Capital Punishment 2011

[Bushranger]

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the day and appreciate the efforts of all involved, particularly the volunteers. BUT does anyone else think the course is a bit of dog's breakfast? Some great single track but the bits in between are a bit incongruous for something that aspires to be an iconic mtb event- a highway "time trial" before the first feed station, a lengthy mowed grass section around the airport and then a 9.5km untimed urban safari through Hackett.

Obviously the organisers are doing the best they can with the geography and land use issues but for the longevity of the event I hope some more routes become available to link together the bits that everyone loves.

I can't see too many ways to link all those iconic areas many other ways than the way they did? There was a stack of development and much less forest than I remember from my rides in Canberra years ago. Probobably a result of fire but also development.

We can't have it all - all the time.

I think they did a great job of it.

 

[pistonbroke]

I really like it. It breaks up the day and is something different. I think this race is quite unique and it would be impossible to do it all without the transport sections in between.
I'm sure some locals can think of some more challenging ways to link bits together, but I would bet that it's not that simple when you want to make it happen.
I think they nailed what they tried to achieve, with showcasing the best of Canberra's trails.

Off topic for a moment, but what is wrong with Canberra? This place is just weird. I can't believe it's our capital. It just feels empty. The place has no soul. I arrived at 3.00pm Friday and the city centre was deserted. It felt like a country town on a Sunday. The riding here is great, but I could not live here.

 

[Bushranger]

Off topic for a moment, but what is wrong with Canberra? This place is just weird. I can't believe it's our capital. It just feels empty. The place has no soul. I arrived at 3.00pm Friday and the city centre was deserted. It felt like a country town on a Sunday. The riding here is great, but I could not live here.

Tell me about it. I thought there must have been a spaceship of aliens land, take all the humans and replace with a few dozen replicas.

 

[Mont24Team]

Off topic for a moment, but what is wrong with Canberra? This place is just weird. I can't believe it's our capital. It just feels empty. The place has no soul. I arrived at 3.00pm Friday and the city centre was deserted...

We all went to the coast for the weekend.

 

[alchemist]

We all went to the coast for the weekend.

That's what you all do every weekend

 

[enduroexplorer.com]

Race Report

I have just put my race report up here. What a great event, thanks to AROC and well done everyone who got out there and made it such a fun day.

Linda

 

[pinkbike]

Well that was SO much better than last year! The trails were sweet - thanks to all those involved with the work in Kowen, it truly was the highlight and I'm super excited about riding the Mont now.

I had an awesome ride, so much better than last year (by about 2.5 hours!). Everyone was really happy and having fun. I was amazed at how well the wave starts ran, I was in wave 4 and had no congestion issues and not much overtaking was happening either - we all seemed to be riding pretty similar speeds and it flowed well.

My thought on the event were that in general it was run well but there were some really simple things that were done badly.

The good things:
-The trails - schweeet
-the start - no congestion, the self seeding seemed to work even with only <2km of firetrail before single track
-The feed stations - awesomeness
-The timing - electronic timing is the way of the future
- the riders, awesome vibe out on course
- the marshals especially at road crossing, thanks so much!


The bad things
-no female T-shirts... yet again a 2nd class citizen (despite there being the option of female T-shirt on the rego form)
-not enough toilet paper at the start (how hard is it to buy a few rolls from coles??)
-The car park marshaling at the start... it was non-existent until a grumpy marshal came and grumped at us all for going the wrong way and we all had to reverse down a narrow dirt track in the dark.
-the buses at the finish (the non-bike trailer buses were sitting there doing nothing, apparently no-one had instructed them on what to do)
- the secure bike compound at the finish (wasn't secure, I walked up and walked off with my bf's bike while he was getting the car and no-one even questioned me... because there was no-one there)

Seems that a lot of the elite riders are off at the Oceania Champs? The female field in particular seemed to be lacking the usual fast suspects, not that I'm complaining seeing as it bumps me up the list

 

[frensham]

Off topic for a moment, but what is wrong with Canberra? This place is just weird. I can't believe it's our capital. It just feels empty. The place has no soul. I arrived at 3.00pm Friday and the city centre was deserted. It felt like a country town on a Sunday. The riding here is great, but I could not live here.

