Recently Posted on Australian Mountain Bike Blog

Five Questions - Richard Bruce, Over the Edge, Melrose

Richard 'The Bruce', on the picturesque perfection of Melrose singletrack.



Introduce yourself please!
I am a business partner in Over the Edge Sports – Melrose, sometimes straw house builder, occasional mountain biker, soon to be father of 3, traveller, sailor, voyeur and event planner/lackey!


What’s so special about Melrose?
It is the delicate combination of fun flowing single track, married with magnificent old red gums, kangaroo’s and the odd Goanna. Add to this some country hospitality, fine wines, a tasty ale or 2 and the very relaxed atmosphere that surrounds this beautiful region and you start to get a little bit of the picture that is Melrose.

What’s this we hear about an 18hr race?
Something a new on the Australian mountain biking landscape. Over the Edge create events that compliment our region and are very much about bringing mountain bikers together to celebrate mountain biking. So in our travelling around Australia we have listened to some of their comments and added a spirited and fun event to coincide with our Fat Tyre Festival enabling folk to race, explore and celebrate in what the Flinders Ranges has to offer.

Why 18 hours? It’s unique for Australia. Our affiliation with Fruita, Colorado tells us that it is successful. So then it comes down to, how do we fit it in on a normal weekend without the extra day of a long weekend? Starting at midnight on a Friday is quite an ingenious idea as it allows people to travel to Melrose at the start of their weekend and then finishing at 6pm or “Happy Hour” on Saturday night enables people to celebrate their adventure in style before heading home or staying on to explore the Flinders Ranges and then joining us the following weekend for the Fat Tyre Festival.

What can people expect if they come along for the 18hrs of Melrose? Some surprises, some of the things they already love, some nudity or maybe not, some music, some Coopers ales, a couple of reds or maybe a port, thrown in with whole lot of laughter and plenty of grin inducing singletrack.
Finish this sentence – “The only thing better than 18hrs of Melrose is 18hrs of………” gentle but rousing, loving not just lusty, adoring but not rough, educated but not familiar, curvy but not twisted ssssssingletrack.


Keen to learn more about the 18hrs of Melrose?
http://www.otesports.com.au/events_18hr.htm or call 08 8666 2222.