Ride Recap: Lotus Creek 2024-02-24
Yesterday I went for an adventure ride with friends. We went for a loop around the Lotus Creek area in QLD where there are plenty of unsealed roads and had a fantastic time.
I got up at 5:30 am for a coffee and made my way to the ride start in Sarina.
It rained a bit along the way. The weather forecast was relatively rain-free leading up to the day, but had now reached a maximum of 35 mm. I considered bailing, but the weather cleared up a bit by the time we gathered at the ride start, so I decided to go for it. I'm glad I did! We did the Lotus Creek loop as planned. It remained overcast all day, but there was almost no rain.
We did about 167 km of unsealed roads through cattle properties and farms. The recent rain meant the conditions were fairly dust-free, but there were still plenty of cattle running across the road, and dozens of small floodways. There were about six of us when we started, but two left half way through due to other commitments.
I stacked the bike once, when approaching an unexpected river crossing faster than planned (a theme for me). I attempted to brake, but the path was full of sand and the wheels slid out from beneath me. Luckily, sand is very soft so both the bike and I were unharmed.
I got a hand picking the bike up, and received some tips. Then I completed my first proper river crossing. It was awesome!
Throughout the ride, I received a heap of helpful tips from more experienced riders:
- Keep my elbows out and bent when sitting so that I have better control over the bars.
- Relax more when standing - feel free to stand upright and loose on the straights. It's quick and easy to get into a strong, crouched position when needed.
- When in a crouched position, lean back more. I tend to lean way too much over the front-end, which compromises traction.
- When descending, pull my weight backward, especially if standing. Weight over the front wheel is bad during descents.
- If I find myself going into a corner too fast, don't try to straighten up and brake because it'll send me wide, and take me out of my planned line. Instead, carefully apply the clutch to cut engine power and slow the bike down through the corner.
- Further to the above, shunt the bars left or right while standing to turn the bike more sharply. Keep my centre of gravity over the wheels when doing this.
- Scan waaay ahead. Always look for where the trail disappears to. I should be focusing on preparing for distant obstacles, like potential sharp descents or turns, well in advance rather than letting myself get distracted by closer obstacles like potholes and ruts. I should've ready seen and prepared for them sooner - worst case, just trust the bike and go over them. It'll be fine.
The advice was really helpful, and made descents and cornering significantly easier. I can tackle them much faster now, and with greater confidence. Riding with friends is a great way to learn.
This was my first adventure ride since getting the new Dunlop D605 rear tyre, and it's been great. It's hard to judge the difference from the stock IRC tyre because I'm a beginner at adventure riding. However, I feel like it definitely has better traction in gravel, and I feel very confident with it. I reckon I'll get a D605 for the front too when the stock tyres wears out.
The new Arai XD4 helmet was fantastic too. I bought it a few days ago because I didn't want to take my Shoei Neotec 3 into dusty adventure rides. This was a great decision because the Arai XD4 is extremely comfortable, doesn't hurt my ears like the Neotec 3 does, and has phenomenal ventilation.
I'll be posting reviews of both helmets in the future and share my thoughts on them in more detail.
Overall, this was an amazing ride, and I'm feeling more confident than ever on the gravel. I'm looking forward to the next one!