Canberra is a country town. I'm so glad you don't want to live here - you'd be one of those city slickers trying to change it and make it just like awful Melbourne or Sydney.

 

[frensham]

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed the day and appreciate the efforts of all involved, particularly the volunteers. BUT does anyone else think the course is a bit of dog's breakfast? Some great single track but the bits in between are a bit incongruous for something that aspires to be an iconic mtb event- a highway "time trial" before the first feed station, a lengthy mowed grass section around the airport and then a 9.5km untimed urban safari through Hackett.
Obviously the organisers are doing the best they can with the geography and land use issues but for the longevity of the event I hope some more routes become available to link together the bits that everyone loves.

I loved this route. The route variation is it's selling point. I hope there aren't any changes! I loved the Sutton Road bit, a great chance to stretch out or put it in the big ring to improve time. The untimed section was a wonderful ride through the 'burbs, enjoyed it a lot. The mowed grass section was awesome. I think it adds greatly to the variation of trail that makes this event unique. No changes please.

 

[-iRideBikes-]

Canberra is a country town. I'm so glad you don't want to live here - you'd be one of those city slickers trying to change it and make it just like awful Melbourne or Sydney.

My thoughts exactly. I always have a bit of a chuckle when ignorant people compare Canberra, a TOWN with 350,000 people, to cities like Sydney with its 4,500,000 people.

On a more interesting and relevant note, how much fun was the race?! Highlights for me included the weather, the Sutton Rd trails and the supremely grippy dirt throughout (hero dirt at its finest!!!) and getting a clear run down the berm track at Stromlo.

Lowlights.... would have to be watching one of my riding buddies succumb to the awesome power of the cramp monster just as we started our climb up Stromlo. When the cramp monster strikes, he strikes hard, and yesterday he was striking with a vengeance. Needless to say our last few kilometers were slow going.

I did the race with a GoPro chest mount and got some pretty cool footage. Hoping to stitch up a video by this night or the next and I'll post it up here when I'm done.

 

[Knopey]

The good things:
-the start - no congestion, the self seeding seemed to work even with only <2km of firetrail before single track

It did seem to work, but only because the vast majority of people seem to lie through their teeth!

I put myself in the 50-60% wave being my first 100k race, but by the time the 6th wave was to start, which meant that everyone who expected to finish in the last 50% or slower should have still been there, there were barely 100 riders left to start and they said well anyone left may as well go in this one.

It ended up fine for me anyway as I made sure I was at the front of the wave and was 3rd in to the ST and the 3 of us had a hoot through the Kowen ST with noone in sight behind or in front, but it really makes you wonder. Maybe people bumped themselves up because of the tracks being chewed up later in the race last year?

Anyway lesson learned, next time lie through my teeth like almost everyone else (I did end up finishing at 29% through the field so that exacerbated the effect from my perspective I guess.)

Off topic for a moment, but what is wrong with Canberra? This place is just weird. I can't believe it's our capital. It just feels empty. The place has no soul. I arrived at 3.00pm Friday and the city centre was deserted. It felt like a country town on a Sunday. The riding here is great, but I could not live here.

No smog, little weekend traffic, little aggro, lots of green space, lots of bike paths, lots of birds and animals, iconic buildings, the odd interesting hill/mountain, pedestrian- and bike-friendly layout, enough shopping, good riding, ... Yeah, why isn't Canberra like a polluted metropolis again?

 

[wazzaa]

Truly awesome event... i did the 100k and my gf did the 50, we both loved it...

Positives:

-First 30 km of the 100k.... first time i'd ridden Kowan and i had a ball. fantastic well maintained trains. would have gladly ridden this section twice.
-Feed stations.. provided exactly what you wanted when you wanted complimented with great morale boosting from the volunteers
-Stromlo... always a blast
-The attitude of other riders. No aggro and everyone was helpful when you were down
-The first aid tent at the end. patched up my gf when she finished covered in blood, and the commentator gave her a few freebies for her troubles

Negatives:
-Too much tarmac in the 50k. was fine for the 100 though... nice break
-Female med t-shirt was just the guys med... waaay too big. cool tshirt though.
-All the sponsors tents packed up too early. if you finished the 100k towards the end of the field, there was next to nothing at the finish line.
-Sore legs. Always going to happen though

Negatives massively outweighed by the positives though... all up a fantastic day

 

[pistonbroke]

No smog, little weekend traffic, little aggro, lots of green space, lots of bike paths, lots of birds and animals, iconic buildings, the odd interesting hill/mountain, pedestrian- and bike-friendly layout, enough shopping, good riding, ... Yeah, why isn't Canberra like a polluted metropolis again?

