Enduro Magazine Issue#30 by FreeWheel Media

#30

HAWAII 24

$10.95 ENDURO MAG SUMMER 2016

DAN VAN DER PLOEG

INTERVIEW

THULE B24 | CAPE TO CAPE | DANCE WITH THE DEVIL | SANTA CRUZ STIGMATA & HIGHBALL |

6 BIKES TESTED

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Rider on Cover : Team Focus 4Shaw rider, Tom Goddard, shot from earlier in the year at the XCM nationals in Derby | Photo - Heath Holden

REGULARS ED NOTE GEAR CHAT - MIKE RONNING NEW GEAR 1ST LOOK PUNTER VS. PRO SUBSCRIPTIONS THANKYOU

Contents

FEATURES 7 8 10 34 138 140

DAN VAN DER PLOEG THE THULE B24 CAPE 2 CAPE 2015 SPECIALIZED 6FATTIE SUMMER GRAVITY CAMP: WHISTLER, B.C HAWAII 24 THE EDWARD TEACH MOUNTAINBIKE TEAM THE REDBACK STAGE RACE SHAUN & ANDY AT THE 2015 CAPE EPIC RACE DANCE WITH THE DEVIL PORT TO PORT GOLDEN TRIANGLE EPIC

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28 37 45 50 51 56 62 68 74 87 94 100

THE DWELLINGUP 100 INTERVIEW ANDREW HALL THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING HYDRATION

104 108 110

B-SIDES BIKE TESTING SURLY ICE-CREAM TRUCK SCOTT GENIUS 910 SANTA CRUZ BIKE LAUNCH AVANTI TORRENT S7.2 GT SENSOR CARBON PRO

114 116 119 122 124

PRODUCT TESTING

126

Contents page : Competitors roll out early in the golden morning light, aiming to avoid the worst of the day’s heat at the cape Epic | Photo - Sportograf.com

ED NOTE

Welcome to Enduro 30. Welcome to issue 30 of Enduromag! Without wanting to sugarcoat, it’s been a while between drinks for us here at Enduromag. As a result, issue 30 is a retrospective of sorts; a look back at some of the great events that made 2015 a truly great year for riding and racing bikes. In this issue of Enduromag we bring you the best of the local races this year, from the Thule and Mont 24s, to the immensely popular sister events, the Cape to Cape and Port to Port, the Redback Stage Race in Alice Springs, the Dwellingup 100 and the XCM National Championships (held on the already-mythical trails of Derby in sunny Tasmania). We are also lucky enough that our intrepid contributors continue to search out new experiences, challenges and trails in different corners of the globe. In this issue, we bring you a report from a 24hr in magical Hawaii, where the off-course action was just as interesting as the race. We also bring you the lowdown on the Summer Gravity Camp in Whistler, where our hard-man reporter, Brad Davies finds out how many tricks an old

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dog can learn (and how much fun can be had) in seven days on the mountain, under the tutelage of mountain bike legend Andrew Shandro and his instructors.

der Ploeg’s, Dan’s story is one of resilience, persistence and inspiration to others, not least his world-beating cycling brothers, Neil and Paul.

Of course, there’s one race that we keep coming back to that has a special place in our hearts and that is the Cape Epic, which was the last race of our dear friend and editor, James Williamson. This year, James’ teammate and now marathon specialist, Shaun Lewis headed over to South Africa with Andy Blair where the two had a blinder of a race. It was awesome to follow at the time and, we hope you’ll agree, is equally awesome to read about in this issue.

While there is a positive aspect to Dan’s story, and he might even consider himself in some respects to be lucky to have made the recovery that he has made, I’d like to end this ednote by paying my respects to a man who was not so lucky.

While we have our usual look at all things shiny and new in our B-Sides product review section and we feature some of the bling coming in 2016, I hope you’ll excuse me wrapping up this ednote on a sombre note.

On 30 November 2015, professional photographer and cycling lover Mark Gunter, passed away from cancer, aged 41. Having worked with Mark on several occasions over the last 15 years, I bore witness to his brilliant photographic skills. But more than that, I came to know Mark as, without any exaggeration, one of the nicest guys you could ever hope to meet and work with.

In this issue, we look at the remarkable journey of Daniel van der Ploeg, who talks to Ash Hayat about his life, ten years after being hit by a car from behind near his home in Mount Beauty. One of the many talented van

Mark’s passing will leave a big hole in many people’s lives, as is inevitably the case, when he had such a positive impact on everyone he met. Our sincerest sympathies go to Mark’s family. May his memory live on in his photos and in our hearts.

LEWIS, ROBBIE MCNAUGHTON, ASH HAYAT, PETER KNIGHT, MICHAEL DROFENIK, ROSS WILKINSON, SHANE TAYLOR, PAUL BRYANT, DEAN CLARK, MIKE RONNING, ELIZA KWAN, KYLE SHARP

ARTICLES PRINTED IN THIS PUBLICATION ARE THE OPINION OF THE AUTHOR, AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE OPINION OF THE EDITORS OR PUBLISHERS OF ENDURO. ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL PH: +613 9853 0840 MOB: 0438 292 006

DESIGNER ADAM MACLEOD ADAM@FREEWHEEL.COM.AU

SNAPARAZZI HEATH HOLDEN, GIRO PHOTO, RAPID ASCENT, TIM BARDSLEY-SMITH, SHANE TAYLOR, SARAH JANE CLARKE, ADAM WEATHERED, RUSS BAKER, JOSH STEPHENSON, ADAM MACLEOD, JERZY LAU, RUSSELL BURTON, OUTER IMAGE COLLECTIVE

CONTRIBUTORS IMOGEN SMITH, NAOMI WILLIAMS, CHRIS HUMPHRIES, BRAD DAVIES, ANDY BLAIR, SHAUN

POST CORRESPONDENCE TO:: 29 LOCH ST, KEW, VIC 3101

Crew Issue 30 PUBLISHER FREEWHEEL MEDIA ADAM MACLEOD ADAM@FREEWHEEL.COM.AU EDITOR MIKKELI GODFREE MIKK@FREEWHEEL.COM.AU

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MIKE RONNING

A founding member of the Giant All Mountain Cartel

RIDER NAME: Michael Ronning AGE: 39 TEAM: Giant All Mountain Cartel BIKE(S): Giant Reign Advanced Team, Giant Defy SL0 on the road YEARS RACING: 25 TOP 5 RESULTS: 6th Elite at Round 3 Aust Enduro Series, 3rd in Elite at Round 2 QLD Enduro series, 2nd in Elite overall QLD Enduro Seires 2014, 3rd in Elite QLD Enduro Championships. 5th 2W Enduro NZ Oct 2014 THREE EVENTS YOU’RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS SEASON: Definitely the Rockshox Enduros at Mt Buller and Toowoomba as well as the EWS/Crankworx in NZ. Even though these races have already been, they were by far the standout events of 2015…well as far as enduro goes. YOU’RE HEADING OUT FOR AN EPIC FIVE-HOUR RIDE, WHAT DO YOU TAKE? Definitely run my big Fox pack so I can carry plenty of water and spares. I always load up with Clif bars, gels and bananas… nothing worse than getting hungry half way through a ride, so I usually overdo it in the food department! As far as spares go, tube, co2s, chain link, folding tool etc. PEDAL SYSTEM? I’ve been running Shimano SPDs since 1991. They are always so reliable. I’m so used to that feel I don’t think I could ever change. SET THE SUSPENSION HARD ‘N’ FAST OR SOFT ‘N’ SLOW? I’m a bit of a mix…I like it hard but run it quite slow. I have a fair amount of slow speed compression, I really like that platform feel and have it set quite controlled on the rebound as well. WHAT IS THE MOST UNDERRATED/LEAST FLASHY BIT OF GEAR YOU USE AND COULDN’T DO WITHOUT? A Marsh guard, I guess I could do without it but really like having it on there, I’d feel naked with out it and get mud in my eye. FAVOURITE BIKE OF ALL TIME? Back in the day it was my Intense

Photos: Adam Weathered

M1 I raced at the 2001 World Championships, such a cool bike for the time. Lots of little prototype, handmade parts and details made it really cool. Nowadays its my current Giant Reign…so amazing that a production bike can be so cool and so dialled, right out of the box it is ready to shred. All I did was put some sealant in the tyres and it was ready! Ride it up hills and bomb down like a DHer. I really think people that have ridden back in the ’90 s appreciate these type of bikes even more because of the bikes we rode back then - haha! FAVOURITE BIKE ACCESSORY? I would have to say the dropper post. Ever since I first got one I’ve been hooked. I don’t think I could ride without one…well, I wouldn’t want to anyways. FAVOURITE BIKE TECHNOLOGY? For me suspension has to be my favourite tech, there has been plenty of other cool stuff like tubeless tyres, 1 x 11 etc. But I still think suspension has had more of an impact on mountain biking than anything else. They way you can ride terrain with so much control is just amazing compared to a rigid bike. NUMBER OF GEARS? 11 WHAT DOES A ROAD BIKE MEAN TO YOU? I actually really enjoy road riding. I guess for me it means a great way to get some hours pedalling straight out of my garage and not having to drive to the trails (which are only 15 mins away, anyway). It will never replace mountain biking for me but they go well together. YOU GET A NEW MOUNTAIN BIKE. WHAT PARTS DO YOU SWAP STRAIGHT AWAY? Probably tyres.…they are really important to me for feel and confidence when I’m riding or racing. ANY CUSTOM TRICKS ON YOUR BIKE? Nothing too custom, I sometimes have some special valving done on the suspension, but recently stock bikes have got that good you really can just ride them straight out of the box…..pretty boring answer but I guess it shows how far bikes have progressed! WHAT ARE YOU MOST ANAL ABOUT WITH BIKE SETUP? Definitely handlebar, brake, shifter position. It is really important to have

that setup perfect or it makes it hard to relax when I ride if I’m constantly thinking about how my brake doesn’t feel quite right. WHAT’S THE WORST MECHANICAL YOU’VE EVER HAD? Back in the day I destroyed a few rear wheels in World Cup DH races. Recently though, nothing terrible, a few flat tyres and a snapped chain. WHAT’S THE WORST CRASH YOU’VE HAD? I hit a tree with my left collarbone and smashed it into six bits and ended up with a steel plate and screws…ouch! WHAT WOULD YOU LOVE TO SEE INVENTED? Probably just tyres that can’t be flatted, it seems still to be the biggest ride/ race ruiner! - ENDuromag

on the cover this issue - Tom Goddard Described by some as ‘the nicest guy in mountain biking’, Tom Goddard is not just nice, he’s a weapon on a bike. Probably best known for being one half of the dynamic 4Shaw DYAD duo, with the smiling assassin Scott Bowden, Tom is gaining a reputation as one of the up-and-coming hitters in XCO and XCM. With a background in running and mountain biking orienteering, Tom cut his teeth in the rolling green hills around Launceston, but

more recently has been living in Adelaide where he has completed an engineering degree while racing at the top of the Aussie XCO and XCM scene. When it comes down to it though, Tom just loves the bike and loves seeking out new experiences on two wheels. His bike travels even took him to Nepal where he narrowly escaped the earthquakes that rocked the region in early 2015. Look out for Tom tearing up the trails at a race near you…

Scott Bowden and Tom Goddard with a very big cheque after taking the overall win at Hellfire Cup, 2015 | Photos by Warren Frey

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Steve Peat and Hans Rey traverse Iceland with photographer Scott Markewitz, we feature their trip in the upcoming edition of Enduro Travel. This special edition hits the shelves early February, 2016. See our website for the video of this trip www.enduromag.com.au

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Brendan Johnston achieved the title of Best Australian rider at the Croc Trophy this year with 3rd overall in the elite field. A great result in a race stacked with European hard men, Lars Huber secured his 3rd Croc win having also won the event in 2009 and 2010 | Photo: Regina Stanger

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Photo: Giro Photo

Lucy Bechtel We recently had a quick chat with Lucy Bechtel, winner of this year’s Full Fling elite. Lucy is more likely to be seen throughout the year pounding the road miles and currently races with road team, Bikebug - Nextgen Racing. In the women’s race at the Fling, there was little between Lucy Bechtel and Eliza Kwan but Lucy led for most of the race, and with a short distance to go, Bechtel who placed third in 2014, was able to pull away for the 2015 win. What was your preparation like in the lead up to the Highland Fling? I’ve been building up over the past few weeks on the road with the aim to be peaking for January’s Road Racing Nationals and the Women’s Tour Down Under. I haven’t spent much time on the mountain bike, in fact, the last mountain bike race I did was the 2014 Fling! How did the race unfold for you on the day? I was off the back from the get go… but I managed to hold onto the wheel of the other two female elite competitors across the paddocks, sand pits and creek crossings. By the time I came into the first transition, I was spent. 20kms down, 85 to go… About 30kms in, Eliza Kwan got a gap on the single track and increased it by impressively riding

all the way up the famed vertical wall. A bit later on I used a climb to get a gap on Briony Mattock. I bridged to Eliza and we kept each other going over the hard, long steep climbs. On the exposed flatter end of the second leg I got a gap and time trialled it into the wind. Eliza was working in a group behind so I wondered if I should join them to save my legs, but I felt good and thought the few extra seconds gap might be needed in the finish. From the final transition we rode out together but I was able to use the climbs in the final 30kms to get a gap and sustain it to the finish. Had you ridden the trails at Bundanoon this year prior to the event? I hadn’t. I love these trails, and last year I did the Willo and had planned to return this year for that race but was indoor trainer-bound with a broken collarbone! Given your 3rd place at last year’s Highland Fling and familiarity with the race, who did you see were the main rivals leading up to the event? Obviously Peta Mullens and Jenny Blair are hot favourites for this event. They rode incredibly strong last year. But with both of these riders not in contention this year it was really anyone’s race. Both Eliza Kwan and Briony Mattock have had very impressive results this year; they are both pocket rockets with a focus on mountain biking and longer events. I had the hills and the fire

trails on my side though. With a strong road racing background, how often do you get the opportunity to get your tyres dirty? Not as much as I’d have liked this year, I’ve had 2 new mountain bikes on display in my lounge room waiting to get dirty nearly all year! But that’s hopefully going to be very different in 2016. Mountain biking is my favourite hobby when I’m on a break from my road training. Do you see the Fling as a technically challenging race or one for a power rider? There is some super fun single track and there is definitely an art to creek crossings, but I think that with around 2000m of climbing it’s about having the power and the engine to just keep stomping away. What bike were you racing at the Fling? Hardtail or dually? Dually. No regrets. Will we see you racing other xc events this season? I hope so! More so after January I think. Next race on your schedule? My next race will be on the road, the Tour of Bright in the Victorian Alps on December 4-6. It’s the hilliest course on the calendar, so the Fling has been good training. Good luck with the upcoming season ENDuromag

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Photo: Giro Photo

Andy Blair The Southern Highlands turned on near perfect riding conditions across the weekend of racing for the eleventh running of the CamelBak Highland Fling mountain bike marathon. For much of the race there was only seconds between first and second. Kyle Ward led Andy Blair for much of the distance, but after flatting couldn’t make the time back, leaving Blair to claim his first Fling victory after having raced all eleven editions. Andy Blair: “Kyle got a flat in the singletrack. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’ve had my own fair share of bad luck here, so I know how it feels. I’m stoked to finally take the win after all these years!” What was your preparation like in the lead up to the Highland Fling? Not perfect (when is it though, really?) I dislocated my shoulder twice a few weeks out so I could barely ride the mountain bike. I had good form on the road, but that is a bit different so I wasn’t sure what to expect on the day. How much time did you save from Canberra in the new Volkswagen team Car? Sorry I didn’t know the Hume highway was a Strava segment. Everything is a race these days. How did the race unfold for you on the day?

It is a pretty complicated race with the transitions but basically Kyle Ward went solo from a long way out and I rode most of the day with Marc Williams in 2nd and 3rd. It was a good scenario for myself and Marc and we could use our numbers advantage to control the gap to Kyle who was clearly riding very strongly. When we both started to cramp in the last stage Kyle pulled away again, we wouldn’t have caught him had it not been for his flat tyre. I know it is tough to be the strongest and not win, so I feel for Kyle. Did you ride the trails at Bundanoon this year prior to the event? Yeah i did one reconnaissance ride up there with a few mates, which we try to do most years. I always get flashbacks to doing that with Willo years ago before the fling and it’s a nice little ritual. It was also great to see those guys go so well in the race too, particularly Marc Williams and Ed Bissaker. Given your 10 previous starts without a win at the Fling, did you feel #11 was a good chance or had you resigned yourself to a win for #13? If you roll a dice ten times and never roll a six, the chance of rolling it on the next roll is still 1 in 6. What decided you on racing the dually this year?

To be honest it was the reconnaissance ride. My shoulder was bothering me a lot and causing me to ride really poorly. I wanted to pretend it was just the bike choice and if I rode the Epic in the race id be able to ride fast again. That or a heap of physio and strapping tape seemed to do the trick. Do you see the Fling as a technically challenging race or one for a power rider? I wouldn’t say anything in the fling was too technical. It is definitely important to be strong but you need to ride smart as well. Was there added pressure this year having Mrs Blair doing race support? In terms of expectation she does set the bar pretty high I suppose, but I didn’t feel any more pressure that what I put on myself for any big race. Did she heckle you on the way through? No, this is Jenny we are talking about; she is so competitive that she now has to be the best feeder in the zone! It’s nothing but time splits, spare wheels, chain lube and Gu handups. She even walked out to the middle feed despite only being only allowed to give us time checks and not food & water there. Good luck with the upcoming season ENDuromag

SATURDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2016 FORREST VIC Australia’s most respected MTB marathon, held on the phenomenal trails at Forrest in the Great Otway National Park

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“It’s an epic day out that includes big climbs, bombing descents and plenty of flowing single track; and it attracts the best riders from around the country,” ADRIAN JACKSON, PREVIOUS WINNER.

