Stolling on Stromlo

There is no doubt we have a thing for Stromlo, it probably all kicked off ten years ago with our first attempt at 24hrs solo. Over the last ten years the mountain has taken shape, from bare dust bowl to an all inclusive cycling hotspot. We still visit Stromlo on a regular basis, albeit once or twice a year, for an event or two.

It is our first outing to Stromlo this year and much has changed, the houses and units are now verging in the parks fence-line, and the hillside shrubbery seems more dense. Again we are back for another round of the Rocky Trail Entertainment Grand Prix Series, the final round for 2017.

With so many kilometres of trails and a variety of ways to gat around there had been much talk of the chosen route. No matter what, our experience told us there were gong to be rocks and the standard hard-pack of Stromlo dirt. This time Rocky Trail had setup a different event centre, in the carpark and transition from the trails was via the path to the jump-park. We then exited back out onto the trails by going through the tunnel under the DH track.

It has been another massive year with the JetBlack MTB Racing team and like all the Grand Prix's previous this year, we were going to litter the hillside with our bright stripes. Things were heating up too in the GC and Age Group/Team stakes for many, as this was the last chance to gather valuable points before the afternoons presentation. We were all excited to get out on the trails!

Rocky Trail continue to move forward from lessons learnt, and this year they had thrown in some significant fire-trail climbs. This allowed plenty of passing opportunities, nutrition ingestion and particularly open the field up off the start, reducing the first lap or two of conga lines during the single track sections. 


It was a heck of a line-up this round, the JetBlack MTB racing team had brought our own guns but what ever the lure, there were a number of national representatives present. And as such the start was pretty fast, we managed a number of snappy laps before settling into a comfortable pace.

Super happy to continue to ride our Pivot 429 Alloy, it has been dependable baring our poor maintenance routine prior to the Singleton round. Our change last year to Shimano's XT 11 speed with a 30t Hope N/W cog has been the the perfect drivetrain for just about every event we have ridden this bike. (We'll talk about our CX steed another time.) We are also touting Ascent Cycling Enterprises wheels, switching from Stan's alloy rims to Nextie carbon wrapped in Mitas tyres. With Ascent Cycling Enterprises now being based out of the greater Canberra region.


There were no surprises on the day that the 30-39 age category was the most competitive in the 4hr. This amass of speed-freaks has been a constant for every round of the Grand Prix this year, and this round we were pretty happy to place 7th. The particularly good news was that we had sufficient points in the series to take both 2nd in our Age Group AND 2nd for the General Classification. A definite step-up from both results in both 2016 and 2015. 

Rocky Trail Entertainment delivered a diverse repertoire of course for the Grand Prix this year. Many thanks to JetBlack MTB Racing team for the friendly atmosphere, on-trail support and transition expertise. JetBlack MTB Racing has partnered with The Odd Spoke, Natural Balance and Rocky Trail Entertainment, to allow us to ride how we like. The team was well represented across all categories and delivered some top results for this event and the series. You'll see us at another event shortly!

Full results for this Round here.

Our previous event wraps.

Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4.

A balance of Stromlo

Returning to Stromlo to race always brings some pre-race nerves, we have been racing at Stromlo since 2007, when we had our first go at a 24hr solo. We were returning this time for round three of Rocky Trail Entertainment's 2016 Grand Prix Series after round one at Glenrock and round two at Singleton.

Nerves were good though, we had sufficient experience to handle any trails and conditions that would be thrown at us. Goals had been set and our energies would be focused on those achievements.

It was super busy in location with not just the GP but a massive junior road event on too. Our JetBlack MTB Racing team were once again in mass attendance excited to get out on the trails.

Thankfully Rocky Trail set a good length starting run before we set into the singletrack on the first lap, we tacked onto the back wheel of one of our youngest team mates, keen to set some fast laps early and knock over some goals. Through the next few laps there was some trading of places as we all settled in to race pace.

We were super happy with the selection of trails, a gradual single track climb into the steeper fire-trail climb, descent into Luge, crossing over to a gradual climb punctuated with technical rock sections. From the top it was pretty much a loose downhill run back to transition. We felt it was a good balance of climbing and descending, we were having fun without to much effort.

With a good start and flowing trail we were ticking our achievements off for this round as we headed into the second half of the four hours. We have been very happy with the change to XT 11 speed this year, set to a 30t Hope N/W cog we've got the perfect ratio for style of events we are riding at the moment.

