All posts by Scott

2010 Dusk til Dawn

4 Comments

12hr MTB Enduro

Its on again, the WA 12hr Enduro – Dusk til Dawn.

The 12 hour enduro rounds off the year of mountain bike events in Perth. PMBC will run the race, starting at 7pm and finishing 7am and yes you will need lights! The event will be held at Langford Park Jarrahdale, a 45 minute drive from Perth city. Expect a fantastic racing track, great prizes, a relaxed & professional atmosphere and most of all heaps of fun!

Team and Solo competitors will ride an awesome course of single track and fire trail attempting to complete as many laps as possible in the given time limit. The event is supported with food stalls, drinks & coffee and sponsor displays.

Already we have a number of teams from within our ranks and if your still thinking of joining the fun and festivities, get your entry in quick as there is not much time left before cutoff.

The Club tent will be setup and provide a hub for all to hang out and chill when not racing. Feel free to dress up as you won’t be the only one and given that xmas is not far away that may taint the theme for some. For full details if your not already aware head over to the official site – www.wa12hour.com.au

If you will be racing or able to make it down, let everyone else know by posting in the comments. Even if your not racing you can cheer on the riders or volunteer with Lorraine who will be there to ensure the night runs smoothly.

Life Cycles film

WAMBA is pleased to present the premiere of the new Freeride MTB film ¨Life Cycles¨. This is set to be the premier MTB film of the year and has been shortlisted for inclusion in the Banff mountain film festival world tour.

From the Producers:

Life Cycles tells a spectacular story of the bike, from its creation to its eventual demise. A visually stunning journey, with thought provoking narration, Life Cycles uses Ultra HD to document the many stories surrounding the mountain bike and its culture.

Ride along into breath taking natural settings, as we battle the elements, showcase the progression of riding, take a road trip, fix the bike, and show the destruction and eventual creation of trails.

Semenuk, Hopkins, Schwartz, McIntosh, McCaul Agassiz, Hunter and Vanderham guide you through this wonderful story. Life Cycles is a celebration of the bicycle, and is sure to entertain anyone who has ever ridden one.

Visit http://vimeo.com/14600175 to see the official trailer.

The film is being screened at the Cygnet Cinema in Como on the 1st November 2010. Doors open at 6.30pm, and the film will show at 7.30. Tickets will be $20 and be available at the Garvey Park Dirt Crits. They are also available online at https://www.registernow.com.au/mtba/ERegister.aspx?E=496 . All money raised on the night will be going to support WAMBA’s trail advocacy work to improve our trail network.

This is a great chance to bring family or friends down to showcase our great sport and get them as enthusiastic as we are.

This will also be a chance to hear about the latest developments at the Goat Farm and the Kalamunda circuit, hear about the direction of WAMBA in 2011, and get involved in helping to determine the future direction of trail advocacy in WA.

John Carney will also be doing the Singletrack Minds series presentations on the night, so if you raced any of the 3hr or 6hr races get down there as you may have scored a prize.

Dirt Crits

5 Comments

Welcome to the Garvey Park Dirt Crit Series, Hosted by PMBC.

Firstly, a dirt crit is a combination of a cyclo-cross race – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqzgbJS8Fs4&feature=related and a criterium road race. The course is very much shorter than a conventional XC mountain bike race and in many ways less technical. To make up for this, and as an extra dimension, the race is to be run under twilight/night conditions. Therefore bring your lights, (and start eating lots of carrots).

The City of Belmont have been very supportive in granting approval to use the grounds at Garvey Park to host the first series of this kind in the Perth metropolitan area. This is a trial series to gauge the viability and it is hoped future races will be run throughout the year pending further approval and consideration from the City of Belmont.

Importantly, there are a number of conditions the City of Belmont request us to adhere to and they are reproduced below. An announcement will be made prior to each race starting to remind you of these rules.

1) Don’t litter
2) Use lights both front and rear
3) Be courteous to other park users
4) Use the die-back disinfectant trough for your bike and shoes prior to racing

The Race format

Firstly the dates: Tuesday evenings 12/10, 19/10, 26/10, 2/11, 9/11, 16/11 6:30pm registration opens for a 7pm start.

