Rollercoaster powered by Flow - 2014 NSW State Series and Championships
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trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
Just did a few laps around the Enduro trails at Ourimbah and I have some ideas of wicked trails - definitely Enduro style where you need to be fit + have bike skills in order to be fast and win.
Will put together some maps next week. It's our 24 hour this weekend after that we will focus on Enduro and 2014.
Will put together some maps next week. It's our 24 hour this weekend after that we will focus on Enduro and 2014.
Gravityfreak
Likes Dirt
More than happy to get stuck in as well - not just an arm chair critic.
foxpuppet
Eats Squid
Good to see a bit of outside the box thinking MW, there is a lot of room for variation at Ourimbah. I think particularly using the 5 ways area as a staging point would be interesting. Not sure how it could tie in with the upper DH/AM sections which are some of the sweetest to ride. I've also noticed a few disused trails dotted around the outsides of the main trail. Any chance of having some of these tidied up and used again as something different, as in a bit less groomed and wild.
loc81
Likes Dirt
What are your thoughts (and anyone else- happy to hear pros/cons) on a hard tail category if numbers and interest was there?
Versatile HTs are getting pretty popular and I'm sure folks would be having a crack at these rounds if a dedicated category was around. I'm one of these people but cost, time and effort is hard to swallow when I would be up against 160mm duallys. Maybe drop a post on here- especially the AM hard tail thread.
I agree with many others here that the helmet issue is a big one. Full faces are mandatory in DH races yeah? DH tracks are being used and the aim is to get to the bottom ASAP so why aren't they mandatory on those tracks?
Or even a "FF, elbow or knees- you must pick any 2 to race" scenario? Nothing wrong with some tough love in this department when entry level protection is, IMO, pretty damn cheap.
Congratulations on your 100th event too!
My blog: www.justmytype81.wordpress.com
Stuff about stuff I like- bikes, music, food and laughs. Subscribe.
Versatile HTs are getting pretty popular and I'm sure folks would be having a crack at these rounds if a dedicated category was around. I'm one of these people but cost, time and effort is hard to swallow when I would be up against 160mm duallys. Maybe drop a post on here- especially the AM hard tail thread.
I agree with many others here that the helmet issue is a big one. Full faces are mandatory in DH races yeah? DH tracks are being used and the aim is to get to the bottom ASAP so why aren't they mandatory on those tracks?
Or even a "FF, elbow or knees- you must pick any 2 to race" scenario? Nothing wrong with some tough love in this department when entry level protection is, IMO, pretty damn cheap.
Congratulations on your 100th event too!
My blog: www.justmytype81.wordpress.com
Stuff about stuff I like- bikes, music, food and laughs. Subscribe.
To me AM is about riding to the top because you HAVE to, not because you want to. When my mates and I go to stromlo we shuttle to the top on our am bikes so we can get as many runs down the hill in a day as possible and to have the energy to do that. From what I've heard just about every round of the "enduro series" has been won by someone on a xc bike, not a dh bike which means to me endurance, fitness, stamina, whatever you want to call it is already required to win a race so why people want to make the racing even closer to xc is beyond me. Most of the people entering these events are doing it for a bit of fun, not to prove they are the best or fittest riders on the day. If people don't want to use the shuttle, then don't. Get on your bike and ride it to the top but please don't take away the shuttle from the people who don't take the racing or themselves so seriously.
shannon23455
Likes Dirt
Wasn't the all mountain concept for NSW originally done as a fun day out. Shuttle to the top and then race to the bottom with a mix of techy trail and pedalling sections. And it was done to bring dh riders and xc riders together for a race.
Cronar
Likes Dirt
That's not really "All" mountain then is it!
It's an All Mountain Enduro race ... mountains have ups and downs. Maybe downhill racing is more for you :behindsofa:
Thanks for the reply Martin, all valid points. And +1 for a hardtail class.
pharmaboy
Eats Squid
Helmets aren't mandatory because then only downhillers would be there - there aren't many people who are going to go out and spend $200 on a helmet for a one day race that they might not even like.
I get a little vibe that there are quite a few downhillers etc who are a little pissed that xc types are winning - maybe an assumption that they shouldn't be quick downhill. I have a mate that seems to think that any track where he is smoked has too much pedalling in it, and the downhill part of the day where he does alright is just right........
I reckon Martin should go with numbers showing up - popularity tells you how well you are doing with the format - when entries are closed off because of numbers, that's a good sign.
But as per Shannon, it's about getting different groups together and having fun. When xc racers talk about a great track, they aren't waxing lyrical about the climb, but about a fast section of slightly downhill, or properly downhill track - that's where the fun is.
loc81
Likes Dirt
That's why I mentioned the pads option. I've seen 661 FFs for $100- even cheaper on CRC so I think if a rider can spend 60-100 bucks on tyres then the cost of at least some protection shouldn't bother them. A DH capable rider and associated bike on a DH track is one thing but these events allow and welcome someone with little or possibly even zero DH track experience on a 120mm bike to ride the same terrain. The risk factor goes up a lot!!
Regarding shuttles, it sounds like Martin has mixed it up a bit and tried to meet halfway- it's a tough one.
