When he's not building flawless singletrack, IMBA's Joey Klein frequently serves as an ambassador to the mountain bike world. Klein's travels have taken him to Israel , the United Kingdom , Scotland, Northern Ireland and Australia. This fall, Klein returned to Oz for the third time, facilitated by Mountain Bike Australia, on a seven-week, six-state tour visiting the following locations:
Sydney Olympic Park, Sydney, New South Wales Perth, Western Australia Adelaide, South Australia Melbourne and Beechworth, Victoria Launceston and Hobart, Tasmania Thredbo, New South Wales Brisbane, Queensland
"Australian riders are making huge breakthroughs in creating their own places to ride," reported Klein. "Riding options were far more limited just a few years ago. On this tour, I've seen new bike parks everywhere, and trails that offer every experience, from downhill and freeriding to great new cross-country tracks."
The progression in Australia's riding scene has been greatly aided by the strong growth of mountain bike clubs. "The club leaders here are actively developing partnerships with land managers - many of the shared-use systems that I have visited have potential for significant expansions," said Klein.
Don't count Klein out for a fourth trip Down Under. "There's lots of work ahead. The first step is to gain shared-use access to more front-country and backcountry trail systems. Some land managers are still catching on to the shared-use message; in the meantime poorly designed fall-line trails are proliferating."
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