The WEMBO Course

Being a World Championship the choice of trails is important and while WEMBO are yet to publicise the chosen trails for 2013 the 2010 World Solo Championship course gives us an idea of what might be install.

Starting on the Crit Track the trail will head down to Holden’s Creek, riders will be able to refuel through this section, as the trail is not overly technical. It then heads to Fence-line, which popes you out at Cockatoo Switchbacks, this is the first ascent towards the top and is the main ascent trail. The ascending tracks are not highly technical, groups will form and we could see the main WEMBO contenders go straight to the front to test the legs, but this only the start of a laps ascents. Once you arrive at Echidna Gap Junction the trail really starts to get interesting in our eyes. 

The 2010 Course, 

The first descent will be down Western Wedge-tail, while this trail is not overly technical; it is very rocky and will take a toll on the body. From here you will head down into Pork Barrel, a highly technical track, if your not concentrating you will crash.  At the moment Pork Barrel is not in the best condition and could dramatically change during the race.

Next up is Party Line; this is a very well known track to those who visit Stromlo regularly. The trail has featured in many events and with its sweeping berms on which you can hold your speed throughout. Party Line will be one of the most enjoyed track on the day but it is likely the conditions will change during the night, get worse as the race goes on. You will then climb back up to get the XCM Climb via Skips, during this section you will be able to hydrate and get a gel down. The XCM Climb is where there maybe some fireworks as WEMBO contenders put legs to the test again. The climb is a steep rutty fire-trail and can be very technical, get out of the saddle and spinout. Eventually you will pop out at Echidna Gap Junction for the second time, from here you will head down Roller Coaster, the current state of this track is bad and it is unlikely it will not change between now and October. Roller Coaster could be considered a technical part of the course and is a place you could quite easily crash if not careful.

Joining on from the Roller Coaster the course could possibly use the famous Skyline and Luge tracks, these descending trails wind down towards transition, are currently in good condition and hold up very well throughout 24-hour events.

A big factor will be how the trails hold up from the Scott 24-hour which is just the week prior to WEMBO. The trails listed above are just some of the available routes around Stromlo, check out the Scott 24hr website for the 2013 Scott course for other possible variations.

James Ross, OnTheGo Racing

James is current Under 23 National Solo 24hr Champion. He has, over the last few months, spent countless hours training specifically for WEMBO and as you can see has intimate knowledge of Stromlo's trails. Watch this guy come October.

Some CrummyMTB videos that feature Stromlo trails:
2011 Scott 24hr
2012 Rollercoaster
2012 Rollercoaster Champs
2012 ADCC Champs 
2013 Flow Rollercoaster

The Hills Trail Preview

Getting out with some local riders to check out their trails. Some sweet spots discovered.

Tour Divide - Rider Report

Hugh Harvey still struggles to get his head around what he has accomplished, even now, 40 days after the event. "I'm struggling it let it go... I slowed down way more than I should have in the second half", Hugh explains. Now that he is back at work after completing the adventure of a life time he is constantly wondering "what if?".

There are really only two words that need to be said when it comes to Hughes adventure, Tour Divide. The grand tour of mountain biking with over 4,400km of non-stop unsupported solo racing, it follows the rough trails traversing the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico. This would have be one of the best self-finding events, you ride every day to its own, you live in the present and are heavily connected to moving forward. "What has happened is in the past, and there is just no predicting what may come in the future," Hugh reflects, "there is much zen in just pedalling when you are on the bike, and eating and sleeping when you are not".

It has taken Hugh some time to recover and he finds it difficult separate the Tours days, let alone one climb from another. How ever he does remember the toughest days, "they were early on when it wasn't clear how hard to push". With 143 at the starting line in Banff, Canada, there were over 50 riders scratched by the time they hit the boarder. It was this last section of the race that Hugh found difficult too, as the towns were a long way apart. At this stage when eating junk food from the gas stations just wasn't enough, especially after eating big and often on most days leading up. There is a fine line between exhaustion and broken. 

The Tour Divide is virtually all off road and the weather conditions you may have to ride in extend from snow and golf ball sized hail coming off Fleecer Ridge through, gail force head winds off the Great Divide basin in Wyoming through to the 40 degree heat for the whole of New Mexico section. As a cycling enthusiast this was Hugh's first serious bicycle race that he had ever been in and he agrees that this format of event seems to have suited. 

"You just get out there and ride for as far as you can and then try and grab a couple of hours sleep before jumping back on the bike", Hugh explains, we are sure it may have been a fraction more than just that, with the complexities of navigation, resupply and avoiding wildlife.

Following the race by afar is easy with the Spot GPS Trackers carried by all entrants, these devices give an almost instant position of all the riders at any one time. We could follow the blue dots as they slowly progress south across our computer screens in their two dimensional landscape. On the flip side the riders were negotiating more than just the landscape, the wildlife had many worried, especially the grizzlies. "Most people carried bear spray and were blowing whistles that kind of thing. We pass through a couple of grizzly hotspots, Whitefish Valley which is where the US National Parks Service relocate the grizzlies from the other parts of the country if they have become a problem" Hugh goes on, "I spotted a couple of cougars, all the locals say they are much more dangerous than the bears".

Unfortunately Hugh's mate Walter was hit by at ute 20 miles from Rawlins and it took some effort for him to push on, especially with the thought of a whole lot more cycling on his own. But a new found personal discipline created by days and days in the saddle where the distractions were enjoyable settled to far more constant forward momentum. Basically, Hugh describes, if you can keep the body, bike and brain in the right spot then that is what the Tour Divide is about. 

Finished a midfield 23rd in a little over 21 days, Hugh is now finding himself obsessing about the race, far more than he did before the event. While exceeding his own expectations during the initial days, there is just a seed of disappointment having not pushed and ridden as hard as he could. "I'm still struggling to get my head around what happened out there, the event, the course and the knowledge of self that I now have, it means that I am constantly wondering "what if?".

Quick Event Wrap and Video - JetBlack WSMTB 12hr

With the World Endurance Mountain Bike Organisation’s (WEMBO) Solo 24hr Championships being held at Mt Stromlo in October, those keen to show some of their cards headed to Dargle Farm for this years JetBlack WSMTB 12hr held on the weekend. Rocky Trail Entertainment the event organisers claim they had more than 350 participants racing across a variety of categories, from solo to teams of four.

It was Jason English, reigning WEMBO champion who claimed the solo elite win after 12 hours of racing at Dargle, for the fifth time in a row. He looked rock solid all day and chalked this win up as good training for the WEMBO Champs later in the year. National Solo 24hr Champion Liz Smith managed the most laps over her competitors in her solo elite category, adding this 2013 win to her 2011 win of the same event.

More than just a handful of goodies were up for grabs in the solo Masters category, with the winner also receiving an entry to the synonymous Crocodile Trophy, an honour valued at over $2500. Masters category dominator Pete Selkrig was viewed as the favourite to take the win, but it was patient super competitor Phil Welsh that moved through the ranks and held off the remaining competition, claiming the Croc Trophy entry.

WSMTB XC Blue Gum Video

Bring you some of the action from WSMTB's round of XC racing at Blue Gum.

Trail Preview

JetBlack WSMTB 12hr Trail Preview, need to say any more?

Rollercoaster Stromlo Video

Bringing some of the fun had, more downhill and plenty of it! Enjoy.