Jet Black 12 hours
- Thread starter Carlosdjakal
- Start date
Clyde Dave
Likes Dirt
That must have been scary, hope you eventually found your way back to the road!!!!
Jackstack
Likes Dirt
Great pics, reminds me why I like my bouncy bike. Prob some of the best pics I've seen from Marathon, this time round, if only I could afford them.
Alchemist you were in front of me when I saw the second best OTB of the day, not you the guy that was in front of you, on those bloody tree roots just before the bit of the track that smelt like dead animals.
Alchemist you were in front of me when I saw the second best OTB of the day, not you the guy that was in front of you, on those bloody tree roots just before the bit of the track that smelt like dead animals.
Knopey
Likes Dirt
That tree root bit got deadlier and deadlier as time went on. I bottled out of trying to ride it competently about halfway through and just sort of waddled through. Definitely was a memorable bit of the lap 
And reiterating the "good photos" comments - I am buying for the first time
And reiterating the "good photos" comments - I am buying for the first time
Jackstack
Likes Dirt
Yeh, took me about 8 laps to get a good line through it, but saw lots offs on it.That tree root bit got deadlier and deadlier as time went on. I bottled out of trying to ride it competently about halfway through and just sort of waddled through. Definitely was a memorable bit of the lap
:
Yeh, I wasn't confident either he was all there but he was gettin back on the pony so figured all was good.
yeah, that was deceptively tricky...not sure what it was about it, it looked benign but i had a moment through there on nearly every lap....
jeffandal
Likes Dirt
The strange thing is, early one I had a bit of trouble with it (over thinking it I suspect), then it got easier, and during the night laps it seemed a breeze. I think the tunnel vision effect of riding a familiar track at night can be actually beneficial!
And of course with nightfall came the drop in the wind YAY. Headwind and fireroad= Yuck.
Hi All, only just discovered the rotorburn forums recently after trying to get a three ring entry (success!) and I thought I should offer something back besides using it to chase race entries.
So I thought I'd put up my race report for the Jetblack 12hr instead of just posting on facebook. You might have seen me and my team mates riding around in the Ashfield Cycles kit, or perhaps our tent. We did our best to put it in the most conspicuous part of the whole track, sorry if the blue made your eyes bleed!
Big thanks to all the Western Sydney riders, especially the guys that organised and got the track sorted. And also to the team that were hot on our heals for the whole race, it made it a blast!
So without further adieu-
JetBlack Sydney 12 Hour 2010 race report
Category- Men’s fours
After some good performances in individual Cross Country Enduro events riding in the Ashfield Cycles Jersey, John Michelle and the team from Ashfield Cycles were generous enough to support a team in yesterdays Jetblack Sydney 12 hour race.
This was to be the first team event that we would ride in Ashfield Cycles colours and there was plenty enthusiasm leading up to the race. Our riders were; Tate Dogan, who was last year’s Tour of August B-grade champion on the road and recent convert to off-road racing, Lachlan Rowe who is an experienced Enduro racer with silky single track skills and technical climbing magician, Andrew Williamson who is one of the first guys who I ever went mountain biking with and got me into offroad riding and Myself (Mark Griffin) as the surrogate team captain.
To set the stage, the Men’s four category is traditionally the most hard fought category in an enduro race, as there is enough time between rides to expect riders to do hot laps every time they go out on track. The line honours winner of the race usually comes from this category and this race was no exception. With two of the four riders on the team light on preparation, we were hoping for a top ten position at best.
The course was a reasonably flat course that followed several valleys out and back, with stretches of dirt road that allowed riders coming from a road background to make some decent time, as well as some fast flowing single track for the off road enthusiast. A pinch climb was present at the back end of the course that created traction issues for everyone on track, but once you made it up, you knew there was only a downhill to the finish.
Fast times of the day were anything under 30 minutes for the 11km loop, with the fastest riders on individual teams trying to get into the 27’s and below. The fastest lap of the day was an amazing 24:56, but the rider who put that hot lap out did his fourth lap at 32 minutes and didn’t ride for the rest of the day, making me wonder if he blew up because that pace wasn’t sustainable.
With camp setup and the race about to start, I was happy to have Lachy leading out, as he does a great job of fighting for position on the single track early and always delivers with a great first lap. We managed to setup the tent about 15 metres up the hill from the transition area, giving us a prime view of Lachy leading out amongst the top ten as the race started, followed by a train of hundreds of riders. As the Ashfield cycles blue Jersey flashed past, I knew we were in for a good race.
The first few laps flew by, with all of us letting of some nervous energy in a first roll out on course. It’s always a heart pumper early on and it’s hard to make sure you keep the pace to a level you can sustain. An early time check and we surprised to find ourselves in third position, a couple of minutes clear of Western Sydney Mountain bike clubs quick team. This of course fired our competitive spirit and we decided to keep it as single laps for the time being, so we could keep putting out quick ones.
