BottleButt Prelude

The BottleButt is newest 100km event to join the ever growing list of MTB Enduros. Located in the Port Macquarie region and designed in consultation with local resident 2x World Solo Champion Jason English. The trails used by the event were to take us through the lush State Forest of the Mid-North Coast around Queens Lake and Burrawan.

Due to clashes with other events in the area on the first scheduled weekend the BottleButt was postponed to November, just one week after the highly popular Highland Fling in the Southern Highlands . The Fling was to be the final round of the XCM Marathon Series and the BottleButt, originally on the list, therefore was scrubbed from the Series.

A week before the event changes were being made to the course. Bago Bluff climb was removed and the 100km riders would now complete a double loop of the Jolly Nose trails. Entries remained open till mid-week before the event, unlike most 100km Enduros this year the event did not reach capacity. Turns out numbers were slim and more like a club Enduro with 140 entrants over both the 50km and 100km.

Weather was going to play a factor as the region had approximately 70mm of precipitation 48hrs prior. The Otway has had one (or two), Pleasure and Pain, Capital Punishment and most recently the Husky, all have seen wet races. Forecast was for it clear for the weekend.