But after three days at the Blue Derby Pods Ride experience, as I too hurled myself down the Blue Tier, I realised I had become one of those mad bastards – and it actually didn’t seem that mad anymore.

The experience is perfect for those keen to hit the trails without the hassle of cooking, cleaning, or setting up a tent after a long day of riding.

Perhaps the most special part is that the experience is tailored to cater for all skill levels and the expert coaches work tirelessly to bring your riding to the next level – wherever your starting point may be — without pushing you too far out of your comfort zone.

On a sunny early-October weekend, I was lucky enough to call the Blue Derby Pods home for three days.

The small network of four pods and a hub are nestled among the Blue Derby mountain bike trail network – now widely considered among the best bike parks in the world.

Derby itself has recently transformed from a sleepy former mining town into something that is not dissimilar to a European ski village – just swap the bustle.

The rooms and the rest of the site are entirely off-the-grid powered only by solar panels for lighting and fire for heating, while all the water needed comes from the roof and tanks but despite this, luxury is definitely not forsaken.

The rooms and common buildings are all spacious with bright polished plywood walls, fireside heating and steel joinery aplenty. Even the bathrooms offer an incredible one-way view out towards the towering North East Tasmanian trees.

But that’s only half the reason you’re there.

My travel companion and I were buddied up with coaches Brendan Jones and Charlie Edis who not only taught us the ins-and-outs of the trails but also prepared breakfast, lunch and dinner for us each day — they also thankfully kept the fridge full of cold local ales.

Luckily for Brendan and Charlie, myself and fellow travel writer Mogens ‘Mo’ Johansen were at a reasonably similar mountain biking experience level — although I was far slower uphill — and we were able to hit the tracks as a collective each day. However, the coaches said that as the experience is limited to eight people, it was easily manageable to have a group split between coaches to make sure everyone could get the most out of the world-class bike park.

Brendan and Charlie’s passion for all things Blue Derby was infectious. The pair live and breathe mountain biking and love Derby and its surroundings. Be it the important details of the trail you are planning to tackle next or the most interesting facts behind Derby’s turbulent tin mining history, there was little they could not tell you.

And at the end of the day, they were a great couple of blokes to have a beer or two with as well.

Over the course of the three days, we tackled easy green tracks like AxeHead and the Lake Derby ride before moving onto more difficult blue tracks like Howler, Rattler, and Flickity Sticks.

Day two, full of fresh cooked local bacon and beans, we took on harder tracks with a dawn ride of Return to Sender before returning for a shot at Flickity Sticks Upper and our first go at a black (very difficult) trail in Air-ya-garn.

Every now and then Mo and I would approach a drop or a jump we weren’t quite ready for. Brendan and Charlie, however, were always at the ready, hitting it two or three times for us so we could get the full experience of the track and its features — albeit vicariously through two riders far superior to us.

After the hardest day of riding yet, we lounged around the Hub’s fire in bean bags snacking on an antipasto platter while the coaches prepared dinner and made sure there was always a full beer in our hands.

The evening made for the perfect wind down as the four of us tucked in to that night’s meal, planned our next ride, and shared yarns well into the night.

It was an early start for the third and final day of the experience as we geared up and got ready for the Blue Tier ride.

The Blue Tier is a 20.6km cross country ride with a steep and moderately difficult descent at the end. It was what we’d been working up to for the first two days. We rode the first 13km through undulating low alpine forest and were treated to views of Tassie’s East and North coasts with glimpses of Flinders Island in parts. Then the fun began, while the 20km ride seemed a daunting task for me at first, with 7km left the bikes started rolling on their own and for the last time of the trip, we were shooting downhill again.

Everything we’d been taught in the past two days we’d been able to put into practice for the last time and I was naturally hitting hard turns and felt like I was even jumping like a seasoned rider. All the while coach Brendan was right behind me, yelling tips to tweak and improve my performance.

We got to the bottom for a bittersweet riverside lunch at the tiny pioneer settlement of Weldborough. Bitter because the three days of immense growth I had felt was coming to an end, but sweet knowing I had accomplished something I’d thought was way out of my reach.

For those looking for an easy introduction into the world of mountain biking, or to build the confidence to tackle more challenging trails, it’s hard to go past the Blue Derby Pods Ride experience.

And at the end of the trip I felt as though I’d officially joined the ranks of those true mad bastards myself. Albeit with a lot more knowledge about how get maximum enjoyment out of riding and still manage to go home in one piece.•

The author was a guest of Blue Derby Pods Ride

MAKE A NOTE

Blue Derby Pods Ride offers three themed experiences:

Experience One is the Mountain Bike Skills Experience aimed at beginners who have ambitions to upskill. Run over three days and led by two accomplished guides, biking basics are covered but the focus is on building confidence for riders to tackle challenging trails. This is $2050 and is available upon request.

Experience Two is the Reuben Koops Experience that incorporates the original and iconic three-day Blue Derby Pods Ride Experience paired with a private acoustic performance by acclaimed musician Reuben Koops. Spotify describes Reuben’s music as “upbeat and instantly engaging, mixing the infectious euphoria of The Lumineers with the defeating sincerity of James Bay”. Reuben will join guests and Guides on night two of their experience, offering an intimate post-dinner set to the backdrop of the Derby forest. This is $2300 per person and is available upon request.

Experience Three is the Fat Pig Farm Experience, the Blue Derby Pods Ride three-day experience paired with feast cooked and hosted by Matthew Evans and Sadie Chrestman of Fat Pig Farm. A combination of two of Tasmania’s most iconic experiences, Matthew and Sadie join each group for dinner on night two, treating guests to their expertise and hospitality. This is $2300 per person, available upon request.

GETTING THERE

The Blue Derby Pods Ride experience is located about 3 hours and 20 minutes from Hobart or 1 hour and 30 minutes from Launceston. If you are staying in Launceston they come to you and a bus will pick you up from your accommodation (Launceston only) on the first morning of your experience and drop you off at the end.

What they say you should bring:

Bike riding pants/knicks/shorts (padded is best) x2; Bike riding/sports top x2; Bike riding/sports socks x2; Bike riding jacket/sports jacket/light jumper x1 (or thermal top); Bike riding/sports shoes; Water bottle; Head torch/small torch; Beanie and sunhat; Casual clothes for evening; Pants/shorts x 2; Shirts/T-shirts x 2; Warm jumper (polar fleece or woollen); casual shoes (and/or slippers/house shoes for in the BDPR’s timber-floor hub).

* All three experiences are available upon request as well as the scheduled dates and incorporate communal dining with regular meals supplied by Alps and Amici with Tasmanian wine, beer and beverages.