long flowing singletrack laced with plenty of technical surprises. Trail access is either self-propelled or by shuttle (with or without guide). We indulged in three days of each and happened upon some of the best riding when lost. Gelato and a swim perfectly capped off each incredible day of riding. Our budget, bikes and bodies took a hammering. It was worth it. With my passion for cycling only equalled by that for food, touring through Tuscany had been a long held dream. We trained to Pisa, took a snap of the building with a slight lean and hurried to Lucca. Along with San Gimignano and its famous towers, Lucca is one of my favourite Tuscan towns. It was home to Giacomo Antonio Domenico Michele

Secondo Maria Puccini, writer of many famous operas and presumably inventor of the cursed mushrooms we lost earlier in the trip. Avoiding Tuscany’s main roads rewards the keen adventurer with minimal traffic, views of nearly every Tuscan cliché, and the added delight of generally not having a clue where you are. On the morning we left San Gimignano we made our way down a small dirt road, which became a smaller steep dirt road, across a vineyard, onto a dirt track, over a stream, up yet another steep dirt road to find ourselves behind the large gates of a Tuscan villa being yapped at by a three legged Chihuahua. The dog-shaped rat alerted the owner and the gates opened, spilling us onto the road about 50m from where started two hours before. At that point Sonja asserted her authority and insisted on a more direct path to Siena and then on to Florence. Cycling through the vineyards and olive groves of Chianti it was clear that there was a bunch of great trail riding to be had in them there hills. With luck we’ll make it back one day to explore. Savouring that promise to ourselves, we happily meandered along the back roads, taking timely breaks from the sun to sample the local culinary delights and wash it all down with a glass or three of Classico. Our jaunt through Italy mixed 2000km of cycle touring with two weeks of trail riding, around six weeks in total. It proved to be an inspired combination. One we plan to replicate as time and finances allow.

The Nitty Gritty

Pinzgau www.bike-pinzgau.at for general info A day pass for the Wildkogel chair lift in Newkirchen costs €15. www.wildkogelbahnen.at/sommer Garda General information at www.lagodigardamagazine.com Our hot place to eat and sleep is www.lacolombera.it Try to avoid German public holidays and the month leading up to the Transalp cycle race. Finale Ligure www.finalefreeride.com for guides and shuttles. Alp, Cartoguida del Finalese 1:25,000 map is essential for the DYI approach. www.rivieraoutdoor.com is a great bike shop with friendly staff. Luca gave us excellent tips on where to ride. Accommodation is cheaper and there were no crowds when we visited in mid September. www.turbolince.com covers much of the good riding in Italy, although the English is a little rough at times.

UnderGround is published by Ground Effect, PO Box 4536, 10 B Tussock Lane, Christchurch, New Zealand. Phone +64 3 379 9174 [email protected] www.groundeffect.co.nz

Ernie’s Tech Tips A pathological crusader for all things unlikely, unpopular and yet undeniably good, our virtual polymath has been over-committed of late… compelled to even reject Barak’s pleas for assistance to hone his Swedish folk dancing moves ahead of the upcoming prize giving gig. Ernie has been entirely consumed… conceiving and delivering Ground Effect’s spanking new cycle-friendly and eco-kosher work spot. The troops are now safely ensconced amidst structured chaos and Ernie is diligently sparging the wort in anticipation of the house-warming. Our virtual architect now muses over the essential elements of a modern community-responsible building.

Clean ‘n’ Green The Cycling Revolution ”How ‘bout somewhere with singletrack to the door” quipped someone wise. And so we ended up with a rear section on Tussock Lane in Ferrymead… our back to the estuary, the Port Hills’ mountain bike trails only ten minutes away, an artisan bakery, green grocer and top-notch deli within crawling distance, and singletrack tantalisingly close to the front door. Cycle facilities at Bedford Row had been retro-fitted – functional but we lusted for better so it was fun to start from scratch. Bike racks, a fully-equipped workshop and two showers are all downstairs. An oversized front door makes it easy to wheel in and out. Wet gear is parked on a drying rack. There’s a laundry that is occasionally handy. Underfloor heating keeps the concrete floor pleasantly warm – puddles from bikes or wet clothing evaporate and bare feet don’t suffer chill blains after emerging from the shower. Upstairs is one open space. A combination of carpet and wooden floors, concrete walls and industrial cable trays suspended from the ceiling prevent any creep towards corporate pretensions. Desks occupy the south facing rear with no direct sunlight playing havoc on computer screens. The sunny northern zone is demarcated for the cooking, eating and meeting.

Bob the Builder A passion for cycling as transport is embedded in the DNA at Ground Effect – good for the individual, good for local community and good for the globe. However we have an equal passion for the science behind buildings that use minimal energy. And just like cycling (where well-resolved solutions thrive in Europe that are largely ignored by authorities here), the building code and approach to design in places like Germany make New Zealand’s efforts to date appear quite feeble. At Tussock Lane we ensured that best practice eco wisdom was integrated in the design: • The building faces north with eaves to let the sun in during the winter and block it over summer. • There’s plenty of exposed concrete to provide thermal mass. This is a gigantic heat-sink that evens out the internal temperature – storing solar energy and releasing heat in winter; and vice verse in summer. Windows open for ventilation. No need for heat pumps or air conditioning. • A lattice of pipes is laid in the top 50mm of the concrete floors. A pellet boiler delivers hot water to keep the slab and therefore the office at an even comfortable temperature over winter. There’s no nasty blown air drying out our delicate complexions. We were keen to avoid solutions using electricity. Whilst we have lots of renewable hydropower in New Zealand, winter heating invariably draws on peak generation – mostly gas and coal. • Of course the hot water is solar heated, windows double glazed and the insulation is at least twice that specified in the building code. • Medium pressure water limits consumption. • Nasty paints and glues are minimised so there are precious few volatile organic compounds to send us home with sore heads. • Ironically, regulations forced us to have a minimum of six car parks. The norm in European cities is to limit with a maximum. We’d prefer more green space than mandatory tarmac. Perhaps we could transform it into a pump track? Two months into our occupancy (sounds like Poland) Tussock Lane has delivered all that we expected of her (sounds like a ship now). It’s an exciting space with a neo-industrial feel. Despite its newness, visitors generally comment that it has retained much of the Bedford Row ambiance. We’re happy about that.

Inspired? None of this is difficult or necessarily expensive. Lobby your employer to do the right thing – install a shower and provide secure storage for your bike. And how ‘bout an incentive system for those who bike, bus or walk to work. If you’re building or renovating a house or commercial building then be bold and integrate the basics into your design brief.

To Let If you’re not that patient then we can rent you 95 sq metres downstairs at Tussock Lane. No internal walls or stuffy cubicles. Would suit a small business of four to six people. All the details at www.groundeffect.co.nz or email [email protected]

Trail Tales

Accessibility

• Written and verbal submissions to the Kahurangi National Park Management Plan are all done and dusted. Of the 634 submissions received, a gratifying 85% were in favour of the Draft Plan with its provisions for seasonal access to mountain bikes on the Heaphy Track. DOC is now reviewing the submissions and will consider possible amendments to the Draft Plan, before seeking approval from the Nelson Conservation Board and then the NZ Conservation Authority. So it’s still fingers and toes crossed, and abstinence from riding the Heaphy until, and if, the new management plan is safely in place. • The Advocates for the Tongariro River are planning to extend an existing riverside track and connect with other tracks in area– eventually providing mountain bike access from Turangi to the Tongariro National Park. There’s a 7 km gap to join up with the Pillars of Hercules and Tree Trunk Gorge tracks. The Taupo District Council are on board to help negotiate with private land owners and DOC. This is just the first 25 km stage of a planned loop back to Turangi. Contact [email protected] to help out. • The West Coast Riders Club are pushing ahead with new trails in Riverhead Forest, west of Auckland. The club was formed to build and maintain free trails for the community and have recently been granted access to a block of forest purely for Mtb use. The club has been donated digger hours and Ground Effect have dipped into the Slush Fund to cover the costs of signage for the new tracks. Check out www.freeriden.co.nz/ WCRCindex.php for more info or jump on the trail building forum at http://forums.freeriden.co.nz to help out. • Plans are afoot to resurrect mountain bike access in Southern Sydney’s Royal National Park – long regarded as some of the best and most accessible singletrack close to Sydney. A volunteer trail-maintenance group organised by Grant Millar at the NPWS is the first step towards handing maintenanceownership of the remaining ‘legal’ singletrack to the Mtb community. Morale is high and Ground Effect has despatched a couple of trail building books. Volunteer days happen on the third Saturday of each month. For more info contact the rangers office, [email protected] Ph: 02 9542 0648. • Ground Effect has contributed $1000 to the purchase of a trailer for the Hamilton Mtb Club to haul behind their quad bike while building and maintaining trails at Pukete Mtb Park. More at www.hamiltonmtb.org.nz

Ground Effect holds stock of IMBA’s two excellent trail building books – ‘Trail Solutions’ and ‘Natural Surface Trails by Design’. So far we’ve put five dozen copies in the hands of thirty slush fund projects that we’re currently supporting. If your club or organisation is involved in trail work, then talk to us about getting a copy.

Gig Guide • Taranaki Challenge, 30 January. New Plymouth. 150km circumnavigation of Mt Taranaki on the tarmac. Compete solo or in a team of up to 7 riders. www.cyclechallenge.co.nz • Tahune Forestry Airwalk Mtb Marathon, 13 February. Huon Valley, Tasmania. A 100km loop, following the Huon River through Tassie’s Southern Forests. www.tahunemtbmarathon.com.au • R & R Sports Black Stump Adventure Ride, 13 February. Ngaruawahia. 12km or 40km options with off-road terrain to suit riders of all levels. www.blackstumpadventures.co.nz • Otway Odyssey, 20 February. Great Otway National Park, SW Victoria. 100km from the ocean through the ranges to Forrest and a massive festival right on the finish line. There’s something for the whole family with 50km & 15km options. www.rapidascent.com.au/OtwayOdyssey • BMC Mountains to Beach, 28 February - 5 March. Thredbo to Narooma, NSW. 5 days and 350km of mtb stage racing from the roof of Australia to the surf. www.wildhorizons.com.au/mountains-to-beach • Karapoti Classic, 6 March. Wellington. New Zealand’s original mtb race is turns 25 next year. 50km through the rugged Akatarawa Ranges. www.karapoti.co.nz • Colville Connection, 13 March. Coromandel. 72km, 40km or 24km loop on your mtb around the northern tip of the Coromandel Peninsula. www.colvilleconnection.co.nz • High Country Cycle Challenge, 13 - 14 March. Mt Buller, Victoria. 230km of tarmac, stunning views and great fun. Four ride options. www.bikevents.com.au

For up-to-date information on all Ground Effect sponsored events check out www.groundeffect.co.nz/events

Inside Out

We look under the kilt at the latest versions of the Supertankers and Underdogs riding shorts.

Championing the Underdog The original Underdogs featured in our inaugural line-up back in 1994. These simple padded liners were worn under your favourite baggy shorts or longs. A grand idea that sunk without a trace. Unsurprising when you consider that loose riding shorts were still a novel concept… it was another two years before we launched the Supertankers. But good ideas refuse to lie down. The ‘dogs and the women’s Dovetails have rejoined our range with vengeance. The design of baggy shorts with integrated or detachable liners has progressed hugely in the intervening 15 years. Comfort and performance now approaches that of conventional stretch shorts. The Underdogs combine a highly breathable lycra® mesh with cleverly cut panels, flat seams and our top-of-the-line Softail™ pad. The result is precise pad placement and plenty of cooling. The original Supertankers were brutally big and tough. They could be worn all day and still do the job for short rides. Key features included a stretch lumbar panel and the seamless ‘Strictly Ballroom’ gusset. Over time the jeans-weight cotton gave way to grunty Hi-Impact Plus nylon – even harder wearing with a cotton feel, and quick drying thrown in as a bonus. The latest model rides better and they are staunchly good looking about town. Adopting our proven ‘Easy-Rider’ waist system from the Double Happys let us slim down the bum for a more flattering look without compromising performance. Longer, slimmer legs made the speed tabs at the cuff redundant. Open hand pockets and belt loops complete the makeover. Supertankers are the de facto summer uniform at Ground Effect. After a day’s work and when the mood suits, it’s easy to slip a pair of Underdogs on underneath and take the long way home. Frase, Ground Effect Product Designer