The weather conditions were absolutely superb and we were having a blast. It didn’t take long for it to tick round to early afternoon and see the arrival of Kane from Ashfield Cycles and his brother Nathan who had just flown in from Singapore. Kane swiftly went to work tuning our bikes up between laps and delivering some much needed supplies. Kane and Nathan both chipped in to keep the spirits high and revelled in the atmosphere of being amongst 600+ riders at one event.
Of the 600+ riders, only a few expect to top there category, so one of the biggest competitions in everyone camp is to see who can do the fastest lap in their team. In our team, the competition was fierce, with Tate’s road abilities allowing him to make some good time in the open stretches and my experience amongst the rough stuff, we were within seconds of each other. I had been keeping my times in the 27’s, posting a couple of 27.46’s or so and Tate handed off to me on a lap that was just a quick or quicker. I didn’t know how quick it was, but I knew I better put an absolute ball tearer of a lap in if I wanted line honours in the team. I keep the pace up just below red line all lap and pushed on the fire trail to keep the speed over 31km on that stretch. It’s a long run and you can make plenty of time on that section. Rolling off the hill, I knew I had done a quick lap, traffic was light, so I stomped the pedals for the finishing straight. Coming through, I hear that Tate did a 27:30 or so, but amazingly, I managed to punch out a 27:03, which was going to be the quickest of the day for us.
As we moved later into the afternoon, it became clear that we were bouncing between around 2 minutes and 7 minutes ahead of fourth place, so I put it to the team that I should go out for a double to try and get the gap a bit more solid. Everyone was supportive, so we prepped for a double lap and I went out ready to make a captains knock. First lap around, the boys called out 27:50 or so and I was amazed that I was on that pace for a double. I kept it up near redline for the second lap, traffic on course was friendly and I was stocked to do another 27:45 or so on the second lap, opening out our lead on fourth. Andrew then went out and put out another solid lap, despite proclaiming lack of form, he kept his times consistent fast throughout the day.
Soon after, Kane and Nathan had to leave for family commitments, so some last minute adjustments were made to the bikes and they left us with the business end of the day to deal with. Light was fading fast and temperature was dropping even faster. It became critical to get a good warm-up before a lap and change into warm clothes afterwards to avoid getting dangerously cold. Lachy posted a solid night lap, having a blast out in the dark and Tate went out for his first ever night lap. Taking a look at the times, we noticed that they were again sea sawing 5-7 minutes from our time, so I suggest that I do a double in the dark and leave Andrew’s lap till last when we would know what kind of gap we would have.
Tate came in on a great night lap time on his first ever night lap and then I went out for a double. Pace was feeling good, but concentration fades in the dark. About a third of the way round, I managed to clip something and wash out. I got a cork to the right calf that put it straight into cramp on an old injury, but I forced myself to jump on and keep riding. Being first lap, I was wondering if I would have to back out on doing a second lap. I keep riding through the cramp stretching when I could, in the end feeling ok when I came through on first lap. In the 29’s it was pretty good for a night lap, as you expect to drop a bit of time in the dark. I continued on for the second lap and pulled another 29’ and sent Lachy out for a run.
Looking at times, it seemed like I might have to go out for another at the end with the time left. I wasn’t feeling like riding another after receiving a cork, so Tate stepped up to do a double for the team. As Lachy came in and Tate took over, we did a time check on the other team and found that they went out 13:30 after us, we had a lead that only a major crash or mechanical could defeat, with Tate out on a double. A little bit of maths told us that there was a good chance that the other team wouldn’t get out on a final lap within the cut-off, whilst we would. We watched the clock as Tate came round, posting solid times, despite having a heavy fall. Andrew was sent out knowing he could do a super slow lap as we had a big margin on the other guys and there was only ten minutes left before cut off, requiring there rider out on course to do a sub 28’ get out on course again. We watched the finish as the time ticked out and were happy to see it tick down without a change up for the other team. Andrew was still out on course busting a gut, posting another great time on his final lap, even though third place was in the bag.
It was big smiles and beers all round as Andrew rolled in on his final lap. As our toes slowly froze, we talked of the highlights of the day and waiting for the remaining riders to come in before presentation. We all agreed it was a fantastic day on the trails and thanked each other for an amazing day. We can’t wait to get out there again and would love to field more teams if anyone else is keen.
A huge thanks to John for the support from Ashfield Cycles and to Kane for coming out and doing the support work. Having the Ashfield tent, jersey’s, Endura drinks and energy foods made it possible to keep the morale and energy up all day. It was an absolute blast seeing other team mates rock around in the same Ashfield Jersey as I had on, making us feel like a real time and I can’t wait to do it again!