This race is intended to be simple and straight forward and it requires a little patience and co-operation, especially during this trial series as we get up to speed with a normal routine. To spell out the subtle reading between the lines – this type of thing has never been attempted before in Perth and it is unknown how the mountain biking community will take to the race (there could be 300 people turn up and we’ll be racing until 10pm or nobody will show up and I’ll have a ride around the park by myself).

Here’s the plan…

Turn up at Garvey Park with all the following items as a minimum:
1) MTBA Race licence (if you have one),
2) Lights front and rear,
3) Helmet
4) Bike
5) $5 entry (and $15 for a day licence if you aren’t a member of the MTBA)
6) Enthusiasm.

In addition to the ample car parking, it is worth pointing out there is good bike path access to the park if you want to turn the race into a good training exercise. We are currently in negotiations to acquire some demo/loan lights for this series. Stay tuned for more details.

Registration will be open at 6:30pm and you will be required to take your bike and shoes through a specially made disinfectant trough to prevent Die-Back. The races will be split into 4 separate categories which you self select from A, B, C and, if required, D. There is no scientific formula for working out your category and by all means you can move up or down if necessary. Ladies can choose category where they will be competitive. Here is a guide…

A – for those that race Elite or Expert cross country races and other equally competitive forms of cycling,
B – for those that race Sport in cross country races and are fairly competitive cyclists from other disciplines of cycling and are new to mountain biking. Also Elite/Expert women if they wish.
C – for those that love cycling, and for one reason or another, don’t get out on the bike enough but would want to escape the many routines of life and have a race,
D – for those novice riders who have never raced before or, if needed, to further segregate the above categories.

The entry fee is $5 for those who are MTBA members and an extra $15 for a day licence for those that are not. This is for insurance purposes.

The course will be approximately 2-3km in length and will be varied each race to add variety and limit excessive damage to the grounds.

The racing will start at 7pm with A grade. After they have completed one lap, B grade will start their race and after B grade have completed their first lap C (and D) will start.

A grade will complete 5 or 6 laps (approx 45 mins), B grade 4 or 5 laps (approx 35 mins) and C grade 3 or 4 laps (approx 25 mins) with all categories all finishing on the same lap.

To repeat, this format may change throughout the series if a better system works.

After the race, there will be fury of activity to organise some race results and a modest prize presentation before you can be on with your usual activities for a Tuesday night in Perth.

Lights & Prizes

Nathan from SC Imports has loaned us four sets of Nite Lights as demo lights for people without their own.

Send an email to Greg – gr.murison@gmail.com to book them for next weeks race. First come, first served. Priority the next week will be given to those who miss out this week and so on.

Secondly, Armadale Cycles have generously agreed to support the Series with random prizes. These will be given away after the last race on 16th November. For each race you do, you’ll get a raffle ticket, so the more races you do, the more chances you have to win.

Busy Bee

Finally, we will be having a busy bee at Garvey Park this Sunday from 9am. If you want to come down and help us out with a little bit of track marking and maintenance, it would be appreciated, and you’ll get to see the track.

It would be great if SPR could get a few riders along to support this event and make it a regular occurance.

SRAM State Cross Country Championships 2010

The State Championships are on this Sunday 3rd October and the course is one of the best XC race tracks in WA. Having raced this area just over a week ago with the Dwellingup 100, I can tell you the trails are pretty sweet. Directions to the course and course profiles are provided on the event flyer attached below.

Online registration can be found here.
There will be state championship specific plates so make sure you allow enough time to get yours before your race.

HOW TO GET THERE

SRAM XC State Champs 2010 Event Flyer

I won’t be able to make it unfortunately due to other commitments but hopefuly we can get a few of the MTB crew down to this for a bit of a showing and a few placings.

Dwellingup 100 MTB Classic

It”s time to get excited – the event we have all been waiting for is only a few days away! SPR are sending down a large contingent this year across all categories. We have approval for the club tent at the event so lets make ourselves known as the club to be a part of and help support cycling in WA.

Final Chance to Enter!

This is your final chance to enter in the Dwellingup 100 MTB Classic! Registrations will not be accepted on the day of the event, so make sure you enter online. Online registrations will close Wednesday 15th September at 12 midday.

Choose from 1 of 3 race options available; 100km, 40km or the 14km. You won”t be alone, we already have SPR infiltrators across each category.

