WSMTB CX Round 1

A super fast launch for Open Bike to chase B Grade. Photo: Reynolds

WSMTB launch into the CX scene with Round 1 of their 2015 series held at the International Regatta Centre, Penrith. There was fun racing for the kids, then B Grade CX and Open Bike (mountain bike) which we competed in, followed by A Grade. It was a busy weekend for CX in Sydney with a "double-header", MWCC CX on Saturday and then WSMTB's CX on the Sunday. Plenty of room for more cowbell!

It takes a fair bit of work to pass through the twisty section of course. Photo: Reynolds

The course was basically around one of the small lakes followed by some corners, hurdles and mud. At 35mins of racing for Opens and B Grade you can ride on the limit for the whole time, in this instance it was about 10mins a lap for the front runners.

One of the mud pits. Photo: Reynolds

As our first real foray into CX we were pleased with our result, claiming a top 3 spot after a punishing 40mins of threshold HR. We rode our Pivot 429 Alloy, which was way to much bike but fun all the same. Setup remained standard for XC and endurance events, we might pick another bike for next time.
Fuel was provided by High5 Energy Source in the hour before the event.
See you at the next event!

Winter's Edge XC, Evocities MTB Series

CrummyMTB sandwiched between the SS crew. Photo: Fairfax Media

 Looking up the hill from the transition area, just outside Bathurst town centre, you could see plenty of thought had been put into etching out the trails. But what resounded immediately after the splendid trail wonder was the cold, cutting through layers of warm clothing like a knife.

Out on trail, the course flowed, many of the ascents followed the contour lines effortlessly. It was complemented with plenty of pay-off in rollers and berms that would see you smiling through to the limited grinds.

There were risks. A few jumps, a rock garden and man-made obstacles that certainly kept your mind sharp, the rewards were hardly a few seconds but if strung together could add up over time.

Race started well and there was a bit of time spent pacing with David Speering from Canberra. There were three of us at the time, as the photo above depicts, David on the front, Steve from the Blue Mountains on the back, both making it look easy on SS.

On the third and fourth lap, now having sussed out the general lines available the trio broke apart as we made the most of the top descent and our other favourite bits of trail. It was probably the next major climb Steve returned to my wheel and we rode together, having a blast on the fun trail.

At 2.5hrs in to the 4hr event it all started to slide a little, the grinding climbs seemed to get steeper as power faded from our legs. We had to let Steve go, there just wasn't the same on-trail pace.

On our final lap for our race we were dropping time rapidly and the cold was cutting through our body painfully. It seems we had spent our energy early and also in trying to keep warm. An unfortunate winter reminder.

Bathurst mountain bike trail, super fun and conveniently located. The Winter's Edge event a great addition to the Evocities Series.

Thanks to the JetBlack MTB Racing team and all our sponsors for their support. For this outing we rode our Pivot 429 Alloy in a (32t) 1x10 setup, X-Fusion Trace by DIY MTB working superbly. Smith Custom built wheels with the test Michelin Wild Race'r tyre on the back and Nobbly Nic on the front.

Catch you all next race! 

Race Results here.

Jamie Vogele's Blog.

Jason English's Blog.

There was plenty of fun descending to be had on this newly built trail. Photo: Fairfax Media

Wylde STM/Evocities Round

After WSMTB held the first ever mountain bike event at Wylde there was much anticipation of the second event. This second event would be the STM Round by Chocolate Foot, which also made part of the Evocities Series, drawing riders from as far as Port Mcquarie, Dubbo and Canberra.

Wylde last year at a trail ride day. Photo: CrummyMTB

We were surprised to see a whole bunch of fast names in the 4hr categories considering there was the lure of cash up for grabs in the 7hr. This included Giant rider Jon Odams, who lead the first lap and put pressure on the fast riders to keep up.

