With dirt spraying across the track and grinning faces, riders of all ages and stages signalled their approval at the opening of the newest Nelson Mountain Bike Club trail.
The grade three Crazy Horse Trail runs 872m from Jacks Hub down to the Dun Mountain Trail in the Codgers Mountain Bike Park.
With zig zags, berms and rollers, the new trail is ideal for families and beginners, but also gives the more advanced something to play on.
Ten-year-old Kael Matthew was one of the first riders to try out the new track and says he absolutely loves it.
“It’s great, you can go very fast on it and the corners are very well constructed, the whole thing is really fun.”
Kael’s dad Alistair Matthews has been mountainbiking for the last 26 years and moved his family to Nelson for the mountainbiking scene last year.
“Nelson ticked the box with the biking, how good the scene is here, and how great the riding schools are, so it is perfect for us.”
Alistair says the new track is awesome.
“It’s a real ripping fun time for all levels and it’s great to see so many people riding it.”
Easy Trail Services director Ian Phillipps says a lot of planning went into the track so it was great to see it completed and being ridden by so many enthusiastic riders.
“There were some logistical challenges, having the main water supply for the town under the firebreak, but we’ve made the best use of the land that we can, and this is exactly what Nelson needs, just a nice track people can progress on.”
The NMTBC paid $12,000 towards the build and were supported by the Nelson City Council who contributed finances and land.
On the day, councillor Mike Rutledge wasn’t content to just sit back and watch, jumping on his bike for three laps of the new track.
“It’s nice and mellow but there are fun sections on it too and I am sure no matter how advanced you are, you can have a lot of fun on this.”
Mike says the growth of mountainbiking within the region is such a positive thing to see.
“Council has put a significant amount of resources into mountainbiking in terms of bringing people into Nelson from a tourism point of view, but also for positive outdoor recreation for residents.”
Crazy Horse is the first step in the Codgers Mountain Bike Park redevelopment and making the region’s mountain biking more family-friendly.
The trail is open 24/7 to the whole community and is accessible through the Dun Mountain Trail on Brook St.
