Racing Tasmania's Greatest Trails at the Dragon Trail

Photos: Murilo Mattos

The cheapest rental vehicle in Tasmania is also the biggest. The Megavan, which we found by scrolling to the very the bottom of a dozen rental car websites, is so big that it spreads across four car parks in the Launceston short-term pickup area. On the plus side, it fits all our bikes, supplies, and luggage for four days and nights camping and riding Tasmania’s most famous trails during the Dragon Trail MTB Stage Race. And all for $300 bucks. Hell, if the weather turns bad, we’ll even be able to sleep in it.

We ease the beast into Launceston’s quiet highway system and take the long way around to Scotsdale, avoiding the shorter route that would take us through narrow twists and… Never mind. We wouldn’t have made it in the Megavan.

At Scotsdale we sit in a local café where we order an early dinner and watch, along with a dozen locals, as an enormous bus rolls up and dispenses dozens of people in sporty clothes with their socks hiked up. 

“Mountain bikers” says someone, and we all go back to eating. We've beaten the Dragon Trail shuttle bus so far – the racing has begun. We're having dinner before they have bought supplies – and we have already loaded up the Megavan with our snacks. Advantage – us. 

When we arrive in Branxholm, camp is quiet. A few fit-looking people drift around with inflatable mattresses. We’re told we can move our tent pretty much wherever we want, so we drag it across to the Megavan and create a series of rooms. Or the illusion of rooms. The van for luggage and food, the tent for sleeping. Rooms!

On the trails in Blue Derby

The next day we ride three and a half hours of perfect Derby trails, mistaking our route for the race course, then go and have a shower, eat, and get ready for race day. Registration is quick and efficient, and given the race organisers are now on their 3rd Dragon Trail with a lifetime of adventure race organisation under their belts – that should be no surprise. The football club buzzing with riders who are excited to be in Tasmania and part of the event, there's a mix of locals, plenty of riders from Northern Queensland, and riders from New Zealand and even as far as Japan. We drag our camp chairs into the Megavan and gaze down on the camp like the VIP emperors of the event and tune into a lovely local singer on an acoustic guitar, serenading knots of racers gathered around firepits. Does bike racing get any better than this?

Riders who participated in the Dragon Trail MTB Stage Race in years past might think they know what to expect, but the Race Director, Louise Foulkes, a deceptively soft-spoken woman who has a habit of pulling on reading glasses for race briefings, has a tough sadistic streak, and wants to show racers the country and the guts that early miners and prospectors would have needed to scratch out a living in the inhospitable, if stunningly beautiful country. In 2023 Louise’s track specialists threw in a couple of curve balls that did us the good turn of reducing camp logistics, while well and truly messing with our legs. Gone is the first-stage ride from Branxholm to Weldborough, in its stead a trip to the top of Atlas and down again. The very, very top of Atlas. And this year we did it in the rain. 

Prologue and Stage 1: Derby

After setting off in waves from Branxholm’s campground, we took off on a six-kilometre prologue on the gorgeous Derby Ponds trail that links Branxholm and Derby, before being restarted at five second intervals on the main course at the famous Derby trailhead about an hour later. By that time, despite a forecast of 18 degree, sunny weather, a misty drizzle had descended on the town, and everyone was keen to get going. The route took us up Flickety Sticks, all the way to Dambusters, then eventually, after much climbing and wetness, onto Mt Paris Dam Road, a dirt road that skirts the south of the entire Derby Trail network and is used to access the very top of Atlas.

One of the trails established at Derby in the first year of building, Atlas is usually accessed by shuttle for an epic descent taking in choices like Krushkas and Trouty, a favourite when the Enduro World Cup visited town recently. On stage one we take in gentler Sawtooth and Turbo Chook, then a quick wobble through the Derby Tunnel (seemed darker this year?) and back to the shuttle pickup for a brief presentation (with podium wine!) before rushing back to camp where I won the real race and got to the showers before anyone else.

It was a crazy day in the wet, testing the full spectrum of mountain bike abilities, from fitness to skills and back again. We cleaned up, washed our bikes, rugged up and returned to the Megavan for recovery for day two, coming up fast. Riders rolled in with tales of endless mechanicals, cramps, and stoke on riding the trails in the forest.

Stage 2: Weldborough to Swimcart Beach 

If the descent off Atlas was tough and left a few bruises on various egos and shins, the next day saw us put even more on the line in the name of bikes. We shipped out to Weldborough on shuttles that ran like clockwork, then lined up for small wave starts of about 40 riders. The creeks were ‘not up,’ we’d been told. There was ‘some walking,’ we’d heard, the descents were ‘riding well,’ and we’d finish at the beach… but not until we’d earned it. 

It’s easy to underestimate the Dragon Trail because its stages are relatively short, but riders beware, they punch above their weight for difficulty and sheer craziness. This year the track to the top of the tier was more rock and less rideable than I remembered, and although the creeks were indeed ‘not up,’ we still had to wade in to chamois depth (every rider’s depth test) with our bikes held aloft to get through.

It's a stage I never do well on. For some reason (help me out here) repeated dousings in freezing cold water, scratchy branches, bruising rocks and intermittent hike-a-bike sap me of energy. I devised a race plan that basically excused me from trying until we hit the glorious Bay of Fires Trail descent and the pedally bits that go all the way to Swimcart Beach. I lost a lot of time, but not as much as I’d lost when I did a somersault into a very deep creek in 2021 and stopped for a sit-down cry. From the azure, white sand beaches of the Bay of Fires, we hopped on the shuttle to our new camp, set up our ‘rooms’ and went off in search of a hearty pasta dinner in town. This was at 4pm, but a cool little Italian place was open, and we weren’t even the first patrons there.