So I thought I'd put up my race report for the Jetblack 12hr instead of just posting on facebook. You might have seen me and my team mates riding around in the Ashfield Cycles kit, or perhaps our tent. We did our best to put it in the most conspicuous part of the whole track, sorry if the blue made your eyes bleed!
Big thanks to all the Western Sydney riders, especially the guys that organised and got the track sorted. And also to the team that were hot on our heals for the whole race, it made it a blast!
So without further adieu-
JetBlack Sydney 12 Hour 2010 race report
Category- Men’s fours
After some good performances in individual Cross Country Enduro events riding in the Ashfield Cycles Jersey, John Michelle and the team from Ashfield Cycles were generous enough to support a team in yesterdays Jetblack Sydney 12 hour race.
This was to be the first team event that we would ride in Ashfield Cycles colours and there was plenty enthusiasm leading up to the race. Our riders were; Tate Dogan, who was last year’s Tour of August B-grade champion on the road and recent convert to off-road racing, Lachlan Rowe who is an experienced Enduro racer with silky single track skills and technical climbing magician, Andrew Williamson who is one of the first guys who I ever went mountain biking with and got me into offroad riding and Myself (Mark Griffin) as the surrogate team captain.
To set the stage, the Men’s four category is traditionally the most hard fought category in an enduro race, as there is enough time between rides to expect riders to do hot laps every time they go out on track. The line honours winner of the race usually comes from this category and this race was no exception. With two of the four riders on the team light on preparation, we were hoping for a top ten position at best.
The course was a reasonably flat course that followed several valleys out and back, with stretches of dirt road that allowed riders coming from a road background to make some decent time, as well as some fast flowing single track for the off road enthusiast. A pinch climb was present at the back end of the course that created traction issues for everyone on track, but once you made it up, you knew there was only a downhill to the finish.
Fast times of the day were anything under 30 minutes for the 11km loop, with the fastest riders on individual teams trying to get into the 27’s and below. The fastest lap of the day was an amazing 24:56, but the rider who put that hot lap out did his fourth lap at 32 minutes and didn’t ride for the rest of the day, making me wonder if he blew up because that pace wasn’t sustainable.
With camp setup and the race about to start, I was happy to have Lachy leading out, as he does a great job of fighting for position on the single track early and always delivers with a great first lap. We managed to setup the tent about 15 metres up the hill from the transition area, giving us a prime view of Lachy leading out amongst the top ten as the race started, followed by a train of hundreds of riders. As the Ashfield cycles blue Jersey flashed past, I knew we were in for a good race.
The first few laps flew by, with all of us letting of some nervous energy in a first roll out on course. It’s always a heart pumper early on and it’s hard to make sure you keep the pace to a level you can sustain. An early time check and we surprised to find ourselves in third position, a couple of minutes clear of Western Sydney Mountain bike clubs quick team. This of course fired our competitive spirit and we decided to keep it as single laps for the time being, so we could keep putting out quick ones.
The weather conditions were absolutely superb and we were having a blast. It didn’t take long for it to tick round to early afternoon and see the arrival of Kane from Ashfield Cycles and his brother Nathan who had just flown in from Singapore. Kane swiftly went to work tuning our bikes up between laps and delivering some much needed supplies. Kane and Nathan both chipped in to keep the spirits high and revelled in the atmosphere of being amongst 600+ riders at one event.
Of the 600+ riders, only a few expect to top there category, so one of the biggest competitions in everyone camp is to see who can do the fastest lap in their team. In our team, the competition was fierce, with Tate’s road abilities allowing him to make some good time in the open stretches and my experience amongst the rough stuff, we were within seconds of each other. I had been keeping my times in the 27’s, posting a couple of 27.46’s or so and Tate handed off to me on a lap that was just a quick or quicker. I didn’t know how quick it was, but I knew I better put an absolute ball tearer of a lap in if I wanted line honours in the team. I keep the pace up just below red line all lap and pushed on the fire trail to keep the speed over 31km on that stretch. It’s a long run and you can make plenty of time on that section. Rolling off the hill, I knew I had done a quick lap, traffic was light, so I stomped the pedals for the finishing straight. Coming through, I hear that Tate did a 27:30 or so, but amazingly, I managed to punch out a 27:03, which was going to be the quickest of the day for us.
As we moved later into the afternoon, it became clear that we were bouncing between around 2 minutes and 7 minutes ahead of fourth place, so I put it to the team that I should go out for a double to try and get the gap a bit more solid. Everyone was supportive, so we prepped for a double lap and I went out ready to make a captains knock. First lap around, the boys called out 27:50 or so and I was amazed that I was on that pace for a double. I kept it up near redline for the second lap, traffic on course was friendly and I was stocked to do another 27:45 or so on the second lap, opening out our lead on fourth. Andrew then went out and put out another solid lap, despite proclaiming lack of form, he kept his times consistent fast throughout the day.
