WSMTB XC Club Round 7

Steeper than it looks. Photo: Flynn

It has been a while since we last raced with WSMTB but it is always great to roll into Yellomundee and see close to 100 people rolling around on their bikes.

In A Grade Luke Brame was back from the UCI World Championships, along side Ben Metcalfe and Ben Green this trio were going to be hard to keep with throughout the fast five laps.

It must have been close to a record field of women across the five senior grades, with the Chocolate Foot pair, Melissa Nuttall and Fi Dick taking line honours for A and B Grade respectively.



Spectators were in awe of the single speed riders, who made everything look so easy. The on-lookers found their preferred spots where they could see the grind climbs or technical descents, encouraging riders as they passed by.

Full results of all Grades here.

The WSMTB Club Championships is the next XC event on the calendar. 26th October at Yellomundee. Keep an eye out for the club's 4hr Summer Series in the coming months too.

Ascent from Max's Bridge. Photo: Simpson

Tractor Tyre. Photo: Pickles

Grand Prix Stromlo

Tar start. Photo:Sonter

It is that time of year when the Rocky Trail Shimano Grand Prix visits Canberra and the trails of Stromlo. Every opportunity we get to ride Stromlo gets us excited, from the 24s to the DH runs. And so it was we work our was through the recent roadworks at the foot of Stromlo pulling up with plenty of time to prepare for another instalment of the GP4.

Photo: CrummyMTB

Rocky Trail picked the same trails for us to ride as last year, with a good series of climbs and descents, making the use of just a small section of the mountain. Dry hard-packed trails and exposed rocks throughout the technical sections saw us choose the Pivot 429 for its more comfortable ride. There were a couple of changes from last year, a loop of the bitumen crit track as part of the start lessening the initial conga and finally, electronic timing.

A quick review of lap times and of the riders we finished between we were the worst starters. Lap 7 saw us sit back easy behind a couple of 7hr solos on the climb, giving a couple of minutes to our previously consistent times and on lap 8 we were joined by a team-mate, probably taking it to easy on the descent.

A fun GP4, a great bunch of riders. Thanks to the team for their support. Another rocking event.

Back Yamma Bigfoot

Back Yamma Bigfoot had always been one of those events we had heard about but just hadn't gotten around to checking out. So when Rod from RocketOn2Wheels, the event organisers of the Ginja Ninja 250, reminded me early in the year the BYBF was on, I snuck it onto the calendar, locking in our trip to central NSW.

Parkes township. Photo: CrummyMTB

And so it was we headed away from the coastal rainstorms and precipitation in Sydney for the sparseness of the countryside, clearing skies and wide-open roads. Parkes is the closest township to the Back Yamma State Forest and is home to two main themes, Elvis and the radio telescope now commonly called "The Dish". Just once a year midst the travelling trucks, caravans and locals, mountain bikers converge on the picturesque town for the BYBF.

A short dusty trail brought us to the event centre, plenty of parking and plenty of people had taken the opportunity to camp on-location. Kids were on bikes, Rotary were warming up the BBQ and there was a leasurely vibe before the start of our BYBF challenge.

The exciting thing about getting to an event, new to us, are the unknowns, but I couldn't help myself and visited Ed McDonald's blog to see what the past events have been like and what I might be expecting. I wasn't expecting "the rules", but then you get a little wackiness from Ed's glorious reads.

RocketOn2Wheels promised the fastest marathon in Australia, along with vivid images Ed painted and words from those who pre-rode sections of the course, it was suppose fairly flat, fast and mostly single-track.

The Back Yamma Big Foot was this plus more. A hard, fast start and long fire-trail opening section sorted the field out. The trail was dry but somehow we found the mud and it was sprayed, moto-style, all over us.

We lead Steve through the 50km transition. Photo: CrummyMTB

The dry creek lines we had to negiotate were a surprise and the single-track was better than expected. Fast, flowing and they seemed endless. We would eventually bust off the back of what seemed like the second pack a good twenty minutes or so into the race and then joined by two riders who we would spend the rest of the race with (Steve and Brian).

