Get a look inside AMB Issue #173
Our second summer issue is out! And it's our 5th Alpine Issue - packed full of stories from Australia's high places and trails.
AMB Issue #173 is on sale on 4th February, and it's packed with everything you would expect. As something a little different, we went for two Alpine Issues this summer. Our Alpine Issues have been around for a few years, as we realised over summer the one place most of us want to be riding is somewhere quiet and a bit cooler. And yeah, you can head to the beach. But if you head to the mountains you will escape crowds, and have lower temperatures. What's even better is you'll have plenty of purpose built mountain bike trails too.
Our big stories in this issue come from Victoria. We tackle the Alpine Epic Trail at Mt Buller, which is home to one of Australia's oldest alpine mountain bike trail networks. And the Epic trail take s a lot of it in, with a long 6km descent near the end.
But away from Mt Buller and Falls Creek, some of the best riding is in the towns in the foothills of the Victorian Alpine Resorts. And that's exactly why we checked out Bright, Yackandandah, Beechworth and Mt Beauty – to get the low down on what's worth riding, what to take, and where to eat and drink!
Thankfully, the towns in Victoria's High Country are never short of options for refreshments.
We also sat in on a holistic mountain bike skills weekend run by RideTechnics down at Lake Crackenback Rersort and Spa. We rode trails, worked on technique, ate great food, and even loosened up with a bit of pilates. This RideCamp concept is sure to take off – as it combined expertise with good food, good health and good trails.
In this issue we also covered the updated version of The Pioneer. Having started as a week-long route from Chirstchurch to Queenstown, the new version tackles a more compact variation. We raced down Rude Rock, along the Moonlight Trail, through gorges, over Flat Top Hill and into, up and down Queenstown Bike Park. It's a whole new race, and an alpine mountain bike experience not to be missed. Read all about it in this issue.
We also travel along on a bikepacking trip onto the sub-alpine heights about Blue Derby in Tasmania, along with covering the racing and stories from the Cannonbal MTB Festival.
Beyond that, we tackle the big questions – like is beer an acceptable recovery drink? Some research suggests it is, so we put Nutrionist Zoe Wilson on the case. We also hear about how to find your mojo from Coach Fenner, and how to do cutties from Jared Rando.
As usual, we have a bucket load of bike tests. From the Norco Range C9.2, to the all-new YT Jeffsy, Santa Cruz 5010 CC frame set and the bike park banger – the Giant Reign SX.