There was some surprise when we found ourselves on the back wheel of a leading 7hr solo JetBlack rider, Jason. Our other 4hr team mates, Tim and Kurt, had dropped back some. It was a good feeling knowing in this instance we were back with this sort of pace.

Turns out the 30-39 category was the most competitive again in the 4hr, with the likes of Jason English, Dillon Cooper and Andy Blair taking the top three spots. Very happy to place 6th to those guys.

Great work by Rocky Trail Entertainment, delivering a versatile course. Thanks to JetBlack MTB Racing team for the friendly atmosphere, on-trail support and transition expertise. The team was well represented across all categories and delivered some top results too. You'll see us at the next Grand Prix if not before!

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.

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.

Gloves off on Grips

We selected five grips we have used in the last few years to give you our thoughts on them, and ffter riding on them hard you to see how well they have lasted. As with many things in cycling, grips can be a very personal choice and they can change the way a bike feels.

ODI Ruffian Lock-on. With over 5,000km on these grips we have become quite familiar with their characteristics. In the dry these thin profile grips are comfortable with or without gloves but in the wet the Ruffians can become slippery when not wearing gloves. We found they suited rides up to four or so hours.

ODI Yeti Chunky Lock-on. Another grip we have spent plenty of time with, ride with these and it is like having your hands massaged throughout the ride. They offer a ton of grip with their raised Yeti lettering, brilliant in all conditions.

Serfas Silicon. These grips may look new but have already been through the torture test of a 24hr solo. Their chunkiness forms slightly to your hand and provides suitable shock absorption throughout a ride. We also found that they remain grippy in the wet and without gloves.

JetBlack Lock-on "Scott 24 Edition". We gave these grips a fair shot but after numerous rides and races they just didn't offer what we wanted. Having said that these lock-ons could be suitable for your trail or casual rides.

ESI Chunky. Originally we tested the ESI Races-edge grips but found their lightweight nature not suitable for the riding we were doing. Moving to the Chunky versions we found the grips very comfortable even during extended rides. While they may wear with use and can tear easily the ESI Chunkys are a popular choice as they are light and secure without to much of a fuss.

No need to be Envious

Our initial look at the wheels, here.

With just about all major players now producing carbon rims and these wheelsets now becoming more accessible you no longer have to re-mortgage your house and spend what you could buy a great bike with, to benefit from the carbon revolution. Looking more locally there are Australian based companies hand building carbon rimmed wheels and where the prices are even more affordable.

The old-school new age look, steel frame and carbon rims.

The Good Edition wheelset from Curve Cycling is their most affordable build but by no means are they a slouch, spinning up as fast and suffered as much punishment as we could throw at them. All signs pointed to a good build, as the wheels remained true during the test period, no flex or creaking associated with bedding-in.

The Curve branded hubs roll on smooth Japanese enduro bearings. It was noted during our testing period that the front hub is a little wider than other hubs ridden on this particular bike. During hard cornering the spokes would lightly touch the brake caliper. This could be easily fixed by shimming out the brake disc. No such trouble with the rear hub, the alloy freehub had a distinctive light ratchet sound, with positive engagement and didn’t show any excessive gouging from the cassette.

Underneath the carbon rim is a full size 2.2" tyre, fat rims

Lacing the hubs to the rim were the reliable DT Swiss Competition double-butted spokes, another sign of the solid nature of this build. Additionally available through Curve Cycling and supplied on this occasion was one of the best rim tapes we have ever used. They certainly have done their homework in this area, the rim tape was easy to apply and during the test period there was no air leakage.

How close is the caliper to the spokes, very close.            We placed the cir-clip around the other way so it wouldn't touch.

A full carbon fiber rim features a 30mm external and 23mm internal width, which should provide tyre sidewalls with plenty of support. Fitting some 2.2” racing rubber was easy enough, while the internal profile isn’t UST, it is happily tubeless-ready, the tyres snapped into place on the rim and held there even while ridden at low pressures. We found the rims helped to provide a wider footprint and increased grip and control through various conditions we rode. And after rock strewn rides the gloss clear coat covering black and white graphics still remained intact, more importantly not a wobble out of the rims.

