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. 

She Rides Revisited

In May we had a quick look at the first couple of weeks of Western Sydney/Blue Mountains She Rides - MTB program. The program was offering woman a supportive environment to build on-bike confidence, learn skills and ride with other like-minded ladies.

The She Rides program was formally started with words from the local MP and WSMTB committee representative. From there the weekly sessions covered bike maintenance, basic on-bike skills and opportunities to put it all into practice.


Weeks on we revisited the She Rides - MTB group to see how it all was going.

The following video is  from Week 10 with social trail riding, exploring Yellomundee and the challenges it holds.

More smiles and social trail riding from Week 11. Confidence? Fun? Evident.








The Week 12 sign-on sheet, flourished with enthusiastic signatures, grand tour style.

The days social ride and final session would be to complete the Oaks Single-track, riding up the fire-trail then enjoying the smooth gravity fed roll back down.

There was laughter, encouraging words and praise as everyone spun their way along the graded climb. This was followed by screams and cries of delight as the trail narrowed and pointed back down towards the causeway.

At the completion of the trail there were twelve excited woman, all on adrenalin highs, keen to give the trail another go.

From the participants response She Rides has delivered on the social ride environment, all learnt new skills and now enjoy every ride. So many great achievements.

You can find a few She Rides - MTB Western Sydney/Blue Mountains testimonials here.

Well done to all those involved, participants, coaches and assistants. Also WSMTB and the businesses who supported this great mountain biking initiative.

Locations are being finalised for the Spring/Summer series of She Rides. Registrations are sure to open soon, more information on Cycling Australia's SheRidesAu page.

JetBlack 12hr at James Estate

The JetBlack 12hr has always been the mid year event for us where preparation, or the lack of, comes to the fore. It gives some indication on where and what needs to be concentrated on for the remaining years events, especially if there is a solo 24hr involved. Previous results at the JB12hr (2013 19th, 2012 15th, 2011 7th).

We had a bike ready, trimmed with some nice bits for hours in the saddle and it was a scenic drive via Putty Road north west of Sydney to the Upper Hunter Valley. It was Friday night and the JetBlack Racing team met for a pre-race meal and festivities close to the event location, in the township of Denman.

Arrival at James Estate, the event centre was smoky and alive with bikes.

JetBlack Racing team-mate, Kevlar, leads me through a section of singletrack. Photo: Cell Bikes

Race start was a flurry of clips and crunching gears, as we worked our way out of the grassy transition area and onto the open, sandy trail towards the single track. Our last visit to James Estate, April 2013, we had a really good start, entering the single track in the first group, it was a must again. Working hard to hold the back of the leading group we were rewarded with a smooth entry and run on the 
single track.

With the aim of clocking up some good racing time on the bike and practising all the needs of endurance racing it was only the first lap that was committed as a fast lap. After completion of lap number one it was essential to wind it back a little and enjoy the ride. Eat, drink, relax and have fun on the single track. Out ahead, team mate Phil Welch was storming along solo and somewhere just behind was my other solo team mate, Kevin "Kevlar" Wynne-Smythe. 

During a couple of laps and it was good to have some familiar, consistent  riding company as Kevin had worked his way up to us.

Photo: Sonter Photography

It was easy for the hours to fly by, past the 2.5hrs where it was a struggle during the last GP, then onto completing 4hrs. My team mates were great support as they in the transition area for their own laps, offering bottles and food every time I passed by. 80km, 90km, the riding was still fun, the focus became completing 100km of solid race training, doubling my average training kilometres for the week. 

Very happy with the spruce-up we gave the On One, the 9spd converted clutch derailleur worked a treat quietening the rear end of the bike. Racing Ralphs, supported by wide carbon rims, rolled fast and smooth over the mixture of terrain. And the silicon foam grips? We have already raved about them before.

A great day out at James Estate with Rocky Trail Entertainment and JetBlack MTB Racing Team.

Photo: James Estate Winery