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.