Start to the event with Jon Odams leading it out. Photo: CrummyMTB

A little further back we were ticking along and keeping en eye on our competitors through the winding trail. You could see the 30 second and minute gap riders ahead and behind, it was nice to slowly reel those who had a faster first lap over the remaining three and a half hours of racing.

Back a little further we kick off our race.

Were pretty happy to see we had reach a top 5 position within the category on viewing the results. Especially considering the strength of competition on the day, and the fact the weather didn't make as big impression as the WSMTB 4hr round.

Thanks to the JetBlack MTB Racing team and all our sponsors for their ongoing support. For this outing at Wylde we rode our Pivot 429 in a 1x10 setup with X-Fusion forks by DIY MTB. 

Catch you all next race! 

Team mate Phil Welch's blog.

Results from the event.

Video courtesy of Chocolate Foot.

Shimano Grand Prix - James Estate

A race in the Upper Hunter Valley is a good reason to spend the weekend in the picturesque region. Hosts to the event James Estate Wines not only pack a mountain bikers wine but a whole bunch of mountain bike friendly trails. Add a touch of Rocky Trail Entertainment enthusiasm and you have Round 1 of the fast and furious Shimano Grand Prix.

Rolling into James Estate the skies are clear, the tunes are pumping and by all reports are the trails are dry. There are a good couple of hundred riders in attendance from all over NSW and the ACT, plenty of team kits of fast riders and a whole bunch of first-timers keen for action.

The start. Photo: CrummyMTB

Always after improvement from our last race we negotiate our way to the front row, it is eight riders wide but there is a good drag up the farm road. This positions us within the first groups into the singletrack, getting a smooth roll through the narrow trails and a good look at the trail modifications. With no serious climbs there is plenty of fun to be had.

Over the first few hours we are in a good position, chasing hard but riding with experienced competitors, making it seem easy. The trail is mostly smooth and has some cool berms, just punctuated on the higher ground with with rocky features.

Simon Ballard follows Jason Morgan and CrummyMTB early on. Photo: CrummyMTB

Every time we pass through transition SBS's Mike Tomalarsis is on the mike, dishing out lap times and category positions. A quick bottle swap and then it is out onto the farm trail for the slight climb to the singletrack.

In the second half of our fast 4hrs it is deceivingly dry and warm and we unknowingly make an error in our nutrition consumption, this bites us a few laps later. Some of our competitors are slowly gaining time on the trail, we remind ourselves to relax and keep consistent. Then it happens, our quads start to cramp, we catch it and change body position. Minutes later both calves begin to cramp with just a few laps to completion.

The tables turned within the age group, Shane Taylor slipping outside the top 3. Photo: CrummyMTB

It was with great relief we headed out for the final lap. We couldn't match the speed of 40-49 competitor Scott Penzarella, who shot off up the trail at hour 1 speed, it had though been a good dual till that point. The last section of trail featured cow-trail, thankfully without the pats and a short punch up to transition. Turns out we had slipped into a top 3 position for our age group, a nice result for the first round of the Rocky Trail GP Series.

Thanks to the JetBlack MTB Racing team and all our sponsors for their support. We will be riding under the JetBlack/Lifestyle & Leisure banner all series. For this outing we rode our On-One Inbred in a 3x9 (modified 10spd clutch mech) setup, X-Fusion Slide by DIY MTB working superbly. 

Catch you all next race! 

Official Results here. Outer Image photos here. Team-mates Phil Welch and Jason Hewitt's blogs. 

WSMTB Summer Series at Wylde

It had been a while in the making, with plenty of work by WSMTB and those involved in the making of Western Sydney Parkland’s Wylde MTB Trail. After Round 1 was cancelled, so many riders had been crossing their fingers to get a chance to race the first Wylde event with WSMTB and finally it was here.

Mass rego line, everyone wanting to race Wylde. Photo: Steve Billington

There was some trepidation as the patchy morning sky gradually turned grey and almost on the queue of race start it began raining. A thirty-minute delay was called, the rain cloud passed and mud splatter was guaranteed.

JetBlack MTB Racing team excited in preperation. Photo: CrummyMTB

On race start we had lined up a little further back than we should have and consequently had to put up with a bit of conga-line traffic during the first lap. While out in front and settling a pace only some team riders could manage (Jason English-esque), was teammate Andrew Finlayson.

JetBlack MTB Racing's Andrew Finlayson leads the race. Photo: CrummyMTB

We had made the right choice to ride our Pivot 429 shod with Nobbly Nics and a Michelin Wild Race’r (review tyre) from race start. The huge widely spaced knobs on the Nic were near perfect in the wet conditions and we were able to use that control to our advantage, getting within sight of our competitors by the end of lap 1.

No caption needed. Photo: Scott Reynolds

There were many mishaps, even out on Lap 2, as the trail began to slowly change but it was still very slippery in sections. The Blue Mountains duo of Ian Anderson (fast-man from last weeks Ginja Ninja 250) and Steve Tomczyk (who also pipping us by a couple of minutes last week too) went down on the trail spectacularly in front of us, sliding sideways with their bikes like pancakes along the trail. We lost our numberplate shortly after as it was heavy with mud and we had to run back along the sodden trail to find it.

Making the most of the fast conditions. Photo: Scott Reynolds

The Pivot was having some shifting issues due to ingress of mud to the segmented wire outer (a full-length outer will be the next upgrade) and now a couple of laps in the trail was definatly drying out and getting faster. Time for a bike swap, to the cleaner, leaner, orange On One Inbred.

Now it was just settling into the pain of Wylde's short pinch climbs, which we think was the cause of some back discomfort many riders were experiencing. We had plenty of riders around us to ride with particularly Steve Billington from Quantum Racing. We were often in formation as a little pair zipping along the trails, keeping it relaxed and making it easy to for multiple riders flowing in a passing situations. We were making good time and slowly pulling back any fast XC riders out in front, both solos and teams.

Riding side by side for most of the 4hrs Steve Billington and author. Photo: Steve Billington

Getting the nutrition right was a big part of the day (could be a whole blog in its self) and we had purposely consumed a gel mid Lap 6 in prep for Lap 7, we wanted to ensure Steve had no answer for what our intentions were. Within the first 3km we could see that there was a neat gap between us, but we didn't turn the screws down till the second half of the lap, scream through the final sections making every double and railing every berm.

Solo male podium, L-R, Michael Crummy 2nd, Andrew Finlayson 1st. Not present Steve Billinton 3rd.
Photo: Scott Reynolds

Unbeknownst to most out on the trail the timing computer spat the dummy and the WSMTB timing crew had been working feverishly to pull results together. There was some anticipation at presentations as the top three team and solo riders were announced in each category, and it was a great surprise to hear Steve Billington announced as third place and that we had placed second to teammate Andrew Finlayson.

Massive shout to WSMTB and all the team behind pulling the Summer Series together. Bikeminded and our other LBS for supporting each round. Stans NoTubes and JetBlack for their support of the Series. Our team JetBlack MTB Racing for great camaraderie, and all our sponsors in which we ride for. Another top event and stoked to race Wylde for its first time!

Ginja Ninja 250

We headed to Orange to compete in the Ginja Ninja 250, the first round of the highly anticipated Evocities Series. Many top rides from around NSW/ACT were expected to enter this mostly regional NSW series, as it has large cash prize pool on offer.

Arriving on Saturday gave us the chance to ride a lap of the Ginja Ninja course, but it would have been rude not to ride two laps for all the fun the course offered. There were some slight changes over previous years course, with a couple more deliberate climbs thrown in this year, but on the flip side this also provided some exciting descending from said climbs.

We found out that the Banjo Paterson Festival had been running all week in Orange and Saturday night was the annual night markets. The park opposite DG Cycles in Orange was filled full of local food and beverage stalls. It was a great opportunity to sample local produce and mix with the thousands that converged on the markets that night.