Downhill riders being cheesed at the xc riders is going to happen when you have to slug a big rig on flat and uphill. But remember on tracks like ourimbah's full DH, these xc riders have to clamber down some dicey stuff that big bikes would laugh at! It's just getting that mix right- then having the right bike and skill.
My blog: www.justmytype81.wordpress.com
Stuff about stuff I like- bikes, music, food and laughs. Subscribe.
misterhoang
Squid
+1 to a hardtail class
I personally like the idea of just one practice run only and then a race run. I'm also on the same page as MW, get rid of the shuttle's altogether. As for how I want the track to be, I would want mainly natural features, b lines for the not so confident and I dont mind an odd uphill or two. I believe, the best rider that wins is the most adaptable rider. So dh type sections, flat out pedal sections, a small speed hump of a hill (under three minutes to climb), rock gardens, awkward slow hairpins, fast berms should be all included in a track.
I personally like the idea of just one practice run only and then a race run. I'm also on the same page as MW, get rid of the shuttle's altogether. As for how I want the track to be, I would want mainly natural features, b lines for the not so confident and I dont mind an odd uphill or two. I believe, the best rider that wins is the most adaptable rider. So dh type sections, flat out pedal sections, a small speed hump of a hill (under three minutes to climb), rock gardens, awkward slow hairpins, fast berms should be all included in a track.
foxpuppet
Eats Squid
Sounds most of the AM track at ourimbah.... But include jelly leg or a similar uphill part and it's there!
Like I said, am is about riding to the top if you HAVE to not because you WANT to. Anyone who truly enjoys the climbs is either a xc rider or a fitness freak. If you want to ride uphill, feel free to enter a xc race. As someone posted earlier it should be about having fun and bringing the xc and dh riders together, not about proving who's the fittest guy on the day. Xc riders will still turn up if you run a shuttle, dh riders will not if you don't.
foxpuppet
Eats Squid
So what would you do when it's multi stage and you only had the option to shuttle to the first stage?
Nothing about being a fitness freak, but if you can't ride some ups for transition then all mountain racing may not be for you (not directed at you personally)
at Delrio riding under your own steam was the only option, plenty of DH guys still did it.
Aargh. I said you ride uphill if you HAVE to. At delrio there are areas where you HAVE to ride uphill so yes, I would ride up the hill. At ourimbah its an easy shuttle so why not have them? It's about having fun and I'm sure most riders would have more fun if shuttles were involved. Are you telling me that if they do eventually put a chair lift at Stromlo you wouldn't use it?
foxpuppet
Eats Squid
Stromlo is a big place, a lift would only service the top and you would still have to ride between stages. I'm not saying no to shuttles at all but for multi stage racing like am/gravity enduro you HAVE to ride uphill at some point.
Relying on shuttles won't help you develop overall as a rider, yes you might get in more runs on a track, but it's a fine line to balance between how many runs you do before the race run. A single reccy lap is all everyone should get then a race run.
Riding up a fire road or transition trail isn't that hard, it keeps your legs turning over and personally I find it's easier to keep your race pace when your warmed up even though it's using energy.
I'll add that this is only my opinion, everyone obviously is different, but I have made the observation over a fair while through Strava that a heck of a lot of KOM and PR times are set by riders on longer rides before getting to a section of trail they do well on. This is applicable to Am bike riders not just the Lycra clad xc guys. Personally I have set my best times on trails where I have ridden to get to them l, be it on fire trail or on the road, including brutal climbs before the start. I have done the exact same trails driving to the trail head and while it feels fast because I'm fresher, I've been slower almost every time.
Relying on shuttles won't help you develop overall as a rider, yes you might get in more runs on a track, but it's a fine line to balance between how many runs you do before the race run. A single reccy lap is all everyone should get then a race run.
Riding up a fire road or transition trail isn't that hard, it keeps your legs turning over and personally I find it's easier to keep your race pace when your warmed up even though it's using energy.
I'll add that this is only my opinion, everyone obviously is different, but I have made the observation over a fair while through Strava that a heck of a lot of KOM and PR times are set by riders on longer rides before getting to a section of trail they do well on. This is applicable to Am bike riders not just the Lycra clad xc guys. Personally I have set my best times on trails where I have ridden to get to them l, be it on fire trail or on the road, including brutal climbs before the start. I have done the exact same trails driving to the trail head and while it feels fast because I'm fresher, I've been slower almost every time.
outtacontrol
Likes Bikes and Dirt
Sorry, you just lost me.
foxpuppet
Eats Squid
Yeah I didn't want to say it.... But it validates my point on timing.
trailburner
Rocky Trail Entertainment
I have just updated our website:
More categories (including Hardtail due to popular demand - I better see a few of you out there
3 very cool AM trails
Different schedule to last year's races - so please go and check it out
Registration is now open and we have capped it at 200.
Great sponsor lineup.
http://www.rockytrailentertainment.com/events/Rollercoaster-overview.html
Here is the map:
More categories (including Hardtail due to popular demand - I better see a few of you out there
3 very cool AM trails
Different schedule to last year's races - so please go and check it out
Registration is now open and we have capped it at 200.
Great sponsor lineup.
http://www.rockytrailentertainment.com/events/Rollercoaster-overview.html
Here is the map: