By ANDREA MACKINLAY
AN enthusiastic contingent of excited mountain bike riders gathered at the Indigo Epic Trail Head in Wallace Street Beechworth last week, to celebrate the official opening of the Indigo Epic (Mountain Bike) Trail.
After the unveiling of the Trail Head, riders set off on the first official ride from Beechworth to Yackandandah, where, at the Yackandandah Trail Head in the Sports Park, riders were treated to a celebratory lunch.
Michael Hoare and his partner, president of the Beechworth Chain Gang Mountain Bike Club, Lynn Frerichs, were definitely on a high after their ride.
"It was fun, with a capital F.", Michael said.
"Lynn and I had been travelling around Australia for a couple of years, but when we heard the news about the plan to create the Indigo Epic Trail, we immediately decided to move to Beechworth."
Lynn added, "The Indigo Epic Trail is unique in Australia, in that there is a beautiful historic town at each end".
She said the trail was an all–seasons track, and had sections that catered to all levels of riding skills, from the inexperienced through to the seasoned mountain bike rider.
One of the seasoned mountain bike riders to enjoy the official opening ride of the trail was 18–year–old Lia Ladbrook, of Beechworth, who is already a ten year veteran of the sport.
"My dad, Mark Ladbrook, a member of the Beechworth Chain Gang, got me into mountain biking when I was eight," she said.
As part of the Cannonball Mountain Bike festival at Thredbo last month, Lia came second in the Elite Women Australian Cycling National Championships, where she competed against many European riders, who regularly take part in World Cup events around the globe.
And indeed, Lia herself is heading off at the end of May to take part in the Downhill World Cup Series, with events taking place in Scotland, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and others.
Sally Huguenin and Rowena Gould, both members of the Granite Girls, part of the Beechworth Chain Gang, were also excited about the official opening ride.
The purpose of the Granite Girls group is to ensure that all members learn professional mountain biking skills in order to enjoy the sport safely.
"We had around 100 women taking part in our first educational programme round back in 2021, and we still have a good core group of Granite Girls," they said.
"We go on rides on Tuesday evenings, and of course, on the weekends – last weekend we went to Mount Beauty.
"We are hoping to get more teenage girls interested in our sport, and we are applying for funding to run another programme for women later this year.
"The Granite Guys, for beginners and intermediate level riders, has just finished the first round of its educational programme."
For anyone interested in taking up the sport, contact the Beechworth Chain Gang or Yack Tracks Mountain Bike Clubs through their websites or Facebook pages.
