And all mountain riding? According to many, it’s the much vaunted future of our sport, and this weekend I headed out to Del Rio resort near Wiseman’s Ferry to check out Rocky Trail Entertainment’s first foray into this new discipline.

First up, let me say from the outset that i haven’t ridden any kind of gravity races since I was a teenager, but I’m very familiar with Rocky Trail events from their enduro series. As I parked the car, the familiar euro trance drifted over from the finish line and all the riders were in the happy, relaxed vibe you’d expect. A variety of pimped up rides moved around the carpark, from proper long travel DH bikes, through to (seemingly spindly by comparison) XC dualies, and even quite a few hardtails; with the soon to be ubiquitous AM bikes noticeable in their numbers.

But there was something different in the air. Perhaps it was a sense of apprehension? The DH set checking out the XC crew, and vice versa, and wondering who would be in best shape to take the day. The cross country / enduro set have something to prove in this gravity sphere… That they can get freaky with the best of them and have the fitness and staying power to boot! Or would the supreme handling skills and explosive sprint energy of the gravity crew triumph on what is essentially still a downhill track – albeit much longer and flatter and energy intensive than most?

Well, we would only find out on the trail, and as I boarded my first ever shuttle (amused that the coach company had obviously done this before, bringing crap buses with plastic garbage bags covering anything upholstered), I sat quietly listening to the banter around me and got to grips with my apprehension about what I might have got myself into; especially with the evenly mixed tales of bravado and BS being flung about!

With rain having knocked events like the Capital Punishment and even local club racing off the calendar for this weekend, it was touch and go as to whether the race would even go ahead (at least in my mind) and weather certainly made a difference to course conditions during the day. I’d dug up a pair of old ski goggles before I headed out the door in the morning, and I was glad of it too on that first run down the course, mud flicking everywhere and skinny XC tyres shifting every which way as they struggled for purchase.

The course was a challenge as it was the descent lifted straight out of the 24 hours of Sydney course run annually at Del Rio. My early thought was that a downhiller was certain to win though, with their experience at speed in trying conditions like the mud and slippery rock on show today. I’m not the best downhiller in the best conditions (if I’m honest, a steep driveway can see me wetting myself) but this was fun… And just a little bit scary, pushing yourself to sprint everywhere you can and then hold on through the rough stuff.

In each of my four practice runs, I was shocked at how tired and sore I’d gotten sprinting out of each corner and then holding on for dear life as I tried desperately to simply float over the slippy rock gardens. About two thirds of the way through the run, we were fed out
onto a flat road that ringed one side of the event centre. This would be the cross-country rider’s place to shine as the gradient then rose quickly onto a fire road climb before shooting you into maybe another 500m slippery singletrack including some big stepped drops and the big sprint to the finish.
Unfortunately, the persistent rain over the past three weeks had done really sodden the ground around the Sydney basin and Del Rio was no exception; particularly on this lower half of the track. The crew at Rocky Trail wisely decided after looking at this section of track, following 70 or so riders’ initial practice runs, to take it out of the race. We’d now go left on the fireroad, weave through the carpark and make the big sprint finish up a concrete service road and across the finish line. I, along with my legs, we’re glad of the reduced amount of sprinting / climbing.

Lunch came and went, and so too did a quick downpour that must have had the organisers worried. Before we knew it though, the race proper was upon us and every rider shuttled to the top and waited for their race numbers to be called.

It’s a great vibe waiting for your run, the nervous energy of all the riders means a lot joking around and everyone was friendly and even approaching people like myself, who were there on their own for a chat.

Then bang! And out of the gate you fly…trying your best not to fly out of control! Conscious that there is no seeding on this run and a better rider could easily catch up to if you’re not on the ball. More importantly, trying to make a good time for yourself is hard unless your eye is in and your mind clear. I am neither, a rider catches up to me just before the rock garden and getting out of his way puts me off line and out of sorts with the trail. I arrive at the fireroad and start sprinting my absolute guts out in a vain attempt to rescue some pride. This is not enough.

Luckily, this is not DH racing, its All Mountain and I have a second shot at the title. I know I can do better this time out.
So I watch the other riders finish their runs, heading back up to the sections i am weak on to check out the lines and body language of anyone who looks fast. I realize I would have been wise to do this earlier in the day; sessioning some parts and watching how others do it. Results come out from run 1 and I’m nowhere – 31 / 39 if memory serves me correctly… dammit!

