A group of mountain bikers have come together to meet like-minded cyclists keen to hit the trails in the Redlands and its surrounds.
The Mt Cotton Riders Alliance has formed in the last two months with the aim of creating a community of mountain bikers in the Redlands for regular group rides.
Club founder and president Nigel Kruger said he picked up mountain biking while honeymooning with his wife, and the rest was history.
"I used to ride a bit back in the 90s but I got back into it while I was in New Zealand, and it's been a good six years where I've been riding every week, if not multiple times a week," he said.
"Some people say it's a passion but I would say it's more like an addiction or an obsession to be quite honest.
"The community mountain bikers are a great bunch of people, everyone will pushes each other, there's a lot of good banter and people are always willing to help each other out."
Mr Kruger said he started the group 18 months ago with mountain biking friends who often rode at the Alexandra Hills Eastern Escarpment.
"We were doing a lot of travelling to ride so we'd go up to the Sunshine Coast or down to the Gold Coast to really find the trails that we liked to ride all the time," he said.
"We caught wind of the gravity trails and downhill trails at the Eastern Escarpment and the adaptive trails for paraplegics.
"It became a place where we really liked to ride, so we gathered some interest for a local riding group."
"We had our first committee meeting on the 21st of May, and a club ride in June. It's only been a month and we've got more than 40 members.
"The intention is to have club rides every month so that will happen on a morning for a couple of hours, we go up, ride the trails and have something to eat afterwards."
He said the group was open to everyone from experienced mountain bikers to beginners.
"People can join the club and learn the progression from the guys that do ride or just to get to know a wider community of riders around those trails," Mr Kruger said.
"We're all about local people riding local trails with local support, so we've got some Redland businesses behind us who can be at our rides and put themselves out there too.
"The interest has been overwhelming and this is really just the beginning for us."
Memberships are paid while the club expands and applies to be a not-for-profit group, $20 for adults with voting rights within and $15 for junior members.
To get involved with the Mt Cotton Riders Alliance, reach out to the group's Facebook page or email mtcottonridersalliance@outlook.com.
Emily Lowe
Redland City Bulletin journalist covering community, politics, crime and human interest stories. Griffith University Alumni.
Redland City Bulletin journalist covering community, politics, crime and human interest stories. Griffith University Alumni.
