Hi Fellow Mountain bikers….
As the dry is leaving us in its dusty wake, so now is the time to start waterproofing bikes and stocking up on brake pads for the oncoming mud feast that is the wet…..
There has been some big news behind the DORC ride scene, some that you maybe aware of and some you may not…
NT Government Grass Roots Grant – Trail Maintenance
The club was lucky enough to secure a Sport’s and Recreation Grass Roots Grant off the government early this year. This was used to bring Marty Krieg from the International Mountain Bicycling Association Australia (IMBA) up to Darwin to run a two-day trail maintenance workshop. Marty works as a trails consultant with (IMBA) and by all accounts it was a very well run and attended course.
The club also applied for the Sport and Recreational Facilities and Capital Equipment Grant for a “trail audit” of Charles Darwin National Park (CDNP) which we where successful in receiving. What this means is that a comprehensive assessment of all our existing and unauthorised tracks throughout CDNP will be mapped and advice will be given on the necessary upgrades to ensure safe and sustainable use for all trail uses. So the club will be working closely with the NT Parks and Wildlife Commission and IMBA to make this happen.
Social Rides!
Time to climb onto the soapbox…
I’ve been hearing around the traps that there are not enough social rides happening and too many race types of events! As a committee we are happy to knowledge this feedback. Remember though that the Committee is a group of volunteers and there are only so many hours in one day to get jobs done. The committee has been working hard to get funding for our MTB tracks, organising guests to visit Darwin to teach MTB skills and of course organizing racing. The committee are finding it hard to give extra time to make social rides happen!
In the past we have asked and even chased people up to lead social rides with limited success. So the committee has decided to try a different approach to get more social rides happening… the club is going to pay you to lead a social ride! That’s right, pay you cold hard cash! Well not quite. There will be a $30 gift voucher to your choice of bike shop in Darwin for every ride you lead.
I can hear you say “I don’t have the skills” or “I’m not quick enough to lead a ride”. If you’re thinking this then you’re missing the point of a social ride! It’s social, its about taking other people around your favorite track, place or pub (if that’s your thing) at a leisurely pace, being social and enjoying the ride for the ride…
The Darwin Off Road Cyclists club is not owned by the committee, its owned by “YOU” the club members! So help make DORC a great fun club to be a part of and lead a social ride… Please…
Now here is the fine print:
- to eligible for the gift voucher you need to be a club member;
- the ride needs to be on a weekend; and
- the club needs to be informed a minimum of a week in advance so we can advertise it.
DORC will only be handing out one gift voucher per weekend – so you need to book your ride in early! There is a new document on how to lead a ride on the website which gives you the run down on the do’s and dont’s of how to lead a social ride.
Last but not least, a big thank-you to the committee members for all their hard work in running the club.
Yours in the dirt,
Chris Hanson
President