If there is a problem with this type of racing, it’s the amount of time spent standing about, waiting for your race run. You’re pumped when you get back to the top, then you relax, then you’re called to the gate and you have to get that energy going again. Besides that, it just takes a hell of a time before you’re riding once it gets to this part of the race. One of the older guys comments that this is exactly why he quit racing Downhill years ago. Oh well, it’s not that big of an imposition when you get to hangout and talk bikes all day!

Again, we all pack onto the bus and take the ten minute trip back up the road to the start gate and the first thing that is clear is that half the field has gone home. Either they’ve done their best run and think no-one is going to beat it, or they’ve set their best run and feel they’ve no chance at going any quicker. I’m going to go quicker though, I am over the nerves and I’m also going off in a seeded run which has surprisingly dropped my anxiety by a tonne. I’m also motivated by the result of run 1 and think I know where I can claim a few seconds if I just calm down a bit.

3,2,1 and I’m off again. More scientific this time, I spend less of my run on the ragged edge of my pathetic ability and more time thinking about being in the right gear, where my weight is, where the best line is and everything I know about technique. And as I come down onto the fireroad and once more, dig deep for the sprint through the carpark crowd and up over the line, I know I’m significantly faster this run and do not want to undo any improvement by taking it easy in the final throes.

On the drive home, I rabbit on to my girlfriend about the exhilaration of doing some gravity racing again. She nods quietly curled upon her seat, occasionally asking a question about something I said, but more likely piping up to remind me to slow down after a big day of speed racing. I can’t fault her either; I’m slipping into a mode that is just too fast, and even though I wasn’t too competitive with some of the others today, I am psyched for my upcoming enduro and XC races. My bike has the best setup it’s ever had (I’d been tuning and tweaking after every run) and my descending skills are dialed. It’s going to be a great year of racing and events like the Rollercoaster will be helping to keep me fresh and inspired about my riding.

In the end I dont really know if it was an XC racer or DH racer or a rider somewhere in between who won the day. I was just glad to see a whole bunch of Mountain Bikers from different backgrounds back under the one banner, on the one track, if only for just one day.

The Festival, organised by Rapid Ascent, is a three-day stage race designed to provide something for all levels of mountain biker. This year, riders battled it out in events including:

· Stage 1 – A Stirling Circuit: 30km or 50km cross-country race over Mt Stirling and back on Mt Buller’s purpose-built trails, including the acclaimed Stonefly single track;
· Stage 101 – 10km Kids Race: designed to gives kids their own fun MTB experience on the easier single track around the Mt Buller Village;
· Stage 2 – 5hr Brakeburner Enduro: a five hour multi-lap enduro down a flowing 6km cross-country/downhill course where riders catch the chairlift up and do as many laps as they can until directed down the 12km, 1,100m vertical drop of the Mt Buller Super-D Descent to the base of the mountain, finishing at the Picnic in the Park food, wine and music festival at Mirimbah Park;
· Stage 2B – Mt Buller Super D: a friendly 12km top to bottom race down a flowing 1,100m vertical descent to Mirimbah Park at the base of the mountain; and
· Stage 3 – Cornhill Cranker: a 25km cross-country race on the flowing single track around the Mt Buller Village and the neighbouring Corn Hill, taking in the new Copperhead trail.

Blue skies and mild temperatures made for excellent race conditions, and saw Adrian Jackson and Melisa Anset take out the men’s and women’s premier categories respectively, with both completing all races over the three day event.

On Sunday, riders in the Brakeburner and Super-D events met their friends, families and fellow riders at the Picnic in the Park food, wine and music festival at Mirimbah Park. Held in the beautiful surroundings next to the Delatite River, over 1400 guests were treated to a fantastic range of local food and wine whilst listening to some talented local musicians. Warm weather and blue skies made for a sensational afternoon of celebrations.

Sam Maffett, Event Manager of the Bike Buller MTB Festival, said the weekend was again a success and highlighted the first-rate trails at Mt Buller. “We just had a terrific weekend up here, three day of blue skies, fun trails, lots of people, great atmosphere – it was a great success. The move of the event to the long weekend has been very positive, there’s even more to do for families and friends with Picnic in the Park down at Mirimbah at the end of what was a brilliant day’s riding – everyone has really enjoyed themselves and have promised they’ll come back next year with another five or six mates as well.”

Maffett was also complimentary about Mt Buller’s brand new flow down trail, called Copperhead. “The reports from the riders on the flagship trail Copperhead were just terrific. It’s a new format of trail for the area and also for Australia, and was met with high praise by the riders.”