Riders barrel along the firetrail before beginning the race loop. Photo: CrummyMTB

Race morning dawned and there was plenty of time for a civilized breakfast with a start of 10am for the Ginja Ninja. We had secured a transition location with a JetBlack 3x3 shade that had been erected the previous day. All that needed to be done, was any last minute prep (don’t forget our race plate!) and a warm up before all the fun began.

Slipping out of the way on start the Ginja Ninja and the Mayor start proceedings. Photo: Jude Keogh,  Central Western Daily 

We managed to hold a steady position near the front of the lead bunch slipping into the singletrack within the top twenty riders. From there it was all just gnashing at the bar and stem for the climbs, and whoops of joy while blasting back down again. 

The fire was lit and burning hot, it seemed we were lapping consistently, sub 30 minutes, and keeping pace with the leading age-groupers. We were keeping a close eye on our nutrition, the day was expected to warm up and we were burning energy fast with the high tempo. Our nutritional transitions were helped out by James “Chops” Lamb who was also looking after team-mates Kevin (riding SS) and Sara (riding Open Women), and during the midst of the midday heat he was on hand with a water-spray bottle keeping the team just that bit cooler in our fresh 2015 JetBlack MTB Racing kit.

For this event we weren’t stuck in no-mans-land riding by ourselves, it was nice to have plenty of company, like Alex from Quantum Racing and Garry James of Canberra Super Masters fame amongst those we rode with.

The author on pace. Photo: CrummyMTB

As for our team-mates, Kev had some mechanical issues and called it quits well before the 250^th minute. Still managed a top three placing for a guy new to the joy of single-speed. Sara rode strong amongst a very competitive womens field only to slip outside the top 5 in the final few laps. Well done to both, as this was their first Ginja Ninja outing.

Team-mate Sara Mills in the mix of the action. Photo: CrummyMTB

While the fast guys were jockeying for their top 5 positions we went on to place a solid 7^th against the quality Open Mens group. Thanks to the JetBlack MTB Racing team and all our sponsors for their support. We rode Pivot’s Mach 429 on a 1x10 (32/standard) setup. First race outing back from servicing for our X-Fusion Trace by DIY MTB, working superbly. 

See you all next week! 

Prime7 video.

WSMTB Twilight 4hr

Some pretty warm days lead up to WSMTB's twilight round of their 4hr Summer Series. Rolling up to the foot of the Blue Mountains on the afternoon of the race and the temperature was still in the mid thirties, it was going to be a classic hot and dry Yellomundee race.

Just over 100 riders made up the teams and solos, mostly of WSMTB regulars. Club President BigDog led the starting riders to the fire-trail start chute and got the 4hr underway, then jumped on his bike to get his own race underway.

A good couple of weeks on the bike over the festive season seemed to have done wonders and our race was going well. Climbs weren't taxing and it was easy to get some flow in the fast dry conditions.

Photo: Riding Focus

Only issue was our bottle holder was working loose, we should have work out earlier why our bike was making such a racket. This slowed us down when we to remove the holder and make room for the bottle in our jersey pocket. Back on track and slowly the days temperature was dropping and lights were about to be turned on.

Up till when we stopped to remove the super loose bottle holder we had been keeping up with a couple of pairs teams, it was good pacing and company. On what might have been our last lap we trundled around and stopped to chat just before the 4hr hour in transition. We passed the results on our way to pack up and was shocked to find our name near the top of the list.

Whoops! Probably better head out for that final lap.

Thanks to the WSMTB Club for putting on a great event with a casual vibe and fast competition. 

A big shout out to JetBlack MTB Racing team and our 2015 sponsors, we managed a 1st and 3rd in the Solo Male category.

The results are available here.

L to R: CrummyMTB 3rd, Andrew Finlayson 1st, Tim Bartholomew 3nd.