
Eventually, you’ll find yourself at Swimcart Beach. The trail weaves through the forest and more exposed singletrack over the course of 42km.

The trail covers amazing singletrack descents and granite rock features from the trailhead in Blue Tier Forest Reserve. “I’d also ridden ‘Bay of Fires’ on my honeymoon, so I knew what to expect and had a great idea for a warm up trail at the start.” “Derby was one of the last places Jenni and I raced together so it seemed fitting that we returned there,” said Mark as he gave the green light on Jenni’s exciting plans for the pair. She’d heard of a trail called “Bay of Fires” while she was there but never had time to ride it. With its world class trails that cater to any level of rider, I knew that was where we had to go with the Neuron,” says Jenni. It’s otherwise known as ‘mountain bikers paradise’.

We spent a few days in Derby, a quaint little town in the north west. “I went on a family holiday last year to Tasmania. Mountain biking continues to take up most of their spare time together.Ī quick and enthusiastic phone call between the two confirmed the adventure ahead. Eventually, he also closed the chapter on his racing career and went on to study at university before meeting his now wife Eliza. Before long he tackled 24 hour races, MTB marathons and cross-country racing. Mark’s talents lay not just in the road racing scene. I made sure to keep in touch with him after my racing career,” says Jenni.

He would be the first to offer help cleaning bikes, fixing mechanicals, cooking dinner and cleaning up. “I was taken by Mark’s seemingly endless knowledge on just about any topic of conversation. Both he and Jenni were in the midst of Commonwealth Games team selection and forged a unique bond that has resulted in a lifelong friendship. They met while Mark was a cross-country and MTB marathon racer in his early 20s. Jenni King and Mark Tupalski live in Australia and go way back.