The Mt Buller Village was humming all weekend, with riders and their families and friends enjoying the spectacular surroundings of autumn in the mountains.

BIKE BULLER MTB FESTIVAL 2012 RESULTS:
MEN’S STAGE 3 RESULTS
Robbie HUCKER 1:13:20
Adrian JACKSON 1:14:41
Peter KUTSCHERA 1:14:41

OVERALL BIKE BULLER MEN’S PREMIER PLACINGS AFTER STAGE 2 (PROVISIONAL):
1. Adrian Jackson 5:22:55
2. Murray Spink 5:45:21
3. Duncan Murray 5:52:07

WOMEN’S STAGE 3 RESULTS
Melissa ANSET 1:29:09
Amity MCSWAN 1:30:05
Jessica DOUGLAS 1:34:25

OVERALL BIKE BULLER WOMEN’S PREMIER PLACINGS AFTER STAGE 2 (PROVISIONAL):
Melissa Anset 6:34:55
Jess Douglas 6:48:31
Louise Cook 7:26:55

Bike Buller Mens Podium - photo Rapid Ascent

Walking out the front door today, I could barely string together a path to cross the street that didn’t involve water rushing past my shins and in through the top of my waterproof hiking boots.

Needless to say, this is not even weather for the road bike… no matter what rule number 9 of ‘the rules’ say. I’m already a badass enough, thank you… my mum tells me all the time.

So what are the options when Mother Nature has grounded you from going out to play?

Do something else to keep active

The most obvious answer for most of you will be to say Running, Road Biking or even *cough* the gym will replace any required spins on the MTB and certainly, they have their place, especially during the weekdays.

However, you’re a mountain biker… you love being ‘outdoors’ outdoors, leeches and mud… right?

So, hit some fire roads for a bit of a run. Trail running on narrow singletrack can have a similar impact as bikes if you’re really shredding it, but fireroads are virtually impervious to a bit of a gallop. They get you out and about, and once you’ve accepted you are going to be saturated to the bone if it’s raining or covered in mud just after the rain, you’re on for a great workout that will benefit your Cardio-Vascular system, clear out the brain cobwebs and provide stimulation much like a MTB ride as you analyse the placement of every step.

Also, unless the rain is coming thick and fast like it was this morning in much of NSW and the ACT, new activities like Kayaking are in their peak prime with plenty or options to just try it out, or for the thrill seekers looking to dive right in! Check out places to Kayak and Canoe all round the country via Google Maps, but remember to take a tour with experience guides to avoid being swept away!

In addition to pushing the CV system again, Kayaking will give you a great upper body workout that’ll help you control the bike after hours in the saddle too… just make sure you stretch before and after as paddling will give you a lot of grief unless you look after yourself.

I guess what I’m getting at here is to mix it up. If you have to go to the gym. Maybe try indoor rock climbing. Even if you are just riding trails with friends and not competitively racing, keeping things fresh will mean you’ll be happier and knowledgeable in your ability to get things done.

Maintain the Bike

Having a well maintained bike means rides that last longer and go further, and when the weather sucks, its a great time to get stuck into those things you’ve been putting off for an age.

For me, this means actually going further to learn more about the bike and how to keep it in tip top shape. There’s always more to grasp and rainy afternoons are now spent checking out how-to videos from manufacturers (via the internet) on things like servicing my forks.

When its as wet as it is now, you can take the time to get into these projects. If you stuff it up, just take it to your LBS, lay the parts at their feet and spout some story about your dog chewing them, or your toddler unscrewing bolts when you weren’t looking… or how your bike shed is haunted by malevolent ghouls. Chances are, they’ll know exactly how to put it right back together before the trails dry sufficiently, but most tasks are really simple enough to do yourself and you just might learn something new.

A well tuned bike means fun without delay, especially when the clouds clear and your Friday arvo group ride calls… and if you’ve learnt to do it yourself then you’ll be saving money that you can save to….

Take a Holiday

I don’t know about you, but I crave singletrack somedays. Just can’t stop thinking about it. Visions of feats performed beyond my pathetic everyday skills flood my brain and work slows to a crawl while I drift off to fantasy land.

