| Ketam Mountain Bike Park | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Location | Pulau Ubin, Singapore |
| Coordinates | 1°24′41.3″N103°56′51.9″E / 1.411472°N 103.947750°E |
| Area | 45 hectares (450,000 m2) |
| Opened | 17 May 2008 |
Ketam Mountain Bike Park is a mountain bike trail located in Pulau Ubin, Singapore.
The bike park is located around the fringe of a quarry in Pulau Ubin that was previously not occupied for any usage purpose. Ketam Quarry underwent a major rehabilitation project by National Parks Board (NParks), which transformed it into a green space fit for biking activities. The park includes the German Girl Shrine. [1]
The design of the mountain bike tracks had been carefully chosen and constructed with regards to the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) standards. The Singapore Amateur Cycling Association (SACA) was engaged as well, to provide consultation and expertise. [2]
The mountain bike trail at the park is designed such that it can be used by leisure cyclists and competitive cyclists alike.
It was opened to public on 17 May 2008. Entry to the bike park is free of charge.
The 45-hectare park consists of 10 kilometres long of mountain bike trails. [3] It is the first such park in Singapore that meets the international standards for mountain biking competitions. [4] Apart from international standard competitions, Ketam Mountain Bike Park also allows recreational cycling.
Ketam Mountain Bike Park currently consists of tracks with the 3 out of 5 IMBA ratings, to cater to cyclists of different skill levels. Trails with the Blue Square code consist of steep slopes as well as narrow tracks with poor traction. These trails are most suitable for beginners. The Black Diamond trails cater more for the middle-skilled cyclists with long step climbs, drop-offs and challenging obstacles. The most challenging trails of all is those coded as Double Black Diamond. These trails have a variety of extra steep climbs and drop-offs, sharp corners and tricky obstacles.
Cyclists get to experiment with the obstacles in these parks and take their skills to the next level. The Dirt Skills Park is designed as a circuit with compact tracks and appeal to a wider genre of cyclists. In Freeride Skills Park, one can find the course strewn with natural and man-made obstacles which are technically challenging.
Shelters are strategically located along the tracks. These shelters double as resting points for tired cyclists. To guide cyclists around the island, signs are positioned at the key locations such as the intersection points.
Trail riding is riding outdoors on trails, bridle paths, and forest roads, but not on roads regularly used by motorised traffic. A trail ride can be of any length, including a long distance, multi-day trip. It originated with horse riding, and in North America, the equestrian form is usually called "trail riding," or, less often "hacking." In the UK and Europe, the practice is usually called horse or pony trekking.
Mountain biking is a sport of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, usually using specially designed mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain, such as air or coil-sprung shocks used as suspension, larger and wider wheels and tires, stronger frame materials, and mechanically or hydraulically actuated disc brakes. Mountain biking can generally be broken down into distinct categories: cross country, trail, all mountain, enduro, downhill and freeride.
Pulau Tekong, also known colloquially as Tekong or Tekong Island, is the second-largest of Singapore's outlying islands after Jurong Island. Tekong is located off Singapore's northeastern coast, east of Pulau Ubin. Since the 1990s, the island has been used by the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and is generally restricted from public access. Transport to the island for permitted persons is via the SAF Changi Ferry Terminal at Changi Beach.
Pulau Ubin, also simply known as Ubin, is an island situated in the north east of Singapore, to the west of Pulau Tekong. The granite quarry used to be supported by a few thousand settlers on Pulau Ubin in the 1960s, but only about 40 villagers remained as of 2012. It is one of the last rural areas to be found in Singapore, with an abundance of natural flora and fauna. The island forms part of the Ubin–Khatib Important Bird Area (IBA), identified as such by BirdLife International because it supports significant numbers of visiting and resident birds, some of which are threatened. Today, the island is managed by the National Parks Board, compared to 12 agencies managing different areas of the island previously.
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter, and consist of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and obstacles requiring the rider to quickly dismount, carry the bike while navigating the obstruction and remount. Races for senior categories are generally between 40 minutes and an hour long, with the distance varying depending on the ground conditions. The sport is strongest in the traditional road cycling countries such as Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
The Taff Trail is a walking and cycle path that runs for 55 miles (89 km) between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in Wales. It is so named because it follows the course of the River Taff. Along much of its length, it follows the National Cycle Network Route 8 that continues to Holyhead, and is substantially off-road.
Freeride is a discipline of mountain biking closely related to downhill biking, dirt jumping, freestyle motocross, and freestyle BMX. When riding a freerider one focuses on tricks, style, and technical trail features. Freeride is now recognized as one of the most popular disciplines within mountain biking.