Out in front James Downing was making his own race and you can read about it on his blog. We were some way back rapidly finding ourselves on no-mans-land, some where between fast and steady. Just us and the trail.

James pinning it. Photo: CrummyMTB

Pivot's 429 was the ride of choice for us at Back Yamma, making the trail a magic carpet ride even through the rough and raw new sections of single-track. It was great to see such diversity of riders all enjoying the trail, managing to catch and encourage some 50km riders on our second loop. While we were out on trail the 27km event was started and completed, with plenty of juniors giving it a good go. A couple juniors commented how it was a "sweet run" and to "bring on Back Yamma 2015", competition looks fierce.

Magic ride. Photo: CrummyMTB

The Back Yamma Bigfoot is a great ride, we couldn't believe there was so much singletrack in what seemed like the middle of nowhere. If your looking for your first 50km ride, if you want a personal best or first time 100km, the Back Yamma fits the bill. Get off the coast and enjoy country NSW's fine trails.

Keep an eye out for RocketOn2Wheels' next event the Ginja Ninja 250 and catch you on the trails soon.

Result Summary of our 2014 Back Yamma Bigfoot.

Brian from Sydney XC Racing - 7th Open - 4:23:49

Steve from WSMTB - 2nd SS - 4:24:31
Crummy from JetBlack Racing - 8th Open - 4:25:51
Ian Anderson - Who we thought was way ahead - 9th Open - 4:26:32

Rocky Trail Shimano Mountain Bike Grand Prix - Stromlo

Words by: Belinda Althaus

Mt Stromlo trails, need I say more?  A satisfying 4hrs or racing with a combination of trails which would put a smile on any eager endurance rider.

The RT crew picked a course which had a superb balance of leg pumping climbing, followed by equally fun berms and flowing singletrack and let's not forget "skyline"!

270 odd riders, ascended on the day and the competition was fierce being the last round of the Shimano GP series.  Rival competitor Wendy Stevenson was quick to gain front position and managed to hold this lead ahead of Erin Zimmer and the rest of the 4hr elite women competitors.  I managed to hold 4th position behind these two and local Kim Smith for most of the race. 

My lap times were consistent, and my legs were feeling good. Coming round for my final lap and I had Kim in my sights and I was spurred on to draw her back. 

A steady climb ahead proved a valuable opportunity and with that I made the pass and opened up a 3 min gap. 

Podium time.

I came in behind Wendy and Erin to gain 3rd on the podium and another successful day on the mountain bike.  A great event, and its nice to meetso many encouraging people of all abilities. 

What more could you want when your grinding it out for 4 hrs....  

General Graph of the GP4 Elite Woman lap times.

Specialized Women’s Cascades – XC MTB Shoes

Words by Belinda Althaus.

Slippers, super-light, rigid, and down-right cool looking.  This is my take on the Specialized Cascades. 

I’ve used them in a few endurance races now and they’re incredibly light weight for a mountain bike shoe and with a carbon sole are incredibly stiff - increased power transfer, done!  These bad boys are only 40gms heavier per shoe compared to the S Works XC shoe and have a carbon sole stiffness index of 11.0 compared to 13.0 of the S Works model.  The other bonus is they are primarily black, which when it comes to mountain biking always goes down well when weather can unpredictable. The shoes come with the main boa dial plus two Velcro straps.  Extra grip lugs are also provided and as with all Specialized products replacements for most working components are available in the case of misfortune. 

Whether you’re a weekend trailblazer, recreational racer, out to set PB’s or podium these Cascades will win you over in comfort, stiffness and looks and most of all make you feel faster.

#Berrymountaincycles #SpecializedAustralia #WomensCascadeXC

Chocolate Foot Singletrack Mind Series – Rnd 4 Coondoo Nowra

Words by Belinda Althaus.


Flowing, fast, super fun, and amazing weather. This was round 4 of the Chocolate Foot STM Series at Coondoo in a nutshell.  The weather put on a show after what had been a pretty miserable week and even had the organisers on their toes right till the last minute. However the correct decision was made to keep the race going ahead and I’m glad they did!

