Rocky Trail Shimano Grand Prix at Ourimbah

The trails of Ourimbah hit our top 10 fun list, with plenty of flow and a good selection of technical challenges, it makes a great ride on just about any bike. Add a round of Rocky Trails GP to the mix and you can have over 300 riders of mixed abilities all wanting a piece of the action.

Photo: Belinda Althaus, BMC

We cut straight to the action at two and a half hours after the obligatory sighting and conga first lap, and a solid three following laps, reminiscent of our previous racing. It finally dawned on my body that this was the most riding I had done in quite a few months I hit the wall, shifted for granny-gear and sucked the chain behind the cluster.

With my legs protesting I mustered the strength to focus on completing the four hours, pulled the chain from behind the cluster, tweaked the stop screw and got back on the saddle. From here I found the great thing about riding at more of a social pace was I now shared time on the trail with those I usually hardly saw. We could hoot down the descents and cruise through the climbs having a good gasbag along the way.

Photo: Belinda Althaus, BMC

The choice of trails saw some riders say “no thank you” during a pre-race reconnaissance ride, some mid first lap, but the majority accepted what we think was the toughest GP course ever set, to test many aspects of themselves and their bikes. Massive shout to my JetBlack Racing team-mates who collected some great results across the categories and whose support and encouragement, both on and off the trail is much appreciated.

The next endurance race from Rocky Trail is the JetBlack 12hr hosted by James Estate. Bring on the fun times and we see you there.

Photo: Sonter, JetBlack Racing.