The rims are the same across the Editions with these rims taking Curve’s Jesse Carlsson along the Tour Divide and into second place this year. This wheelset with its carbon rim defiantly provides more stiffness out at the rim and has pushed us towards being converts to the wide rim ideal. We imagine you will be cheering when your rolling on a set of these sharp wheels.

Curve branded hubs, competition spokes, a solid build.

They said: Suitable for XC, AM and all round trail slaying. These hand built Carbon fiber MTB wheels are configured to compliment most riding styles over varied terrain. They feature a super wide profile that allows the use of tyres up to 2.5”. The layup of this rim allows for a nice balance of high-impact strength, lightweight and stiffness, whilst still maintaining enough deflection for comfort during those long rides and marathon races. In other words, they are stiff (much stiffer than many popular light weight alloy rims), but not so stiff to the point where they feel harsh on the trail.

WEMBO 2013

Have been mulling over WEMBO for a couple of days now, so here we go.

The Plan

With any event it is good to have a plan, especially as a plan can be reflected on to better the next event. For WEMBO 2013 we used a modified plan that we had used for our successful 2010 WSC.

Training

While I had good intentions on some quality block training it never came to fruition and was more sporadic, with a few good social rides and some racing thrown in. Six weeks out and issues effecting my body all year had settled down and we finally looked to my training from 2010. The idea was to make my body as efficient as possible, in the time available. Using Mark Fenner's FTP sessions and principals a six week plan was laid out. During these six weeks Sydney suffered from hot and windy weather and considering the conditions much of my FTP sessions were carried out indoors. This meant we could control the environment and left me to only worry about focusing on the session. Thankfully most sessions can be completed in an hour, where quality over quantity is the key, spin bike just aren't that fun (sorry Chops).

I still got out on my mountain bike for some fun to either razz around single-track or make some noise amongst a road bunch. It is important to keep it fun.

Throughout the year we have also been involved with many challenge-through-adversity situations giving myself insights, tools and much of the required mental preparation needed for racing a bike for 24hrs.

The Event

Pre-race is all about preparation and relaxation. For us it involved trying to get up as late as possible, very hard when your body clock is set to go off at 6am. Getting to Stromlo with sufficient time to arrange our pit/crew area. Hydrate, ablute, dress, chamois cream, sun cream and the nerves start to kick in. Roll around, high fives, good-lucks, all the time the commentators are trying to build the atmosphere and for a sobering minute before the start of the race we reflect on previous days accident.

The race

Initially I planned on two phases during the event, one being the cruise around for 18hrs and the second being the six hour race to the finish. This year there were clearly 3 phases.

Elite riders five minutes in.

Phase One

With the elite riders already ten minutes ahead we were released onto the Stromlo trail, there was a bit of a rush but I resisted and fell in beside Canberra local and in-race commentator Grantley. This phase initially consisted of me sussing out the trail, sorting the lines, soft pedalling and making the most of the flowing sections. Less braking equals less pedalling, and with a little wind on our backs I was managing to pump and roll an entire single-track section each lap, saving my legs for later use. It was close to the four hour mark when Ed, the leading Elite rider, passed us and seemed like an age till the other Elite contendors caught us.

Other highlights included a noisy dry chain, bike swap, a slow leaking rear tyre, stop and pump it up, bike swap followed by a further bike swap to the dually as the rocky, breaking rut filled course started taking its toll. My crew were now in a rhythm with my hourly needs and things were ticking along like clockwork. With lights on and I waited as long as possible before turning them on, we where off cruising into the night.

Phase Two

Around the 14-16th laps I was struggling physically, on the main climb my body was just wanting to sleep. I tried to counter this with caffeinated gels, which has worked before, but they didn't seem to have an effect. Thankfully hitting the top of the hill and the first downhill section adrenaline kicked in and the remainder of the lap didn't seem to be an issue. Still the falling asleep on the bike wasn't a great time and I was forced to step off multiple times during the climbs to refocus and eat. Through the haze of phase two I do remember plenty of offers by passing riders but I was fighting my own internal battle.