2016 marks the 35th anniversary of Rocky Bicycles. This year’s lineup is filled with both ev improvements and groundbreaking innovations

2016 marks the 35th anniversaryWith of Rocky Mountain Bicycles. new categories, updated specs, expanded This year’s lineup is filled with both evolutionary improved details, andimprovements the reintroduction of our lon and groundbreaking innovations. downhill bike, this promises to be a banner year Mountain. See you out on the trails!

With new categories, updated specs, expanded models, improved —The Rocky Mountain Bic details, and the reintroduction of our long-awaited downhill bike, this promises to be a banner year for Rocky Mountain. See you out on the trails!

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er homas Vanderham Sterling Lorence Merritt, BC

VERTEX Our flagship XC-Race hardtail, the Vertex has incredible climbing traction and rollover performance. Its geometry is aggressive and confident everywhere on the race course, even technical corners and descents. RSL models feature a featherlight Smoothwall carbon frame with industry leading stiffnessto-weight, making it the choice for World Cup racers and weekend warriors alike.

SMOOTHWALL CARBON FRAME MATERIAL

FORM ALLOY

FRAME MATERIAL

RTC

DESIGN

29 INCH

WHEEL SIZE

100 MM

FRONT SUSPENSION

Models

Vertex 990 RSL Vertex 990 RSL Frame Vertex 970 RSL Vertex 950 RSL Vertex 950 Vertex 930

XC RACE

INTENDED USE

INSTINCT Stable and confident, the Instinct is an all-day singletrack adventure kind of bike. Our RIDE-9 system makes it easy to tune the geometry and suspension to whatever terrain you want to tackle. NEW FOR 2016: we made the link 15% stiffer, and gave it BC2 pivots with grease ports for easier maintenance.

SMOOTHWALL CARBON FRAME MATERIAL

FORM ALLOY

FRAME MATERIAL

RIDE-9

ADJUSTABILITY

SMOOTHLINK SUSPENSION

BC2

PIVOTS

ABC

PIVOTS

RTC

DESIGN

29 INCH

WHEEL SIZE

130 MM

FRONT SUSPENSION

Models

Instinct 999 MSL Instinct 999 MSL Frame Instinct 970 MSL Instinct 950 MSL Instinct 930 MSL Instinct 950 Instinct 930

130 MM

REAR SUSPENSION

TRAIL

INTENDED USE

MAIDEN From World Cup race tracks, to bike parks, to massive Utah freeride lines, its lightweight carbon frame handles the roughest courses, pedals efficiently, and has increased braking control. The Equalized wheel system allows riders to choose either 26” or 27.5” wheels without compromise, and RIDE-4 provides precise geometry adjustments.

26 OR 27.5 INCH WHEEL SIZE

200 MM

FRONT SUSPENSION

Models Maiden Unlimited Maiden Unlimited Frame Maiden World Cup Maiden Pro Maiden Park

200 MM

REAR SUSPENSION

DOWNHILL

INTENDED USE

SMOOTHWALL CARBON FRAME MATERIAL

AUTONOMOUS BRAKING

EQUALIZED

WHEEL CONCEPT

PIPELOCK

COLLET SYSTEM

SMOOTHLINK SUSPENSION

RIDE-4

ADJUSTABILITY

RTC

DESIGN

“There was something liberating in the first few pedal strokes leaving our drop-off zone, an innocent abandon of responsibility and order that comes with an uncertain weather forecast and only a vague itinerary. It was evident in those first few miles that having our houses and kitchens packed along with us wasn’t going to keep us from having fun. Whatever it was, we were having a blast absolutely ripping up the desert terrain on these fully loaded pack horses—skids, drifts, airs, and all.” —Wade Simmons R P L

Wade Simmons, Geoff Gulevich, Andreas Hestler, Alex Cogger Margus Riga & Brian Park Black Canyon Trail, Arizona

MAIDEN VOYAGE After nearly four years of development, we’re proud to launch the Maiden. With the freedom to work on an extended schedule, its all-carbon frame was designed from the ground up to perform at the highest levels of World Cup racing, bike park blasting, and big mountain freeriding. Suspension design for this bike was the most exhaustive we’ve ever done. We increased anti-squat values for more efficient pedaling, and designed a rate curve with predictable response and more effective shock adjustments. We minimized pedal kickback and improved small-bump performance.

Our engineering team spent a lot of time thinking about braking more efficiently. By balancing anti-rise,

caliper counter rotation, and momentary inertial transfer values, our Autonomous braking system allows the bike to react to ground forces rather than braking forces. The result is more traction and less hand-fatigue. There are advantages to both 26” and 27.5” wheels in DH applications. By using a headtube spacer in conjunction with a second rear axle position, our Equalized wheel system allows riders to choose their wheel size while maintaining optimal BB height and fork trail. From new pivot platforms to oversized bearings, geometry adjustments, frame protection, and electronics compatibility, we left no stone unturned in designing the Maiden. R P L

SHERPA Designed to carry you and your gear to the ends of the earth, far from the nearest Strava segment, the Sherpa is the world’s first production full suspension 27.5+ bike. From exploring old military tracks in the Dolomites, to racing the Colorado Trail, to ripping up your local singletrack, the Sherpa is the perfect overland bike.

SMOOTHWALL CARBON FRAME MATERIAL

FORM ALLOY

FRAME MATERIAL

SMOOTHLINK SUSPENSION

ABC

PIVOTS

RTC

DESIGN

Geoff Gulevich Paris Gore Retallack, BC

27.5+

WHEEL SIZE

120 MM

FRONT SUSPENSION

95 MM

REAR SUSPENSION

OVERLAND INTENDED USE

Daniel van der Ploeg remembers waking from an induced coma in 2005 and thinking,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;how did I get here?â&#x20AC;?

Interview:: Ash Hayat | Photos:: van der Ploeg family

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February 23rd 2015 marked the ten-year anniversary of the road accident that almost ended Daniel van der Ploeg’s life. Prior to that he was just your typical van der Ploeg son - an almost unfairly talented athlete with a bright future in whatever sport he chose to apply himself. For Dan, this ended up being mountain biking, although he’d also represented Australia in cross-country skiing at the 2003 Junior World Championships in Sweden. Sporting success is something that the van der Ploeg family have made more than a habit out of. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that the combined athletic achievements of this single family would exceed that of many rural towns. Indeed, if you were able to somehow harness their combined power output, you’d probably be able to power a rural town. A tour of the van der Ploeg home in Victoria’s Kiewa Valley reveals a level of success that, while certainly not flaunted, is also very difficult to disguise. Boxes of trophies, ski bibs, cycling jerseys, newspaper clippings and a curtain rail groaning under the weight of hundreds of medallions merely hint at the family’s combined achievements. A Sydney Olympic torch sits casually in one corner of the kitchen, Daniel’s mother Jenny having been nominated by the community to carry it in the torch-relay that passed through the region in 2000. Daniel’s father Gerry was an accomplished runner (achieving a sub-2:30 marathon in 1975) before representing Australia in cross-country skiing at the 1978 World Championships in Finland. Jenny, also an Australian XC skiing representative, played national league basketball for the Dandenong Rangers during the 1970s. When they first moved to their chestnut farm in Tawonga located close to the bottom of Falls Creek - it was for the skiing, but being so close to the Big Hill Mountain Bike Park in Mount Beauty, it was almost inevitable that bikes would end up playing an important role in the family’s life. Now almost 31 years old, Daniel remembers getting his first taste of mountain biking at the age of 10 in the “Biking With Bernie” program run by local trail-builder Bernie McArdle. All of his younger brothers followed him into the sport except for Evan, who decided from a young age that running was a much more cost-effective pursuit - a very insightful decision given how the mountain bike consumer industry has evolved. Daniel is the oldest of five van der Ploeg brothers, who have all, with the exception of youngest sibling Paul, represented Australia in cross-country skiing. Thankfully, Paul managed to make amends for the embarrassment this must have caused the family by winning the 2013 UCI MTB World Championships at the age of 23 in the discipline of cross-country eliminator (XCE). Mark has represented Australia at multiple cross-country skiing World Championships and Neil currently rides for the Avanti Racing Team on the road (achieving a 4th place at the 2013 Road National Championships). In the past, it was not uncommon for results pages to be dominated by van der

Ploegs. A good example of this is the 2004 NSW XC Skiing Championships, where father Gerry and sons Mark, Evan and Neil all appear in the top 12 overall (the boys all in the top six juniors) with Paul finishing 5th in the Under-16 category. By this time Daniel had decided to focus on cross-country mountain biking, having already represented Australia at the 2001 mountain bike Junior World Championships in Vail, Colorado. Daniel finished in a very credible 22nd place in Vail despite, on many occasions, being stuck behind cautious Europeans who, unaccustomed to Colorado’s technical trails (which Mount Beauty is also famous for), struggled with much of the descending. He recalls that this was particularly frustrating because the Mount Beauty trails had prepared him well for such technical racetracks, “in Mount Beauty, the national cross-country course was harder than the national downhill course.” Daniel was the second Australian over the line at the those Junior World Championships, behind bronze-medal winner Trent Lowe, who later went on to win the 2002 junior World Championship before embarking on a professional road cycling career. After a season working at California’s Royal Gorge ski resort and a gap year back home (teaching skiing to school kids and working as an apprentice baker in Bright), Daniel began studying physiotherapy at Charles Sturt University in Albury, living with friends, the Rodd family. He continued training hard during this

It was on a typical road training ride with Lachlan Rodd near Albury in February 2005 when a car driver, temporarily blinded by the early morning sun struck 21-year-old Daniel from behind, the impact causing a head trauma so severe that it completely wiped his memory from about three months before (he recalls shopping for his Dad’s Christmas present in November 2004) to around three months after, when he woke up in hospital. Daniel credits Lachlan with saving his life that day, thankful that his friend and training partner was on-hand to make contact with ambulance services. The damage to his body included a cracked pelvis but the trauma sustained by his brain was so severe that family members were immediately told to fear the worst. What followed was a gruelling nine months spent in Intensive Care at Royal Melbourne Hospital and Epworth Hospital in Richmond. At the same time, another talented mountain biker, Tory Thomas, was also recovering at Epworth, after a road training collision with a car that almost ended her cycling career. In order to provide his brain with the best opportunity to recover, Daniel was kept in an induced coma, his body chilled and a large section of his cranium completely removed to alleviate pressure from a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid. Jenny moved to Richmond, staying with friends nearby, and encouraged as many people as possible to visit Daniel’s hospital room, the idea being

Sporting success is something that the van der Ploeg family have made more than a habit out of. In fact, it’s probably fair to say that the combined athletic achievements of this single family would exceed that of many rural towns. time and his rather modest-sounding ambition was to simply be competitive in mountain biking (which, for a van der Ploeg, effectively means competing at the highest international level). He was never really interested in road racing but did make an exception for the Tour of Bright, winning the B-grade event in 2000.

to provide an environment conducive to restoring his memory when he awoke from the coma. She recalls how “when Dan was in Royal Melbourne, we actually let all the friends go in…even when he was in a coma. He seemed to react really positively when friends were around. So we ended up having 30 people in

the waiting room at times. We felt there was a lot of energy, a lot of powerful, positive energy in the people who came in.” But seeing Daniel in such a horrifically critical state was a challenging experience for many visitors. “Not everyone could cope. We

to look after Paul, whose protruding bones had apparently traumatised the other pupils to such an extent that the school had to call in counsellors. On the way back to Epworth Hospital she organised to meet Gerry at Avenel, a mid-way point on the four-hour

“I thought I saw a glimmer and a widening in his eyes,” offered Jenny, optimistically. That was enough for the neurosurgeon, immediately making the decision to cancel the dangerous surgery in favour of a difficult alternative. actually ended up consoling a lot of people who saw him because he wasn’t that good.” It’s quite common for patients who have sustained severe brain injuries to emerge from a coma with no memory of those people close to them. Understandably upsetting for family and friends, this often results in the patient experiencing extreme anxiety at being surrounded by these apparent strangers who seem to be in a state of constant emotional distress. The family decorated Dan’s hospital room with ski flags, photos, messages from friends and anything they thought might help trigger his memory. “We didn’t know whether he would even recognise us. A lot of people who have brain injuries, they actually don’t remember people. We thought that was a high possibility.” When Daniel did wake up, although initially not able to communicate, it quickly became clear that he wasn’t angry, a positive sign after emerging from an extended coma. Initially the whole family moved down to Melbourne to be with Daniel, meaning several weeks absent from school for the younger siblings. It was around six-weeks after the accident when youngest son Paul, in his eagerness to return home, had managed to break his arm in two places jumping the schoolyard fence. Jenny remembers returning home briefly

drive (he heading in the opposite direction back to the family farm). “He’s fantastic, he’s really good,” said Gerry noting how Daniel had begun mouthing words and managed to stand up for the first time. However, by the time Jenny reached the hospital, Dan’s condition had worsened

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considerably after suffering a severe brain bleed that left him completely paralysed down one side of his body. Doctors informed Jenny (and brother Neil who was also there) that he most likely wouldn’t make it through the night unless they performed risky brain surgery. Jenny initially objected - wanting to wait for a second opinion from Daniel’s expert neurosurgeon, Professor Teddy - but by the time he arrived the next morning, Dan’s brain was barely functioning and Jenny had reluctantly signed the papers agreeing to go ahead with the procedure. Professor Teddy took Jenny and Neil in to a private conference when he arrived to determine if Daniel had previously showed any signs of recognition. The professor asked them, “are there any lights on in his head at all?”

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“I thought I saw a glimmer and a widening in his eyes,” offered Jenny, optimistically. That was enough for the neurosurgeon, immediately making the decision to cancel the dangerous surgery in favour of a difficult alternative. “I’m going to give you the hardest task you will ever have in your life. We’re going to do nothing. I believe we’re going to do more damage going in than waiting.” What followed was probably the hardest time for Dan’s family and friends. Thankfully, he doesn’t remember any of it. After another week in an induced coma, he then endured a full two weeks without sleeping, another common side effect. Upon waking, Daniel showed no signs of recognition and was still unable to communicate. He was being fed via a tube, his breathing assisted via a tracheotomy. When his brain eventually started to recover, it was his body that began to suffer. His lungs, in particular, were struggling to function and he contracted pneumonia five times. Doctors would show x-rays of Dan’s lungs to the family, explaining how they were only barely functioning. “He’s not going to live. Accept it.” “We don’t know why he’s still alive.” “This isn’t what we normally see,” Jenny remembers constantly hearing from the doctors. It was a huge effort to keep Daniel alive during this time. Multiple physiotherapists would work on him and vacuum tubes were inserted to help remove fluid from his lungs. Whenever they needed to perform even a very simple procedure like turning him over, they would get the whole family in to say goodbye, fearing he would be unlikely to survive. “There were five of his physio mates there that day,” says Jenny, remembering how Dan’s university friends had been visiting when hospital physiotherapists had helped rolled him over. “They were pretty empowered by that… the physios performed this pounding process to loosen mucus in the lungs.” Somehow - and almost miraculously pulling through, Daniel then began the long process of rehabilitation. With his cranium still not yet re-attached he had to wear a

protective helmet at all times as he began the torturous process of learning to walk again. Indeed, just sitting up on the side of the bed took a long time. His muscles had almost completely wasted away, his body weight had fallen to an incredible 42kg (from 68kg), quite extraordinary - even for a cyclist - especially considering his 182cm frame. His brain and body had also become accustomed to lying down for such an extended period that feelings of nausea would accompany these early attempts at upright positioning. “It took three physios to stand me up for the first time,” explains Daniel. Daniel had to re-learn everything. “I couldn’t remember language. I didn’t talk. I had to learn how to say things from the start. They had to teach me my A-B-C.” He even remembers once trying to eat an Easter egg, foil wrapper and all, because he hadn’t yet re-learned that it needed to be unwrapped. For someone who had already experienced so much in life - sporting success, international competition, overseas travel, multiple jobs and university life - it was like he had

somehow been whisked back in time to early childhood. When his cranium was finally re-attached after five months, Daniel had 54 staples inserted in to his skull, a procedure that his family were surprised to learn is considered ‘elective surgery’, requiring half a day spent in a hospital waiting room. It was six months after the accident before he began speaking again. Initially it was only “yes” or “no”, with his dyspraxia often confusing the meaning. “Mostly what he said was ‘yes, but no.’ That was his standard answer,” recalls Jenny. Daniel recovered slowly in hospital, eventually getting back on a bike around seven months after the accident, an important step for him. “That’s what got me through…it was fun. I was only going for easy rides, not like I used to. I wanted to run, ride and ski again… to some degree.” He remembers summoning the required motivation during this difficult time as a way of acknowledging the efforts of family and friends who had put their lives on hold for him. Daniel was not content with simply having survived. He wanted to rehabilitate himself to the greatest possible extent. Thanks to that strong competitive desire, and nearly ten years in to his recovery, he is now able to race mountain bikes and ski (both XC and DH), admittedly not to his previous elite level, but certainly to a degree that most non-van der Ploegs would be satisfied with. Nine months after the incident, Daniel was moved, at the family’s request, to the South West Brain Injury Rehabilitation Service in Albury where he spent a year and a half undergoing full-time speech pathology, psychology, physio and occupational-therapy, only going home on weekends. It was here that he re-learned all the simple life skills that had been erased from his brain. Following this was another year as a part-time resident at the centre. By 2008, Daniel had returned home to the family farm where his condition continued to improve, both physically and mentally. He re-enrolled for a semester in physiotherapy, albeit at a reduced-load, studying alongside

his brother Neil in the same course. Unfortunately, Daniel found that his short-term memory problems made it impossible to recall the required knowledge for subjects like anatomy, which he had previously done well in, meaning he was unable to complete the course. Jenny remembers his university friends being meaningfully affected by sharing in Dan’s experience. “A lot of these guys said that…we saw the evidence that what we do is important.” In fact, his fellow students were so inspired by what Daniel had achieved that he was granted an honorary graduation with them in 2007. In the early stages of his recovery, post-surgical epilepsy caused Daniel to suffer seizures from time to time. He remembers one comical situation, at the finish of his first post-accident ski race, where onlookers “thought I was just celebrating, even though I was undergoing a clonic seizure.” He wasn’t allowed to drive a car again until 2010, being required to wait two years after each subsequent seizure, but with his medication dosage now fine-tuned it’s been almost five years since the last and he’s hopeful there won’t be any more. Daniel now works part-time at the Mount Beauty Hospital, in his capacity as an Allied Health Assistant, a job that he started in 2010, and in which he enjoys the opportunity to help other people get healthy. He has also completed a certificate in hospitality and has become an enthusiastic home-barista, always keen to show off his quality coffee-making skills to any of the numerous guests at the family farm. Enquiring about whether he’d ever considered a café career, Daniel said it would be difficult given that he no longer has a sense of smell, a discovery only made after Gerry returned home one day to find Daniel practicing (and evidently burning) a new cake recipe. “Dad walked in and said ‘something’s burning - can’t you smell it?’ I said, “No, I can’t smell it at all.” As it turns out, his olfactory nerve had been severed during one of the numerous medical procedures, meaning that he is completely without a sense of smell. Thankfully though, he can still taste. He also struggles

with body temperature management—after being kept in a chilled state for so long while in the induced coma - and needs to pay attention to other people for cues on when to be putting on extra clothing, particularly when out on the bike. Since 2012, Daniel has been on the committee at Team Mount Beauty MTB club and it is in his capacity as an expert trail guide around the complicated Big Hill Mountain Bike Park that I’ve come to know him over the last few years. I was intrigued by his story and what it must have felt like to reach such heights as a junior before enduring this life-changing event that left him able to only look on as his brothers achieved so much in cycling and skiing, sports in which he had previously excelled. But rather than any hint of regret or jealousy, the overwhelming sense you get from Daniel is that of a generous spirit with incredible pride for what his family members have themselves achieved. He felt ecstatic getting to watch his younger brother win a World Championship last year. “Paul said that he got in to it [mountain biking]

