T
here are many simple
pleasures in life and
I’m sure you’ll all agree
that one of them is
sitting around a
campfire bullshitting
with your mates after a
full day’s riding. If you
are doing this at the DSMRA’s annual
Kowen Forest Ride in the ACT, then
what makes it better again is that there
is more of it the next day.
This year’s Kowen had three loops
of varying difficulty, both in
technical and physical terms, that
could be ridden in any order and at
any time between the course opening
and closing. Let’s look at how the
DSMRA described each loop on its
Facebook page.
SOUTH LOOP – Approx. 40km (60%
singletrack). Easier single with road
sections to break it up. Expected time
for average riders is 2/2.5 hours
without breaks (no “easy” options).
EAST LOOP – The longest and most
popular loop of about 48km with about
70% singletrack. If you take the “easy”
options it’s not much harder than
South, but the “hard” options contain
technical challenges such as off-
camber turns, steep hills and rocky
creeks. Expected time for average
riders with no breaks is 2.5/3.5 hours
depending on whether the “hard”
options are taken.
WEST LOOP – This is designed to be
a more intense loop of about 47km
with 90% singletrack – with lots of
tight singey, hills and rough, rocky
trails. It has “hard” options and an
expected time of approximately four
hours (as we expect better riders on
this loop). People have been known to
take all day on this loop and most
never finish, with many leaving dazed
and tired at the halfway mark.
KTM DEMO LOOP – Designed to test
the KTM demo bikes with varying
elements, all in a 10-minute loop. Demo
bikes provided by Canberra Motorcycle
Centre included the 300, 350, 500 and
the Freeride.
BEGINNERS’ LOOP – You have to
start somewhere – mostly open trail
with short sections of unchallenging
single to get a feel for it.
TOUR OF KOWEN – Mostly
beginners’ ride with fairly easy
obstacles and no singletrack.http://www.adbmag.com.au JUNE 2019 | 79