WSMTB XC Video September Club Round

With fires through the area only a couple of weeks ago WSMTB was keen to hit the trails again.

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

The Hills Trail Preview

Getting out with some local riders to check out their trails. Some sweet spots discovered.