Rocky Trail MTB Grand Prix Series 2010
- Thread starter trailburner
- Start date
the section down through the bush after the clearing? yeh i was kinda thinkn it seemed a little tougher / required more effort to make it through cleanly..... not sure exactly why, maybe because able to carry more speed hence the difficulty rating went up? one would have expected it to be easier, but then that section was wetish in places...
IMHO that descent is one of the hardest of any xc course in NSW. And if you can ride that you can tacckle all course in NSW.
I really enjoyed Saturday and Im a big fan of Rockytrail events. After finally getting to ride del rio in the dry I have some constructive criticisim of the track. The new hairpin that leads into the paddock is really tight and with that darkish brown soil feeling like light snow as i plow through it on the brakes i cant see it lasting long. The new corners through the paddock are ok but i actually think that section flowed better the way it was cut for the previous 24's. The descent is great fun but its a bit hairy at times and I find that many of the rock sections have holes in them that eat wheels. In a normal situation that wouldn't be so bad but on that descent there is little margin for error and a wheel dissapearing in a hole could end up with a rider bouncing into the creek. Perhaps those holes could be filled. The second piece of st is good but 661 corner is unsustainable. The only way through that section is to dirt plow through which will end up causing big errosion and it simply won't last.
Saying that though I cant wait for the next 24, team on the juice will be going a cabin this year to play a little reverse physcology with huey to hopefully get the good conditions that the event deserves.
I really enjoyed Saturday and Im a big fan of Rockytrail events. After finally getting to ride del rio in the dry I have some constructive criticisim of the track. The new hairpin that leads into the paddock is really tight and with that darkish brown soil feeling like light snow as i plow through it on the brakes i cant see it lasting long. The new corners through the paddock are ok but i actually think that section flowed better the way it was cut for the previous 24's. The descent is great fun but its a bit hairy at times and I find that many of the rock sections have holes in them that eat wheels. In a normal situation that wouldn't be so bad but on that descent there is little margin for error and a wheel dissapearing in a hole could end up with a rider bouncing into the creek. Perhaps those holes could be filled. The second piece of st is good but 661 corner is unsustainable. The only way through that section is to dirt plow through which will end up causing big errosion and it simply won't last.
Saying that though I cant wait for the next 24, team on the juice will be going a cabin this year to play a little reverse physcology with huey to hopefully get the good conditions that the event deserves.
Australia
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Yeh, the only differences were:
a) In the 24 that section at the bottom of the descent from the top of the climb was routed a little bit shorter
b) In the 24 there was an extra 250m through the campground so more people could have their pit area front onto the track
trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
Thanks for the feedback! We are aware of the pros and cons of the track and put the sections in knowing that they will be challenging and line choice will be very important here. There are a lot of tracks in NSW and ACT which are a lot of fun, fast and flowy, but you need very little technical ability to ride them... Del Rio is different
I did 3 laps on Sunday - thanks by the way for a new record 0! gel wrappers out there, you guys are fantastic - and with every lap I got faster and faster as I got the lines right. I imagine it would have been very similar to you guys.
The 661 S is a bit of a testing ground and we basically wanted to see how it develops if we put it in. It actually didn't change as much as I expected during the race, but I agree it isn't trailbuilding according to IMBA rules... again I like it because line choice is so important in there and determines if and how much speed you can take throgh it or if you have to take the escape route into the bush which I took on one of the laps.
So in learning from this race this is what we plan for the 24 hour:
Family friendly 24 hour racing will be paramount.
No more asking for leave passes - bring the families, camp or stay in a cabin or villa and have a great weekend with the entire family. Our kids races are taking off and the BMX track is a perfect track for it.
It's in February so if it doesn't rain it will be hot - pool, river, cold beverage in the pub will cool you down in between laps in the resort and we will probably put a cool down station at the top of the hill.
There will be a 6+6 hour daylight only option.
For the solo fields we will have 40+, 50+, Single Speed, Unicycle and Clydesdale Categories. Clydesdale will be 100+ kg (without bike and backpack) - this is to keep a level playing field for bigger riders considering how punishing the hillclimb will be if you haul around that much weight (I know
).Track wise: bridges will be repaired or replaced, there is a great descent that Steve from WSMTB roughed in connecting the road with the paddock. It requires a massive amount of work so I hope we can get it done in time. We also want to revisit the paddock as it has the potential for us to put in a lot of berms and fast and flowy lines.
We put on events that we want to race ourselves and the next 24 hour will be no different rain hail or shine! See you there.
Martin
muvro
Likes Dirt
Yeah, the '661 S' I really enjoyed, but I have to say at a guess, around 30ish% of the people I saw tackle that section did so on foot, It's great to have a challenge, though would it be possible to have a seperate path for those that don't want to tackle it? I noticed it got a bit hairy with people walking and faster riders wanting to get through. I didn't have a problem with waiting a few seconds for someone to clear it, as it gave me a rest/breather.. lol Just a thought. But might be a bit safer for the 24hr at night. Especially if the walker looks back at the approaching rider with helmet light at full noise. Possibly make it so that the easier path is a bit longer, so you are rewarded for taking the path requiring more skill by taking less time.
Also, the path into the paddock was great!!! But if you got off the line even slightly, man was it slippery... LOL
That hairpin at the bottom of the trail, leading into the paddock was awesome! Annoying slow, but was great fun. I loved coming down that steep section under brakes real hard and late. That soil really grabbed the front tyre.
One critisism I do have is that bit of clip lock roofing filled with sand as a bridge... Man, that thing is hairy! LOL Maybe just a little slat bridge instead. Probably the only section that I would actually change.
The rock gardens, were great. Carry a bit of speed and they really worked well with careful wheel placement. Was following one person and almost witnessed a pretty high OTB, but they managed to handle it and land the right way up. I got that sinking in the guts feeling as I saw it, as I've been there as most of us have many times...
I think I'm definitely going to have to consider signing up for the 24hr there next year.
Also, the path into the paddock was great!!! But if you got off the line even slightly, man was it slippery... LOL
That hairpin at the bottom of the trail, leading into the paddock was awesome! Annoying slow, but was great fun. I loved coming down that steep section under brakes real hard and late. That soil really grabbed the front tyre.
One critisism I do have is that bit of clip lock roofing filled with sand as a bridge... Man, that thing is hairy! LOL Maybe just a little slat bridge instead. Probably the only section that I would actually change.
The rock gardens, were great. Carry a bit of speed and they really worked well with careful wheel placement. Was following one person and almost witnessed a pretty high OTB, but they managed to handle it and land the right way up. I got that sinking in the guts feeling as I saw it, as I've been there as most of us have many times...
I think I'm definitely going to have to consider signing up for the 24hr there next year.
Australia
Likes Bikes and Dirt
U/21 or 23 or 25 pretty please (cant hurt to ask
) I help coach a high school team, and I'm nudging a couple of them (already accomplished 24 hour teams riders) to have a crack at the big one (with a sleep between 12 and 5)Good to hear trailburner. I love the 24 and del rio has so much potential as a venue good to hear that there are more plans for development. Looking fwd to the 24 alreadyThanks for the feedback! We are aware of the pros and cons of the track and put the sections in knowing that they will be challenging and line choice will be very important here. There are a lot of tracks in NSW and ACT which are a lot of fun, fast and flowy, but you need very little technical ability to ride them... Del Rio is different
I did 3 laps on Sunday - thanks by the way for a new record 0! gel wrappers out there, you guys are fantastic - and with every lap I got faster and faster as I got the lines right. I imagine it would have been very similar to you guys.
The 661 S is a bit of a testing ground and we basically wanted to see how it develops if we put it in. It actually didn't change as much as I expected during the race, but I agree it isn't trailbuilding according to IMBA rules... again I like it because line choice is so important in there and determines if and how much speed you can take throgh it or if you have to take the escape route into the bush which I took on one of the laps.
So in learning from this race this is what we plan for the 24 hour:
Family friendly 24 hour racing will be paramount.
No more asking for leave passes - bring the families, camp or stay in a cabin or villa and have a great weekend with the entire family. Our kids races are taking off and the BMX track is a perfect track for it.
It's in February so if it doesn't rain it will be hot - pool, river, cold beverage in the pub will cool you down in between laps in the resort and we will probably put a cool down station at the top of the hill.