To register – click here!

If you can”t make the event (or even online casino if you can) don”t forget to support Nigel in his participation of the “Ride for Someone Who Can”t”.

Race Day Information

The “Riders Information Booklet” is now available online. It is essential that all riders read this booklet as it provides important information about the event (course information, registration, aid stations etc).

To read the Riders Information Booklet – click here!

For those of you who have no idea about this event, check out the event site and for a write up of last years fun, check my blog here.

If you need a spare jersey let us know in the comments and we will try to find something in your size. Or if you need further info let me know.

*Big thanks must go out to Tony Tucknott from PMBC & Tri Events for making this event happen. They have put in some hard yards to bring such an event to WA for us to race

Dwellingup100 MTB Classic – Information Evening

1 Comment

There are a few members of the club heading to Dwellingup in September for the Dwellingup100 MTB Classic. If your a Mountain biker and interested in challenging yourself here is the perfect opportunity. If your interested or would like to find out more there is an information evening this Thursday, details below. It would be great to have a good showing of SPR members at the event this year.With a variety of distances there is something for everyone. Full details can be found on the website.

Information Night

WA’s largest Mountain Bike event – The Dwellingup Mountain Bike Classic is conducting an information evening to go through all facets of this year’s event. It’s everything you need to know about this great event.

Level 2 Mountain Bike Coach Prof. Rob Merrells will discuss how best to prepare for the event and what you should be doing in the lead up to get the best results. Rob will talk about preparation and training as well as nutrition leading into and during the event.

The Course – There are some minor changes to this year’s course, we’ll be releasing the course maps so you can see where we’re going to take you. Race Director Tony Tucknott will go through the changes and talk about what you can expect.

Details:
Date: Thursday 19th August 2010
Time: 07:00pm
Location: Department of Sport and Recreation, Leederville Oval, Vincent St, Leederville
Fee: Free of charge
RSVP: To RSVP or for further information please email – info@trievents.com.au or call 08 9244 5200 – TriEvents

PMBC XC Series Rnd 4 – Pile Road

Well last Sunday saw the MTB crew head south to Pile Road near Dardanup for round 4 of the PMBC XC series. AS with the time trial on saturday we did not have a big turnout for SPR, maybe its the distance that turns people off.

As always Lorraine’s son Nick and myself were flying the SPR colours along with Bernie who also made an appearance after a bit of peer pressure from a mate of his who was in town (and happened to take 2nd in their field). Arriving later in the day was Chris Browne & Peter Gill, hopefully they get some kit in the next order 😉

The turnout for the day was 115 riders who had made the trip down and even a few who had raced the time trial on the saturday. With the weather coming to the party we were set for a good day of racing.

The 1st wave would see most of us setting off in short succesion. Nick was the 1st to head out with the under 17s and soon followed by Bernie in Vets. Myself in Sport was soon after this. Each group started fairly steadily due to the deep gravel and nice long uphill start to spread the field out, although Sport was a bit more competative after Tony Tucknott thru down a challenge for me to make the 1st corner ahead of the field. A few others heard this and had a go as well. Needless to say I hooked in off the mark an blitz the corner and halfway up the hill before almost crumpling in a heap. Last time I do that again as it killed me for the rest of the race. It did win me a monster KitKat & bragging rights though.

After that it was back into the riding rhythm to punch out 3 laps of the ~7km course. About halfway thru my 1st lap I past young Nick going hard. Thanks to rain earlier in the week followed by 2 dry days the trail was in fine form. Nice and firm with not too much slip in the WA pea gravel. The Majority of the course was single track with a few connecting sections of fire trail. The 1st half was in a generally upwards direction, which meant a nice downhill ride for the finish. Apart from being downhill the 2nd half of the course had some really nice flowing single track with plenty of fast berms, a few jumps and the odd hairpin to keep you on your toes.

Course

After all was said and done the 3 of us finished near the back of our fields with both Bernie & Nick not up to race fitness, and me never really ever race fit, but a fun day was had and thats the main thing. Both Chris & Pete finished about a second apart in there category, trading places as the laps past.

Once racing was out of the way it was pack up the tent and head up the road to the Wild Bull Brewery for a feed and a pint. before the long drive home. Being a sunday the the place was pretty busy and we had a bit of a wait for the food. This gave us time to enjoy our pints (Cider, Stout and Ale) before the burgers arrived and discuss how we went.

Also thanks must go to Lorraine and Gaby as support crew, photographers, mum, wife and any other task they had to do. Next race will be Rnd 5 at Boddington on July 4th. Closely followed by the 4hr to be held at Pile road as well but with a different course (with over 50kms of trail available it should be interesting to see what htey come up with.) We hope to see a few more SPR riders there, to give Ryan & Johnny a run for their money.

Alice Springs MTB Enduro

4 Comments

New SPR members Chris Browne, Peter Gill and yours truly Nigel Nosering set off on QF 1335 Peth / Alice Springs for 5 days and 285 km of desert racing, having never been to the red centre we weren’t had no preconceived expectations of what trails were like. I had a new ride strategy and opted for a light hardtail Giant that would later prove to be a very painful experience.

Airlines and excess baggage combined to give me broken spokes, a buckled rim and slightly bent brake rotor and a quick trip to Ultimate Ride bike shop had the hardtail in race condition again. Ultimate Ride was a lifesaver for many competitors, quick service and a no BS assessment of damage/parts for your bike, all at very reasonable cost for the captive market.

Alice springs had seen over 800mm of rain since January, making the already rough terrain even rougher. John Jacoby (Race director) warned competitors that this year would be harder, the fast sections of the course would be cut by washouts and gullies and concentration would be needed to get through each stage of racing. “ Fade out for a second and you will pay the price!” was a sober warning, even for experienced Enduro riders.

Stage 1-40km.

Rapid Ascent wanted to raise visibility of the Enduro to residents so a 6km controlled start had competitors riding under police escort through a circuit of town. Traffic lights were turned off and with all of us feeling like a pro peloton the primary school kids held out for “hi fives” to passing riders. Riding on the peloton geared up to 35km/h out of town surging onto 4×4 track and the race started in earnest.

Highlights of stage 1 included a very fast railway road section and the aptly named “hell line”, 8 km of technical rock gardens. While the lowlights saw fast riding straight into sandy riverbeds and the walk thereafter and late in the stage, 2km from finish, a sharp unrideable hill of loose fist size rocks sapping energy from already tired legs. The finish included 1 lap of Alice Springs velodrome; knobby wheels and smooth concrete aren’t a good mix, so an easy and low wall lap had us over the line with a 3hr 33min finish time (all of us riding as a group). Start conservative and finish the week strong was our aim.

Even for the pro riders times were down by 40min, this year was going to be hard! Slowest rider picked up by sweeper rider at 4:30pm.

Damage toll from day 1 = 3 broken carbon frames including a Specialized S Works hard tail ($6600USD), 1 broken wrist (2 hour walk out to medical help) and 4 broken ribs.

Stage 2- Individual Hill climb

In reverse order, at 30-second intervals, competitors lined up for a 300m climb of Anzac Hill, located in the centre of town. The hill was deceptive, one pinch at the first corner and another close to the summit, the masses waiting for their call up. Race Manager Sam had the goods 50 seconds =superman ride, 1 min= Hellman ride. Step up for glory!

  • Nigel 1 min flat
  • Chris 1.03
  • Peter 1.12

Stage 3-48 km

A 5km commute to the old Telegraph station. Day 1 had taken its toll with only 190 of the 240 registered competitors at the start line; many had opted to only ride key stages through the week. Starting with lots of sand giving way to some of the best single track west Alice springs had to offer, long and fast flow sections leading to switch back climbs and technical descents.

The technical single track saw walking at times to be the safe option. Chris, Peter and I as veterans of John Forrest single track bombed the downhill and spun the climbs, for Chris especially walking was not an option when a little balance, some finesse and, at times, fearless bravery on step downs/roll ins got you through.

This was pure MTB fun. Riding as a group again 3hr 27min maintaining our overall standing. Peter finished fatigued, probably as a result of the ½ Ironman he raced the week before.

Stage finished we rode to the Chifley Hotel event central for bike transport to Stage 4, pedals off, bubble wrap on road train stacked with alloy and carbon out to Trephina Gorge.