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because of me not being able to do it,” he said, clearly proud of the fact that he’s been able to serve as an inspiration to his younger brother. Daniel isn’t just an inspiration to his own family, however, he also shares the story of his road accident and acquired brain injury with year 11 and 12 secondary school students as part of the Rotary Youth Driver Education program, “a series of practical and powerful workshops that aim to change the way young people think about road safety.” In 2011 he also started working as a ski guide with Disabled Wintersport Australia, an organisation that assists individuals with disabilities to participate in winter sports. From first-time sit-skiers, to accomplished Winter Paralympians, this program allows Daniel to further contribute by helping disabled athletes achieve their own snow-related goals. Now just over ten years on, Daniel continues to move forward in his continual and gradual recovery and in 2014 he achieved a fantastic milestone by independently travelling to Canberra in October to compete in The Mont 24hr race. “I went up to Canberra and I didn’t require any help. Before I would have had no chance of doing that. I wasn’t capable of doing it by myself. I would have got tired, would have had trouble finding the words to say, to explain to people what I wanted, would have had complete and utter mis-information about whose place it was that I had to go to and couldn’t navigate in the city.” Talking to people who knew Daniel before the accident, one thing becomes immediately clear - he’s always been an incredibly caring and generous person. This has not changed at all. Talking to him now, you get the sense that he’s completely grounded and realistic about the experience. He understands the challenges put before him - mostly shortterm memory and language difficulties—and is focused on simply making the most out of his life and helping others. The fact that he endured such a traumatic event is for him, just another hurdle that will be overcome… like learning how to ride the most difficult sections of trail in the Big Hill Mountain Bike Park. - ENDuromag

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WEEKEND WARRIOR: Kyle Sharp AGE: 33. HEIGHT: 178cm BUILD: Fatty. FROM: Hunter Valley NSW HOW WOULD YOUR MATES DESCRIBE YOUR RIDING STYLE? Why the hell are we still climbing!?!? FAVOURITE BIKE: My current whip - Rocky Mountain Instinct 999 msl. It can literally do anything you throw at it. BEST TRAIL YOU’VE RIDDEN: Too many! I’ve spent a lot of time at James Estate in the upper Hunter region. It’s my local. But we do have some sweet enduro/DH trails off the map up here too which are pretty epic. BEST RACE YOU’VE COMPETED IN: 2015 Port To Port BAGGIES OR NICKS? 60/40 baggies/knicks FLATS OR CLIPS? Clips. JERSEY POCKET OR BACKPACK CONTENTS: Multi tool, a gel or two, sometimes a Clif bar. FAVOURITE POST-RIDE FOOD: Ribeye steak or a grilled chicken breast DRINK OF CHOICE: Anything out of Western Australia’s Little Creatures brewery WHAT’S YOUR POST-RIDE RECOVERY PROCESS? Depending on distance/effort but usually some stretches or foam roller of death, good meal or a recovery drink, and a bit of a relaxed ride the day after if it was intense. WHAT ELSE DOES ITB STAND FOR? Incredibly Tense Biceps. MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE ON A BIKE: Crossing the finish line on day 4 of the 2015 port to port MTB race. I’d literally not trained at all for this race, was lucky enough to win an entry just two weeks prior to the event starting and had no intention to enter. I shacked up with some mates from JetBlack MTB racing and set myself a clear goal for the race, keep my HR under 85% and get to the finish line each day. WHAT’S THE WORST CRASH YOU’VE EVER HAD? 2015 Fox Rollercoaster at Thredbo. I lowsided (I think, can’t quite recall) on a superfast berm near the finish shortly after pinning it past another punter through the slalom section not far from the village Knocked myself out for a good three minutes! DREAM RACE? BC Bike Race! Singletrack for days and days! DREAM DESTINATION? Squamish BC WHY DO YOU RIDE? Keep fit, setting new challenges and getting through them, hanging out with mates and my family on the trails. - ENDuromag

WEEKEND PRO: Eliza Kwan AGE: Old enough to know better. 31 HEIGHT: 158cm, 159cm on a good day BUILD: Same as everybody else: skin, bone, blood, tendon, muscle…

courses where you get to see lots of people a few times. The Wagga 6 hour is a favourite or the Ginja Ninja at Orange, otherwise nothing beats a CORC clubbie!

FROM: Canberra, the mountain-biker’s capital

FLATS OR CLIPS? I wish I were rad enough for flats. Clips for the sake of my shins

HOW WOULD YOUR MATES DESCRIBE YOUR RIDING STYLE? I’ve asked around and apparently I’m an unusual mix of determined but happy, focussed and fun. I would call it ‘confused’. FAVOURITE BIKE: The one upon which I’m riding at the time! BEST TRAIL YOU’VE RIDDEN: Um…the one I’m riding at the time? A more serious answer: some of the goat tracks on Mt Ainslie are my favourites but I’m happy to keep sampling and get back to you in a few years time BEST RACE YOU’VE COMPETED IN: That’s a tough one. I really like the local races run by clubs in ACT/NSW. And I tend to like looped

BAGGIES OR KNICKS? Knicks for kicks!

JERSEY POCKET OR BACKPACK CONTENTS: A slightly warped iPhone (from a crash-landing: still good!), $5 for coffee and a gel that I probably should have eaten 30 minutes ago FAVOURITE POST-RIDE GRUB: Raisin toast or porridge DRINK OF CHOICE: Orange pekoe tea with a little bit of milk WHAT’S YOUR POST-RIDE RECOVERY PROCESS? Finding a coffee shop. Once home: a hot/cold shower, stretching and making friends with a spikey ball or foam roller continued... page 30

WILDSIDE

MTB IS

BACK! Austr alia’s Premier Stage R aCe on Tasmania’s West Coast

16 -19 JAN, entries open June 1

w w w.wildsidemtb.com

Tasmania Endurance Event of the Year 2012

PANEA Pt y Ltd - r ace@wildsidemtb.com For information about Ta smania go to discoverta smania .com. au

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MOST MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE ON A BIKE: The best memories are the small achievements: Playing on the Gungahlin pump track on a summer’s evening, weekends climbing fire-trails in the Brindabellas, watching the sun peep over the horizon while heading from Slant Six towards Willo link at wembo; and clearing the Hammerhead and keeping it rubber side down. WHAT’S THE WORST CRASH YOU’VE EVER HAD? The worst have to be the lame car-park wash-outs – they happen frequently enough… Otherwise the most ridiculous thus far might be careering down the ‘Sisters’ at Stromlo on this year’s national round course during practice one evening: one foot clipped in and everything riding on the front wheel. There was a crowd of CORC juniors watching at the time. You’re welcome. DREAM RACE? One I can travel to and race in the company of good friends, one that has strong competition, a track that makes me think and a venue that allows a decent shower and burgers to be had afterwards. DREAM DESTINATION? Anywhere high up in the mountains. WHY DO YOU RIDE? For fun and adventure: to feel the wind on my face and air in my lungs. - ENDuromag

Eliza at the 2015 Mont 24HR | Photo: auroraimages.com.au

2016 Road Cycling Calendar We recently colloborated with Beardy McBeard on the printing of his road cycling calendar, which is a great piece of work. Beardy’s images are inspirational and he lends a fresh set of eyes to the Euro peloton, with a unique set of photos in his calendar. The size of the calendar is 400mm wide X 300mm tall open 400mm X 600mm tall with one month per double page spread. We’ve been lucky enough to secure copies for our reader’s and we’re offering a Xmas package of; the 2016 calendar, and a BikeTool t-shirt or a calendar and subscription deal. To order go to www.enduromag.com.au

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THULE B24

Race Report by Shane Roberts | Photos Outer Image Collective

The B24 has been borne out of a vision that brings together mountain biking, the town and the tracks to create the ideal location for a 24hr race. With the race so close to town, the B24 provides the opportunity for competitors to tailor their weekend so that it’s exactly how they like it. The tracks around Bright are renowned as fantastic and the town is a well-established tourist destination for the whole family, with a myriad of sights and activities to enjoy. BASE brings these things together to provide a professionally-run event in a quality setting for riders and their entourage.

he race caters for everyone, from the elite solo rider, to the fun teams of six. There is a race for the juniors and also a groundbreaking category “Esprit de Corps”, for those that may like to ride with team mates and don’t necessarily want to ride through the night. The race headquarters is in Pioneer Park, which is a huge space with great amenities, including coffee and food stalls, to keep everyone energised. We have the use of a very large marquee, which will be the hub of the race organisation / sponsors / transition. This will be alongside the catering areas and grandstand. The race will run from 12pm on Saturday to 12pm on Sunday, concluding with presentations & entertainment.

With the THULE B24 race landing right in the middle of two weeks holidays for me, this year it was hard to say no to this race again. I had raced in the solo category the last two years and had a couple of good results, while thoroughly enjoying myself at the same time. After having only raced the 24hr Solo Nationals five weeks earlier at Mt Stromlo in Canberra I wasn’t sure how my body and I were going to get along for this race, but I do love a challenge so the decision was easy. I arrived in Bright early Friday afternoon and went straight to the bakery for a mega lunch. One of the upsides to racing 24hrs solo is carb loading prior to the race. So for Thursday and Friday it was pretty much unlimited carbs and plenty of fluid for me. I love my food so it’s pret-

ty easy for me to get the necessary amount in. I headed out to the race village and met up with the team from BASE, registered for the race and got set up in the solo pit area. The race village was looking awesome, with one of the biggest marquees I have ever seen set up. It looked more like an airplane hangar. After getting set up I went for cruise around the course with my good friend Stewart who was part of my support crew for the weekend. The course looked really good after some mid-week rain. The addition of some new singletrack sections was also welcome. One new addition was called the “slider”, which was a very fast-flowing downhill trail with heaps of turns where you could pretty much just pin it and smile the whole way down. I measured the lap around the

18km in distance. After a fantastic dinner of garlic pizza and pasta it was time for a good night’s sleep. I hit the hay around 10pm and slept right through to 8am, which was pretty unusual for me. I woke to the sounds of birds chirping and the beautiful blue sky visible through my window. After a huge breakfast of cereal and toast I headed off to the race village, making a mandatory stop at Cafe Velo for quick coffee.

had to keep an eye on. Sam Moffitt had made the trip from Canberra along with Dave Speering, both very accomplished 24hr racers. Jamie Vogele from Port Macquarie had also made the trip down, his training partner is none other than Jason English so I knew Jamie could go the distance. Scott Chancellor was back this year who I know is uber fast in the technical trail and a highly credentialled 24hr racer. Martin Grannas was also a starter this year, in the over 40’s,

NOT LONG AFTER THAT SAM HAD A CRASH ON A FAST DOWNHILL LEFT HANDER BINNING IT PRETTY HARD. HE GOT UP STRAIGHT AWAY BUT I COULD SEE HE WAS IN A BIT OF DISCOMFORT. Arriving at race village at around 11am, the place was well and truly buzzing. After finalising some last minute set ups at my pit it was time for the riders’ briefing. By this stage it was already getting quite warm so I made sure I always had a drink bottle in my hand. With five minutes to go I rolled up to the start line. This was the first chance I had to get an idea of who was actually racing and which names I

and is no stranger to suffering for ridiculous amounts of time on a bike, so I was keen to see what he could do this weekend. Jon Houston had the local knowledge edge on us, although he did mention he hadn’t ridden his mountain bike for the last 18 months while he had been focussed on his road racing. Never trust a roadie, I say. The clock struck 12 and we were off, just

ahead of the teams. The pace was quite high for the first lap with Sam and me getting a gap on the other solo riders - we rolled through after the first lap just under 50 minutes! This was slightly faster than I had planned so for the next few laps I just tried to settle into a good rhythm and stick to my plan. Around the 5hr mark Sam put the hammer down on the long fire road climb, I watched him disappear into the distance. I was still confident I would see him again later, 24hrs is a long time. Later that lap Sam stopped with some other riders to assist an injured rider. I caught a glimpse of him as he got going again and slowly got back to him. Not long after that Sam had a crash on a fast downhill left hander binning it pretty hard. He got up straight away but I could see he was in a bit of discomfort. We rolled through transition and I could hear Sam call for Nurofen and new gloves, probably not part of his plan. The next few hours rolled along pretty smoothly and I was putting in some consistent lap times and still feeling good, just waiting for night time to roll in. Lights had to be fitted after 6pm, but I don’t think I actually turned mine

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Clockwise from above: Alexander Orme rode an incredible race at over 280k’s to take the womens solo victory | John Houston cranked out an impressive 19 laps in the solo category for 7th place | The pump track kept the crowds entertained throughout the weekend | Shane Roberts looking relaxed, on his way to a solo win of 420km’s | Todd Cuthbert, elbows out and ready for action, 1/6th of the THULE Old Guys team | Becky Johnson, mixed 4, Nillumbikers Single Speed Society

on until just after 8pm with daylight savings in full swing. By midnight I had about a 10 minute gap back to Sam, which is nothing in a 24hr race. A lot can go wrong so I kept the pace on through the night and was still feeling pretty good coming into the “witching hours” of 3am to 5am. Any solo rider will tell you that this is often the hardest part of the night. Just after 5am I could start to see glimpses of dawn approaching so I was starting to feel good again, even thought the temperature had dropped and it was starting to feel really cold. With the sun now on my back I was starting to warm up and the lap times were coming back down again. I managed to lap Sam early in the morning, and the info I was getting was that I was lapping around 5 to 10 minutes a lap quicker. The last few hours seem to drag on big time, and at times I was really struggling for motivation. Enter caffeine gels! After a few more of these I

was back in the game and feeling good. I rolled in at 11:30am after lap 24 and was thinking this would be my last, my crew though, Stewart and Aaron, had other ideas. So after a quick stop I headed off on lap 25 knowing it would be at least an hour before I would get back, not a great thought but hey, I was here to push myself. When I finally made my way to the end of the last lap and caught a glimpse of the race village for the last time I felt the adrenaline kick in and made a fin al charge for the finish. I crossed the line in 24hrs 35min and was feeling very relieved. I remember that the first thing I did was ask for a beer. It tasted so good after everything I had consumed in the last 24hrs. A massive thanks to the guys from BASE, they put together another fantastic event which I can only see getting bigger and better every year. THULE as the major sponsor for putting up some great prizes. Huge thanks to my support Stewart, Aaron and my parents for spending pretty much their entire weekend watching me ride around in circles. - ENDuromag

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www.thechillhouse.bike

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Dan MacConnell on his Trek Procaliber race bike, Dan had great success at the Mt Stromlo National XCO Round in early December, where interestingly he opted to run a dropper post for the race at Stromlo. Reportedy only using the dropper twice a lap, but undeniably fastest through the technically demanding Hammerhead section | Photo Matt Delorme

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Even solo victories are not forged alone.