There will be a 6+6 hour daylight only option.
For the solo fields we will have 40+, 50+, Single Speed, Unicycle and Clydesdale Categories. Clydesdale will be 100+ kg (without bike and backpack) - this is to keep a level playing field for bigger riders considering how punishing the hillclimb will be if you haul around that much weight (I know
Track wise: bridges will be repaired or replaced, there is a great descent that Steve from WSMTB roughed in connecting the road with the paddock. It requires a massive amount of work so I hope we can get it done in time. We also want to revisit the paddock as it has the potential for us to put in a lot of berms and fast and flowy lines.
We put on events that we want to race ourselves and the next 24 hour will be no different rain hail or shine! See you there.
Martin
Australia
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Speaking of venue, I will definately be booking a cabin this time - I dont think my pit crew has ever forgiven me for my failure to procure one for the great downpour of 2010
trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
Speaking of cabins: there is the boathouse and the cabin which house 32 and 20 people - if you guys want to get organised and get maybe 3-4 families together and book those it might work out really cheap. Also it would be so much nicer to have MTBers in those houses rather than drunk buck's party people!
yeah totally agree, it was much easier to ski it with a 2 wheel skid in the wet
muvro
Likes Dirt
LOL, that did provide some entertainment as I rode past each lap. watching their progression from totally pissed to passed out over the course of the day. HAHAHA
Fun Spectators
We were laughing about those guys over lunch on Sunday. For the first 2 hours of the race on Saturday they were playing cricket, drinking beer and ignoring us riders as we pedaled past. During the 3rd hour they started paying attention to us and cheering loudly. As we entered the 4th hour they were really giving their tonsils a workout and I laughed nearing the end of the race when every one of them was laying on the grass sound asleep...
trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
Juliane's comment: What a lucky bride
Sleeping Stations at Del Rio
My report from the 8hr goes something like this,
The question I asked myself mid race was, "Who was I racing against?". The start of the Rocky Trail 4 & 8 Hour Grand Prix had been a self seeding bunch affair. We had launched onto the dry 9.7km track immediately forming a tight lead group on the road and buzzed along to the main climb. After a couple of laps I was aware of which were the team and solo riders. The Bernard Riders were hard to miss with their energetic banter between their leading teams, they were also handy to have around for the road section. For the solos, I rode as if they were all doing the eight hour, and it wasn't till my virtual mid race epiphany that the cogs fell inline. I had just been racing the four hour GP riders. Smashing myself to keep up with both the solo and teams.
The remainder at mcrummy.blogspot.com
Then once you guys had left they remained asleep (or there abouts) till about an hour before the finish of the 8hr. No offers of beer this time though...
My report from the 8hr goes something like this,
The question I asked myself mid race was, "Who was I racing against?". The start of the Rocky Trail 4 & 8 Hour Grand Prix had been a self seeding bunch affair. We had launched onto the dry 9.7km track immediately forming a tight lead group on the road and buzzed along to the main climb. After a couple of laps I was aware of which were the team and solo riders. The Bernard Riders were hard to miss with their energetic banter between their leading teams, they were also handy to have around for the road section. For the solos, I rode as if they were all doing the eight hour, and it wasn't till my virtual mid race epiphany that the cogs fell inline. I had just been racing the four hour GP riders. Smashing myself to keep up with both the solo and teams.
The remainder at mcrummy.blogspot.com
unicycle6869
Cannon Fodder
Can anyone tell me how much elevation was gained/loss for the Del Rio 4 hour endurance lap? Need it to compare to future races. Is there an elevation profile somewhere of it? I thought there was on the Rocky website but looks like they took it down. Thanks in advance.
trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
track info del rio
sorry, yes, the track info was changed over to the next location (stromlo, 20 november), however, here is the direct link to the PDF with the Del Rio track information - click here.
hope this helps (or do you need the Garmin file?), let us know.
see ya!
hi,
sorry, yes, the track info was changed over to the next location (stromlo, 20 november), however, here is the direct link to the PDF with the Del Rio track information - click here.
hope this helps (or do you need the Garmin file?), let us know.
see ya!