Supertankers NZ$99 A$89

Underdogs NZ$69 A$59 Fabric: Lycra® mesh Sizes: S, M, L, XL

3D anatomical shaping, multi-level foam, rapid drying, synthetic ‘chamois’ pad with anti-bacterial finish.

Supertankers vs Stubbies Coville Connection front man Graeme Brown conducted the 2004 prize giving in a pair of stubbies – direct from the L & P TV ad. The Style Police were in attendance and promptly sorted him with a pair of Supertankers. Five years down the track Graeme has traded up to the latest model and penned this note to us. “Received the new ‘tankers last week. Initial field testing results hot off the press… > The Waipapa Pioneer pub vote last Friday night: Graeme’s legs 2/10; Supertankers 8/10. > Waitangi coffee shop staff this morning: legs 6/10; Supertankers 10/10 – obviously touting for more business and should be excluded based on conflict of interest. Curiously they didn’t rate the smattering of mud from the preceding ride through the forest. > Graeme – very impressed – too flash to ride in really. Much more stylish than the old model.” Graeme Brown, Colville Connection

Mark stretches his legs from the back door of the new and improved Ground Effect HQ. Photo: Dave Mitchell

Fabric: Hi-Impact™ Plus Sizes: S, M, L, XL Colours: Liquorice Grey; Jet Black

free bandanna

Got a couple of mates who are itching to join the Cycling Revolution, and who live at a different address from you? Scratch down their details and we’ll spring you a free Bandanna.

First Name: . .........................................Surname: .......................................... Address: ........................................................................................................ ....................................................................................................................... City: ..................................................... State/Post Code: ............................. Country:..........................................................................................................

First Name: . .........................................Surname: .......................................... Address: ........................................................................................................ ....................................................................................................................... City: ..................................................... State/Post Code: ............................. Country:..........................................................................................................

New Zealan d

NZ Mountain Bike Calendar NZ$18 A$16

2o1o Calend ar

Runs from January to December 2010 and is jam-packed with fabulous backcountry colour photos by Dave Mitchell. 10th Annive rsary

Freight free within NZ if ordered separately and sent by mail not courier. images by Dave Mitche ll

Around 7.30 the other morning I was riding a quiet back road beyond the Motueka River. It was cool after overnight rain. So I was wearing my Thermos vest under an early Rock Lobster top. I had settled into a steady rhythm, thinking some company would be nice when out of the corner of my eye I caught a black and white figure at a slow cadence quietly catching me. I waited until they were alongside and turned to say hello. I found myself talking to a paradise duck. It was flying at shoulder level – so close I could feel the wash of its wing. We travelled like this for about 200m. I could see every feather of its wing working as it flapped slowly alongside. Then it pulled in front of me, dropped its feet, and skimmed the asphalt for few hundred metres before breaking formation. My Rock Lobster has white flashes on the shoulder, perhaps the bird mistook me for a fellow duck! Could this prove that paradise ducks are attracted to Ground Effect gear? Whatever the reason it reminded me that if you’re not out there you will miss the moment. Rod Markham, Motueka

Yuletide Comings and Goings To catch Santa’s sleigh, you’ll need to order by Wednesday 23rd December for NZ and by Monday 7th December for Australia and UK – although orders before Monday the 14th should sneak in. We’ll be open until 12pm on Thursday, 24th December. Mark and Fiona will be lurking around the office during the festive season - except for weekends and statutory holidays of course. The rest of us will be experimenting with trifle, eggnog and singletrack before struggling back to work on Tuesday 5th January. Stuck for Festive Inspiration? How ‘bout a Ground Effect gift voucher. Made up to the value of your choice so that special cycling-someone can choose some sparkling new kit to spice up their New Year.

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