Luckily though I get occasionally invited away to ride sweet manna singletrack in places like Rotorua (NZ), Melrose (SA) and Forrest (VIC). All within a few hours flight of almost anywhere in Australia and all with websites where you can check the weather outlook, these places are a breeze to get to. Rush now to the great wide internet and purchase yourself even a very cheap bike-bag (or ask your LBS for a box to recycle) and look around at flights and car hire for somewhere to go this weekend.

If you’re savvy about when you book, getting away either last minute or planned can be a reasonably cheap alternative to gazing out the window, wearing a bad sweater and crying for what could have been. Think camping, think car-sharing with mates, think cooking in the hostel and you’ll realise it can be done for often less than the price of those new carbon handlebars you don’t really need… at least not this week.

Use Indoor Time Proactively

That’s it! Enough whining. If you must stay in and read, well at least make it research on how to build me and every other fanatic in Sydney an indoor bike park like Ray’s which seem to be popping up all over the USA and Canada.

Research how to write a business plan, get a loan and get to it quick. we’re crying out for one in every capital city so what are you waiting for?!

Suggestions that the race could be turned into a triathalon with an early swim around Kowen Forest, followed by the the obligatory Cap Punishment road section and then a quick run (with your bike on shoulder) up Mt Stromlo have been ignored by organisers who favoured a traditional MTB race.

There was some good news from organisers, AROC Sports:

The Good News:
We have a great new route through the Defence land. For those who have done the event previously the long, tiring, horrible section through the paddocks has gone. For those new to the race – you will be pleased you’ll never have to experience it!

Instead we have a more direct route on the main trail through the Majura Military Training Area – many thanks to the guys out there and the Defence personnel who have helped to make this happen. This also means more space for more single track and the ability to bring in Sparrow Hill for 2013 once the new section of Kings Highway is opened.

Personally, I’m glad AROC have had the foresight to pull the pin early on and let us all know that we have the weekend off, or to at least make racing arrangements on higher, drier ground.

With the James Williamson Challenge this weekend in the Southern Highlands and the Mont 24 hr race taking place the week following at Kowen, watch this space for news of more postponements

For more info on Capital Punishment: http://www.capitalpunishmentmtb.com.au/

For more info on the Willo: http://jameswilliamson.com.au/enduro/

For more info on ‘The Mont’ 24 hour: http://www.mont24.com.au/

Newton’s Nation organisers have teamed up with MTB racing supremos Rocky Trail Entertainment to ensure its an awesome event.

“Our downhillers will be in for a treat on the Mount Panorama trails and we are excited to run these events with Newtons Nation. The races will perfectly complement the state series that we have been organising – we’re going to kick off the state gravity racing season with a bang this year”, said Martin Wisata from Rocky Trail.

And with the likes of Sam Hill and Jill Kintner showing up to the last Newton’s Nation, you know there must be something to the trails set out down the slopes of Australia’s most infamous racing mountain… and we’ll all be wondering what famous faces might show up this year!

“We must be onto something good”, said Ben Perry, self-appointed Prime Minister of Newtons Nation. Promising a serious speed dash for the 2060 Downhill with technical rock features and a thrilling ride between gullies from the top to bottom, he adds that the Dual Slalom will be on two parallel tracks, starting right in the heart of the event centre.

Fast forward this YouTube vid to the 5min mark to see some awesome coverage of the 2060 DH from Fuel TV. Quick Interview with World Champ Sam Hill at the 7 min mark too

Registration fees for competitors also include the three-day music festival entry passes. Newtons Nation will announce the bands to play by the end of February and primary sponsor Sony Music has already promised an awesome line up.

To get registered to race, visit www.rockytrailentertainment.com

or, check out more of what Newton’s Nation is all about at www.newtonsnation.com.au

More Mountain Biking Videos

Its a great chat with Gary about his origins in cycling, discovering off-road cycling and all the players in those heady early days. The interview goes on to talk about the 29er and the future of cycling in general; particularly as US roadways continue to become clogged with cars.

The interview makes for some good background listening and you can find it here on WJCU’s site

Mountain Biking is already an accepted use of National Parks within NSW, but only on Firetrails and access roads, while enjoying singletrack in the parks is currently illegal. Singletrack in NPWS parks still gets a work out though, with plenty of riders ignoring the sanction and delving onto these trails; often causing some bad blood with trail managers and other users.

As part of the proposal, NPWS has released a discussion paper around Mountain Biking which you can read here, and it’s perhaps surprisingly supportive of Mountain Biking, its benefits to health and wellbeing, its role in park usage and advantages for the sustainability of these reserves.

