beetroot recipes: mountain bike

Forrest, Victoria, Australia. Interesting facts: Population 238 - dog lovers, beer connoisseurs and mountain bike fanciers. On my count there are about 1:15 official mtb tracks per resident of Forrest.

We've just returned home after four nights in Forrest with a few close friends to celebrate my hubby's birthday. In summary; an action packed, fun and very comfortable long, long weekend.

We stayed at Forrest Church Retreat on the main drag. Great location - walking distance to the Brewery and a short ride to the many MTB trails.

The Forrest Church Retreat has four separate sleeping areas (two private, with double beds, another double bed on mezzanine (although open to the house), plus four bunk beds in an open rumpus/entry area. It cost us $1500 for 4 nights - pretty good value split between the 5 of us. The Retreat was well equipped for riders with a lockable bike shed, plenty of under cover bike racks and a big washing machine to clean those filthy riding clothes! The house (a converted church, amen) has a big, functional and open kitchen which was a lot of fun to use. Pretty much everything we needed was there - coffee plunger, dishwasher and ample pots and pans. All linen was provided (and was clean - bonus!). Wood fire, and ducted heating kept us toasty on the winter days and nights. 3 bathrooms made things comfortable too. The house can sleep 10, but noise and headspace would be a consideration. No pets, yard is not secure so leave the kids at home. Overall, very happy and we hope to get back there.

Visits to the Forrest Brewing Company became a daily ritual for our little cohort:
Thursday: coffee and lunch - smashing steak sangers, savory pastry selection and interesting soup... fuel for a big afternoon of riding... but more on that later.
Friday: beers and salty chips after a muddy ride in the late afternoon, sitting outside under the tin roof listening to the rain and studying the enormous trail maps affixed to the brewery wall.
Saturday: dinner, including confit pork belly with smoked beetroot and local spuds; thai style fried rice; and the obligatory steak/chips/salad combo. Sticky date pudding with a birthday candle made our night.

It wasn't a fluke. The place was consistent - with the great team working the welcoming magic, keeping the fire going, turning out the great food, beer and impeccable service. Read more or check out the video on the FBC website. Top beers on tap included pale ale, red ales and blocksplitter stout. Also a few local wines on offer. A triumphant local gem.

Anyhoo... the main reason I'm writing about Forrest isn't the beer, or the accommodation, it's the bike adventures! Might be going away from the traditional homeharvestcook focus... but what the heck! It's about celebrating the good things in life.

This was our fourth visit to the Forrest mountain bike tracks in the past few years. We are drawn by the technical trails, fast flowing loops, and overall variety. Heaps of useful information and maps here: RideForrest.

A riding highlight for me was a one-on-one lesson with Jess Douglas [accomplished world champ endurance MTB-er]. Read all about her here: Jess Douglas. Yep she knows how to ride a bike. What a treat! Jess runs MTB Skills, a growing business which currently runs group and individual courses in Victoria, Tasmania, NSW and Queensland. Lots of info on the website.

It had been raining in Forrest for most of the week leading up to my scheduled lesson, and we almost bugged out on account of the wet and cold... but after a hearty lunch at the Brewery, we decided to suck it up and make the most of a gap in the rain. Rugged up in thermals and multiple layers we headed out on the Yaugher trails. Jess patiently coached me through cornering, correct positioning and technique, and helped me overcome some fears. A few hours coaching with Jess was a great way to kick off the long weekend of riding, and I had a few solid days afterwards to practise and reconcile.

Here's a happy snap after the lesson. I was totally exhausted, albeit inspired, and elated to have knocked over some of my biking demons. I highly recommend this experience for anyone wanting to improve their riding skills.

Over the following few days, we covered plenty of ground on the Yaugher trails - unfortunately the Southern loop was too wet and we didn't want to risk damaging the tracks. The Forrest Mountain Bike & Cycling Club are a committed bunch, running events and working with DSE and local landowners to maintain the trails. Let's not ruin them in the wet, ok?!

In addition to great riding and the brewery, Forrest has limited facilities (but that is part of the charm). There's a pub and a general store with limited opening hours. We heard a whisper there's a new bike/coffee store coming soon - The Corner Store - for bike hire, maintenance (including help if stranded on a trail - brilliant!) as well as cake and coffee. I will look forward to checking it out next time we're in town.

While away, I enjoyed a yoga class in nearby Apollo Bay with the ever smiling and positivity-oozing Natasha Sikand. She runs regular classes as well as retreats. Delicious porridge for brunch at Cafe 153 in Apollo Bay after yoga. Coffee was good too!

We also checked out the small nearby town of Birregurra, perusing local produce at the Birregurra Farm Foods and Provedore and eating ah-mazing burgers from the general store.

All in all, a magnificent and action packed, super-sized weekend in a beautiful corner of the earth.

Forrest, thanks for having us.

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Sunday 16th June

Forrest, Victoria - great from every angle