Theres nothing better than a great ride followed by a quality tipple and were proud to be partnering with the Central West Off Road Bicycle Club (CWORBC) to put on this Wine, Women & Wheels Weekend on 30 & 31 October, in conjunction with Orange Wine Week.

There will be a skills clinic on the Saturday, a riding tour of the regions acclaimed cellar doors, and singletrack galore. While the skills day is for women only, the boys will be very welcome on the winery tour and are also invited to join the locals for a social ride on the Saturday while the girls are put through their paces in the skills day.

Orange, NSW

Just under four hours drive from both Canberra and Sydney, Orange is known as Australias Colour City. Its easy to see why with four distinct seasons which are showcased by its many beautiful parks and gardens. The city itself has lots to offer from historic buildings and streetscapes to cosmopolitan cafes, restaurants and theatres. Orange is the highest altitude wine region in Australia and is also renowned for its gourmet regional produce.

The Wine, Women & Wheels weekend is being held in Orange Wine Week, during which there are many wine and food related activities to enjoy - check out the programme on the Taste Orange website.

Womens Skills Clinic - Saturday 30 October

Kinross State Forest

Weve teamed up with the crew from Central West Off Road Bicycle Club (CWORBC) to offer a womens only mountain bike skills clinic. This skills day is for novice (with some off-road experience) and intermediate female riders. The drills youll learn and practice during the day can be tailored for both levels (and those in between) and well be making sure that they are challenging enough for the more experienced riders but not too daunting to the less experienced. Our main goal is to see a bunch of girls having fun on their bikes learning new skills and riding more confidently by the end of the day!

Our instructors:

Fiona Dick (Chocolate Foot co-founder) will be your lead instructor for the skills day. Fis been riding mountain bikes for 14 years and teaching mountain bike skills to groups and individuals for the past 7 years. Her bike skills combined with a broad range of experience across almost every area of the bike industry bring a wealth of knowledge to this clinic. While she occasionally competes at enduro events, Fis real passion is for getting out on the bike with friends and tackling new terrain and having fun! She learnt to ride the hard way (by crashing a lot) and is keen to pass on her knowledge to enable others to ride more efficiently and confidently ... with hopefully less bruises along the way!

Local rider and two time Chocolate Foot Singletrack Mind Series round winner Kate Heynes will also be on hand to impart her significant knowledge and skills. Riding has been an integral part of Kate’s life for the past seven years, and in 2006, after realising that MTB was the best sport in the world, she became a regular at enduro events. Kate completed her first solo 24hr event in July 2010, winning her age category and coming 3^rd female overall, which means she’ll be competing at the Solo 24hr World Championships in Canberra in October! What Kate loves about the sport is the fun and friendly people, that it gets you into the bush often in really beautiful places, and takes you to all sorts of places around the state that you otherwise might never have visited. She sums it up beautifully here: “I cant imagine many things in the world better than the feeling you get from flying down a track and letting your bike and gravity take you to single-track bliss as you bank around a well built berm!”

What well be covering in the skills day:

• Bike safety & setup - ensuring your bike is mechanically sound, comfortable, and suitably set up for your riding style
• Body flow and weight distribution - understanding the effect of your body position on the bike
• Balance skills - for control at low speed and in the tight stuff
• Braking - which brake does what and how to brake for best effect
• Cornering and singletrack technique - learn to rail your favourite singletrack!
• Gearing - demystifying the drivetrain
• Ascending & descending - correct body position, gear selection, line choice
• Riding over obstacles - front & rear wheel unweighting and lifting
• Roll downs and step ups - learn how to tackle those tricky trail obstacles!
• Putting into practice the above skills on the trails throughout the day

What youll need to bring:

• Mountain bike - its absolutely imperative that your bike is mechanically sound and please make sure it is clean!
• Bike gear - helmet, gloves, shoes, sunnies
• Water - well have a few spare litres but please make sure you have with you bottles and/or hydrapack full of water
• Wet weather gear - best to be prepared for all conditions!

Whats provided:

• Instruction by experienced female riders
• Snacks throughout the day and a yummy BBQ lunch
• A fun and challenging day on your mountain bike
• The opportunity for your partner or friend to join the locals on a guided ride around Kinross State Forest while you are put through your paces! And then join you for the BBQ lunch. Click on the menu item above for more info.

Winery Cycle Tour - Sunday 31 October

Join us and the Central West Off Road Bicycle Club (CWORBC) for a riding tour of some of the regions acclaimed cellar doors.

Orange is the only recognised wine region within the Central NSW Region that is defined by height above sea level (above 600m) and is the highest altitude wine region in Australia. The cool climate, basalt soil and a long growing season all combine to produce wines of distinct flavours and colour.

Orange is strong in its production of fruity and aromatic whites, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are distinctive, and Pinot Gris is showing promise. Of the reds, Cabernet Sauvignon, and its blends with Merlot and Cabernet Franc are distinctive, and many good Shiraz are produced. Pinot Noir is used for both dry red and sparkling wines, and does well at higher altitudes. But Orange produces many other varieties well worth sampling: Gewurztraminer, Barbera, Viognier, Riesling, Sangiovese and Zinfandel. Aromatic rosés and smooth stickies are also available, and production of sparkling wines is starting.

Our winery cycle tour will be approximately 25km in length and will be at a leisurely pace, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the fantastic views offered by our chosen route. Well also of course be stopping at a number of cellar doors for tasting and refreshments along the way. There will be a couple of options for riders on the route - well encourage those with excess energy to take the 400m walk up to The Pinnacle lookout and further on you can visit another cellar door at the end of a somewhat long and steep driveway! But for those who are quite content with the level of exertion our route provides, therell be an opportunity to sit and enjoy the views. Well have a vehicle following the group to pick up any purchases you may make!

The riding will be on sealed road except for a short section of gravel. You can choose to do this tour on either a mountain bike, hybrid or road bike. If you dont have a bike, thats not a problem - Orange bike store Darryl Grant Cycles has bikes and helmets for hire, and will drop your hire bike off at the winery tour start and pick it up at the finish. Give them a call on (02) 6360 4040 for more information.

Youll need to bring:

• Your bike - either a mountain, hybrid or road bike - please make sure this is mechanically sound! Contact Darryl Grant Cycles on (02) 6360 4040 if you need to hire a bike
• Bike gear - helmet, gloves, shoes, sunnies

• Water - please make sure you have with you bottles and/or hydrapack full of water
• Wet weather gear - best to be prepared for all conditions!

The cost of the winery tour is $99 which includes:

• Experienced guides & Insurance
• Lunch and afternoon refreshments at the conclusion of the tour
• Tasting at three or four cellar doors
• Sag wagon to carry excess clothing and pick up purchases