NPWS has also been running a number of consultation workshops to gauge feedback from Mountain Bikers and other park users on the subject. They are unfortunately all complete now except for the final in Port Macquarie (Tuesday 19 October 6-8pm, Port Macquarie Golf Club) but there is still plenty of opportunity to be involved on their site.

Simply go to https://mountainbiking.discussions.nsw.gov.au/ and read the summary on each part of the proposal before adding your thoughts about each section. It doesn’t take long and just requires a little thought on each matter and a constructive comment. Remember, this is massive that NPWS is even considering our opinions, so they are looking for quality feedback about how Mountain Bikers can be included and meshed with all other park uses… Old complaints about how we have possibly been ignored in the past or arguing with other comments is just going to be ignored and make us look a bit juvenile – NPWS is also unlikely to build a ski lift in the Lane Cove National Park either, but we can see about that for next time perhaps?!

Submissions close in a week (Monday 23rd of October 2010) so get in now and have your say before it’s too late – no letters to write, no ‘dear sirs’ or hard-core formatting required – simply read and comment, and remember that our strength is in our numbers, so just by commenting you are advancing the cause!

Firstly, the team has now signed on to ride Giant bikes this season with the team being kitted out on the manufacturer’s 2011 top-line race bikes and in particular, the sweet 2011 Anthem X0 carbon models for the rougher courses and enduros. Troy Glennan will be hitting the trails on the brand’s 29er models too.

Rockstar team manager Dwight Woodford said the move to Giant was an easy one because “they provide an excellent level of race support at events and are just so pro-active in the general race scene, both on and off road… Its made all the more easy when you are just dealing with such nice people!”

Perhaps bigger news is that the team has now signed Josh Carlson to the team to take care of duties both at home and overseas in the XC and Enduro formats. Josh comes to Rockstar from Giant’s own race team and was with Specialized just a few month’s beforehand. Carlson finished third in the 2010 National Championships and took out the Capital Punishment 50km race earlier this year.

“Josh brings a super-high level of enthusiasm to a team which already has a massive level of depth which is really exciting. His strength lies in XC which means we’ll also be able to really take Rockstar into those areas”

And the new additions of Carlson and Giant Bicycles is already paying dividends with the team finishing second overall in the 2010 Scott 24 last weekend and Carlson already proving his value by bringing in both the fastest day and night laps over some highly vaunted riders.

Douglas said of her win that she would consider retirement now with two Australian titles and a Worlds Championship, but that we should also ‘ask her again in a week’ and paid tribute to the other competitors in the women’s event, her husband and support Norm and her own solid preparation in taking the victory. She said that the last three hours were a mental battle to keep on the bike as “it was so brutal, my mind was saying you know you need to do it but I really don’t want to.”

He’s been long known now as ‘Mr Consistency’, but fellow Aussie Jason English seemed to surprise no-one but himself in taking his second consecutive World Solo Championship. English took the lead of the race on lap 6 after watching Canada’s Cory Wallace roar off into the distance initially. Wallace suffered 2 flats out on course though – one taking 8 minutes off his lap and the next taking twenty with both certainly putting a dent in his mental game. He crossed the line 45 minutes and 18 seconds after English and 2 minutes or so before Team Ay-Up’s Andy Fellows.

Of huge note is the effort of young Aussie Victorian Scott Chancellor out on track as he raced as to as high as 2nd place throughout the night and eventually finishing 4th after his 22 laps. He is certainly a huge contender for future world titles, really only just missing out on a podium this time.

And in the singlespeeds I have to ask again where Brett Bellchambers gets his strength from? Taking out the men’s Singlespeed World title and finishing 7th overall is a huge accomplishment. With the depth of talent at a race like this, it goes without saying that Bellchambers would be giving the rest of the world a huge shunt if the playing was (mind the pun) more evenly geared. Right behind Brett though was his ‘young Padawan’ Ed McDonald and experienced Southern Highlander Brendan Den.

The singlespeed row was one of the more relaxed places to be in the paddock with the crew from the Mal Adjusted Team (including Bellchambers, McDonald and Women’s singlespeed winner Bec Parkes’ support teams) donning beards, downing beers and generally keeping us all amused and awake throughout the night. Bec took to the final lap with a can of Coopers in her bottle cage to celebrate taking the Women’s Singlespeed title.

And so another World Championship comes to a close and the first outside of North America too as I wonder where they will be next year, will Jess Douglas retire (I doubt it’s possible she could) and will English make it 3 in a row?