Tag Archives: dirt

Superwestige Round 1

The only Cyclocross racing in the west is back!

1400 this Sunday (Jun 16th) at Success Hill Reserve, Bassendean.

Inspired by the hardcore winter racing all around the world, we’ve shifted to winter and found 3 great venues, culminating in a uniquely aussie track to be raced as the state championships on the 18th of August.

Cyclocross is a mixture of road and mountain bike racing, incorporating obstacles which must be dismounted and run past, and fast open sections. The courses are excellent for spectators, and you’ll be able to see the whole race from the comfort of your camping chair, not to mention.

The elite and support categories are restricted to those riding a Cyclocross bike. That means drop bars, and tyres no wider than 35mm. Yes, that means your road bike is also a cyclocross bike! All the courses will be able to be ridden on a road bike, although perhaps not as fast as on a specialist machine. Dont have a cross bike? Never fear, Focus Bikes have stepped on board as a sponsor and will have some demo bikes at the races for you to try, and the open class can be raced on your mountain bike.

If you have a Cycling Australia Licence, please email me gr.murison@gmail.com with details and what grade you would like to race, and I will allocate you a number based on you showing me your licence on the day. You do not need to buy a day licence if you are registered with Cycling Australia.

This race is the first race of the Superwestige season, and will be followed in July by the race in Bardon Park Maylands, and in August with the state championships at Garvey Park, Belmont.

Entries here
https://www.registernow.com.au/mtba/ERegister.aspx?E=1535

MTB Season Kick Off

Just a quick reminder that racing for real cyclists 🙂 starts this week with the Dirt Crits commencing on Tuesday and the 1st round of the XC season this Sunday.

Previous blog for the Crits can be found here. Don’t forget you will need your lights for this, discussion on lights is here, but in my opinion you can’t go past a decent set of Ayups. If a group of you get together and order at the same time and you speak to Ayup nicely they might give you a discount. They look after PMBC well and support our annual Dusk til Dawn 12hr Enduro.

Those wanting to get in on the action of the XC series can find all the details for the 1st round here. Just quickly it will be held down at Langford Park Jarrahdale, so if your not part of the final SPR/RCCC crits race, get yourselves down and have a race or support those who are. This is a nice easy trail to start the season off with.

If you are heading down drop a mention in the comments and i’ll know which tent etc to bring and how much room we need to setup.

PMBC XC series round 3 report

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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.

PMBC XC Series round 2 Report

Well ANZAC was a marvelous day this year. Big turn outs at memorials and parades, so I guess that kept numbers down for racing. Anyway a few of us headed down to Pemberton for round 2 of the PMBC XC series, Myself, my brother and Pete Gill, to fly the colours for the club (although we need to get Pete some kit).

The location is perfect for a trail, the bush in the area gives a nice dose of shade and allows for some nice technical obstacles and good ground. It is situated at the bottom of town near the swimming pool. This trail is the first of a series to be built in the area and has been built by Paul Neeve and the 3 chillies crew. They have done a wonderful job so far and as you can see from some of the photos they have included some fun North shore obstacles to liven things up a bit. If your down that way and have a MTB give it a go.

Anyway my brother and I were entered in the Sports category, this is usually the largest field of these races. After watching the juniors hit the skills trail for there event it was our turn. Having not ridden the trail yet I was going to take it easy and find my feet, this proved a good plan as 1 rider found out after hitting  a hill too hard in the 1st 20m and he failed the landing and had a spectacular OTB. The beginning section takes in the skills loop which is fairly simple and basically flat. After transitioning out you end up on the Relentless Blue trail which is the main section at the moment. This begins with a nice technical climb with a few downs to give a short reprieve. After a few kms of climbing you eventually reach the top, this is where the fun begins. Its all downhill from here except for a pinch rise in the middle to keep you honest. The downhill section is where all the North Shore is and includes a few ramps, 2 nice walls and a steep log over ramp. 1st time around was a bit of a recce but 2nd & 3rd laps it was time to try it all and see if I could avoid stacking. Needless to say I had a few close shaves but thoroughly enjoyed it and road out.

As for results, I think I was enjoying the trail a bit too much and forgot I was racing, plus the climb in the 1st half was a killer for me (yeh i know, more Sunday hills rides). In the end I think i came 15th and my brother came in not long after in 16th. Peter raced later in the day with Veterans (he didn’t do a pre race Tri this time) and I think finished 11th.

All had a great day and were completely knackered. Next MTB event is the 3rd round of the XC series to be held at the Goat Farm. Being in Perth this time we hope to have a good showing, like we did at the recent 4hr if not better.

Also while down there I had a chance to speak with Tony Tucknott, president of PMBC and he had great praise for el Presidenté and had heard nothing but good news about the club. Goes to show we are getting a good name for ourselves all over Perth and the hard work Peter puts in is getting noticed. Well Done!!!

*Thanks to a few of the PMBC forum members for the wall photos