PHOTO COURTESY ROB MARLOW

Teamwork and support is behind every great win. Congratulations to the Specialized Racing Australia MTB Team on their sensational results in the 2015 CamelBak Highland Fling: ANDY BLAIR 1ST, SHAUN LEWIS 3RD. Volkswagen is proud to be a major sponsor of the Specialized Racing Australia MTB team. www.volkswagen.com.au

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Cape 2 Cape 2015

Race Report and Photos by Travis Deane

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Above : Mark Tupalski and Peta Mullens tussling over a gel in a scene reminiscent of 2 seagulls and a bunch of hot potato chips | Import freerider Ricky Crompton developed a a taste for the WA dirt and the local medical crew.

rooksy dropped to one knee on stage in front of his girlfriend and over 1,100 riders. He fumbled as he pulled a small jewellery box out of his jersey pocket. The look of Dianne’s face was one of complete surprise as he presented the engagement ring. As the well-known groomer of the trails through Boranup forrest he was known to the riders and often called onto the stage. So it was under this ruse he’d gotten his partner on stage. Brooksey’s girlfriend, and potential future wife, was in shock. She had her riding kit on and in less than 15 minutes they were both about to start a four day race in the Cape to Cape Mountain Bike race. “Shouldn’t you say something?” Tony Tucknott the legendary MC who was hosting the proceedings and a constant fountain of information asked Brooksy over the microphone. “I hope she will say yes”. The physical answer of a kiss and a hug were appropriate to a question never verbally asked. It was another feel-good moment to herald the start of the race. Moments before we’d been welcomed to country with stories from the dreamtime of this ancient land, followed by digeridoo playing which was accompanied by a methodical drumbeat. It may not have been strictly traditional but the thump of the drums was driving and relentless - a fitting tribute to a coast that has surf that roars so load it can be heard far inland. From its humble beginnings as a ride of barely 100 riders the Cape to Cape in Western Australia’s South West every October has grown into Australia largest multi-stage race. The numbers were a little down this year at the pointy end of the field. There were riders focussing on Olympic

selection, riders doing the Croc trophy and others weary from a long season skipping. Torq rider Mark Tupalski, last year had taken the biggest win of his career when he dethroned multiple winner Andy Blair to win the Cape to Cape. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d backed up that win with another victory over Andy at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Port to Port, the new sister event held in the Newcastle area in May. But the usual swarm of Torq riders were strangely absent from the front line. Unlike his victory at the Port to Port this year, where he had plenty of help, Mark would have to defend his title without the strong legs of team members like Tasman Nankervis or Chris Hamilton at his disposal. Added to that, locals like Craig Cooke and Reece Tucknott were both having incredibly strong years and this meant that while the elite riders all looked strong, they were isolated without teammates. It looked like it was going to be a fair fight.

Stage 1 Leaving from the lighthouse, is the shortest stage of the Cape to Cape with a relaxing midday start. It is also the most detested by the riders as the singletrack quota is low, the pain factor is high. Throwing the field head first into some nasty stuff straight off does tend to do a job of seeding the riders and stretching the field out along sandy tracks peppered with wildflowers and stunning views of the Indian Ocean. On this stage, Heartbreak Hill stands out in a day full of more heartbreak than a highschool formal and Mark Tupalski came charging through it, well out of sight from his pursuers. Steep enough to almost pull Mark to a trackstand he pushed through barely summiting and slipping away before the chasers (and locals) Reece Tucknott and Craig Cooke chased. Reece got through but Craig lost time running out of gears and having to run up the steep hill. There was good news after Heartbreak Hill though, the section along the beach was feared by all, but was in its best condition in almost half a decade. Riders dropped down to the beach and rode along hard sand not believing their luck before they turned to the paddocks, farms and the finish at Hamelin Bay. Here, current Australian road champion Peta Mullens got away from Imogen Smith to grab the win while seasoned veteran and local ball

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Above: A snapped chain would see Paul van der Ploeg roll, scoot and run to finish the stage | Below: What a huge effort! The last 35k of the stage on one crank | Bottom : Pressure on... Mark Tupalski driving the pace with Paul VDP and Kyle Ward close on his heels

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Above : Brooksy dropped to one knee on stage in front of his girlfriend and over 1,100 riders to present the ring to his future wife.

of muscle Jon Gregg had put the hammer down and drove hard to finish (ominous signs for any rider contesting the over 40 category) finishing second, less than a minute behind the overall winner Mark Tupalski.

Day 2 Started with grey skies and an unusual downpour of rain. The riders’ spirits couldn’t be dampened though. It was good riding weather and there were good trails to look forward to for the rest of the event. Also, the race leader celebrated his 25th birthday under the start arches with some winding up from his competitors. After the bitumen climb, the riders descended on some Sam Hill singletrack and charged it like its namesake. Riders charged down the hill in a continuous stream of metal and rubber before pounding the pavement up to the fast trails of Boranup forrest. Paul van der Ploeg’s large and animated frame was always found at the front of the pack, but in was Kyle Ward who made the attack that stuck and charged down the world’s longest driveway (it must have felt like it to Kyle anyway) to take the win at Xanadu winery. Kyle had finished sixth overall in 2013 when he’d previously competed in the Cape to Cape and interestingly, of the five riders who finished in front of him that year, only Mark Tupalski was present this year. We had a race on our hands. With the overall race taking shape, it was time for the muchanticipated Friday night Sundown Shootout, which has always been an interesting affair. Run over the machined berms of the pines just outside of Margaret River it’s a crowd pleaser, engaging local riders in dress up costumes and invitational riders doing a tight loop through berms and tabletops. For racers it offers time bonuses but the Red Bull energy drinks and the DJ spinning tunes from above gave the event a decidedly non-XC feel. Over the years the event has been refined and this year the riders were seen by the crowd gathered at the finish as they sprinted off

in a tight loop, only to arrive back there a bit over a minute later to tackle the final jump into the finish. There was always a big double at the end (the one that Paul van der Ploeg managed to dislocate his shoulder on in a previous year while wearing his world champion jersey), but sensibly the elite top twenty racers no longer have to tackle it. This didn’t stop local up-and-comer Reece Tucknott (who was sitting fifth overall) from tackling it in practice…a stunt that saw him crash hard and break his collarbone. With practice done and Reece having been carted off, the crowd was getting revved up. The riders who were not in the hunt overall were more likely to take the big jump as it offered a small time advantage. Standing between the two jumps next to the Red Bull fridge and sofa, the race director and MC thought they were in a safe place. Johnny Waddell took off in front of them with a grimace that warned of a Johnny of old. Memories were fresh from only a couple of years ago where he charged so hard for the finish line that he wasn’t able to stop after it and disappeared into the bushes well after the finish, leading to a protracted extraction of bike and rider from deep within the dense bush. In 2015, Johnny came flying around the last couple of corners. Pride was on the line as he floored it, not picking the berm line, or the jump line which he’d jump in practice but a line he deemed as faster.

The mythical third line. The line in the middle… Right through the middle of the race director… What happened next was hard to follow. It was an explosion of clipboards and microphones

through which muffled expletives could be heard. Johnny shocked the crowd and charged through the middle of where the race director stood half a second ago. Johnny jumped the whole lot, fingers well clear of the brakes and took off for the finish line. While the race director collected himself and calculated Johnny’s time penalty, Peta Mullens had made herself comfortable on the sofa overlooking the final berms after winning the women’s event. In the men’s category Paul van der Ploeg was the favourite and didn’t disappoint, blaming his sneaky line selection on Giant riders Josh Carlson, who wasn’t present this year. With the racing over, an expression session got underway with local pride, bragging rights and a kiss from the Red Bull girls on the line, meaning that every local mad mother hucker targeted the last double jump. The crowd tighten up as the local groms got higher than looked plausible, whipping flatter than possible…and then a 360 was landed on a rider’s his first attempt. The crowd exploded. Import freerider Ricky Crompton, all the way from the UK, known for his backflips, looked at the jump and declared it near impossible to back flip. Peta Mullens grabbed the microphone and started the chant “backflip, backflip…BACKFLIP!” The chant was picked up by the crowd and a wall of noise assaulted Ricky as he rounded the final corner. What seemed implausible hours before now seemed worth a shot as Ricky accelerated and arched back, initiating his trademark backflip. Flip he did and the tattooed mass of Ricky was above the crowd, upside down. It looked to be going well, he was coming down, rotating nicely but then he ran out of jump. He seemed to realise it a moment before impact bailing and slamming his shoulder into the ground. “Backflip! Backflip! Backfuuaarrrkkkkk” was Peta’s chant as the crowd went silent hoping the pom was ok. Peta’s face went red and Paul van der Ploeg for the first time in his life didn’t want the microphone. Ricky was busted up. Perhaps this could all be chalked up as a life lesson to the young boys in the crowd, on why just because a pretty young blonde woman suggests you do something…maybe you shouldn’t (even if you are one of the best in the world at it). Ricky with an impressive amount of pluck, bounced back amazingly quick. “Yeah your medics are top notch! I’ve had them dick around before elsewhere but these guys were amazing. They were like, you’re shoulder is out. Brace yourself this will hurt and wham- they had

it back it.” Even more impressive was Ricky’s commitment to ride the next stage.

Day 3 Winds through Margaret River before snaking through some of the locals’ favourite tracks before ending at a brewery. Sure it doesn’t sound so tough when we say it like that but disaster almost struck early when race leader Mark decided to grab a gel under the controlled roll out and slipped, almost taking out the female race leader, with over 1,100 riders rolling directly behind him. With the chock-a-block mainstreet farewelling the riders and real estate rental prices purportedly matching Christmas holiday peak prices for the event, the local community dances the line between embracing another tourism money train while trying to secure access to trails that everyone wants to ride. With today’s trails under the threat of logging, the future is going to be interesting for this stage of the race. To be honest on Day 3 most of the field forgets about the race and just enjoys whooping and ducking between countless

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riders all sample the crazy-slippery pea gravel for the first time as they charge into Dunsborough. There was going to be a lot of Betadine flowing in the carpark this afternoon! Paul van der Ploeg had come into form during the race and drove the pace hard. Local Craig Cooke who was in great form after having a great year had so far little to show for it in this event, but he went with Paul and drove a pace hard enough blow away the conventional race plan. It was attack after attack after attack as Paul and Craig dealt out the pain. But a gap didn’t really appear until 40km into the 67km stage when Paul and Kyle Ward got away. Paul drove hard and Kyle hung on, gaining precious seconds over Mark. Where were the orange and black army of Torq team members of previous years, to protect their rider and neutralise the attack? There were none. Mark and Craig burnt a lot of matches to bridge the gap and re-joined the lead within 10 kms of the finish but Mark was isolated and the attacks kept coming. Van der Ploeg hammered down on the pedals again and the hollow link chain with hollow pins had been

Pride was on the line as he floored it not picking the berm line or the jump line which he’d jump in practice but a line he deemed as faster. The mythical third line - The line in the middle.. Right through the middle of the race director… berms and table top jumps. The detritus from the previous day’s heckling of the Sundown Shootout reformed and took a last stand at a large berm dubbed Hecklers’ Corner. Hill Billies with their supper pans tinged and hollered. Kids with tacoed rims banged and yelled, bells rung but local Dave Berry upstaged them all with a chainsaw revving above his head. Riders slotted in deep and fast into the berm, whether inspired by the chainsaw or a desperate attempt to get away from it. Kyle and Mark stayed together through the trails and crossed the finish line at the same time preserving Mark’s 38 second advantage.

Day 4 Is normally is long and fast with road sections which lend themselves to road tactics. The singletrack at the end has given desperate riders a glimmer of hope, and many make last ditch attempts to gain precious seconds within sight of the finish line, but the harsh reality is that the lead doesn’t change. It gets protected. It is here that the leaders mark their rivals and the real action happens back in the peloton as the fatigued inattentive

punished one too many times, detonating under the 1400 watt legs of the big man. Paul aware of “weak” chains, normally swapped them out to something more suited to his big engine but a new bike and lack of time meant he hadn’t gotten around to it and he now paid the price within sight of the finish line. Kyle went, Paul started to scooter his bike and the crowd held their breath. Kyle charged through the golf course to first place and everyone started counting. Craig Cooke came over the line 19 seconds later but the 38 second deficit Kyle had to Mark came and went without Mark crossing the line. Unbelievably Kyle Ward had won the race over Mark on the final stage, with Craig Cooke’s strong ride putting him into third overall and masters rider Jon Gregg finishing in an amazing fourth position overall. In the female masters category, Marie Claude Baars also kept the youngsters honest taking third overall behind Peta Mullins and Imogen Smith. As the event gets refined every year, you could be forgiven into thinking that it may become repetitious, but for the elite riders 2015 was full bore, pure mountain biking racing down to the last metre!

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Specialized

6fattie “Oh here’s the next fad”

“The big companies have got to keep pushing new shit so we keep buying” “Oh look a new standard” “Let’s see where it is in 5 years time” And funnily enough every single one of these comments came from someone who hadn’t ridden one! Having not ridden one up until now, I was unable to comment. Prior to riding the 6fattie I could of course form a list of things that I would consider hurdles for the new wheel size offering but ultimately any preconceived idea’s when it comes to testing bikes only ends up hindering your ability to just be and let the bike do the talking. Looking at this bike it lulls you into a sense of “same same but different” with its conventional looking frame sporting subtle changes to the fork stance and rear axle width to accommodate the intriguing 650x3.0 tyres that say “So you wanna go, do ya?” So peeling back any scepticism, doubt and just thinking “what’s this thing got?” it was time to ride… Setup for the first ride followed Specialized suggested pressures of 15psi in the front and 18 in the rear and at this pressure you can instantly feel the trail melt away into the tyres. Whilst the theory that the bigger bag, combined with the wider rim can allow you to run lower pressure, the more aggressively you ride the 6fattie the more you will need to increase your pressure. By no means however do you need to push it up to the same level as that of a standard 2.3.

In the months it took me to actually get a leg over the 6fattie I had heard pretty much the same drill from the broader mountain bike crowd as when 29’ers went big back in 2011… The first thing I noticed pushing the bike into turns is where you would normally begin to oversteer a regular width tyre (regular referring to a 2.2-2.4) the 6fattie would simply not break free. So early on there were a few occasions where I was simply pushing out over turns. It wasn’t long however before you realised you could actually rail a turn

out of each uphill turn you can feel the added weight of the wheels when really trying to punch the bike towards the next turn but this was really the extent of the penalty. The tyre size and lower pressures will no doubt benefit most riders not looking to break speed records up hills as the added traction and ability to stay seated whilst climbing is

And this is where this bike is going to find riders that will love this wheel standard. It holds a line, but doesn’t make the rider fight for it. without the tyre letting go, nor needing to square the turn off, the thing simply held onto the line that you set it on. And this is where this bike is going to find riders that will love this wheel standard. It holds a line, but doesn’t make the rider fight for it. I think this can be attributed to three seemingly obvious reasons, being the extended contact patch of a near 29” wheel roll out, the wider footprint of the 3” tyre and most importantly the ability for the tyre to mould over the trail. Once ridden, these two factors compound into confidence 10 fold. There is no doubt that a significant amount of industry support was required to launch such a new standard, particularly in the fork and tyre division, yet there isn’t really a significant amount of change to the overall feel of the bike when it comes to manoeuvrability. First impressions might sway riders to think that this is a watered down version of fat bike, however the ride impression is more like that of a beefed up trail weapon that has you looking at the trail ahead and saying “come at me bro” The trade off for the bigger bag hoops was definitely felt most in switchbacks where you are tyring to maximise your acceleration

something that will be welcomed by most. For those wondering where this wheel size sits against a 650b and a 29’er a simple trailside roll out test showed the 6fattie to be pretty much in the middle. This was using a 2.3 650b tyre, a 6fattie tyre and a 2.3 29’er tyre, with the 29’er still having the greatest roll out or circumference. So who is this bike for? First and foremost it is for people that want confidence and traction. Make no mistake about it, this bike still carries trail speed like an every day mountain bike so there is absolutely no reason to pigeon hole it into a corner for freaks. For the more experienced rider it will uncover a new level of just how far a bike can be leaned through a turn and for a beginner this will instil confidence and offer control in place of fear and uncertainty. The person who should consider buying this bike is the rider that simply wants to go mountain biking anywhere over everything and not fall off. It will save you like a downhill bike but allow you to ride it back up the hill!

By Robbie McNaughton

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Summer Gravity Camp: Whistler “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” – Maimonides. By Brad Davies | Photos Stirling Lorence & Brad Davies

It didn’t matter what angle I looked at if from, to me it looked unrideable. From up above the approach looked smooth enough – a long wooden ramp about a metre and a half wide – but then as you neared the take-off it pitched right and launched the rider off at an angle. From down below the thing that struck you was the size of the gap, and the two metres of vertical between the lip of the ramp and the landing. Even after watching three or four riders come through and make it, I couldn’t get my head around it. The gap jump on Clownshoes would have to wait…

The sheer variety and scale of Whistler – with its more than 70kms of singletrack, rated from green to downright suicidal – ensured that whatever your ability, there would be a challenge waiting for you.

This thought process would be repeated hundreds of times during the 7-Day Summer Gravity Camp at Whistler during a not-toodistant Canadian summer. Countless times I stood at the top of a jump, the edge of a drop-off, underneath a wall ride or beside a trail feature and asked myself the same question: `how the hell am I going to be able to ride that?’ The instructor – all of whom are trained in reading your subconscious thoughts – would generally say something reassuring and defuse the panic inside. Most of the time it worked. Sometimes when the instructor’s words brought no solace, I’d look into the soul of one of my classmates. Usually they had the same panicked look on their face, and we’d laugh nervously and mutter under their breath `no f__ing way I’m riding that.’ And walk we did… The concept of the camp was simple: take a group of adult riders, divide them up into groups of six of roughly-matched ability, and teach them to ride (or ride better) some of the most breathtaking, brutal and intimidating terrain anywhere in the world. The camp was run by former World Cup Downhiller Andrew Shandro, a BC local who had been running kids camps for years on the mountain and decided that his formula might work for adults. And it does. It really does. I have done many things on a bike in almost 25 years of riding and racing. I have cycle toured through more than 40 countries, I have done one-week stage races at home and abroad, and I have had some sensational mountain biking trips to all corners of the globe. But the Summer Gravity Camp was my best week ever on a bike. Unequivocally.

So what made it so good? Challenge. Downhill mountain biking is intimidating, particularly for someone who has sought out uphills rather than downs on his

bikes. The sheer variety and scale of Whistler – with its more than 70kms of singletrack, rated from green to downright suicidal – ensured that whatever your ability, there would be a challenge waiting for you. For me the challenges started on morning one with the concept of `jumping’. I had spent all my mountain biking life trying to keep my tyres in contact with the earth and the idea of launching off a ramp filled me with horror. Throw in rock rollovers (several storeys high), gap jumps, blind take-offs and skinny bridges and there was plenty to keep me sweating at night. The beauty of the camp was that all six of the riders could ride the same trail but everyone could take different lines through the major features. Feeling game – pro line it is. Feeling skiddish – take the ride around.