On a side story- The road train went past the start turn off and over a river crossing. Unable to turn around it was unhitched manoeuvred over the river crossing and back to the start area finally unloaded by crew at 11:30pm.

Stage 4-93km.

A very early 5:15am bus ride from the Chifley Hotel for the longest stage of the Enduro.  The bottom of Trephina gorge pre dawn was only 3 degrees and 172 riders set out on new single track through the western end of the gorge.

Twice riders were forced to cross 6ft deep gullies cut by the recent rain and long riverbeds of sand including lots of walking. Very early water at 15 km had us recalculating our hydration; it was 48 km to water point 2 so a refill was in order, and a replacement bottle for me (lost one in a gully).

The track turned more flowing in open terrain for km after km, then at the 65 km mark turned into a sand slog like walking Bondi beach in summer. Different but not really fun.

Water point 3 at the 82km mark and the track improved into a 2wd station road.  The SPR boys formed up and the tempo increased, our 3 man train rode on, people asked to jump on then hold on and then blown off the back. Congratulations go to Pete pulling hard at the front for long stretches having recovered from day 2. A late left turn 4km out of town and we rode single track into the Chifley Hotel for a 6hr 4min. I’m not sure I fully appreciated the trail due to jolting back pain and saddle sores. The hardtail was a big mistake!

The afternoon was spent recovering legs in the Chifley Hotel pool with liquid carbs, watching riders cross the line, 8hr 55min for the last rider.

Mid event dinner/presentation/pasta party, ravenous riders queue for 20 min to get at the substantial buffet dinner. Pasta, salads, fish, steak and 3 deserts to choose from, replacing the 3000 calories expended earlier in the day.

Sam and John gave the stage presentation and also stories from the trail: Numerous gas bulbs given, pumps given freely.

One rider stopping to help another by giving a spare chain and derailleur.

A Junior (16 yrs) riding by himself was found singing Lady Ga Ga, a little dehydrated and was given a full water bladder to finish.

And a confession from John Jacoby that the water point 1 Toyota 4×4 bogged in a riverbed up to both diffs for over an hour so the water point had to be moved.

Stage 5-22km Individual Time Trial.

Reverse order 30 second intervals.  Slept in for Gentleman’s start time 10 o clock at the golf course.  Chris during his pre race check found he had no back brake; an air bubble and no bleed kit meant Chris would have an interesting TT. We lined up Peter, Nigel, and Chris. Very fast golf path start on to 35km/h flow single track, I tried to stay in touch with Pete, but with screaming back pain had trouble pushing big ring.

The track changed to steep winding uphill through the middle of the course and a monster climb at half way then down fast switch back to the valley. Chris later said he could hold his rear brake lever to handle bar with no effect on the downhill.

A rocky finish on single track cut a 1inch hole in my front tyre and with a fountain of tyre sealant spilling from it I watched Pete race away. Cursing rotten luck I begged the tyre to hold pressure, a 2 km run on rim/rubber along the golf path and overtaken by one rider I had passed earlier completed the TT.

  • Peter 1hr 9min, passing 4
  • Nigel 1hr 12min, passing 3
  • Chris 1hr 15min, passing 2

Back to bike shop for tyre/sealant replacement and a brake bleed.

Stage 6-22km Night ride.

Same course as day TT but with a mass start. Self-seeding was stressed for this stage and the Golf club PA blasted ACDC “Thunderstruck” to get everyone pumped up. SPR boys riding as a group we weaved through the masses on the golf path. On to the dirt Chris jumps a gully calling the obstacle in the dark, I plough in unaware and Pete runs over the top of me, 5 riders scream past, we sort it out and get back on track. I lead some fast sections into the hills calling turns, rocks, steps and soft sections. Later Pete climbs away and on the steepest hill while I watched Chris nail the climb spurred on by torch wielding crowd. So many walking and we manage to tame the beast. Close riding in the dark into the rock section I drop my chain, along the track SPR boys waited for me, thanks! We crossed the line together in 1hr 21min, dropping a couple of places in category.

Highlights from the pro end of the field included a new course record 55min 11sec and one lead pack rider hitting a kangaroo that jumped off un injured.

Stage 7-45km.

