Rocky Trail MTB GP – Round #2 James Estate Winery

James Estate provided the perfect backdrop and the microlites got the photographers into position!

 

Round two of the Rocky trail series took to the Hunter Valley’s beautiful vineyards and in particular to the James Estate Winery where wine making and mountain biking both have a home.

It was a unique idea having the race transition at a cellar door, and it definitely seemed to attract a larger component of family and friends as well as the usual riders. The James Estate crew opened up a nice paddock for camping and the night before the race saw clear skies and cold temperatures. Unfortunately rain was forecast for race day, although it looked like we might escape the worst of it as it clung more to the coastal fringe.

As it turned out, the coast got belted with rain and we had a couple of very light showers and perfect race conditions. The track was a mixture of firetrail and singletrack with the singletrack being sandy, rocky and fun. The sand became sandier during the race and loose corners definitely claimed some skin and pride. I managed to loose my front wheel in a corner and drew blood and twisted my levers round on my handlebars. But it wasn’t anything that couldn’t be sorted out in transition and I was back on the race track pretty quick smart.

Yet again I had Catharine and Su out on track but also Meredith Quinlan, Deb Davies and Belinda Davis… one of the largest female solo fields yet! My fellow Cheeky rider Andrew Lloyd was comfortably out in front in the male solo field and I was easily leading the female solos.

With around half the track being firetrail I thought it was be an easier race but the sandy conditions made for super hard work in the single track and my legs were definitely threatening to cramp by the last couple of laps. Despite having a comfortable lead that meant I didn’t need a 13^th lap, I headed out again just before cut off and managed to lap Meredith just before the finish bringing home another solo win and yet again the fastest female lap time for the race.

Well done Rocky Trail on another fantastic event and for injecting some new trails and locations into the race scene.

Rocky Trail MTB GP – Round #1 Awaba

bottleneck on the single track soon eased

The Rocky Trail’s first round suffered a few weather inflicted set backs earlier in the year and eventually took place on Easter Monday at our local club track Awaba. Despite it being Easter weekend, the event near sold out and the trailhead was a hive of activity when we arrived and registered.

Soon enough we were racing and off into the single track which I know so well, having raced at Awaba countless times before. I had the usual competition of Su Pretto and Catherine Wood, although all being in different age categories we a well aware of each other out on track. I knew the girls were behind me in lap one and I settled into my enduro pace and started ticking off laps.

the weather held out for a perfect day

Somewhere around half way through the race I started to noticed what felt like my rear gears slipping on the climbs, and this became rapidly worse until I suddenly realised it wasn’t the gears at all but the rear hub was skipping engagement. I made a note to swap rear wheels the next time through transition but I wasn’t to even get that chance, the rear hub totally shat itself and suddenly my pedals were spinning without engaging the hub.

I stopped and took stock; I was at the point in the track furthest from transition and had no ability to pedal. I decided to free wheel/ run the track back to transition and continued to my way. Not long into this, after a decent fast down hill on firetrail I looked down and saw my rear through axel merrily spinning away… the hub was so locked up that freewheeling was actually unscrewing the through axel and I was riding without my rear wheel properly attached. Hmmmm take two – I walked my bike back to transition the fast route possible… all the time thinking that the girls would be passing me any minute and I’d have to ride hard to pull them back again.

Back at transition I was thankful I’d brought my stock wheels along as spares and was soon back on the trails with a different rear wheel in. Surprisingly the girls hadn’t passed me at all, I’d been about to lap them when the mechanical happened so I was still leading the female solo field.

The rest of the race continued pretty much without incident, Su and Catharine both called it a day at 5 hours and so I just settled into a good pace and kept lapping enjoying the random company and chat from other riders out on track.

While the win was expected, I was honoured to receive the Tracy Robinson trophy for fastest female lap on course for the day. Tracy was an avid rider and supporter of Rocky Trail events who sadly lost her fight with cancer way too young. That certainly put the mechanical in perspective – regardless of broken hubs, lost time and having to run my bike back to transition – I was out racing doing what I love, which is something Tracy would have loved to do.