People. Put 6 People (plus instructor) together for 8 hours a day in a high-stress environment and one of two things will generally happen. Thankfully what happened was totally unexpected, but it made the week. If I had to profile the group members as briefly as possible, it would go something like this: Mad Phil (Melbourne, Australia). About 15 minutes into the first class I realised that Phil and I had ridden a group road ride together nearly every Thursday morning but had never met each other. Phil is simultaneously intense, relaxed, self-deprecating and confident. Mad Phil’s thought process was very different to mine. I would look at a rock feature and think of the approximately 20 different ways that I could crash. Phil could only see victory and it worked – to a point. Phil definitely challenged all of us in the group to step things up when we needed to, but his crash (which he walked away from) on the perilous rock feature called `The Manager’ caused a few

of us a couple of steps backwards as well. I count Phil as a good mate now and spoke to him this afternoon. The more I got to know Phil the more I liked him, but the more the reckless side of him seemed to make less sense. Then I found out that Phil was the youngest of 7 brothers, and had grown up racing motorbikes (occasionally legally). “You should see my mates bro, they make me look soft.” It started to make sense… Mike the Box Splitter. (Vancouver, Canada). A computer game programmer by day, this 47-year-old had spent half his life riding downhill at Whistler and the North Shore of Vancouver. It was a testament to the camp that even Mike – who has a season’s pass at Whistler every year – said he had learned more in a week than he had in years. Mike also liked to push the envelope on the technical trail features and was more measured than Phil, but a downright lunatic in my eyes. Ironically his biggest crash came at the foam pit on his jump bike. Apparently he came in a little hot, missed the vertical ramp and slammed head first into the box that held the foam. The box splitter walked away from that crash – and another big one on A-Line just in front of me – in defiance of his almost-50 of age. Jesse the Wolverine. (Bellingham, US). Jesse looked like a hipster, and rode like a beast. Jesse was the antithesis of what I expected a downhill racer to be: quietly spoken, measured and not prone to let adrenalin take over. He was very capable on a bike, and capable in the bar afterwards as well. Jesse was naturally cautious but would sail off big rock drop offs like it was a perfectly natural thing to do. His downhill racing had taught him how to ride most things, but had also taught him that disaster can be just around the corner. I took my soundings off Jesse when contemplating a new feature; tapping

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Lingo from SGC that’s important to know as an aspiring downhiller: Squirrel catcher. This is the term given to a technical feature which the trail builders locate at the start of a trail. The theory is that the first feature should provide an insight into the toughest features to come – ie it is there to catch a timid rider out before they make it on to the trail proper. Dirt Merchant is a good example of a trail with a genuine Squirrel Catcher. Tow in. This was a new expression to me, but very handy. When approaching blind drop offs and gap jumps there was a lot to contemplate: speed, line and body position. The instructors would offer students a tow-in to intimidating features – ie you simply rode behind them at their pace, and followed their line so that you could prove to yourself you could ride an obstacle. Step up. A jump is easy to imagine – imagine a take off, some air time and a distant landing. A step up is like a jump but instead of launching across a gap you launch up one. Step ups look much more intimating than jumps and are generally lower consequences, but it’s a weird feeling having full compression on the suspension and having to make a transition 8 feet above you. The shipping container on Freight Train is an extreme example of how intimidating the step up can be. in to his experience to make up for the lack of my own. Trish the Smiling Assassin. (Bellingham, US). Trish and I gravitated towards each other on day one. She raced downhill but had a few simple rules which seemed to make sense to me: 1) don’t ride anything where you haven’t seen the landing 2) don’t get pressured into riding something you aren’t comfortable with and 3) don’t follow Mad Phil off anything. Trish was mentally tough and taught me that mindset is everything. Trish and I stared at the A-Line Drop (an intimidating rock drop on Whistler’s signature trail) and I looked at her about to say `not for me’. She stared back defiantly and said `that’s it, I’m doing it.’ And she did. When Trish got that cold stare I knew to get out of her way (and follow if you could). As Jesse’s wife, she also held her own in the bar. The other Phil (country withheld). Phil was like Mr Bean on wheels, complained a lot and only rode every second run because he was tired. That suited us fine. Progression. It’s only natural that a novice

downhill rider will improve after a week of intensive riding. But the progression I experienced during the week was way greater than I had anticipated. On day 1, I was struggling to get my tyres off the ground and by week’s end I was sailing 30-foot jumps. Part of the secret was the variety of coaches we had during the week. Every day would start with a warm up and then on to more challenging trails. Each day you felt a little more capable, and a little more confident, and the rider that finished the week was unrecognisable when compared to the same rider at the start of the camp. I went from being challenged on blue runs to cleaning double blacks at reasonable speed. And it wasn’t just the technical trail features that marked your progress, it was the speed and confidence on all trails. The biggest areas of focus during the week had little to do with riding gnarly features (although they are prerequisites): Body position – as an experienced rider I figured there’d be no problems there. Wrong. I was leaning too far back on the bike, not sitting high enough off the seat and my arms

would cave in. Cornering – the trick to cornering was as much about your feet as your head. I was blown away by small adjustments to feet position in bermed corners, as well as other basics Riding steep features – I imagined the steeper the terrain, the further back I needed to be. That works to a point, but I was amazed at my ability to ride steep rock faces in a controlled crouch rather than hanging off the back of the bike. Introspection. There aren’t many times in your life when you get to stare death in the face on a daily basis. Whilst I am being melodramatic, at the time this is exactly what it feels like. When I look back at the gravity camp I reflect on what it taught me about myself. For example, I learned that I am much more cautious than I thought I was (or project to others). I would only ride something when I knew I could ride it, unlike Mad Phil who only had to know that a pro somewhere had ridden it once. There is a great satisfaction that comes from managing risk and conquering fear – and doing it all safely.

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Escape. As a father of two young children and, at that time, my wife being pregnant with our third, I would pinch myself at the pure escapism. I love my kids, but a week of selfish indulgence trying to get better at something I had done for years was monumental. The beauty of the place feeds that sense of not wanting to be anywhere else.

Conclusion The SGC is a life event. I will reflect on the camp as not only one of the most fun weeks I have ever had, but also one of the most challenging and rewarding. When I signed up for the camp I was intimidated by the prospect of donning a full face helmet and padding. But once you are on the chairlift for the first time, surrounded by people who are as anxious as you are, you start to realise that even downhilling can be negotiated in a controlled way. Over the week I learned how to ride safely and manage risk. The highlight reel may look like reckless abandon (actually that’s someone else’s highlight reel but you get the point), but actually it’s the product of good technique, learned gradually and applied cautiously. I looked at riders on the double blacks on day one as untouchable but was among them only a week later. Perhaps the greatest indication of my progression at the Summer Gravity Camp is what I did afterward. When I finished day 7 there were a lot of features that I had hoped to ride but didn’t, or couldn’t. I simply didn’t feel ready. What transpired next was interesting: I went away for a couple of weeks and then returned to ride with Mad Phil at the tail end of Crankworks. Not only did I come back quickly to the level I had reached at the end of the camp, I started to tick off some of the features on the wish list. The camp had not just taught me more than how to follow an instructor down a trail, it had taught me the thought processes and judgment needed to ride this terrain skilfully ad confidently. The camp had literally taught me how to fish – or ride a bike – and it will feed me for life. - ENDuromag

Day in the life of Gravity Camp 8.30am: Drag yourself out of bed. 8.45am: Ride to breakfast trying to simultaneously carry a full face, pads and other paraphernalia on a bike that is not meant to be pedalled. 9am: Buffet breakfast at the Garbanzo Lift Company, with stories from other groups about who rode what, who crashed and what we were absolutely determined to ride that day 10am: First lift of the day for a warm up lap on one of the easier trails on the mountain, to get the feel back. First run of the day was usually a reminder that you don’t automatically pick up where you left off the night before. 11am: About this time you are tackling the first run of the day you haven’t seen before. I would look towards Jesse and Trish to get their reaction to the words `I think we’ll ride Schleyer into Clownshoes now’… This run might take as long as 90 minutes to ride, walk, assess, re-ride, etc.

1pm: Lunch with the group, with more talk in line with the 9am conversation. Decisions would be made about where to spend the afternoon (choices would include Top of the World trail, something new or something hard we had ridden previously). 2pm: Back on the lift to the top of Whistler for a sustained ride down Freight Train or similar. We’d then cut laps until 5pm at which time we were all ready to finish, except Phil. 5pm: I would join Phil for the last lap and generally it was the best lap of the day. You walk out of the MTB Park feeling like you have got this nailed (until 10am tomorrow when you realise you were probably just deliriously tired and confused). 6pm: Beer and dinner (generally with our coach if it was Duncan), but certainly with a few of the team members. ? pm/am: Arrive home still in riding gear for shower and bed…..

About the Summer Gravity Camp: 2016 DATES: 2016 Adult Camp dates

July 23 - July 30 19+ July 30 - Aug. 6 19+ 2016 Adult Enduro Camp July 30 - Aug. 6 19+ 2016 PRICING www.summergravitycamps.com/dates_pricing/ WHERE TO STAY The SGC’s official partner hotel for the camp is the reasonably inexpensive Tantalus Hotel in Whistler Village. I stayed at the Westin, and would recommend others to do the same if budget permits. The Westin is less than 200 metres from the chairlift at the bottom of the MTB Park, has bike valet and all the creature comforts. Because it’s tucked in behind the lift company operations centre it’s much less noisy than the well located Pan Pacific.

Registering at: www.summergravitycamps.com

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Josh Stephenson after giving the 24 Hours of Hell in Paradise a Muddy Crack. | Photo: Robbie McNaughton

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Hawaiian 24 24 Hours of Hell in Paradise

By Robbie McNaughton

I probably would never have listed Hawaii as a riding destination unless I miraculously took up triathlon, but when some friends told me about the mountain bike race called 24 Hours of Hell in Paradise, it grabbed my attention. Having personally sworn off 24 racing some years back, I definitely didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have my radar on to pick up the next opportunity to do one. That was until I found out that the race was hosted on Kualoa Ranch where some of Jurassic Park was filmedâ&#x20AC;Ś that made me listen.

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I remember getting the call from my friend Jo that Jetstar had return flights for under $500. Yet another thing I had sworn off, being Jetstar, but for the saving it was worth the compromise. So we booked the flights and within 24 hours we had a stack of people who had heard about the cheap flights, all of whom simply jumped on board the idea of taking the mountain bike to Hawaii and running from dinosaurs. Kualoa Ranch is also a working cattle farm

The line up for the hose was long, as was the clean up!

Stacked in the back... it was a full house.

I didn’t actually read that much about Hawaii before I went. Work had been wild and I was simply just trying to get prepared to be able to take some time off. In fact, I told most people that I was going to the island of Kaua’i because someone I spoke to in the lead up said it was nice there! Luckily I had plenty of people who helped bring this trip together and by the time I got on the plane, I was a little more aware of where I was headed, much to the amusement of others. “Hawaii - yay!” I assumed that Hawaii would be some kind of hybrid between the US and Bali with a hint of Cairns. I was totally off the mark. Hawaii is its own state of wonderment. From the moment you arrive you sense the laid back nature of the place. Maybe it’s the backdrop of Honolulu’s ancient volcanos or it could just be that locals were throwing shaka hand signs within moments of us hitting the open road to our hotel.

Next step was to check in to the Aqua Luana Waikiki. We were extremely lucky to have the inside running on this hotel from our Australian friends Bill and Jo who were married in Hawaii some 30 years back and now live at the Aqua Luana a couple of months of the year. They had pre arranged with Hotel Manager Rudy to accommodate the bikes, and everything including a designated bike wash area had been thought of. Rudy set all of the crew up on the first floor, which gave considerably more balcony space for the bikes, and same-floor access to the pool! “Hawaii - yay!” After setting the bikes up, we rode east for about a quarter of an hour out along the edge of the island, the whole time dwarfed by the incredible Diamond Head volcanic cone. As luck had it, our arrival day also coincided with manager’s drinks that afternoon back at the hotel. So not only did we wing in on a stunner of a day, but we were met with a hula dance and a locally-brewed frothy top of amazing. We soon learned that manager’s drinks were on every Monday, Wednesday and Friday… Say it now “Hawaii - yay!” The plan for the 12 day trip was to compete in the race and use the remaining week to unwind, recover and explore. It was the first 24 hour race that I had entered where I knew I wouldn’t be driving 10 hours back down a highway after finishing, so I was already in a good mood about it! Pre race prep was already underway with a call to event coordinator Mike Solis from www.mtbhawaii.com who broke the news that rain was pending and to come prepared… I couldn’t wait to get there. I just wanted to

WE SOON LEARNED THAT MANAGER’S DRINKS WERE ON EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY… SAY IT NOW “HAWAII YAY!” The best part of arriving in Hawaii was undoubtedly the weather. Coming from a horrid cold and rainy winter, it was sweet relief to rock up and be met by warm sunny skies and a cool trade wind breeze. Year round, Hawaii only varies a couple of degrees above and below 25 and this was a perfect “check you later” to Aussie winter!

Get behind

ride in Jurassic Park however I wasn’t terribly excited about the idea of rain! Bill and Jo’s wealth of experience and contacts definitely made things easy when it came time to get in gear for the 24 hours of Hell in Paradise. The first big “this is how its done” came from Jo when it was time to sort the hire cars to get everyone and their bikes to the race. The price differs drastically when it comes to booking online as opposed to walking in off the street, the later being significantly more expensive! We ended up with a giant removal truck and enough multicoloured minivans to look like a family version of The Fast and the Furious. Bill and Jo had also lined up a heap of camping gear from some friends and with this loaded into the van, along with a dozen bikes and enough Co2 canisters and gels to outlast religion, we hit the race site. Insert drop jaw here. Arriving at the Kualoa Ranch is an experience in itself. Whilst the large front gate entrance to Jurassic Park is located on the island Kaua’i (one of the many locations used in the making of Jurassic Park) for those familiar with the movie, you would recognize Kualoa Ranch as the scene of the dinosaur stampede. It makes for an incredible venue. With the beach at its entrance you are humbled by the ancient nature of the setting and the giant valley that plays host to the course. So many times throughout the race I would look up from the pain and just be incredibly excited about where I was, and that is something that Hawaii does to you everywhere you go. The race is now approaching its 15th year, having run since 2002 but unlike other

Tagging Dave Rugendyke in for a lap just before the rain

High fives all round to the most casual start to a 24 Hour race ever

This guy guarded our bikes regularly

events of that timespan, it still clings on to a true grass roots vibe. The course itself is not really any great feat of mountain biking construction, but the setting in which you are riding rewards the effort and puts you on your bike amongst a land that time forgot. Post race, it was all about making sure we didn’t miss a manager’s drinks night as well as exploring some on road mini epics into and around the mountains that surrounded Waikiki.

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ences that standout as must do’s. The first is Pearl Harbour. The memorial is an incredible insight into a very significant, yet sadly one of many, tragedies of war. You cannot skip this! Second, visit the North Shore. You will be blown away by the power of the waves at Pipeline and how this part of the world has managed to keep all major development out and remain on true Hawaii time! Finally, the off-the-bike experience to leave you feeling like you earnt the beers has

Hanging at the hotel before another lap of Kalakaua Ave.

the Luana Waikiki on managers night! Arnolds Tiki Bar 391 Saratoga Rd, Honolulu – try getting a photo behind the bar, it’s harder than you think…

Low Key Tip Late afternoon swim in the Aqua Luana pool and Friday night BBQ on the balcony to watch the weekly Friday night fireworks put on by the Hilton.

THE RACE IS NOW APPROACHING ITS 15TH YEAR, HAVING RUN CONSECUTIVELY SINCE 2002 BUT UNLIKE OTHER EVENTS OF THAT TIMESPAN, IT STILL CLINGS ON TO A TRUE GRASS ROOTS VIBE. My most memorable out and back on the bike was conquering Tantalus mountain. A 40km trip heading up, over, down and back over Tantalus mountain which scores you a healthy 1000m of climbing on pristine mountain roads. The mountain itself stands 614m above sea level and even halfway up delivers an incredible view of the Hawaiian capital, Honolulu. Second to Tantalus would have to be a 70km out and back ride to Waimalano Beach. Heading east along the Kalaniana Ole Highway, you then swing north following the coastline the entire way up to Waimanalo Beach. Here we found an incredible café called Ai Love Nalo. These guys are farmers and use only local produce to create an incredibly tasty menu. A totally awesome find. Hot tip for this ride is to leave early to avoid the breeze on the way out and score the tailwind on the way home! Off the bike, there were three main experi-

to go to the Koko Crater Trail. A 1048 sleeper rail track that takes you up over 300 metres of vertical. Definitely no easy achievement, be sure not to hit it during the middle of the day and take water! The 360 degree views which include Hanauma Bay and Diamond Head are definitely worth the effort and if you can do it in under 30 minutes from the bottom to the top then you’re flying! And to leave you with a little more to contemplate, check out some locations to hit on your downtime…

Boozing The Genius Lounge 3rd floor, 346 Lewers St Honolulu - try the P.S.H where the H stands for Habanero. Waikiki Brewing Company 1945 Kalakaua Avenue, Honolulu - try the Jalapeno Mouth. These guys also make the beers supplied by

Coffee Bills Sydney, 280 Beach Walk, Honolulu and make sure you hit the downstairs coffee machine, that be where its at. Eggs and Things, 2464 Kalakaua Ave, Honolulu – for premium brewed Kona Iced Coffee

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Dave Rugendyke working on a tan

Shaka bra

Managers Drinksâ&#x20AC;Ś

Boom, every Friday!!!

Always a nice day for a Japanese wedding in Waikiki

Things for next time

Links

Ride a full 180km lap of the island Explore the mountain biking on the North Shore. Fly to Maui and ride the Cycle to the Sun Hosted on June 25th in 2016 Fly to Maui and hit the Skyline trail.