Phase Three

The final phase started when the sun peeked over the horizon and the dawn light reached across the sky and touched the mountain. It was like a switch in me, I felt instantly activated, focused and with raring to go. The turtle had become the hare. I came screaming into my pits, way ahead of time with demands of water and gels, my crew scrambled. I needed to know where I was sitting and my deficit to the next rider, transitioning through the pit area I heard there was a fair chunk of time to make up. Kicking a couple of gears the six hour sprint to the finish was on.
Over the few hours I felt I was on fire, there was nobody I couldn't catch. Every time I looked up the trail there was another possible target and I caught everyone I saw. The time gap to the next rider had dropped, quite significantly and my crew were hoping no one was going to notice. Making our way into the final few hours things were getting close, I got the "give-it-your-all" call and over these laps I surprised myself in passing many riders I thought I'd never see.

Reaching the final descent, only minutes till the finish and it was only empty trail that I could see. Popping the last few tabletops and rounding the 4X track I sprinted the last few hundred meters, after all it had been a race. Immediately after crossing the line I heard Sam Moffit's voice, Sam had been the rider I had been chasing for the last six hours. It had been a fine effort and Sam had managed to hold a two minute gap at the end of 24hrs of WEMBO.

Post-race at a 24hr is just as important as the racing and having experienced some bad post race effects I was keen to make right. My crew were on hand with a liquid protein meal replacement as I rolled the legs around for ten minutes. Heading to our pit area I was relieved to sit down for the first time in over 25hrs and finally tuck into a rice meal, mmm real food. There was still a queazy couple of moments while waiting for a shower, due to possible dehydration and over-exertion my body was having an attempt at shutting down. After removing a later or two of Stromlo dust it was back to rest and hydrate. Hopefully with a week of recovery rides and racing within a couple of weeks.

Thanks again to my support crew and Mark's crew for their help. Thanks to all those who have helped me this year to make it all happen. CORC and WEMBO for running a smooth event. Congratulations to Jason English and Jess Douglas our WEMBO Champions, not forgetting those who deserve an honourable mention by taking out the age group titles.

WEMBO Thanks

Thanks to CORC and the WEMBO team for putting on the event.

These sorts of events are much easier to compete in with a great support crew, thanks to my attentive crew Donna and Alex. Our pit row neighbours supporting WEMBO rider Mark Astley, Hally and Haysie, were also great to have around.

Other shout-outs I need to make, Shane Taylor, Sean Bekkers, Jason Pilgrim, Rocky Trail Entertainment, Matthew Spriggs, just to list a few that had a hand in making my weekend.

Bike 1.
Frame: One-On Inbred
Fork: X-Fusion Slide 29er by DIYMTB
Running Gear: SRAM XO/Truvativ 3x9
Wheels: Good Edition by Curve Cycling
Tyre: Conti Protection Series X-King (F), Race King (R), the Jason English combo
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Grips: ODI Ruffian Lock-ons
Pedals: Shimano XT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Finishing: Truvativ/Easton

Bike 2.
Frame: Pivot 429 Alloy by JetBlack Cycling
Fork: X-Fusion Trace by DIYMTB
Running Gear: SRAM XO/ Shimano XT 2x10
Wheels: Shimano XT/Stans Crest Custom Built by Mick Smith
Tyre: Schwalbe Snakeskin Racing Ralf (F), Conti Protection X-King (R)
Saddle: WTB Silverado
Grips: Silicon Foam
Pedals: Shimano XT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Finishing: Truvativ/Easton

Here is the 19.5hrs of data my Bryton captured.

RTE GP Stromlo Video

Rocky Trail's Shimano Grand Prix at Stromlo

There are a only a few times a year we visit Canberra and when we turn off the Tuggeranong Parkway, seeing Stromlo clearly for the first time I still get a little buzz. The car park is full, colourful tents speckle the hillside but this time we aren't here for one of Stromlo's famous 24s. This was the final instalment of the Shimano Grand Prix, the last round of Rocky Trail Entertainment's endurance series.

It was a festive-like atmosphere in the transition area at the bottom of the downhill track. You look back up the mountain and the blue Shimano arch contrasts against the green scrub. There was another packed field with over 300 individual and team riders. At the start, the front three rows under the arch were full of riders that could win a XC or enduro race, powerhouses of our Australian scene. Martin's rolling start did little to quell the first section of single track bottle-neck but we were off and racing.

First lap conga.

