Must Ride Trails - Supporters Edition
With 125km of trails to choose from it can be tough to know which trail to tackle first at Derby, which is why we've put together a list of 'must ride' trails according to our major business supporters.
Our major supporters are the businesses that help us maintain our world class trails and assist us in delivering the same high quality riding experience every single time. They’re also a bunch of passionate mountain bike riders, which is why we've asked them the tough question “what are your top two must ride trails at Derby?”.
Now, asking this question to some may be the equivalent of asking who the favourite child/pet/mountain bike is. But we did and here are the results.
Axehead
“A favourite for warming up at Derby, but the real treat of riding up Axehead is the view of Tasty Trout Falls and snaking your way up to the wider trail network alongside the Cascade River.” - Floyd Croucher, Launceston Mitsubishi
“Chances are if you’ve done any research on Derby you have seen the photo below, and this trail won’t disappoint. It is beautiful, and meanders up to a junction where you can choose your adventure, staying green on the way down or climbing further to Black Stump where you’ll find iconic runs like Flickety Sticks and Return to Sender.” - Josh Smith, Trek Bicycle
Image credit: Blue Derby Pods Ride
Return to Sender (RTS)
“RTS never disappoints, this trail really has everything… flowing downhill sections, big berms, dense forest, meandering ascents and views back towards the town of Derby.” - Tara Howell, Blue Derby Pods Ride
“I see this trail as a 'mini Blue Tier'; it offers a range of technical challenges, a little bit of peddling for fitness, and a fast descent at the end that'll leave a grin from ear to ear as you roll down the hill into town. It is a trail that grows with you, so as your riding improves, you can get more out the the trail.” - Jason Hayden, The Hub Pizza and Beer
“Flowy, fun, technical and stunning views” - Chris Cairns, Little Rivers Brewing Co.
Image credit: Flow Mountain Bike
Krushka's
“I have this soft spot for Krushkas, the climb is absolutely sensational, meandering up incredible forest and then ripping back down the hill” - Tara Howell, Blue Derby Pods Ride
“In the early days I would never have put this trail in my top two as it does take a bit of fitness to be able to enjoy it. However, once you understand what you are in for, you can enjoy the climb and then, as you pass 'Big Mamma', get ready for a number of awesome descents, culminating in an absolute ripper. You then get to exit the trails via Howler and Deadly Bugga to top the ride off.” - Jason Hayden, The Hub Pizza and Beer
Image credit: Josh Firth
Kingswall
“This is one of our favourite trails as it's got a lot and really showcases what Derby is about - world class trails, amazing scenery and cool historic mining features.” - The MTB Express team
“I’ve ridden this trail with my eight-year-old son, and I have ridden it with National MTB Champions... every time I finish with a sense of joy and am reminded how mountain biking has the power to change the course of a town’s future. There are two parts to Kingswall, upper and lower, and both are awesome. However, if you don’t have the energy to ride up The Snig Track to the top section don’t worry as there is still plenty of track to enjoy on the lower section of the trail. Descending from Black Stump takes you through stands of huge tree ferns and open dry gum forest to some of the best sections of trail in Derby. The lower part features some wide-open sections of trail which encourage you stay off the brakes as you flow towards and onto the Kingswall itself. A piece of mining history, the ‘wall’ are sections of a hand-built water race which was constructed over the 48km distance from Ringarooma to the old Briseis Tin Mine at Derby in the early 1900s.“ - Toby Shingleton, Shimano
Roxanne
“This short but action packed trail is the perfect introduction to Blue Derby’s technical black trails. It’s full of rock rollers and fast turns, but nothing as daunting as Kumma Gutza or the likes. To top it off, a view point is accessed by a set of man made stairs etched into the boulders at the highest point.” - The Vertigo MTB team
Image credit: Tracks Less Travelled
Trouty
"How could I go past Blue Derby’s legendary Enduro World Series trail ‘Trouty’! In our eyes this is Derby signature trail which offers a little taste of the whole network in one trail! Fast and flowy at the top, large Boulder rocks and spectacle views of our amazing little town through the middle before some steep rock gardens off-camber root sections!" - Ben Jones, Evolution Biking
Image credit: Kane Naaraat and Pinkbike.com
Dam Busters
"Many riders only know Dam Busters as the “bottom part of the Atlas descent” but there is a great section of track before this that many miss out by not riding the full length. Starting at the Black Stump shuttle drop off point you ride a short fun and technical section of Black Stump before making a hard right and looping around the top of Cascade Dam towards the lake. After about a kilometre on a fire road keep your eyes peeled for a trail marker on the left which leads you into awesome flowing single track close to the water towards Sandy Beach. A couple of short climbs break up the descending before the trail comes to its incredible final descent. Berm after berm after berm, this trail keeps giving you a reason to smile right to its final metre.… Hold as much speed as you can for the last section with a few good jumps and hips for the taking on the right before it spits you out at the bottom.” - Toby Shingleton, Shimano
Image credit: Flow Mountain Bike
Kumma Gutza
"This trail is like no other. There is a reason it won trail of the year for the EWS as it has a never ending supply of features to hit. Not for the faint of heart, but one that truly gives you a run for your money. And being a longer trail, it’s completely worth the climb up Snig Track." - The Vertigo MTB team
Image credit: EWS
Wochya-Upta
"A great warm up trail that shows off a lot of what Derby has to offer: You’ll start in town past the pump track, over the bridge on a cruisy green trail that leads you to the lake and beach area. From there, you go around the lake and begin traversing up the hill-side. All the effort is rewarded with a beautiful panoramic view of the town and just the right amount of tech and berms on the way down to get you warmed up for the rest of the day! This is my start point for anyone riding Derby for the first time.” - Josh Smith, Trek Bicycle
Image credit: Flow Mountain Bike
Sawtooth
"When it’s time to head back into town, we like to take Sawtooth and make a detour on Berms & Ferns. The name of this trail is a dead giveaway – it’s a quick stint of lush greenery and sweet berms (and you also get a nice view of the township from Monument Lookout) before your final descent back into town.” - Floyd Croucher, Launceston Mitsubishi
Image credit: Stu Gibson
Atlas
"Atlas trail is our other favourite. It's a Derby classic, long, flowy, techy and has an amazing finish down into the main Derby trail network." - The MTB Express team
Image credit: Josh Firth
Air Ya Garn
"We'll keep this short and sweet, this trail is iconic for a number of reasons - it's flowy, fun and has plenty of jumps." - Chris Cairns, Little Rivers Brewing Co.
"We get the urge for speed and airtime! So Air ya garn is one of our favourite trails to finish a ride with! Wide open, super flowy with fist pumps are a certainty at the bottom!" - Ben Jones, Evolution MTB
Image credit: Stu Gibson
Wondering how else you can support the Blue Derby Mountain Bike Trails?
Book your accommodation in Derby directly through our website and your booking directly contributes to the maintenance of our world-class mountain bike trail network.