Accom Link - www.luanawaikiki.com Kualoa Ranch - www.kualoa.com Mike Solis www.mtbhawaii.com

Climbing up and out of Hanauma Bay

26TH - 28TH MARCH 2016 The world’s only $100 MTB stage race inc Round 1 of the national marathon series

3 4

days stages inc 1 night & 90km

“Bunny Buster”

EPIC with half boiled

epic option

ROUND 2 OF NATIONAL

marathon series

FREE airport

transfers if staying at Lasseters

$100 early bird

registrations close

31 Dec 2015.

ADULTS

$100 All Jnrs U13 to U19 & masters 60+ $10

$3,000

KOM King of the Mountain

STAGE EVENT

$150

accommodation

applies from

available from

registration 1 Jan 2016

packages lasseters.com.au

www.easterinthealice.com @Easter_TheAlice

Easter in the Alice Mountain Bike Muster

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The Edward Teach Mountain Bike Team Racing Success of 2015 The years go by but the desire to win does not diminish. Hence the need to draw on any means of intimidation possible; a reminder to the young lads we race against that we are fast – very fast for a team with an average age of 50.5 years old – and likely to cause young fellas signifcant harm should they attempt to challenge us. The name of this racing team – The Edward Team Guild Mountain Bike Racing Team – is just one part of a calculated strategy to crush the opposition like the infamous pirate crushed his. Edward Teach, like most successful criminals, had more than one name; for what selfrespecting, law-breaking f iend, would earn respect amongst his peers if he did not have an ‘aka’ following his original title? Edward Teach (aka Blackbeard), the owner of one of the mightiest pirate ships ever to set sail, has become the posthumous mentor of the Edward Teach Guild Mountain Bike Racing Team, the members of which draw strength and wisdom from the far reaches of the mysterious and brutal Bermuda Triangle, the location of the great man’s untimely death. We came together as a team for this year’s Mont 24 Hour Teams Mountain Bike Race in the Kowen Forrest of Canberra on the last weekend in March. 274 teams met to race at high speed through the bush and through the night.

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Words by Richard Read (aka Diesel) Photos auroraimages.com.au

hese dastardly characters were the 2015 members of the Mont Guild:

• Bruce Dickey (aka The Captain) 64yo: Always greeting you with a smile, but brutal if you fail. He’s also responsible for dragging the average age up. • Cam Wells (aka The Silver Fox) 51yo: Riding angry laps and living (and recording) every moment of the experience… just in case we’re all in retirement villages next year. • Brett Kellett (aka The Rabbit) 46yo: Don’t be fooled by the six inch suspension, baggy shorts and heavy shoes. Is the pope catholic? Is a rabbit quick? You get the picture. • Anthony Caffry (aka The Fugitive) 49yo: ‘Ride like you stole it’ – he does. • Richard Read (aka Diesel) 48yo: Get out of the way if he’s coming around the corner like a Kenworth and you hear

“traaaaack”… you young whipper snappers. • Evan Jeffrey (aka Brains) 45yo: So named because he had a portion of his brain removed quite recently, which perhaps explains his desire to travel through the bush at night on a mountain bike at such explosive speed. I mean… would a fully-brained person do such a thing? Each of us share one or two of Blackbeard’s traits; this makes it all the easier for us to channel his soul on our flat-out laps. I’ll get onto those similarities in a tick but there is one thing we do not have in common with Edward, he occasionally lost – we don’t. His ship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, was named thus because revenge was required, but in the ten year history of The Guild, revenge has not once been necessary because The Guild has never lost. As the rookie member of the 2015 team, that record placed a rather large amount of weight on my shoulders. I was humbled to be invited to take a place in such a prestigious

team; to receive an invite from an Australian mountain biking legend (not overstated), the Gary Fisher of Australia (maybe a little overstated), the creator of Dickey’s Loop, the motivator of the Urban Loop. Who wouldn’t want to race with him? But bloody hell… I’d better get fit. They say Blackbeard learned from other pirates, clearly this was my perfect opportunity. Blackbeard looked like a devil in battle…as did The Rabbit as he dashed off on the start lap on the stroke of midday on Saturday. The Rabbit is known for a quick start; small enough to weave in and out and over and under the mayhem of an endurance race start with 273 other riders. And he looks as fierce as a pirate, disguised in baggy shorts, heavy shoes and riding a super-bouncy bike with thick long forks, he emerges through the dust with a growl on his face ready to attack the singletrack from the front. And so he did. Brett returned from his first lap clear of the majority and leaving the race ready for us, or more particularly Brains, to hit it out with the

fastest 20% and maintain a solid position. By the end of lap four, we were sitting in seventh overall and first place in our category of 40+ teams. We were happy with that but the next team of old fellas was less than two minutes behind us (the fact that most of the teams behind us were an average of 20 years younger only served to boost our already huge pirate egos). The battle raged on. All six of us managed to squeeze well under the hour for our first laps. This was a good boost of confidence and became an excellent benchmark for the remainder of the race. By midnight we had taken the lead out to 13 minutes and by early morning we had let it come back to 7. Hang on… What? 7 minutes. Well… The Rabbit had a side-wall rip on one lap stretching his time out by ten minutes and whereas Blackbeard didn’t leave behind any buried treasure, Brains decided to drop a kilo or two when, whilst sitting on the transition line waiting for Brett in the middle of the night,

the desire to sit elsewhere to poop – that is, to relieve himself, not to break over the ship at the stern as you may have been thinking – overcame his desire to be ready to tap-and-go in time, thus dragging our lead back a little more (shhhhh…Don’t tell The Captain).

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our 25 laps. Our ability as half a dozen crusty old blokes averaging 50.5 years old, to thread our bicycles through the well-worn singletrack at great speed, assured our success – plus it was extreme fun. Despite the couple of hiccups, we rode ex-

Brains decided to drop a kilo or two when, whilst sitting on the transition line waiting for Brett in the middle of the night, the desire to sit elsewhere to poop – that is, to relieve himself, not to break over the ship at the stern as you may have been thinking – overcame his desire to be ready to tap-and-go in time,

Blackbeard has some famous friends and so does The Captain. Had we let that second team overcome us, and had I been The Rabbit or Brains, I would not have enjoyed being on the end of The Captain’s contract. But not to worry, by 8am the lead was back up to 11 minutes and by 11 am it was 40 minutes. Breathe easy my friends. The years go by but the desire to win does not diminish. That desire is what motivated the six of us to ride so consistently throughout

tremely similar times and we rode them every lap for 24 hours. Those experienced at taking part in these crazy but fun events, know that this is the key to success. Allowing the middle of the night to trap you into relaxing the pace is guaranteed to cause your failure – and that was out of the question. Just ask The Captain! - ENDuromag

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In the words of someone once famous... ‘If in doubt hang it out!’

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The Redback Stage Race

Alice Springs

By James Downing Photos courtesy of Rapid Ascent

Alice Springs absolutely rocks as a mountain bike destination. With over 300km of the most awesome singletrack in the country I always make it a priority to head up there when there is a race on. This was the third time that I have done the Redback (previously known as the ICME stage race) and like most, I was curious to see how the modified format would go. Instead of seven stages over five days, it was now six stages over four days. The major difference in the new format was that the long stage of 80-90 km had been removed. In addition to racing this event three times, I also raced here earlier in the year for the Easter in the Alice stage race. Needless to say I like it up here! I am also starting to begin to learn where the trails go!

From a logistics point of view, this race is the easiest stage race you will ever do. You fly in to Alice and catch a shuttle bus to your accommodation. All racing starts and finishes within the town, so the furthest you might have to ride pre or post stage is about 5km. The race communications by Rapid Ascent is the best that I have ever seen. Daily SMS messages as well as emails letting you know start times, results and any other pertinent details are sent through to all competitors quite regularly. This simply allows you to not have to worry about small details, as they get sent directly to you! This year the other change was a temporal one, from May to August and, as luck would have it, we got some really hot weather. However, coming from a

very ordinary southern winter I was not complaining one little bit! I landed in Alice after an eventful flight. An hour out of Sydney one of the hostesses got pretty sick and they had to turn around. I knew things werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t good when the pilot asked if there was a doctor on board. So we got to sit on the plane in Sydney for another hour before heading back up to Alice. Nothing like being in a germ tin for hours longer than you have to! I checked into the Chifley Resort and got the bike built up so that I could stretch my legs out a bit on the trails used for stages 3 and 4. It is always good to go for a spin after travelling because you usually have stiffened up and all the muscles have switched off.

The next day I took Grant Johnston and Michael Milton out for a bit of a recce of the Stage 1 course. I was leading and went through a nice creek bed that had a sweet little kicker out of it that enticed you to get the bike off the ground…which I did. I then stopped and waited for Grant. He saw me, saw the kicker and lashed out with a kickass whip!! But....he didn’t bring the back of the bike back in time, and landed crooked and burped the rear tyre. He couldn’t gas it as the removable valve core came out when he removed the Co2 fitting! As luck would have it, his spare tube had a hole in it. Unfortunately for Grant my spare too had a hole in it, or he pinched it when he put it on, so his tyre was still flat. Fortunately, in Alice Springs you are only ever really 10-15km maximum in a straight line from town just about anywhere out on the trails. So I decided to head back and get him a good spare tube. After chilling out in the pool for a while, I headed back out with a couple of spare tubes, extra Co2 canisters and found Grant pushing his bike back into town. Ironically we were only 700m from a bike shop according to Grant’s Android phone so we walked there and got his tyre refitted with sealant and set up tubeless. What a start to the day! Later that afternoon I took a crew of about 50 out on a social ride so that they could see the trails. I chose the trails of stage 3 and 4 as the route to take - this was the Individual Time Trial\Night Stage loop which would be good for people to have a bit of knowledge of. Within the first kilometre of getting going, we lost one person with a flat tyre, Paddy Quiggan snapped his seatpost and Luke Pankhurst had rolled a front tyre off and ate a mouthful of sand. Good stuff! Got to love the first day activities! That night I hooked up with Grant, Michael, Paddy and Katie Taylor and we hung out at Nong’s Thai restaurant in town talking crap and feeding our faces full of rice, curries and pad Thai! As Paddy and Katie had only made it a kilometre into the social ride before the seatpost incident, it was amusing trying to describe Stage 1. The executive summary was ‘watch out for the sandpit 500m into the start’! That next morning I woke up feeling feverish and had a big spew. That is always what you want the morning of a race. With a few friends and loved ones having also been sick in the last week, my immune system probably had decided that it had had enough and just thought that it would let me know. With my eyes watering from the extraction of all my carefully ingested nutrients, I went in search of coffee with a total loss of appetite. I managed to down some pancakes with Nutella to try and get some energy back into the system prior to the start.

Stage 1 had us rolling behind a cop car for 5km or so through town in a neutral affair. When we hit the dirt, it was on and I slotted into fourth wheel wanting to be as close to the front when we hit the ‘sandpit

of doom’. Last year only the front five riders got through. I think this year it wasn’t too different. Ben Hogarth and Craig Cooke took off and I rode with young gun Luke Pankhurst trying to hunt them down. We got to within about 10 seconds of Ben just prior to the feedzone but I had to stop and gas up my back tyre which was not holding air. That is a nice way of saying that I had screwed up and got it punctured somehow! With only about 7km to go, I gambled on the tyre holding on just enough to get me home. I passed Luke along one of the fireroads and then managed to ride over the train line without dismounting with about 10psi in my tyre. I then got onto Ben’s wheel just as we were about to go up Blair’s Stairs. But with only about 9psi remaining I couldn’t get the tyre to hold up under my immense power output and had to let the wheel go. I rolled into the velodrome in third place to open my account for the race.

Stage 2 was in the afternoon and was a 300m hillclimb. After spending half an hour in the pool at the Chifley talking crap with Luke I was a little frozen so needed a 30 minute super hot shower to thaw out! I wasn’t feeling great for the hillclimb, and rolled up to get through it. When you get sick, your top end pretty much just disappears. I was still trying to deny it at this stage though! I chugged up in 56 seconds whilst Luke Pankhurst smashed it 100% out of the saddle for 44 seconds keep an eye on this kid because at 15 year’s old he is the real deal and will only get better with time! Some of it is due to the bike he is riding, the rest of it is down to hard work and talent!

Stage 3 was the individual time trial. This race is 23km long and it hurts - there is no sugar coating it. You are running at threshold and the lactic acid is making your ears and your teeth burn. I am sure that the course is really good here as I have ridden it at a much cruisier pace, but when you are doing a time trial, the sky turns black and you don’t really notice details. I drilled it as hard as I could though and rolled through for 3rd place once again. At the finish line it was 32 degrees in the shade and my helmet straps were coated in salt crystals. Back to the pool for dissection of the race, a bit of a sneaky Maccas run with Grant and then a lie down prior to the night stage! The salt crystals came in handy to put on the fries!

Stage 4 was a mass start affair with 200 riders getting their lights pumping into the dark desert wilderness. I popped my sweet new Lezyne lights on the bars and helmet to illuminate the trail with about 3000 lumens. I don’t think that you can have too much light out on the trail when it is dark. As I only tend to ride off road at night at this particular race each year, I need all the illumination that I can get! One of the most fantastic sights on this stage was after we had run north on the double track, then turned west onto the superhighway singletrack, you could see a couple of hundred lights sneaking their way through the technical rocky singletrack that

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was at the start. Absolutely brilliant! After sighting the lights of the houses of Alice it was a pretty cool descent back to the golf course to finish off the stage. I rolled in for third place and pretty much consolidated that position on general classification for the race with two stages to go behind Craig Cooke and Ben Hogarth. Luke Pankhurst had a shocker on a borrowed bike (after busting a couple of spokes in the afternoon on his normal ride) and lost 20 minutes on GC with two flat tyres. Ben Gooley managed to move up to fourth overall.

Stage 5 was the ‘long one’ of the Redback - 50km on paper over some of the toughest, but most rewarding terrain. In a wise move, Rapid Ascent moved the start time forward an hour as it was forecast to be another hot one - this was very much welcomed by all competitors so we all made our way to the Telegraph Station for the start. There was a lot of brand new singletrack here and it was absolutely superb as it twisted its way to the Todd River. Being super dry and incredibly sandy, none of us were able to make it all the way across. Well done to anyone that could make it! Craig took off shortly after this and went solo. Ben was on his tail, and up one of the steeper, rockier, looser climbs Luke and I drag raced it until we could no longer hold traction. We both looked at each other at the same moment and jumped off and started pushing! I let Luke go here and got into a bit of a groove mindful that it was hot, slow going due to the tight singletrack and I still had 30 odd kilometres to go. 10km later I caught up to Luke and we worked together through compartments of singletrack and 4wd track trying to keep things moving fast. As it got warmer I binned it one of the switchback corners - I am going to blame my tyres here - with the warmer air, the pressure just increased and I lost grip - #truestory. In all reality though, I just stuffed up and Luke was able to get through and set the pace on the tight, rocky singletrack. At about the 40km mark, I could see Ben ahead, his orange jersey standing out not very well against the red backdrop of the desert. I was trying to figure out how far he was in front. You know how it is....you are counting corners, trees, rocks, kangaroos, seconds.... whatever really, in order to get the gap split. I reckon it was about a minute. Sometimes that can feel like it is 10 minutes though as it can take forever. One thing I was sure of though was that Ben hadn’t seen us. Nothing like being dressed up in black Louis Garneau kit to bring the stealth game to the race! I pointed Ben out to Luke and told him that I was going to try and catch him. What I would do with him once I got him, I as not sure, as the run into the finish at Lasseters Casino was slightly downhill, on a bike path and Ben isn’t one who lacked power... but I would figure that out closer to the time. After exiting the singletrack I was within about 20 seconds of him. A freshly graded bit of dirt road was

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nailed with some Hammertime at 45km/hr using the tailwind to my advantage to make up time in the air. As I rounded the bitumen road up the power plant I had closed the gap to 10 seconds. But I think heading up to the pipe that we had to cross under, Ben may have snuck a look back as the gap started to open up again. Damn it! The last bit was drilled into a nice cooling headwind and the tank emptied even more to the finish line, To our surprise we had finished first and second with Craig having taken a wrong turn out on course and losing 20 minutes which saw him go from first to third, and Ben take the lead with me in second overall on GC with one more stage to go. After inhaling a kilo of watermelon and icy poles, it was then time to head back to the Chifley in slow motion and hit up the pool. Luke and I talked crap for about an hour with a few other guys whilst the legs were cooling down from the day. Sometimes the stories after the race are the best part of the day as everyone has a unique perspective on how the day’s racing went down. The afternoon was then spent lying in bed for three hours recovering and watching TV in air-conditioned comfort after yet another warm morning. Later that night, I pulled out the big guns and hit up Nong’s once more for a massive double serving of rice with my green curry chicken - I even piled in some spring rolls on the side! With one more stage to go it was going to be good to start it with some energy in the belly!

Stage 6 arguably had the best trails in the whole race. Leaving them until last was a stroke of genius especially after the tough Stage 5 there were a few weary bodies on the start line. Another police escort through town and it was good to see the World Championship jersey of Grant Johnston at the head of the field. We respected the rainbow stripes that are presented to the World Champion and let him chase down the police car until we crossed the Todd River. At that point though I decided to ramp it up and hit the dirt in first place. This turned out to be a good idea and was not by accident. On the social ride on the Wednesday I noticed that this section had some huge sections of bull dust. With my lungs pretty hammered already the less dust in them the better, plus it also made it easier to see. Ben and Craig came around shortly thereafter and I sat on their wheels with Luke right behind me. Ben Gooley used some local knowledge near some cement drains to advance up in the field with a nice outside line and slotted right in front of me! I got the wheel back in front of him as we headed up a loose bit of doubletrack before going into some singletrack.