Like most of NSW, the ACT has had next to no rain in the previous month and the conditions were super dry on the trail. Many sections are concrete hard and the heavily exposed rocks make for a bumpy ride through the technical sections. On the first lap I was more worried about my previous days session and how my legs felt than the conga line up the hill. I could feel lag in my legs from the HR Vo2 session the Fenz had called for but it wasn't to worry as on the next couple of laps I had warmed up and found my groove.

Flowing lines in the shadow of the Shimano arch.

Was a big fan of the choice of trails, there was significant work to be done getting to the top for the wickedly awesome Skyline-Luge combination. It looked as though I was lapping in around 30 minutes and under a clear sky the Stromlo hillside had warmed up quite a bit, quite easily emptying a full large bottle of fluid in two laps. By mid race I could still see my competitors ahead of me thanks to the looping trail. Turn it up on hour three was the plan.

Open, hard-packed, dry, fast.

I didn't get that far, my next visit to Luge I took the A-line gap and landed hard on the rear wheel, cracking the rim. Admittedly it has been a while since I've had to put a tube in and all this time I've been carrying the gear, never having to use it in an event. I was finally the one beside the trail, with everyone asking me if I was ok. Cheers for that friends. A tube, a CO2 canister and I limp back through transition my fast last-hour blown out of the water.

Thanks to the MIA Dirtriders for the laughs and keeping my bottles in the shade. The Slide 29er fork, from DIY MTB, continues to work very well and will be due for a scheduled service before WEMBO. Surprisingly since it wasn't just the rim bead surface that had damaged, the carbon rim remained straight. The question still remains if I could have ridden on the rim for another hour and not damaged more parts in the process. And on a final note it must have been quite warm during the event because I consumed three cartons of flavoured milk between when I finished and dinner.

Photos from the event on the CrummyMTB FB page here.
4hr Podium photos on the CrummyMTB FB page here.

The WEMBO Course

Being a World Championship the choice of trails is important and while WEMBO are yet to publicise the chosen trails for 2013 the 2010 World Solo Championship course gives us an idea of what might be install.

Starting on the Crit Track the trail will head down to Holden’s Creek, riders will be able to refuel through this section, as the trail is not overly technical. It then heads to Fence-line, which popes you out at Cockatoo Switchbacks, this is the first ascent towards the top and is the main ascent trail. The ascending tracks are not highly technical, groups will form and we could see the main WEMBO contenders go straight to the front to test the legs, but this only the start of a laps ascents. Once you arrive at Echidna Gap Junction the trail really starts to get interesting in our eyes. 

The 2010 Course, 

The first descent will be down Western Wedge-tail, while this trail is not overly technical; it is very rocky and will take a toll on the body. From here you will head down into Pork Barrel, a highly technical track, if your not concentrating you will crash.  At the moment Pork Barrel is not in the best condition and could dramatically change during the race.

Next up is Party Line; this is a very well known track to those who visit Stromlo regularly. The trail has featured in many events and with its sweeping berms on which you can hold your speed throughout. Party Line will be one of the most enjoyed track on the day but it is likely the conditions will change during the night, get worse as the race goes on. You will then climb back up to get the XCM Climb via Skips, during this section you will be able to hydrate and get a gel down. The XCM Climb is where there maybe some fireworks as WEMBO contenders put legs to the test again. The climb is a steep rutty fire-trail and can be very technical, get out of the saddle and spinout. Eventually you will pop out at Echidna Gap Junction for the second time, from here you will head down Roller Coaster, the current state of this track is bad and it is unlikely it will not change between now and October. Roller Coaster could be considered a technical part of the course and is a place you could quite easily crash if not careful.

Joining on from the Roller Coaster the course could possibly use the famous Skyline and Luge tracks, these descending trails wind down towards transition, are currently in good condition and hold up very well throughout 24-hour events.

A big factor will be how the trails hold up from the Scott 24-hour which is just the week prior to WEMBO. The trails listed above are just some of the available routes around Stromlo, check out the Scott 24hr website for the 2013 Scott course for other possible variations.

James Ross, OnTheGo Racing

James is current Under 23 National Solo 24hr Champion. He has, over the last few months, spent countless hours training specifically for WEMBO and as you can see has intimate knowledge of Stromlo's trails. Watch this guy come October.

Some CrummyMTB videos that feature Stromlo trails:
2011 Scott 24hr
2012 Rollercoaster
2012 Rollercoaster Champs
2012 ADCC Champs 
2013 Flow Rollercoaster