Along for the ride

By HEATHER RAMSAY*

Ben Free doesn't look at all fazed when I tell him that I can't ride a mountain bike, so I tell him that I am also carrying a leg injury.

"That's fine," he says, unperturbed. "We'll find something that suits you."

It looks like I'm going to have to do it after all.

I'm in Rotorua, it's wet, and I am supposed to be attempting mountain biking for the very first time. I've been awake most of the night listening to the constant rain and dreaming up ways of getting out of this, but the excuses aren't entirely fabricated.

I do have a nagging leg injury, and I'm not a confident cyclist.

Unlike most New Zealand youngsters, I didn't have a bike when I was growing up. Out on the farm, a horse was my preferred mode of transport, so my cycling experience consists of hiring a bike for an hour here and there on overseas travels.

But I am slightly overplaying my lack of experience, partly to see Free's reaction to a true mountain biking novice, and partly to ensure that we take the easiest route.

I needn't have worried. He is obviously used to dealing with all-comers and his calm demeanour is encouraging.

There isn't anything he can do about the rain, though. Or is there?

Just as I launch into excuse number three, the drizzle stops and a weak sun breaks through, dousing us in pale sunbeams that strike the water droplets clinging to the bikes' spokes and glitter off the chrome.

Behind us, Whakarewarewa Forest steams in the sunlight and birds start a happy chorus.

Free gives us a helmet and gloves, which we don while he sorts out our bikes.

I surreptitiously watch others so that I know which way to put the helmet on, and by the time he turns around I'm looking the part, complete with funky fingerless gloves.

We're shown how to find the ideal seat height and he runs us through the brakes and gears before we take a few turns around the gravel carpark and slosh through some puddles.

I know about brakes, but it takes a while to get my head around the 24 gears, let alone remember when I should use them.

"Low numbers, easy gears. Just remember that," instructs Free.

He corrects my "death grip" and shows me how to casually drape two fingers over the brakes, and then we are ready.

Whakarewarewa is a Fletcher Challenge forest, and is criss-crossed with vehicle access tracks as well as mountain biking and walking tracks. It's also a trial forest, so trails weave among larch, eucalypt, redwood, fir and pine trees.

The ride up an access route is easy and we get a few tips on maintaining an even pedalling speed. In a hilly clearing we practise braking, changing gears and the downhill standing technique several times before we're deemed to have enough basics to venture on to the trails.

Free is a thorough, patient teacher and after these simple lessons, I feel reasonably confident as we head out of the sunshine and into the forest.

Whakarewarewa has more than 40km of purpose-built mountain biking tracks that are all one way, and for bikes only. This is good news, because there's enough to think about without worrying about walkers, horses or bikers coming the other way.

There's a downhill run almost straight away and I start off really fast, panic, put my brakes on so hard that I feel like I'm going to flip over the handlebars, then go so slowly that I don't have enough momentum to get up the other side.

One minute into the ride and I'm already pushing the bike uphill. It's the last time though. I'm told what I did wrong, and when we come to new obstacles I get sound advice on how to tackle them.

The tracks are graded one to five, and we are on a grade two track so it's not a constant challenge. We meander under the canopy of tall, straight trees, where dappled light dances on damp ferns and waterlogged spider webs sparkle in the sun. It looks like a playground for mischievous elves and fairies, but no real mischief happens to me, just a close call with a slippery tree root and a slow-motion dive to the ground.

Free warns me that most first-timers bypass the last downhill run, but I surprise myself as much as him by hurtling down the rutted track and up the other side. I feel a weird combination of both being in control and being out of control, and I like it, I really do.

If I had more time, I'd go off alone, enjoy more scenery and practise my new-found techniques - although I think I've already done enough to deserve a long soak in Rotorua's famous thermal pools.

* Heather Ramsay was hosted by Tourism Rotorua and Planet Bike.

www.planetbike.co.nz
www.mountainbike.co.nz


More biking operators:


Bigfoot Adventures:

North Harbour, Auckland

ph (09) 420 5240, fax (09) 420 5296, mob 027 495 5966

Email kris@bigfootadventures.co.nz

www.bigfootadventures.co.nz


CastleRock Adventure:

Te Awamutu
ph 0800 225 462, fax (07) 872 2508

Email info@castlerockadventure.co.nz

www.castlerockadventure.co.nz


Pete Outdoors:

Owhango, Ruapehu

ph (07) 895 4445, fax (07) 895 4454

Email PeteOutdoors@xtra.co.nz


Rapid Sensations:

Taupo

ph 0800 353435, fax (07) 378 7904

Email info@rapids.co.nz

www.rapids.co.nz


Mud Cycles:

Karori, Wellington

ph (04) 476 4961, fax (04) 476 4962

Email mudzy@mudcycles.co.nz

www.mudcycles.co.nz


Natural High Cycling & Mountain Biking Tours:

Central City, Nelson

ph 0800 444 144, fax (03) 546 6954

Email Chris@natural-high.co.nz

www.cyclenewzealand.com


Gravity Action:

Queenstown

ph (03) 441 1021, fax 03 441 1024

Email info@skitransport.com

www.skitransport.com


Back of Beyond Mountain Biking:

Ashburton

ph (03) 303 9806, fax (03) 303 9878

Email info@mountainbiking.net.nz

www.mountainbiking.net.nz


For more mountain bike operators visit Tourism New Zealand's website www.purenz.com; see the Yellow Pages, or consult a visitor information centre.