James Downing had a great race to take 2nd

About five minutes later I was following Craig’s wheel when I felt the back end get a little bouncy. I looked down and saw that unmistakable bulge of the tyre tread on the ground....flat. Damn it. After Craig’s misfortune the day before I had an 11 minute buffer over him. So I had done the math on how it was going to go. I expected him to put a few minutes into me on today’s stage. Maybe up to five minutes because I was coughing and blowing some pretty interesting colours up. With the flat, that changed everything. Usually if it is a straightforward flat I can turn it around in three minutes. This one took a bit longer because I had to let the rest of the air out. I booted the sidewall with a $5 note (bulletproof material) and gassed it twice so that it had plenty of air in it. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but it was done and wasn’t going to be an issue once I got going again. After getting back going again, it was then time to get my groove

Anna Beck was in fine form throughout the race

back, not go too deep, go deep enough, and minimise time losses. I also had to get through some traffic - but everyone was very awesome and let me through knowing that I was on a mission. The only point that I didn’t call ‘track’ was on the new Stimpsons Track. Oh. My. God... what a trail!!!! We were flowing down this trail for what seemed like 10 minutes - it went on forever and had some of the best flow I have ever experienced - and I didn’t want to ruin it for the three riders in front of me that’s for sure! After making my way through the field and emptying the tank, which was pretty much just running on fumes anyway, I saw some familiar trail markings and knew I was close to the finish line and I was hoping that I had done enough to hold onto second place on GC. I was well and truly stuffed after crossing the line in about two hours. I inhaled more watermelon and slammed some fluids down and swapped war stories with those that had crossed the finish line already. I checked the results - seventh on the stage and had consolidated second place on General Classification by 41 seconds. Definitely had done it pretty tight, that’s for sure! After the racing had finished, the body and mind know - and the day after, the snot and phlegm ran very freely! A nasty chest/throat/ nose/ear infection was not what I had banked on but at least I minimised what it did to me during the race. My top end was absent, but the diesel got me through. Flying home was not overly enjoyable with the changes in altitude playing havoc with my ears! So the stats for the week are like this: • Total race time: a shade under 8 hours • Distance (racing plus course recce plus to and fro): 260km • Total Stress Score: 710 • Thai meals: 3 • McDonalds runs: 3 • Calories: 7,500 • Pool time: Every. Single. Day...

Results Stage 1: 3rd Stage 2: somewhere - I sucked to be honest and was happy to just get up the hill Stage 3: 3rd Stage 4: 3rd Stage 5: 2nd Stage 6: 7th (flat tyre)

Winner, Holly Harris with her father David

Overall result: second Ben Hogarth took out the GC honours with a classy ride and Craig Cooke was definitely the strongest rider out there, but misfortune on Stage 5 lead to a 20 minute time loss and thwarted his chances of overall victory and he had to settle for third place. So overall, it was a good campaign and it was made even better by having top mates also make the trip up. The racing is one thing, but the option to be able to talk about it after each day made it really awesome. This particular race is perfect for that. You meet new people, ride the best trails going, talk crap with your mates, swim in the pool and eat good food - what more could you want in a lifestyle mountain bike destination? I’ll be back next year for sure!

Ben Hogarth took the win this year

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Terri Rhodes finished in 2nd overall behind Holly Harris

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he 2015 Cape Epic was my third attempt at this remarkable event. The first was with James Williamson in 2010 and the second was in 2011 when I rode with Peter Hatton. Pete and I managed to take 13th place in 2011 (and since then, two teams have been removed from the results for positive drug tests, so I guess we came 11th!). Heading over this year with my Specialized teammate Andy Blair, I was keen to equal or better the 2011 result,

and a top-10 result was a dream. Having said that, the start sheet in 2015 was stacked with talent and it was looking like any result in the top-20 would be a pretty good one. While each of the events has been different in its own way, something that never ceases to blow me away is the scale of the event, in terms of the calibre of riders, the logistical heroics of the organisation and, of course, the eight brutal stages themselves. For mountain bike stage races, it

doesn’t get any bigger than this. The UCI ranks it as the highest level of stage race, referred to as ‘SHC’ (Stage Hors Categorie). Four other races in the world share this ranking, three of them are the road grand tours of Italy, France and Spain. So it’s no overstatement to say that the Cape Epic is the Tour de France of mountain biking. I felt I had a bit of an advantage heading back to the Cape Epic for my third attempt as I was starting to feel like a seasoned

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Shaun Lewis & Andy Blair

AT THE

2015

CAPE EPIC

WORDS BY SHAUN LEWIS & ANDY BLAIR PHOTOS: SPORTOGRAF

campaigner; I knew what to expect and made some slight tweaks to my preparation. It’s a hard thing to articulate, but what you get from heading back to the Cape Epic is not ‘knowledge’ that you can pass on to others, its more a familiarity with how the whole race works – the camping set up, tent allocation, dinner, bikewashes, massages, gear transport, showers, grid allocation and the pacing of the stages (insofar as there is a pattern, which there is to some extent). Heading back to

the Cape Epic for a third time, just being familiar with all of these things put me in a good headspace for the event. In addition, in the months leading up to the Cape Epic I also really focussed on my climbing to prepare for this event. Andy and I are in a unique situation being teammates in Australia. We also live in the same postcode and have spent two solid years racing with each other for Swell Specialized (as well as years before that as fierce competitors!)

so we know each other on and off the bike pretty well. The only other race we had raced together in a pairs format had been the 2013 Hellfire Cup and we rode well together there so we felt confident heading to the Cape Epic in 2015 together. Also, just before heading to South Africa we had a dream race at the Capital Punishment race in Canberra, where we finished together to take first and second so things were looking pretty good.

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The Prologue, Day 1, 20 km, 600m of vertical climbing The buzz on day one of the Cape Epic is like no other race in the world. There are people everywhere, no parking for kilometres, spectators and kids looking at you like you are a superhero and helicopters buzzing all around the sky. I expected this stage to take us a bit under an hour and we expected to be about 5 minutes’ behind the winners. In the end, we finished in 51 minutes, 5 minutes 19 seconds behind the winners. This put us in 28th place. Honestly I wanted to be closer to the front of the race, but like every man, I only have two legs and mine didn’t feel great. Andy had to wait for me a little up the climb, especially

when the helicopter came within 10 metres of us, Andy got excited and couldn’t hold back he is so excitable! I was sure after the 730km of racing over the next week that a minute lost today wasn’t going to be decisive. Today was about not ‘red lining’, so no dramas.

Stage 1, Day 2, 113km, 2800m vertical climbing The Cape Epic organisers always make the first stage super hard and this year was no exception. This was a 5-star rated stage with 2800 metres of climbing (roughly twice that of many of the Australian marathon races!). I had a pretty good day for me on the bike, but Andy wasn’t at his best. I ride with Andy a lot and it’s probably about two days a year that I can put him under pressure and today was

one of them. Andy was not his normal self. On the massive early climb up Groenlandberg, which is 800 vertical metres, I checked that he was feeling okay, he said “yep”, so I went to the front of our group with the intent of upping the pace. I did this and after a little I looked back for the ever-reliable Andy. Instead of seeing his smiling face, I saw him a bit back at the back of the group and with his head down. I eased up and as the other riders came back past me, Andy confirmed he wasn’t enjoying the climb. We stuck together up over the summit and then Andy absolutely nailed the most physical fire road descent you could ever imagine, it probably took over 10 minutes of getting belted by ruts, rocks and arm pump until the track leveled out. We passed a few teams who

had out-climbed us, others who had blown tyres and Andy gapped me by a bit. He looked back at the bottom and I gave him the hand signal that all was good and we set off on our merry way. Despite Andy not being on a good day, it was on this stage that I realised how closely matched Andy and I are as a team. While I felt a little better on the climbs, he would lead on the descents and get us going along at a pretty high pace. But more than this, we know each other so well and communicate so well that we didn’t seem to have the problems that a lot of other teams had – losing each other on the climbs, or losing each other on the descents only to find that a teammate had punctured and having to wait not knowing what had happened because you strictly can not go backward on the course. Very early on we worked out how and where our pace was different and quickly worked out how best to expend our energy to make our pace on the climbs and flat sections as even as possible. The rest of the stage was about conserving our energy on the climbs, working the flat sections and being fast but smooth on the tricky downhills. This fact was reinforced when we came across pro rider Emil Lindgren, holding his arm above his head with what we could easily diagnose as a badly broken arm. In the last 40 kilometres we started to pick up a few of the teams who had smoked us up the early climbs. This was motivating stuff and we pushed on with the little energy we had left. There was also some great singletrack late in the race and this got us more excited. Andy is such a great racer and at this point, as he started to drive it home, I wondered if he had been playing games with me earlier in the stage. We crossed the line in 20th place, so a good improvement on yesterday despite it having been a tough day for Andy. 133 kilometres done and 3400 meters climbed on days one and two…only 606 kilometres and about 12600 more vertical meters to climb. Almost there really!

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A DAY IN THE CAPE EPIC Describing a typical day in the life during the Cape Epic should give you a good idea of how well-run this race is. All you have to do as a rider is turn up and race. 4:50am - Alarm goes off. The first decision of the day is whether to stay in the foetal position of another 10 minutes or get up for a toilet break. 5:00am – Get dressed and go to breakfast. For those who are not gluten free, the food options are good with mountains of muesli,

toast, scrambled eggs and tomatoes. Everything runs smoothly and you hardly have to wait a second to get served. With Andy being gluten free, he typically had a few bowls of ProNutro or gluten free bread (both smuggled in from outside) with a few cups of Rooibos tea as the only coffee in the food tent was instant. Breakfast also happened to be a good time to call home so we would Skype the wives thanks to the terrific Wi-Fi network in the race villages. 5:45am – Get kitted up back at our tents. Pack our personal gear into the race-supplied massive wheelie bags that are transported between each race village. Leave the tents, which are packed down and reassembled by the race team at the next race village. 6:15am – Drop the bags and the bag drop and then pick up the bikes from the bike storage compound. 6:20am – 6:40am – Head to the start box and line up for the 7am start. The time we ¬¬headed to the start box actually got earlier and earlier as the week progressed and we decided that the improved

a tray of drinks as well as our pre-prepared recovery bottles. Finish +30sec – Our bikes are taken away to be cleaned. Finish +2min – Walk over the recovery area to be greeted by more very friendly volunteers and receive a face washer and a food bag. Then go over to the “extra food” area to get more food and have it heated up in the microwave. Finish +3min – Sit around debriefing on the stage and eating real food. Finish +20min – Leave recovery area and swap out GPS battery at the exit. At the Cape Epic you are not allowed to record and upload your own GPS files as the race is run over a great deal of private land, so the race provided us with a GPS to track the riders. Finish +30min - Pick up wheelie bags and find tents and claim them. The trick is to try and find ones that are next to each other, under a tree (very rare) and not too noisy. We never scored all three criteria. All the tents are set up with a mattress inside and we bring our own pillow, sleeping bag and gear for the night. Finish +35min – Shower in the brilliant showers. The race is sponsored by Hansgrohe – setting it apart from every other race I have done! I’ll definitely pick a Hansgrohe next time I’m in the market for a showerhead too! Finish +45min - Drop dirty wash bags to the laundry – sponsored by Miele, of course – and pick up clean kit from previous day. Finish +50min - Get a text message to say the bikes have been cleaned, then head over there to assess any repairs are required. Luckily we didn’t need to ever do too much. We also dropped off our race bidons and recovery bidons for the next day, which would be set up at the second of the three feed zones. 4:15pm – Massage. The massages were really great and cheap, being staffed by physio students form Stellenbosch University. Andy found a good masseuse and locked him in for the week.

6:00pm – Dinner. Again, dinner was a very organised affair with mountains of carbs on offer. We would supplement our meals with afternoon snacks from food vendors inside the race village during the afternoon. Andy found it quite tough to find enough gluten free food though, and this was made especially challenging given that the race from Cape Town onward was run through wheat-farming country! 7:00pm - Stage presentation and course previous for the following day. 8:00pm – Have a hot choccy and a team meeting about the next stage. 9:00pm - Assemble a pile of kit for next day and get to sleep ready to do it all again. starting position we would gain by lining up early outweighed the benefit we would get from doing a short roll closer to the start. 6:59am – Chopper flyover, “Indestructible Song’ played on the PA, followed by the gun to start the race! 7:00am onward – Race! Race! Race! Race! AFTER THE FINISH: Finish +15sec - Greeted at the finish line by a friendly volunteer with

Stage 2, Day 3, 92km, 2300m vertical climbing While the first stage had been all about climbing, stage two was about the wind. It was windy, crazy windy. After the first kilometre, the race was spread out all over the road with riders scrambling to make echelons and find protection from the wind. We settled in to an echelon but were at the tail end of it and Andy was stuck in the gutter behind me so we swung up and started a new echelon. Things calmed down a bit after a few kilometres and we settled into the first big group behind the pros. We approached the first big climb about 20 kilometres into the race with about eight other teams, including that of ex-World and Olympic Champion, Bart Brentjens who was gunning for the masters title at the Cape Epic. We stayed with those guys over the top and descended away from them and then took it a bit easy across the valley floor. Andy was still having a rough day so we drifted back to the group of teams behind. About two hours in we hit a fire-road climb and Andy went straight for the granny gear and wasn’t really talking. I gave him a bit of a pep talk before we stopped at the next feed to fuel up on some Cokes. After refueling, one of the top Specialized teams came past after fixing a flat. They were going quickly and it would have been our ticket back to the front. I tried to get Andy to get on “you’ve got to be joking haven’t you?”. Hmmm, he needed more recovery. A little while later Andy did spark up, I still don’t know whether it was the Coke kicking in or whether it was being caught by the leading women, but Andy started to come good and went to the front of the group we were in and started driving the pace. It wasn’t long until we started to reel in riders and salvaged what could have been a very bad day. After the race Andy was a bit down about the stage and he said he needed to take the third stage as an easy day in the hope that he would come good for the end of the race.

Stage 3, Day 4, 128km, 2300m vertical climbing As Andy had suffered pretty hard for the last two days, we were going to try to take it easy on this stage. It was one thing to decide to have an easy day on the third stage, but with 128 kilometres and 2300 meters of climbing between us and the finish line, it was clear that it was not going to be an ‘easy day’ in the traditional sense. It turned out that the elevation wasn’t the issue, the real issue was the long flat sections that we had to ride alone or without a fast bunch to pull us along. At one point we got ourselves into a pretty good group, but Andy got held up a feed station, overwhelmed by the ridiculous number of options available to refuel and we were unable to get back on

the big train as it left the station. The next group on the road caught us but they were slow on the descents and a bit disorganised. It was frustrating and made us realise how different it is riding at the pointy end of the race. In the end, the stage took us six hours, an hour down on the winners and probably 30 minutes down on where we would have finished if we had pushed the pace. In hindsight, it is hard to know if we saved any energy by going a little slower, given that we ended up being out on the bikes an extra half an hour that day.

Stage 4, Day 5, 111km, 2000m vertical climbing Whether it was yesterday’s ‘easy day’ or a new day of racing, Andy was back in the game for the fourth stage and we were back in the race! In addition, about ten kilometres into the race, the course entered the Fairy Glen Private Game Reserve where we would be racing through herds of wildlife. At this point I was fixated on the wheel in front of me (the group were gassing it as Brentjens had been dropped) when Andy shouted, “Look! A bunch of rhinos!” I had seen rhinos off the bike, but never while racing and this was a moment that I won’t forget in a long time. We were able to hold a decent intensity all day up to the “Three Towers” at the end. There was a warning in the race guide about how rocky and gnarly the descents were and advice to take it easy. Well, we attacked these descents at a pretty high intensity, pushing us up to 13th position (our best position for the week) but shortly after the descent, I cut my tyre. With thorns all over our tyres repairing flats isn’t so straight forward, we tried to plug the tyre, which worked for about five minutes. Then we put foam in, which got us

another kilometer or so, but in the end, I had to painstakingly remove more than 20 thorns and put a tube in for the final ten kilometres. While we had good feelings in the race, even outclimbing and outdescending teams at the end of the stage, the day didn’t end the way we wanted. Despite this, we were happy that we were back in the race as far as the feeling on the bike was concerned.

Stage 5, Day 6 – 121km 2500 vertical climbing After having a flat the day before, I put on a new tyre and new valve in. We were good to go and were keen to test the legs out now that Andy and I were starting to feel like we were coming good for the final few stages. The race started well and after about an hour we were in a really good group and were both feeling good. Things were obviously going too well though, and I noticed that my rear tyre had gone soft. I stopped to see what the problem was but couldn’t see any moisture around the tyre to indicate a cut or puncture. All I could see was a tiny bit of Stans coming out around the valve – I hadn’t tightened the valve enough! It probably only cost us a minute, but we ended up spending a bit of energy getting back to where we were. As we were making our way back, Bart Brentjens and his teammate caught us. We jumped on them and I started to work with him. Bart was just driving it and probably going the pace you’d expect for an ex-World and Olympic Champion…other than the fact that he is now 46 years’ old! After some hard work we made it back to a big group which included the 2014 Cape Epic champion, who had some trouble. We hit some tough climbs before it flattened out and Andy was struggling a bit. We had some serious discussions about digging in to stay with the group we were with. Andy wasn’t keen to dig

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deeper than he already was, but the pace of the group was so high that we were getting a big advantage by being there. We ended up pushing ourselves to hang with the group and ended up 14th, which was our best result up to that point.

lost the sprint for 11th, so after 3.5 hours of super hard racing we were 12th on the day, a result we are both super proud of!

