Bantry Bay (Northern Beaches, Sydney)
Bruce Ridge (Canberra)
Bungarra Alpine Centre (Snowy Mountains)
Currumbin Border Track (NSW/QLD Border)
Daisy Hill (South Brisbane)
East Kowen (Kowen Pine Forest, Canberra)
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Fred Caterson Reserve (Castle Hill)
Golden Jubilee Field MTB Park (North Shore, Sydney)
Hassans Walls (Lithgow)
Hinze Dam (Gold Coast)
Jackson (Jackson)
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Kiwarrak State Forest (Tarree)
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Manly Dam (Northern Beaches, Sydney)
Mt Joyce (Gold Coast Hinterland)
Mt Kosciuszko (Snowy Mountains)
Nerang State Forest (Gold Coast)
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Ourimbah (Central Coast)
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Thredbo Resort (Snowy Mountains)
Thredbo Valley Trail (Snowy Mountains)
Whistler Bike Park (Whistler)
Wingello (Southern Highlands)
Wylde MTB Trail (Cecil Park - Western Sydney)
Bovine Groove (3.79km)
Mt JoyceLast Update: 25/4/2014
Some trail names are made up, if there is a different name please let us know.
Difficulty - Intermediate - Advanced - A & B Lines
Slope - Moderate - Undulating - Steep
Space - Tight - Extreme Caution
Surface - Dirt - Loose rocks on dirt - Loose rocks on rock - Rock - Roots - Rutted - Sand - Wood
Trail type - Single track
Notes:
At the time of riding: Bovine Groove is ranked as the 2nd Best Trail I've ridden (narrowly behind Te Tihi-O-Tawa)
Bovine Groove is an outstanding 3.7km gravity trail that runs from the top of the mountain right down to the water's edge. For the most part it is on the descent with only short pedal sections.
It doesn't look like I'm riding particularly fast in the video however it felt fast. The opening 4 minutes of my video is deceptively steep and very technical, in fact they set the benchmark in the open metres with a set of steps running from the trail head down onto the single track. From there the opening 4 minutes of the trail was littered with rocks, steps, jumps and small drops, tight steep loose banked corners and short sections where I rapidly built speed. It was really challenging and a HEAP of fun.
I was desperate to head back up and ride that section again however I decided I would need a full face helmet and body armour to be comfortable enough to get the most out of the trail.
After the initial technical descent section the trail opens up with some much longer flowy sections and an opportunity to pick up the pace, however the trail still has plenty of technical surprises, drops, A & B lines and the odd loose corner.
There are 2 linking trails (Tuna Chunks and Caught Short) that allow you to enter or exit Bovine Groove. Tuna Chunks is most likely ridden from Big Bertha down to Bovine Groove while Caught Short will bring you back up to Worm Juice and the climb back up the mountain..
Once through the Tunnel the trail starts descending, rapidly at times. The lower half of the trail is far less technical than the upper section however is challenging with the number of jumps, banked corners, dips. The trail is much tighter than the top section but trail vision is pretty good so you can hold a fair amount of speed through it.
At the very bottom of the trail is a massive wooden left hander berm that is definitely worth a walk back up to hit more than once.
I found many of the trails in SEQ frustrating due to the number of trees inconveniently located on the apexes and exits of corners or narrow gates on fast sections, however this trail is more open and those trees that were on the edge of the trail didn't seem to negatively affect the flow.
Bovine Groove is an outstanding trail and the best I've ridden in Australia. I hope to ride it many times over with the assistance of the Brisbane MTB Shuttles crew.
You certainly don't need to pad up to ride this trail but next time I will be wearing my full face and body armour so I can push a little harder.
Trail Head: The trail head is at the very top of a very steep fire trail climb. Follow the short bit of descending Fire Trail from the turning circle at the top of the mountain. There are a number of trails running from the top including black trails - Window Maker DH and Scorpion DH and the blue trail Big Bertha
The Way Out: You can climb back up Bovine Groove to the intersection of Tunnel Vision, or continue right up to the main fire trail at the Tunnel (intersection of Worm Juice (up), Tunnel Vision (south side) and Number 7 and Tunnel Vision (north side) alternatively you can take the Shoreline Trail back to the bottom of the Trail Head.