Round 1 of the first gravity series in SA and we were keen to check it out.
On the 14th of April we hit up GESAs (that is the Gravity Enduro club of South Australia)A�round 1 at Craigburn Farm. It was a cool day, check it out;
This was the first enduro race to be held in SA and is the first in the 2013 series.There were 5 timed stages over the day, including all the favourites such as Craigberms.Straight off GESAs website this is the format they were shooting for; “Timed downhill sections should Ideally consist of approx 85 to 90% downhill with short uphills. The Downhills will be a mix of Technical trail, and Fast single track. Not as brutal as a Downhill course, but enough to warrant using a mid travel bike. However, bike choice is entirely up to the rider.”It was a pretty cool timing set up, riders had little chips on their hands they used to swipe for the stages.The weather was mint, as were the views!We spotted a lot of flats over the day, some more severe than others!Second place getter, Andy Clarke, gets a bit of a move on from Troy Brosnan on the final stage.All the race entries were taken before the race as they sold out online.Check out the concentration! Sam Hardie snapped up third place.
The day was a big success and all the entries had pre sold out, there was good racing across all the classes. Hit up the GESA site for all the results;
Elite Men:
1st: Nathan Morris – 13:00
2nd: Andrew Clarke – 13:06
3rd: Samuel Hardie – 13:28
Elite Women:
1st: Jaclyn Schapel – 14:40
2nd: Sarah Holmes – 14:59
3rd: Anna Puckridge – 15:30
The next race is at Eagle and we expect it to be a more technical race, we are keen to check it out!
Our man on the ground hit up Thredbo for the Flow Rollercoaster NSW State Enduro Championships, which was being held on the same weekend as the Red Ass NSW State downhill Series (check out our report for that hereA�). Check out what he had to say about a fun event;
This past weekend the Flow Rollercoaster NSW championships was held in Thredbo. With the recently built flow trail at Thredbo playing host to the race, it was sure to be an exciting weekend. Rocky Trail Entertainment are the event organisers in NSW for the rapidly growing enduro/all mountain format and have already run two Flow Rollercoaster races this year at Ourimbah and Del Rio. However this race was a standalone event, as it had a championship status there were no series points. Arriving late Friday afternoon it was off to the registration area, there I met Juliane and Martin who run Rocky Trail.
The next morning it was an early start as practice and racing was all in one day. Whilst waiting for the lift to start I was given a rundown of the track from a rider who had been practicing the previous day and it only add to the excitement when he told me the speeds he had been reaching. Heading up on the lift it was a cold day but there was no rain. After doing numerous practice runs and having an awesome time, it was off for lunch before race runs. In this time the weather changed for the worst and heading up of the lift for the races saw rain and even hail. Arriving at the top riders were reluctant to head down to the start, as it was the only cover from the weather. Arriving at the start gate saw sleet and rain which would affect the track drastically.
Alpine areas are partial to weather conditions that can change almost instantly and they did!.
With the format riders were able to head down as they pleased, with top riders such as Dan MacMunn and Ryan De La Rue being some of the first to head down. Their runs would be in extremely muddy conditions, along with most of the field. Heading down the track it was extremely slippery compared to practice. After the first runs were completed it was Dan MacMunn who had the fastest time. There were numerous riders opting out of a second run due to the weather. Heading up for aA�second run it would be a gamble as to whether the track would be worse or not. Getting to the bottom after theA�second runA�it was evident that the track was in a lot better condition, drying out a great deal, after having some many riders over it.
Sunny skies and a clean bike/kit but not for long!
At presentations it was clear that the riders that headed up for a second run were rewarded, local Tomas Crimmins took the win from Victoriana��s Dan MacMunn and Ryan De La Rue in 2nd and 3rd. Whilst in the women’s it was Sarah Booth taking the win from Tegan Molloy in 2nd and Vanessa Thompson in 3rd. With the event being run alongside the first round of the Red Ass NSW State downhill numerous downhill riders choose to do both events, in total there were 141 competitors. After presentations riders and spectators headed to the pump track for a fun contest. It was evident that this had been a successful event which Rocky Trail had put on and I would strongly recommend it to riders.
The 2013 NSW Enduro series is about to kick offthis weekend here at Ourimbah!
The 2013 Flow Rollercoaster All-Mountain Enduro Series willA�feature four A�different locations for the official title of NSW State Series Winner and State Champion. Starting at Ourimbah MTB Park it will offer different race formats, including shuttled and chair lift transport or un-timed rides to the top and of course those timed Flow Rollercoaster race runs a��according to the organisers they will use whatever concept suits the race venue the best. It kicks off this weekend at Ourimbah and here is the orgainsers take on what you can expect;
Round 1 – Ourimbah(3rd February) This was the venue of one of the first ever all-mountain races in NSW early last year. It’s a great track where the top is DH heavy, with a middle bit where you will need to pedal and the final stretch on the track called the Rollercoaster where it’s all about being smooth and fast. We will use the actual DH start and ride on the top part of the DH track at Ourimbah. B-lines will be in place and riders will have all morning to familiarise themselves with the challenging technical sections. We will then turn off to the all-mountain track and after a few fast and technical berms there will be a short stretch to pedal to the top of the Ourimbah Rollercoaster trail section. From there it’s a smooth and flowy ride to the finish, which will be located near the DH finish on the fireroad. So in summary, for Ourimbah we’ll have 1 track – shuttled runs to the top – 2 runs each – better run counts.