Soon after, Kane and Nathan had to leave for family commitments, so some last minute adjustments were made to the bikes and they left us with the business end of the day to deal with. Light was fading fast and temperature was dropping even faster. It became critical to get a good warm-up before a lap and change into warm clothes afterwards to avoid getting dangerously cold. Lachy posted a solid night lap, having a blast out in the dark and Tate went out for his first ever night lap. Taking a look at the times, we noticed that they were again sea sawing 5-7 minutes from our time, so I suggest that I do a double in the dark and leave Andrew’s lap till last when we would know what kind of gap we would have.
Tate came in on a great night lap time on his first ever night lap and then I went out for a double. Pace was feeling good, but concentration fades in the dark. About a third of the way round, I managed to clip something and wash out. I got a cork to the right calf that put it straight into cramp on an old injury, but I forced myself to jump on and keep riding. Being first lap, I was wondering if I would have to back out on doing a second lap. I keep riding through the cramp stretching when I could, in the end feeling ok when I came through on first lap. In the 29’s it was pretty good for a night lap, as you expect to drop a bit of time in the dark. I continued on for the second lap and pulled another 29’ and sent Lachy out for a run.
Looking at times, it seemed like I might have to go out for another at the end with the time left. I wasn’t feeling like riding another after receiving a cork, so Tate stepped up to do a double for the team. As Lachy came in and Tate took over, we did a time check on the other team and found that they went out 13:30 after us, we had a lead that only a major crash or mechanical could defeat, with Tate out on a double. A little bit of maths told us that there was a good chance that the other team wouldn’t get out on a final lap within the cut-off, whilst we would. We watched the clock as Tate came round, posting solid times, despite having a heavy fall. Andrew was sent out knowing he could do a super slow lap as we had a big margin on the other guys and there was only ten minutes left before cut off, requiring there rider out on course to do a sub 28’ get out on course again. We watched the finish as the time ticked out and were happy to see it tick down without a change up for the other team. Andrew was still out on course busting a gut, posting another great time on his final lap, even though third place was in the bag.
It was big smiles and beers all round as Andrew rolled in on his final lap. As our toes slowly froze, we talked of the highlights of the day and waiting for the remaining riders to come in before presentation. We all agreed it was a fantastic day on the trails and thanked each other for an amazing day. We can’t wait to get out there again and would love to field more teams if anyone else is keen.
A huge thanks to John for the support from Ashfield Cycles and to Kane for coming out and doing the support work. Having the Ashfield tent, jersey’s, Endura drinks and energy foods made it possible to keep the morale and energy up all day. It was an absolute blast seeing other team mates rock around in the same Ashfield Jersey as I had on, making us feel like a real time and I can’t wait to do it again!
Mr Endo
Yup, that fool was me. I was totally tangled up in the bike whilst it was on top of me and I had some music in my ears so that probably made me look a bit rude since I could not hear... sorry...
Still licking my wounds at home....
Yup, that fool was me. I was totally tangled up in the bike whilst it was on top of me and I had some music in my ears so that probably made me look a bit rude since I could not hear... sorry...
Still licking my wounds at home....
Captain Kirk
Likes Bikes
Helmet Cam Start Lap
Here's some raw footage of the start lap on a helmet cam we were given to test.
Only low res, but we get to see the Yeti CX dismount and the dozen riders go orienteering on that wrong turn
[video=youtube;enR7bC_-q1k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enR7bC_-q1k[/video]
Here's some raw footage of the start lap on a helmet cam we were given to test.
Only low res, but we get to see the Yeti CX dismount and the dozen riders go orienteering on that wrong turn
[video=youtube;enR7bC_-q1k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enR7bC_-q1k[/video]
Gotta love enduro starts
This is mine, taken on my 3rd lap. Its the full track but most of it is in fast forward. Didn't quite turn out as good as i'd hoped (had too put too much of it in fast forward to shorten the length) so I may do another one with just the good bits in normal speed.
[video=youtube;N4s691Ey_0w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4s691Ey_0w[/video]
This is mine, taken on my 3rd lap. Its the full track but most of it is in fast forward. Didn't quite turn out as good as i'd hoped (had too put too much of it in fast forward to shorten the length) so I may do another one with just the good bits in normal speed.
[video=youtube;N4s691Ey_0w]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4s691Ey_0w[/video]
gaylord-forker
Squid
WOW, the traffic on that first lap was terrible. I'm glad I was third man out on our team.
Dreggsy
Likes Bikes and Dirt
hmm i didnt see you out there at all, or spoony either.