Saving the best till last. The peloton blasted off for a lap of the Chifley Hotel grounds; onto 4×4 trail East of Alice Springs. Today we would reverse some of day 2 trails linking up with some new development trails made by the Alice MTB crew. Technical slab drops and rises, fast single track and switch back turns again, whether it was our familiarity with the trails or their natural flow, we quickly raced on passing riders on the down hills and steady climbing the rises. The water point came quickly and we were still high on awesome single track riding. Soon we were back out onto fast 4wd track and then rocky hills. 15km from the finish we looked out to the left across a dry riverbed, John Jacoby the sadist giving us a glimpse of the end, I am almost home.  Pete and Chris relish the terrain, ride the rocks and excel in the rough stuff, I on the other hand have two pairs of knicks on and wince at each rock, surviving to finish, 3hr 9min.

Alice MTB Enduro is a well organized and smooth running established event, the rapid ascent team run a tight ship and in spite of the course conditions this year it left everyone with the satisfaction that they had really been challenged by the trails.

Temperature overall was mild, 22-26 degrees making for fast racing and the fresh 9am starts gave way to glorious days. Water points were well stocked with endura or torq electrolyte as well as watermelon, bananas and huge cookies (plain or chocolate). I was overwhelmed by the amount of single track Alice had to offer; their trail builders are active and dedicated to promoting it as a MTB destination.

Signing off Nigel Nosering

Wembley Cycles 6hr

2 Comments

Sunday 30th May heralds this year’s Wembley Cycles 6hr. This is the 2nd race in the Enduro series, to be held at Langford park, Jarrahdale, just south of Byford.

After SPRs good turnout at the 4hr, we’re hoping for even more at the 6hr. There are 3 types of entry – Solo, Duo or Trio. Already a few have entered as solo riders for the day. If your not up to doing it solo and would like to form a team, let me know in the comments and we can organise a few teams. Check here for entry options. We will have the SPR team tent setup in the transition zone as well.

Online entry for the event closes next Tuesday 25th May, but you can still enter on the day with an extra fee. Full details are available on the event page. If you would like to ride the course in advance it has already been marked, so knock yourselves out. If you head down this weekend you will find plenty of others doing the same. I rode some of the course the other week and its definately looking good.

If your already keen signup now!!

*note Spud & Mike B – this course will be easier than The GoatFarm.

PMBC XC series round 3 report

4 Comments

This Sunday was race 3 of the PMBC XC series and we had a small showing of riders across a variety of categories. Mike B showed up for the old fellas and at the other end of the spectrum Lorraine’s son Nick was there for the younger generation. In between was myself and Juddy. The alleged appearance of the Flying Fynn was to be nothing but a rumour.

After Saturday’s chilly morning we were expecting more of the same for Sunday but thankfully the sun came to the party. So we all arrived fairly rugged up but soon sheaded down to race kit. I got there early and found a nice spot for the team tent, that was trailside and near the finish line. Following a quick warmup on the kids course it was race time.

The first wave saw Mike B heading out followed by young Nick and then myself with 2mins between each. Apparently Mike got in 1 lap before realizing he was a bit out of his skills league when hitting the downhill rock garden and deciding to not risk injury and call it a day. Nick in his first race managed a good lap but found the endurance factor a bit much. Both did well for their first efforts at MTB racing. With a bit more time on the dirt and some skills training they will be flying. I managed to break my curse at the Goat Farm and finished a race with no crashes or mechanicals, which was nice for a change(and lucky since i did the 1st lap with a road tube spare). This course was a bit shorter than previous races but more technical, with some punishing climbs and gnarly downhills to test, but still enjoyable.

Once our groups had finished it was time for Juddy and the more elite riders to head off. within metres of the start Juddy realised he may have chosen the wrong category, the field just blitz off ahead of him. None the less he stepped up and got back in it. Unfortunately he only got thru 2 laps before pulling out with a mechanical. Somewhere along the line he hit a rock and buckled his big ring severely killing any chance of changing gears, not good at a course like the Goat Farm where the elevation changes greatly.

All in all a good day with no injuries and fun was had by all. SPR are definitely getting some good coverage around Perth and PMBC have said they are happy to see us on the dirt as well. So lets make a big appearance at the next event, which will be the 6hr Enduro down at Jarrahdale on May 30th.

A few pics, with more to follow when Lorraine gets them to me.