Different race formats on different tracks should keep racing interesting and levelfor all riders.
For future rounds and the Championship event at Thredbo the plan is:
Round 2 – Del Rio, Wisemans Ferry (17 March)
3 tracks are at our disposal there: the old DH track – Del Sin, the new DH track – Bike or Box and the descent of our original JetBlack24 track.
The plan is to use either all 3 tracks or the 2 better ones. We will have B-lines on all the tricky sections of the DH tracks. To further test your fitness you will be required to ride back to the top. There is a short but steep climb that we used for the 24 hour race which will be marked for you. Once at the top it’s a relaxed ride to the start.
=> 2 or 3 tracks – climb yourself – 1 run per track – combined time counts
Championships – Thredbo (6 April)
The brand new all mountain flow track is open and we are hearing great things about it. It will be by far the longest track of all of them. We can’t give you an official estimated time because you will be the first ever racers on that track!
=> 1 track – chairlift to the top – 2 runs each – better run counts
Round 3 – Stromlo Forest Park (28 July)
We loved the tracks so much there last year that we decided to go there twice in 2012. In Season13 we will be back for more, much more: not only will be flying down the Skyline-Luge tracks but include a second one down the back of the mountain: Pork Barrel-Double Dissolution. Shuttles will be provided to take you from the event centre and main carpark to the top of Mt Stromlo but from the finish of Double Dissolution you have to make your own way back to the carpark or straight up to the start again.
=> 2 tracks – shuttled runs from the carpark to the top – 1 run per track – combined time counts
Well there you have it, a full Enduro series running in New South Wales proving just how popular this style of downhillA�racing is getting!
Make no mistake enduro downhill is here to stay, the format maybe massaged slightly but the discipline is going to blow up in the next few years!
Bright, Victoria played host to Round 2 of the Alpine Gravity Series, one of Australia’s only true enduro downhill races and series. With Elite Men taking overA�ten minutes to complete the course, there was some serious descending to be done!A�Sections of the BrightA�track would be considered just as technical as ‘traditional’ downhill races, in fact, after the first practice session many riders put their ‘all mountain’ style bikes backA�and brought out the full blown downhill rigs! The consensus being this track suited more technical style riders, as opposed to round 1 whichA�appeared toA�have favoured fitter riders more.
There was a wide range of bikes spotted under riders at this race, one area to pay attention to however, was bar width! Pine forest sections meant your standard 750mm style downhill bars could be a little tight in some sections!
Overall the event was run well, transport was ample, timing was spot on and of course the track was good! Around 100 racers enjoyed the day, the track started at the sameA�altitude hang gliders start their ride from and there was only one real big pedal slog at the bottom about 3 minutes. Results are as follows;
Elite Men:
1.A�Daniel Macmunn 10:02.37
2. Oliver Zwar 10:56.21 + 53.84
3. Tom Macmunn 10:59.13 +A�56.76A�
4. A�Ben Crundwell 11:23.17 + 1:20.80
5. Luke Dewar 11:30.47A�+ 1:28.10
Elite Women:
1. Jacqui Lovett 13:21.79
2. Lucy Brandon 16:23.19 +A�3:01.40
3. Amy Phillips 19:51.77 + 6:29.98
Event organiser, Ben Watkins, making his way down the track as a courier for the marshalls!
Continuing on with the enduro downhill focus, it has just been announced a World Enduro Series will start in 2013. Driven by Chris Ball, formerly of the UCI, he was one of the players that has lifted the World Cup Downhill series to where it is today. He is not going solo, rather,A�joining forces with organisers from events such as the Enduro Series in Europe and the Crankworx collective, they have created both a newA�series and a new association; The Enduro Mountain Bike Association. There is plenty of discussion going on within the mountain bike industry (and on the forums) whether the move away from the UCI is a good one. However, with the UCI not committing to one of the biggest growing areas within the gravityA�discipline, it was just a matter of time. Having done some riding with Chris Ball we can tell you the tracks he will select are going to be no walk in the park! Combine this with riders such as Dan Atherton and now Aussie Jared Graves, committing to the enduro format we areA�only going toA�hear more about enduro in the future, which is definitely not a bad thing!A�The race locations and final details of the new series haven’t been released yet but expect more details soon. What’s great is that events like the Alpine Gravity are already up and running here in Australia, getA�on board now and beat the bandwagon!
The new World Series is super exciting and with events already running here in OZ you have no excuse to not practice!