Mount Buller is primarily a resort town on the slopes of Mount Buller in the Shire of Mansfield of the Australian state of Victoria. It is located approximately 208 kilometres (129 mi) northeast of Melbourne. It is popular with snowsports enthusiasts in winter due to its proximity to Melbourne. In the warmer months it is popular with visitors to the Victorian Alps and bike riders. At the 2016 census, Mount Buller had a population of 243.
This is a glossary of terms and jargon used in cycling, mountain biking, and cycle sport.
Lake Mountain is a 1,433-metre-high (4,701 ft) mountain peak on a plateau that hosts a cross-country ski resort that is known by the same name. It is located in Victoria, Australia, approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) north-east of Melbourne. The 1,483-metre-high (4,865 ft) Mount Bullfight, which is within the Mount Bullfight Nature Conservation Reserve, is the highest peak that can be reached by a cross-country ski trail from Lake Mountain. Access to Lake Mountain's summit is restricted to a snow shoe track in winter. The Lake Mountain Alpine Resort, located near Lake Mountain, is the most popular ski resort in Australia when measured in terms of total visitor numbers, including sightseers, due to its proximity to Melbourne.
The 7stanes are seven mountain biking centres spanning the south of Scotland, from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Dumfries and Galloway. They are all in Forestry and Land Scotland forests and are known as the 7stanes because each venue features a 'stane', created by artist Gordon Young, somewhere along the forest trails.
Outward Bound Singapore is part of the network of Outward Bound centres worldwide. Established in 1967 as Outward Bound School of Singapore (OBSS), OBS has a campus located on the island of Pulau Ubin.
The International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) is a non-profit educational association whose stated mission is to create and preserve trails for mountain bikers worldwide.
Singletrack describes a type of mountain biking trail that is approximately the width of the bike. It contrasts with double-track or fire road which is wide enough for four-wheeled off-road vehicles. It is often smooth and flowing, but may also feature technical rocky sections, go over tree roots, and include berms, banked turns, switch-backs, hills, drops, jumps, and so forth. Singletrack which descends significantly, and in the most downward direction, is said to be following the fall line.
The North-East Region of Singapore is one of the five regions in the country. The region is the most densely populated and has the highest population among the five, with Sengkang being its most populous town as of 2020 and Seletar as the regional centre. Comprising 13,810 hectares, it includes seven planning areas and is largely a residential region with 217,120 homes. Housing largely consists of high-density HDB public housing estates, however private housing is also present in the region. As its name implies, it is located in the north-eastern part of Singapore.
Tampines Bike Park was formerly located in the eastern part of Singapore, in the Tampines Regional Centre. Just one-kilometre away from Tampines Mall, the entrance of the park and the parking lot are located along Tampines Avenue 9 at the junction of Tampines Avenue 7. In May 2013, it was reported that the Tampines Bike Park will be cleared for development into a new town, less than 3 years after it was presented to Singaporeans as a legacy of the inaugural 2010 Summer Youth Olympics held in Singapore. It closed in 2014.
Located in the southeastern section of Manchester, Connecticut, the Case Mountain Recreational Area encompasses 640 acres (2.6 km2) of combined open space and watershed land stretching from the Glastonbury border north to Case Pond. Some trails lead south across the Glastonbury border to a larger area of land owned by the Town of Manchester to maintain the Buckingham Reservoir and provide drinking water to Manchester. The land around the reservoir is open to recreation. While there is a hill named Case Mountain in this area, locals refer to this entire trail system and forest in Manchester and Glastonbury simply as “Case Mountain.”
Forest of Dean Cycle Centre is a small woodland cycling centre, comprising mountain bike trails, a visitor centre, car parks and uplift service. It is located on the former site of Cannop Colliery in the Cannop Valley, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. The nearest village is Parkend, 3 miles (5 km) away.
The German Girl Shrine is a shrine on the island of Pulau Ubin in Singapore. It marks the site of the burial of an unknown 18-year-old girl who died on the island in 1914 after falling from a cliff while fleeing from British forces who sought to detain a number of German nationals then resident on the island. Her body was recovered and interred in an urn on the site by Chinese workers, and a makeshift shrine structure was built. The site was visited frequently by gamblers who thought the spirit of the girl would bring them good luck. A permanent structure was erected in 1974 by a company carrying out quarrying on the island. Quarrying has since ceased, and the shrine is now within Ketam Mountain Bike Park. Visitors often leave offerings, including makeup and Barbie dolls, at the site.
A trail difficulty rating system, also known as walking track grading system, walk gradings or trail grades, is a classification system for trails or walking paths based on their relative technical and physical difficulty. A trail difficulty rating system informs visitors about the attributes of walking tracks and helps visitors, particularly those who are not usual bushwalkers, make decisions to walk on trails that suit their skill level, manage their risk, improve their experience and assist in the planning of trails and trail systems.