There are no people! Where are all the people to use all this great stuff?

 

[72Fury]

There are no people! Where are all the people to use all this great stuff?

At 3.00pm on a weekday, most probably at work.

 

[frensham]

There are no people! Where are all the people to use all this great stuff?

Hmmmm, you arrived 3:00pm Friday. I guess most of us were at work and not wandering around near the Crowne Plaza Hotel? And everyone knows that the other 50% of the population are half-way to the coast by then.

 

[Chris kelly]

Race

What a great race.

Absolutely loved it. Got abit further than the 35km's I did last year.

Felt abit sorry for the 50km, missed out on some good single track, and half there ride was abit of a road/firetrail race. I guess that is similar to the other 50km races! Better to man up and go for the 100km option.

Thank goodness I had a dually for the padock crossings.

Good stuff.

Chris.

 

[Bushranger]

Better to man up and go for the 100km option.



Chris.

I know you are not having a go at the 50k'ers, but something I just don't understand in the MTB scene is why the fascination and favourtism to the 100k or longer event when there are two events on.

I've noticed the prizes and prizemoney differences and the perception that somehow the longer event is the tougher or more of an achievement.

It just doesn't make sense. It's just as demanding to race on the rivet for 50km as it is to race slightly lower relative intesity for 100k.

I think race directors are also cornered by people wanting fixed distance events. I would prefer an event that is just what it is based on the course, whether it be around 45 to 60kms and 90 to 110km etc. No need to do little bits here and there just to make it a round number.

I guess MTB is similar to other endurance sports, where the better athletes just get on with racing the shorter races and the 2nd and 3rd tier race longer distances.

 

[Clyde Dave]

I know you are not having a go at the 50k'ers, but something I just don't understand in the MTB scene is why the fascination and favourtism to the 100k or longer event when there are two events on.

I've noticed the prizes and prizemoney differences and the perception that somehow the longer event is the tougher or more of an achievement.

It just doesn't make sense. It's just as demanding to race on the rivet for 50km as it is to race slightly lower relative intesity for 100k.

I think race directors are also cornered by people wanting fixed distance events. I would prefer an event that is just what it is based on the course, whether it be around 45 to 60kms and 90 to 110km etc. No need to do little bits here and there just to make it a round number.

I guess MTB is similar to other endurance sports, where the better athletes just get on with racing the shorter races and the 2nd and 3rd tier race longer distances.

All the big names (better athletes) do the 100km events.
Woman tennis players seem to say the same thing about their prize money being less, but less work equals less money, or prizes, whatever the case may be.

 

[Karlos]

something I just don't understand in the MTB scene is why the fascination and favourtism to the 100k or longer event when there are two events on.

I've noticed the prizes and prizemoney differences and the perception that somehow the longer event is the tougher or more of an achievement.

It just doesn't make sense. It's just as demanding to race on the rivet for 50km as it is to race slightly lower relative intesity for 100k.

I guess MTB is similar to other endurance sports, where the better athletes just get on with racing the shorter races and the 2nd and 3rd tier race longer distances.

The 100 is revered as it is more of a mental and physical test. In most races the 50 option involves a less technical course with options of terrain which are less physically demanding. As previously stated most of the pro, and more advanced riders tend to do the 100km option. The 100km option is the drawcard with the 50 giving the experience of the race and a challenge. The 50km is often quite openly presented as the support race and a less advanced version.

No doubt most riders would struggle with the same intensity in the 100 as they could in the 50 but that is why the better amateurs and pro riders are so mindblowing.

Not to say 50 is not an acheivement, if that is peoples challenge fine, anyone completing either race has achieved. However, to try and argue that the 50 version is, or should be the main event or equal is quite flawed.

 

[Bushranger]

Fair enough. "Step up to get your rep up!"