BMC Setup.

I was keen for this race, it was my local track and that meant one thing….I knew it!!  This eased the anxiety and allowed for a relatively cruisy morning for the travelling and setup.   After helping the BerryMountain Cycles crew a little to set up their shop tent, it was time to prep the bike, sort my food and get in a warm up – Done!  Before long we were all riding up Coondoo road in anticipation for the start.  With minutes to spare, we were off and racing. 

The race as usual had a mass start followed by single-track which created the well-known bottleneck and slowed to snail’s pace, but I had managed to stay near the front bunch and this provided a good position going into the laps.  I knew I had at least three other competitors, but in reality I only really new who one of these were.  The girls I was up against had been challenging each other over the whole series and therefore I was the dark horse.

Race Reporter, Bel Athaus.

The first lap went well…until the mud. We had been warned about this, and true to their word we just had to suck it up and grind it out.  I still to this day vouch that this was the hardest part physically of the entire lap...No not really it, it just slowed me down  Coming round to the end of the first lap and I found Eva Boland approaching my tail.  She had been scanning for competitors coming up the snake track.  I made the mistake of identifying myself as her fellow competitor in the 4hr open female category, and this was my first mistake. She followed me to the climb and at this point opened up a gap which was going to make me work hard. I held back fearing we were only on the first lap and had quite a few to go and came up towards the “Bridge” at transition. Pedal hard, power up and don’t think too hard about it. Down the other side and I was relieved to have successfully gotten over it.  Lap 2 saw me approach Eva again in the mud section.  I stayed with her, but again she hit it on the climbs, and slowly creeped away.  I knew at this time that the only thing holding me back was some fitness, and therefore settled into a comfortable but consistent pace.  My goal now was to ensure no other competitors in my category passed me.  The laps went well, I was racing pretty well and about mid-way learned I was in second place. I was determined to stay at this position and pushed on to the end.  The final hour saw me squeeze in the last two laps and bring my total to 7.  I was relieved to finish, and congratulated Eva on her ride well done.  Melissa Nuttal came home in third place. 

Photo: Dave Bateman

Another great and successful day out on the bike.  The girls were fair, raced hard and proved to be worthy competitors.  The team at Chocolate Foot did an amazing job with organising and I’m glad they held the race even against the weather gods.  The amazing trail blazers from South Coast United Mountain bikers had the track mickey-mouse and have worked tirelessly over recent months to build new tracks and refresh the older ones, and this day was a showcase of some awesome trails.  I’m glad to have the privilege to ride them whenever! Thanks also to the continued support from BerryMountain Cycles for keeping me geared up, my bike tuned and just for the encouragement.  You guys rock! 

The final round of the CF series sees it heading to Orange in October. I’ve locked this one in because they too have some amazing trails, and I can’t wait to get back there…Till next time.

Ground Effect Frosty Boy

We grab the jacket, it is soft and fleecy, it keeps us warm through the coldest rides. Since the morning temperatures dropped below 10 degrees and all through winter we have been donning my Frosty Boy, we throw it over a simple base layer and we’re ready for the early starts.

With a windfoil front, shoulders and arms it is so, so toasty. It is well cut, has a high collar and a Ground Effect generous tail to cover your back when in a cycling position. Integrated reflective piping helps keep us more visible in low light conditions.

We did however try to layer-up one very cold morning and the Frosty Boy over the top was just too much once we were warmed up. In saying that we have seen Frosty Boys as the jacket of choice for Tour Divide riders, it is defiantly suited to those more extreme cold conditions possible and at just over 300g it is nice and light. It fitted neatly next to our First Aid kit in our backpack for our epic rides.

Finally it did rain in Sydney and we were out in it with our Frosty Boy on, surprisingly it held off the moisture for our short trip and dried quickly when hung between rides. The ¾ zip is good to let a little cool air in or to get the jacket off with a helmet still on.

The Frost Boy is another great bit of kit from Ground Effect, it has cut through the cold air virtually every day this winter, our arm warmers have been long forgotten.