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August 2011 Newsletter
Ian Fehler
Not the Mawson Marathon!
Many of you will have heard that BikeSA have had to make the hard decision to cancel the upcoming Mawson Marathon due to a lack of sponsorship and entries. We ourselves are very sorry to hear about this, as we were all set for another trip to the Flinders Ranges to assist BikeSA running this event by acting as route marker and neutral support along the way.
As such, and in agreement with BikeSA, we have decided to offer a limited and small supported trip to allow riders who were entered onto the Mawson Marathon to still ride the route. We appreciate many riders may already have arranged accommodation, flights and more to participate in this event, so hopefully this allows at least some people to still ride the trails, with minimal upset to their original plans. The trip leaves on Tuesday 16 August, and finishes Sunday 21 August, and will follow the Mawson stage race schedule as described by BikeSA
Our supported trip will cost $595 per person, and includes:-
- Transfers from Adelaide and back
- full vehicle support along the way
- Luggage transport each day
- breakfast and lunch supplies daily
- detailed trail advice and route support
- guiding/rider support on the trails if required and basic maintenance support along the way
In addition, for those that do not already have accommodation planned, we have an extra accommodation package priced at $295 which includes comfortable accommodation each night, and a warm meal. Accommodation will vary but is likely to be shared cabins, bunkhouses, shearers quarters, and similar basic but comfortable accommodation. Of course, feel free to camp or do whatever you already had planned instead! This trip will be offered for a minimum of 4 people, and a maximum of 20.
Due to the LATE NOTICE of this trip, we need expressions of interest to join our trip ASAP! The exact details of the trip will vary depending on numbers, and full details will be confirmed after numbers are confirmed.
BOOKINGS MUST BE CONFIRMED BY C.O.B. ON TUESDAY 2 AUGUST to allow us to organise this trip in time! Please email us at info@escapegoat.com.au or call us on 0422 916289 NOW if you are keen to join.
It’s all about Melrose this month! 
OK, so now it is cooler, and all the tourists wanting day trips have gone to warmer climates, it’s time for us to get back to what we love doing…. riding real trails in the mud!
As it so happens, this time is all about the Flinders Ranges, and in Particular MELROSE!
We love Melrose, it’s just such a great little place, with great pubs, and amazing trails that start and finish from the town.
The main event over the next month or so is the Melrose Fat Tyre Festival, a superb weekend spent hanging out with loads of riders on the trails, outside the pub, and at various different events and competitions. If you haven’t made it up there on the June long weekend (10-13 June), you really should do!
We will be there as a major sponsor, conducting a number of beginner and intermediate taster skills sessions and rides. We will also be running the ‘Escapegoat Cycle Olympiad‘, an excellent chance to either join in or relax outside the pub watching everybody show off their skills. It’s a bit of fun……
Of course, you may want to brush up on a few skills before you head up to Melrose- so maybe sign up for our Intermediate Skills course on Saturday 28 May! We will be looking at various skills like drop-offs, step-overs, cornering, and also look at riding on steep, narrow single-track- a PERFECT time to perfect your skills before hitting Melrose’s legendary singletrack! With just 6 spots you will be guaranteed to learn loads.
But don’t worry if you can’t make it up to Melrose for the Fat Tyre Festival, as we have another option too! Maybe instead you can join us on one of our Melrose Weekenders. Join us with a small group for 3 days of riding, guiding (and skills training if required) in and around Melrose. We will stay in theNorthstar and make the most of all the trails in town, including some you may not know, or can’t normally access! These are going to be great little trips! The first one is planned for August, after we get back from our Alpine Epic in France. Didn’t mean to rub it in….. 
So, there you go, a full on Melrose extravaganza! Until next time!
Cheers,
Ian, Deborah and Charlotte
Team Escapegoat
Riders Needed!
OK, first up, before anyone asks, Billy, our goat guide from our last email is still waiting for his license to run our goat-powered tours- this may have to wait until next April 1st….
However, there are a couple of things we need asistance with! Riders needed in the next few weeks!
First up, we are putting together a team to take part in the Kona Dirty weekend, being held at Fox Creek THIS WEEKEND 16/17 April 2011 by BikeSA and SAMBA. We currently are ONE RIDER SHORT to join our 4 person 24 hour team. So, if spending up to 6 hours of the weekend riding around Fox Creek (including night laps) sounds fun, then drop us a line!
Secondly, we are filming a short segment for ‘Postcards’ on Wednesday 20 April in the morning, and could do with a few vollies to act as extras/tour guests! Exact details of the day will depend on Channel 9, but if that sounds interesting again drop us a line! Hopefully we can manage the full ride from the summit, as well as visit the Cleland wildlife park and more!
Finally, we hav had to do a little juggling around with our Skills training sessions. New dates are:-
- Saturday May 14- Core skills
- Saturday May 28- Intermediate Skills part 1.
For full details and to sign up, check out our website here!
OK, that’s all for now. we hope to see you out on the trails soon!
Cheers,
Ian, Deborah and Charlotte.
