WSMTB 4hr

After the Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn I was keen to follow up with a shorter event and continue to include some night riding. WSMTB’s final round of their Summer Series would fit well to the brief, 4hrs of twilight racing at Yellomundee.

A fast start saw me slip through the pack and Big Dog, as a spectator, had me under pressure to clear the climb out of Max’s Bridge. Don’t be the first to falter! A lap later I found my comfortable pace, easing back on the jets and keeping team mate Phil Welsh company.

Josh leads me on the initial sections of the first lap. Photo: Cuttsnake

Phil’s race report describes our race neatly.

"The... green and black jersey, belonged to Michael Crummy, and catching and passing my rival from last week, was to prove a far more difficult proposition. For the next eight laps, we were to exchange the leading position frequently. Crummy is a far superior descender and this would, therefore, require me to expend surplus energy on the flatter sections and the climbs. The friendly battle meant the first three hours were to pass almost unnoticed."

Phil is nowhere to be seen. Photo: Cuttsnake

It was a great evening of racing and the Yellomundee course was bedding-in nicely, after the recent rain had washed sand through many of the corners. Good to see a heap of competitive racing and plenty of prizes by the sponsors for those that excelled in their catagories. Thanks the RFS for the post race nutrition and WSMTB for putting on another smooth event.

Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn with Video

When someone said it had been five years since the last Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn I was surprised. I soon realised that particular event could have been my last Dusk till Dawn too. It seems like this format of racing is under utilised.
Having previewed the Tamworth course last year I was keen to visit again. The mixture of flowing corners, rocks and pinch climbs had me intrigued. To top it off the Ay-Up Dusk till Dawn was offing 100% single-track and all-night riding.

Like many parts of NSW for that weekend it was forecast rain but still that heat we had been putting up  with was going to stick around. If it did rain it would make this track even more interesting, I fitted all-round tyres and crossed my fingers. For this event I was teaming up with Sean Bekkers in the hope that pairs would offer us more chance to socialise, enjoying the event from a different perspective.
We kicked off the race against a quality field of both teams and solo riders, going for a single lap strategy to begin with. Just a couple of laps in and it was dark and any mistakes could be costly. Sean punctured on the first lap of our double laps sending me out to do a first double and giving him a time to sort out tyres.

The team keeping tabs on us and our close competitors was a team of three, all three very good cyclists in their own right. It looked like the competition between us would continue all night. It was great to be able to watch the other battles from the sideline during the night, as Sean punched out his laps, especially between the leading solo riders.
After six hours of racing the tight sections and pinch climbs began taking their toll and the team of three  were getting faster and faster, finding their groove as the night went on. With eleven kilometres of trail there was plenty of space between riders and during that post midnight period it seemed quite often like you were the only one out there. A special time to be out on the trail.

In the final hours we had a comfortable lead in our pairs category, the team of three challenging us all night finally caught us and made a good time gap. The leading team remained the same for the whole 12hrs, these guys were on fire and untouchable from the word go. A massive effort by all the solo riders on what was a fantastic but tough course.
A great event on a trail I hope to visit more often, hot food, drinks, cool showers, endless trackside camping, all just outside of Tamworth town centre. Thanks to Ay-Up and Sean Bekkers for the support and fantastic lights. Got to love getting back into night racing!

Product Review - Lezyne Trigger Speed Drive Co2 Inflator - Belinda Althaus

I have had this little piece of kit for a few months now, but up till this point I haven’t had a chance to use it in a race scenario where time is crucial.  I have my MTB tyres set up as tubeless and although I always take one spare tube on a race, I prefer not o have to use it.  During the recent Ginja Ninja 250 MTB race in Orange , I found my front wheel was falling from underneath me and steering was becoming difficult and unco-ordinated, not to mention the wet and muddy track which wasn’t helping.  I pulled over and decided to test out the tubeless capabilities and the Lezyne Trigger Speed Drive ; I was trying to avoid putting in a tube in these conditions….
With a quick screw in of the canister onto the inflator, the inflator slides straight onto the valve with no other attachment required.  From here the adaptor is compressed and the tyres are quickly inflated.  This whole process took about a minute. Absolutely brilliant, particularly combined with the tubeless tyres.  In addition the Inflator takes both threaded Lezyne and specialized canisters of both 16g and 25g for road/mtb tyres, and I could imagine other brands to.  This particular model services presta valves only, however other models are available which are compatible with schrader valves.  If time is crucial to you, these are a must for your back pocket.  Lightweight and small, these little beauties won’t break the budget.  http://www.lezyne.com details the other products available in the range, as well as spare parts.

Ginja Ninja Race Report - Belinda Althaus

Last Sunday the 16 Feb 14, riders descended on the trails of Kinross State Forest in Orange for the annual Ginja Ninja 250, held by Rocket on 2 Wheels.  Unfortunately the weather proved a deterrent for some riders with a handful of non-starters, however for those that did turn-up on the drizzly Sunday morning the race was going to prove a challenge in all aspects. With the rain setting in, there was a possibility of a delayed start, but to the luck of us eager riders the rain cleared half hour prior to race start and it was a case of go-hard or go home.  

150 odd riders competing as solos, single-speeders, pairs and trios contended the fast flowing 9km circuit around the forest.  There were 4 females contending the solo elite women. With minimal fire road and maximum single track, the race was tight, semi technical due to the wet, but loads of fun.  

The race started with a mass start up a fire-road before we traversed through the single track.  The first lap sorted the riders out, with a decent section of single track up a climb in the first kilometre giving those with speed a chance to gain a break from the field. The mud was a plenty, as were the various puddles that had popped up over the morning, however this didn’t bother the determined and we charged on.

Bel is having fun mist the mud.

I was able to get into a rhythm early; however parts of the track were quickly getting chewed up after all the rain.  Corners required careful execution, descents were a little slippery but overall the track held up, and I was able to hold consistent lap times.  Around the half way mark I was keen to know my position, and when I asked my assistant I was under the assumption that the leader was about half a lap (20mins) in front of me.  In the conditions, this was going to be a massive task; therefore I made the decision to keep at the pace I was going and prevent any other ladies from lapping me.  

Lap 6 concluded at a time of 4hr 4min, and I was at the point of making a decision to push out another lap, or roll in for the day.  Still under the assumption that I wasn’t near the leader I procrastinated before making the decision to head out again.  The final lap was quiet with many riders already finished, this made for a good lap.  I finally came through transition for the final time, relieved to be finished and to finally get some of the mud that had caked to my body off.  

A quick clean up and it was off to presentations.  At this point I still had no idea where I was sitting, but was pretty certain I had a podium spot.  To my surprise, Laura Renshaw who I thought was in first came in third, myself in second and Danielle Pollock pipping me on the post by a mere two minutes with us both totally 7 laps.  

Downside for the day was getting a flat around 4 laps, however with my trusty Lezyne Trigger Co2 pump, and tubeless tyres I was rolling within a few minutes.  It was a great day out with everyone enthusiastic and friendly even amongst all the mud.  Rodney Farrell did a superb job with organising the event, and the timing was efficient.  All the volunteers were friendly and the photographers and spectators/fellow cyclist were encouraging.  I will certainly try get back there in 2015 to give this one another go!