Stage 3: St Helens 

Vibe is not an accident. Louise, our quiet, sadistic race director, is flexible, kind, and resilient, and this leadership sent waves of positivity through the camp. Good Vibes ruled the day, and never was this clearer than on the final stage. 

With a lunchtime flight onto my next adventure, I was seriously on the clock and couldn’t afford for anything to go wrong. As much as a crash or a puncture could mean that I wouldn’t make the plane that would eventually get me to my next gig. I didn’t have to worry. It was like we were all under some magic spell that day. I climbed the endless reverse gradient of St Helens Flagstaff Hill with my best buddies from wave two. After about an hour of that I looked at my average speed and knew the flight was in the bag. It was time to relax and have fun. My group of buddies caught me at the bottom of the amazing first descent as we circled the famous Dreaming Pools and moved towards a final climb before a last descent or two. 

The ground is different here in St Helens, compared to the Derby trails and on the Blue Tier. It's mostly skatey hardpack with rocky surfaces, endless flowing descents and a million ways to boost into the air. I’ve never counted how many races I’ve done, but it’s well into the hundreds over 20 years. And this stage, on this day, was one of the most positive, fun, and joyful I’ve ever had. 

We made it back in time for hugs and to throw the bikes into boxes to slide around in the back of the Megavan. Louise got presos done in less than four minutes and we were away, the pastel shades of late Tassie summer spooling out behind us as we headed into Launceston and another adventure far away.

Camp or Stay?

The new, streamlined structure of the Dragon Trail makes everything easier, except the choice between the comfort of a proper bed and the convenience of the camp. In 2023, we found riders split evenly between camping and AirBnB stays.

On the one hand, the camp has everything you’ll need, including race stickers, timing, showers, food trucks and often, the start line! The benefits of having somewhere to rest your weary body, a bathroom to yourself, and somewhere to cook also don’t need much delving into. Either way, there’s just one move in the three-day event, from Branxholm to St Helens. With shuttle busses to the start and back from the finish line, as well as a great community of drivers ready and willing to help out a new friend, logistics are easier than ever.

The AMB contingent chose to camp in 2023. Sure, our bodies ached like hell every morning, but that was a small trade-off for making a bunch of new friends, hearing the fire-side chats and live music, and staring up at the stars from our tents every night.

What bike to take: 

We saw a variety of bikes over at the Dragon Trail, and certainly heftier trail bikes than we’re used to seeing at stage races. We’d recommend a dual suspension bike of at least 110mm travel front and rear (anywhere up to 150mm was common), some pretty capable tyres like a Maxxis Forekaster (especially if it’s wet) or Rekon – as wide as your rims can take, and probably a dropper, too. Prep your bike for wet conditions, so packing an ass saver and mud guard is always wise, as are spare brake pads.

Dragon Trail Dos and Don’ts

Do pack a blow-up mattress
Don’t miss the evening fireside chats—you’ll meet a bunch of personalities from camp
Do book a visit to the Derby Sauna
Do embrace the hike-a-bike on stage 2—it’s EPIC!
Don’t mistake the finish line for the end of a stage—the stage is over when you get to the showers
Don’t trust the weather report
Do bring a snack bag—it’s a stage race
Don’t underestimate this race—it punches well above its weight

Things to see and do

The Derby–St Helens area of North-East Tasmania has a lot to offer—even off the bike! At the coast, take a tour of the wineries, visit some galleries, sample delicious seafood, then go for a dip in the perfect turquoise waters of the Bay of Fires. In and around Derby kids will love the pump track, there are some great drives and hikes in the area, and the Derby Sauna is a must-do, especially if the weather turns cold.

An international flavour: Yuki Ikeda's Dragon Trail 

Yuki is a Japanese endurance superstar who heard about the trails on offer at The Dragon Trail and wanted to check it out for himself. We caught up with Yuki to ask him about his experience.

Why did you sign up for the Dragon Trail?

I had heard a lot about the race and how great the Tasmanian trails are. I just couldn’t pass it up after seeing all the amazing race highlight videos, photos and testimonials.

What did you think of the race format?

The days and stages are shorter than I am used to, but I enjoyed it so much. However, I wanted to keep riding after finishing every stage because the trails were amazing. 

I had the whole afternoon to relax, chat with other racers and explore the area. It was very nice. 

How did you like the trails?

I loved every section of the course. It was like an amusement park for mountain biking! It could be the best singletrack experience of my life.

How did the trails compare to your home trails in Japan? To other trails you've raced in the world?

We have good trails in Japan, but most of the trails are hiking trails and not purpose built. I was very impressed by the beautifully designed trails and the numbers of the trail systems. I especially liked all the windy switchbacks. They were uniquely designed and fun to climb. We rode a fair number of trails through Dragon Trail MTB for 3 days, but they were just a small part of the whole Tasmanian trails. I'd like to come back and explore more trails in different areas. 

Any other thoughts?

This is just my opinion as an ultra-endurance athlete, but the race should make the stage longer and even make it to 5 or 7days, so we can enjoy more of Tasmania’s amazing trails!