Unique new eco-friendly tours of Adelaide
Yes, it’s time for us at Escapegoat to expand, and look for alternative trips and tours we can offer in Adelaide. We have always strived to offer unique and totally different trips, and so are very pleased to announce our new environmentally friendly bike tours for Adelaide! Why not join us on one of our Adelaide Goat Tours!
Obviously the simple bike is one of the most environmentally friendly modes of transport there is. However, up until now the main complaint about our tours is that people needed to pedal on our trips, which could be hard work. So, we have now come up with an alternative option for our new tours- now you can just sit back and let the ‘Escapegoat’ do all the work, with our new goat-powered bikes!
Our custom-built ‘Goatbikes’ allow a rider to be propelled along at a relaxing 20kph, all powered by 1GP, or ‘goat-power’. Enjoy a leisurely relaxing ride along the River Torrens, past the zoo, and along to the old Gaol, all under the power of your very own goat chauffeur.
Inital trips will be powered by our first fully trained goat, Billy, who has just finished his vigorous training with the Scottish Mountain Bike Goats Association (SMBGA), and is fully qualified to lead mountain bikers around the world.
Until we have further fully trained goatguides, additional clients can instead choose to “Bring Your Own Dog” (BYOD package) to attatch to your own cycle. It is however a condition of the BYOD package that all dogs must attend a briefing and short training lap under the expert tuition of Billy, before they may take their owners for a first ride.
Tours cost $80 for a Goat-powered trip, or $60 if you “BYOD”
Whats included:-
Pick up in the Escapegoat Van
hire of one of our new “Escapegoat Bike” with hyrdaulic brakes, Rockshox “Billy” Forks, and 1GP external engine
Full guiding and tuiton from Billy, our SMBGA guide
Morning tea – coffee, tea, cakes, water, grass and dog chews
Please note, a height restriction does apply, and some dogs, such as Chihuahua’s may be too small to join the tour. If you have any questions feel free to contact Billy on 1800-goat or email at billy@escapegoat.com.au to discuss your suitability.
Tours run daily from April 1 2011.
*terms and conditions apply, subject to availability of goats*
Christmas gift ideas!
Hi there !
Firstly, Happy Holidays! The weather is looking great for the Christmas period, so we hope you are able to get out on the bike a lot!
This time, we have a few suggestions for top Escapegoat Christmas gift ideas, in case you still need to get a few pressies! We also have loads of trips and activities going on over the christmas period, to help you get out on your bike.
First up, we have a few changes to our tour timings for the summer. In addition to our midweek trips, we will now be running a Lofty Descent Trip most Saturdays and a Hills Vines and Wines tour on most Sundays. Of course having said that, with Christmas and New Year being over weekends, the dates are a bit stuffed then- but rest assured we have plenty of trips available over the Holiday period, so check out our Calendar for details!
We have also added a new variation of our Hills Vines and Wines tour which we can operate for 2 or more people in the Adelaide hills- we ride from Mt Lofty downhill to Hahndorf via quiet country roads and dirt tracks, and stop for wine and cheese tasting at Nepenthe winery, and wine and chocolate tasting at Hahndorf Hills winery. Give us a yell if this one interests you!
Our next Skills day is scheduled for Saturday 15 January, and is nearly full, so grab your spot soon if you want to join us.
Finally, don’t forget that we have our special Early-bird deal for our Escapegoat Alpine Epic for July 2011. For all bookings made before 1 January 2011 we are offering $500 off. With all the early-bird flight deals for Europe available at the moment it’s a great time to plan a trip to Europe, with the whole holiday working out a look cheaper than you would imagine. Just think of 2 weeks of luxury accomodation, great riding and guiding, and a chance to hang out in one of the most picturesque parts of the world- it’s really a great trip- contact us now for booking info or check out the online info sheet!
OK, so here are our top Escapegoat Gift ideas for Christmas!
1-Give that special person an Escapegoat bike!
Yes, we have just upgraded our entire hire-fleet of bikes, so we are now selling off our old bikes- these are in excellent condition and have seen 20-30 days of light use.
Grab a bargain- $500 each. Only a handful left! More info here!
2- Give a whole year of MTB goodness with the Escapegoat ‘Ride the World 2011 Calendar’!
Enjoy photos from Escapegoat trips and tours around the world, throughout the year- you may even be in the calendar!
Just $19.95 plus postage- with free postage on orders over $40 for the next day or so- way not grab a t-shirt too!
3-Grab an Escapegoat T-shirt, hat, hoodie or mug!
Check out all the great Escapegoat stuff in our online store! Again free postage on orders over $40 for the next day or so- just add the code SHOPSHIP on checkout!
4-Give an Escapegoat Gift Certificate!
Contact us to purchase a gift certificate for a friend to come on any of our trips, tours or skills days!
OK, so that’s probably enough for now. Here’s to a great Christmas break, and an awesome New Year. We leave you with a final snowy Christmas shot- OK, this one was actually taken in the Alps in the middle of summer, but hey, there’s SNOW!
We hope to see you out on the trails soon!
Cheers,
Ian, Deborah & Charlotte