Stage 6, Day 7, 71km, 2000m vertical climbing

The final stage! I wouldn’t say my legs let me down today, but for the first 30 minutes of the stage I was pretty sure I’d left them in bed. The stage was rated as the easiest of the week with 92km and ‘only’ 1500 meters of climbing, of which 1400 metres would be covered on two distinct climbs on the profile. Out of the start gate we had 30 odd kilometres of relatively flat farm and district roads. We reckoned that, given the stage profile, we should have no problem following the leaders for the first 30 kilometres. This wasn’t the case though, and after seven days and 650 kilometres of my legs feeling relatively good and happy to push on the pedals, they had had enough. After queuing up for 30 minutes at the start, from the first pedal stroke they hurt and were protesting about riding a race today. I did what I could and sat at the back of the front bunch of about 40-50 riders for about 10 minutes, but when the pace went on and the field narrowed out through corners and the occasional puddle, I was left without enough horse power to stay close to Andy. The bunch eventually blew apart into many small groups, and I could see Andy in the main group, as they disappeared into the dust cloud. I was left a few groups back with guys we hadn’t really seen much of that week, and the best I could do was follow their wheels and hope it all came back together. I soon saw Andy drifting backwards

Stage six was a banger of a day for us. The course reminded us of Australian marathons but the real trick for us was that we had a good start after lining up in the rain for over half an hour. The rain did help out with settling the dust, which had been causing havoc all week. It also helped bedding in the singletrack, of which here was plenty!   We climbed as hard as we could and then Andy drilled every corner on the downhills to bridge gaps to some of the teams that we couldn’t climb as fast as. This theme continued for a couple of hours until with 20 kilometers to go we got a report from the side of the road we were in 13th position!  This excited us as we were very keen to record a top-10 stage result. On the next climb we could see three teams in front of us, at various distances. We couldn’t catch any of these teams on the climb but on rad, long pine forest singletrack descent we were able to catch two of them. We got rid of three of the four riders on the next technical section, but then got caught by one of these guys up the next climb. This left us fighting for 11th and 12th place on the stage with this other team. Andy and I took the gamble to use our last bit of energy and try and catch the 10th place team, but this didn’t happen and we

Stage 7, Day 8, 92km 1500m vertical climbing

through the groups looking for me. I apologetically explained that I had nothing in the legs and was working hard just following these guys. The front group eventually eased and we did make contact again, just as we started what I’d describe as the hardest climb of the entire race. As soon as the climb started, I was in my easiest gear and working flat out just keeping the pedals turning. Also, for this last, and so-called ‘easy’ stage, the start time was scheduled an hour later than the previous stages. This might not sound like much of a difference, but it meant we were riding in the heat of the day and we were hot. I was covered in sweat, my gloves were drenched and even my feet were getting uncomfortably wet from the sweat running down my legs and into my socks. We keep chugging away and the climb seemed to go on forever. A positive sign for us was that we were starting to catch a few teams towards the top. This gave us some motivation and we passed one more team just before the summit and then Andy, as he had been doing all week, descended like a stone and we were soon at the bottom and on more flat roads. Here we had to make a decision, commit to a two man time trial, bearing in mind that Andy was also feeling far from fresh by this stage, or wait for a team from behind to catch us. We couldn’t see anyone ahead or behind, so we rode a solid pace that we could manage. It was a bit over 10 kilometres to the water point for the day, so we set that as a bit of marker to get to. About five kilometres out from the water point we spied two teams coming from

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behind. We had a drink, a gel and a quick breather before preparing to work with these guys. They seem to shut down the distance quite quickly and we jumped on their wheels. It didn’t take long to recognise these guys, they beat us the day before in a sprint and had had mechanical trouble earlier in today’s stage. The important fact was that they were in 11th on the overall classification and were a chance to lose that spot if they didn’t catch some of the teams ahead. Andy and I put our seat belts on and witnessed one of the greatest sporting feats I’ve ever seen first hand. It was a one-man show, Soren, a Danish rider, pedalled at an incredible intensity. Coming into to the water point Andy and I confirmed that we had to be quick to get our bottles because we didn’t want to miss this freight train. Out of the water point, Soren was straight back into his pace. We soon hit a minor climb, one that hardly even showed up on the stage profile, but this Soren guy just held it pinned. We both survived this little bump, but I could tell from Andy’s riding style that he was hurting just as much as me. At one point we were on a flat fire road, getting a good draft, while Soren penetrated a solid head wind. I had a gel and in the process drifted a little wide of the wheel in front of me. I quickly realised how much harder it was in the wind, and it wasn’t even easy on the wheel. I thought to myself this is ridiculous, I had to make a joke to lighten the mood with Andy. I asked Andy jokingly if we should roll some turns to help the Danish bloke out, knowing full well that neither of us could do that without getting dropped. I

think my sarcasm was lost under my heavy breathing, as Andy’s response was far from printable. I smiled and we realised we were both deep in the hurt box. Soren was unrelenting, for over an hour he sat on the front of our group, not ever asking for help. Maybe he knew none of us could have helped! Even his teammate was in trouble, like us. Soren only slowed when his teammate couldn’t keep up, which was only a few times, such as getting stuck in soft sand or when the climbing pace was a bit too much. Andy and I relished these moments, as it meant we could have a little breather and we were very relieved when Soren finally bridged across to the teams he wanted to catch so he too could have a breather after his unbelievable effort. The rest of the stage had another climb and then a rad singletrack descent to the finish. Andy and I tried to climb at the front of the big group that we (or, Soren, to be more accurate!) caught , but I couldn’t manage the pace. We dropped back on were the third last team from the group up the mountain. For the final time, we hit the singletrack and started catching a few teams. We ended the stage in 18th place and nine seconds behind Soren and his mate. This gave us 17th position overall after 34 hours and 39 minutes of racing. After the stage we checked the results and found that Soren had shut down a four and a half minute gap from the last water point to the finish in pursuit of the next group, which happened to contain a group of damned-well-credentialled riders, all on his own.

Wrap up For Andy and I, stages five and six were highlights for us as we really felt that we were ‘in’ the race. We were so glad we had those stages. Overall, we had a tough week, but it’s the Cape Epic and every issue you have is magnified by the toughness of the race. We had done the best we could with the legs and the luck we had and we crossed the final finish line with beaming smiles. One thing that surprised me a little reflecting on this year’s race was how good a race Pete Hatton and I had in 2011, something I hadn’t fully appreciated up until that point. I headed over to the race this year wanting to better that 13th place, but came away realising how strong that result was. This was especially the case given that we suffered ten flats between us that year and we finished three stages with one of us riding on the rim. For me, I probably won’t be back to the Cape Epic any time soon. I feel like I have given it a good shot now. I have a huge amount of respect for the race and I have a lot of special memories from it. To race the Cape Epic, it takes a huge amount of focus in your life, leading up to the event and I’ll put be putting my energy into other things. Another interesting thing to note is that racing back in Australia doesn’t feel like a come-down at all. Sure, we don’t have the choppers going overhead at the start or Olympic and World Champions riding alongside us, but the racing in Australia gives me a huge buzz. I love racing in Australia and there is no shortage of competition and great races and I’ll be happy racing here for years to come! ENDuromag

I asked Andy jokingly if we should roll some turns to help the Danish bloke out, knowing full well that neither of us could do that without getting dropped. I think my sarcasm was lost under my heavy breathing, as Andyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s response was far1 from printable. DC2016_AMB-ad_half_page-H_FINAL.pdf 11/11/2015 11:10 PM I smiled and we realised we were both deep in the hurt box.

Dance with the Devil

2015 XCM National Championships

ew new trail areas have had the hype that the Blue Derby trails received in the lead up to the 2015 National Marathon Championships. The massive trail project in the tiny Tasmanian village of Derby, once known for its mining industry, is a great initiative to rejuvenate this seemingly forgotten about but very beautiful corner of the world. When I rolled into town before the race the first thing that struck me was the natural beauty of the area; a picturesque valley surrounded by mountains and a crystal clear river running down the middle. I bumped into Glen Jacobs at the trail head and had a quick chat. As one of the visionaries of this ambitious project he is understandably excited to see the best riders in the country come to town to ride his trails and to see the economic revival in full swing. He recalled the first time he arrived in Derby on a cold and foggy day. The silence in the main street was broken by the sound of a hammer banging nails into a sheet of plywood, boarding up the last shop in town. Now two years on and 30km of fun single track later (and a plan for heaps more), the town is buzzing and now contains no less than 4 coffee shops and 4 pubs, clearly evoking a sense of pride in Glens voice. Anyway, on to the trails, that’s what we are here for isn’t it? The race course for the XCM champs involved 3 laps of a 30km loop, each containing roughly 25km of single track and 800m of ascension. Just from the num-

Words by Andy Blair Photo: Duncan Giblin

bers, that is always going to be a hard race and our first practice laps confirmed this and more. Recent rain had made the surface quite dead and slow. That, plus the multitude of switchback corners would ensure that the average speed was quite slow and the race would be long and hard. However, every time the track pointed downhill, you couldn’t help but smile. Descents that seemed longer than the climbs saw us speeding down the mountain though series’ of massive berms, rollers and rock features, eventually coming out of the rainforest and into a stunning river bed. Yes, this was going to be a very hard race,

Mather not far behind me. With the twisting nature of the course I could see Mark and Brendan regularly and held the gap at about 15 to 30 seconds and just focused on riding efficiently and smooth. Ben Mather rode a similar gap behind me but about half way through the first lap he must have dropped back slightly because I didn’t see him again. Coming through the start/finish after lap one I confirmed the gap was 30secs, but going up the big climb again I must have lost some more time to Tupac and Trekky because they were gone. It turns out that Mark absolutely ripped it up the climb, so much so that

If Mark Tupalski was aware that it was going to be a long, tough day, he didn’t show it when the gun went off and he led the field up the road and set a ridiculous pace up the first big climb. but wow, it was going to be fun too. Race day started off cool and overcast, but the forecast was for sun later on. We all assembled in the main street of Derby for a civilised 8am start. If Mark Tupalski was aware that it was going to be a long, tough day, he didn’t show it when the gun went off and he led the field up the road and set a ridiculous pace up the first big climb. This was definitely outside my race plan (and ability) so I eased off before the top of the hill and crested alone in 3rd place with only Brendan Johnson willing and able to go with Tupac, with Michael England and Ben

Brendan considering sitting up and dropping back to me, however they stayed together. This was the hardest part of the race for me, and I have a feeling I wasn’t the only one. It was an effort to produce reasonable power, starting to feel a few little aches in the lower back, and still so long from the finish. The positive thing for me was that this was all part of my race plan, which was to ride a time trial and hope that would be enough in the end. This made the suffering and the isolation relatively bearable and I just keep doing what I was doing with focus on efficiency. Coming through with a lap to go, once

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again I saw Trekky and Tupac, still together and with a gap now of 2 minutes. With over and hour and a half of gruelling racing remaining, I knew I was definitely close enough to still win, but of course I would have to work hard for it and would have to rely on both the other faltering. The final lap is always somewhat easier mentally because you know that it is the final time you need to push on each section. It’s the last time up the big climb, the last time up Dam Busters, and the last time around Krushka’s. All you have to do is empty the tank. Meanwhile, at the front of the race Tupac drove it up the big climb once again but finally paid the price on the flatter approach to

The women’s race was taken out by Jenny Blair (it still feels strange to call her that) who attacked the race on the first climb. Cascade Dam where Trekky got a gap and finally set off solo for the finish approximately 20kms away. As the finish approached I kept pushing, but as I bottomed out on the last main descent I saw Trekky coming towards me as we approached a two-way river crossing, which put him still roughly two minutes ahead of me and almost certain to win his first national championship. As we crossed the river simultaneously from opposite directions we drenched each other with a wave of water, which snapped me out of thinking about Trekky and my thoughts refocused on chasing Tupac who came into sight a moment later. I rode full gas up the last small climb and saw Tupac disappearing into the last single track section not far ahead. The gap was coming down but with only 5min to go it wasn’t enough. Through the twists and turns in the final kilometres I saw more of Mark than I had in the last 3 hours but it wasn’t going to be enough and eventually I

Right : Local racer, Ben Mather has shown good form recently against all those damn mainland invaders, coming down and enjoying his home trails | Below: Brendan Johnston takes home the national title after an incredible day’s work | Photos: Heath Holden

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came into the finishing straight just as he crossed the line. I’m super proud of both of these boys and it has been great to see their development over the years and to share many close battles in recent years. They both put in very courageous rides and I have no doubt they will continue to get faster, I only hope I continue to keep up for a bit longer! My Specialized team mate Shaun Lewis was next to cross the line for 4th, showing his class by riding a smart race despite his knee injury that hampered his preparation somewhat, and former road professional Michael England rounded out the top 5. The women’s race was taken out by Jenny Blair (it still feels strange to call her that) who attacked the race on the first climb. Jenni King, Eliza Kwan and Sarah Riley made contact again after the 10km start loop but Jenny was able to ride away solo on the

long climb of the first big lap to take a solo win over Eliza Kwan and Rebecca Locke, with Jenni King eventually pulling out of the race with mechanical issues. I think it is fair to say that the 2015 XCM champs was a tough race that crowned some worthy national champions, but I didn’t talk to anyone that didn’t enjoy it. The overwhelming response from elite and age group riders alike that was this race was a hit and one we would no doubt be talking about for years to come. MTBA tried something new by staging the age group races on a separate day to the elites as well as reducing the race distance for some categories, which help to make the experience less intimidating and more achievable & enjoyable. Only time will tell if the outstanding Derby trails will help to create a long lasting tourism industry that will continue to draw visitors to the area to justify the substan-

tial investment. It’s fair to say that there is a lot of completion in that area in Australia and across the ditch at the moment, but with more people riding mountain bikes than ever before, I think it has a fair chance and I’m proud that our sport is being recognised as a vehicle that can affect such positive change, not only to a local economy but to people health and wellbeing. I definitely recommend a trip to Derby. Why not pencil in the 2016 XCM championships and experience one of the hardest and most rewarding races in the calendar? Below: Trail art/installation piece or a conveniently dumped bomb Above right: It was a long day in the saddle for Andy Blair, chasing young guns, Trekky and Tupac over the challenging course at Derby. | Above far right: Tassie local, and this issue’s Cover Boy, Tom Goddard. | This pic Sarah Riley in the switchbacks | Photos Heath Holden

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Q &A 92

Brendan Johnston 2015 national XCM champion

Photo: Heath Holden

What was your preparation like in the lead up to the XCM National Championships? My prep was good, The XCM Champs in Derby were a huge goal of mine. However I knew it would be a long season, beginning in early September, right through national XCO series, with a peak for XCO Champs in Bright and finishing with a peak for the 90km national title on the new and exciting trails of Derby. How did the race unfold for you on the day? Being a national title I had thought about the race a lot, I knew who would be strong. After getting a lap in on the Friday, I had a lot more to consider than my competition. I had heard there was going to be a lot of singletrack, which is great! However, it was clear that Derby wasn’t suffering a drought! The trails were very wet and heavy and the going was slow! That, combined with a colossal amount of switchbacks, meant it was going to be a long and hard 90km. So with that in mind I tentatively held onto the wheel of the ever-strong Mark Tupalski up the first climb, which lead to us gaining a small advantage over defending champ Andy Blair, and the rest of the strong field. I was happy with this, however I wanted to conserve as much as possible (which can be hard when riding with Tupac (Mark)). Going into the last lap we had a 1.5 minute lead on Andy. Mark still appeared to be super strong and proceeded to drive it up the long fire trail climb that each lap began with. Upon entering the singletrack, which is non-stop for about an hour(!), I had opened up a small gap on Tupac. I was feeling really good, all I could think of was winning. I was riding really well and got out of sight of Mark and didn’t look back. Had you ridden the trails at Derby prior to the event? We cut a lap on the Friday before the race, the whole two hours were filled with ‘oooohs’ and ‘ahhhhs’ as we were amazed at what we were seeing – kilometres and kilometres of professionally built

singletrack in a textbook rainforest setting! It must be seen and ridden! What were some of the challenges you faced throughout the event? I’d say focus. Per lap, it’s about an hour of singletrack, and that’s absolute singletrack, you don’t come near a single fire road or any civilization for at least an hour and its fairly involved – mentally and physically. Who did you see were the main rivals leading up to the event? I wasn’t sure if Chris Jongewaard would be attending (he didn’t), but definitely defending champ Andy Blair and Mark Tupulski. I was aware Shaun Lewis had been putting his new baby Anastasia aside in the leadup to the race and was getting some really good training in. I also considered Jason English, as I knew it would be a long slog. With such a good season for you and some amazing results, do you feel that this is the start of the changing of the guard – to a younger generation of riders, such as yourself and Mark Tupalski? I don’t think so, XCM racing is a lot about experience and while us younger guys can get pretty fit and fast, experience counts for a lot. I will endeavor to continue to be at the top of XCM racing domestically as best as I can. What do you think are the best aspects of holding the XCM championships in Tassie? Launceston and Derby are really cool, I had only been to Hobart previously but this is a really nice part of Tassie. The trails in Derby will only get better and they are already insane! You’ve got the national XCM jersey on your back, So what now? My focus is now on XCO, I have a small break before a solid training block to prepare for an overseas trip including 3 World Cups World Champs (Canada, USA, Italy, Andorra) and a C1 Race in Austria..all in the name of UCI points. - ENDuromag

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Graham Agassiz/Iceland. Photo: Harookz

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Q &A 94

jenny blair 2015 national XCM champion

Photo: Russ Baker

What was your preparation like in the lead up to the XCM National Championships? I had a 3 week block of threshold and V02 specific efforts – basically short and sharp sessions to build peak power fitness on top of the endurance I had built over the race season. I was pretty confident I was in top shape for race day – thanks to my coach Mark Fenner. How did the race unfold for you on the day? I had a plan to take advantage of the opening bitumen climb and quickly built a 30sec lead. The top 4 girls got back to me by the end of the 10km opening loop so I put pressure on the climbs to ride away and just time trialled from there. Jenni King was the closest to me all the time but I learned later she double punctured, which was a pity as we would have had a good battle to the line! Had you ridden the trails at Derby prior to the event? We rode the trails only two days prior to the race.

Photo: Heath Holden

be a target to beat! After years of racing Australian championships and being ineligible for a national jersey, how does it feel to pull on the green and gold stripes? It feels fantastic! I am excited to be able to wear the jersey in training & racing in a country that presented me the jersey! I feel honored to be part of history alongside national champions of the past and present. With 2 national XCM champions from the same race team under the one roof are you and Andy likely to be arguing over whose jersey who’s? The clean one is mine!!! Unless Andy thinks he has put his kit on a hot wash cycle, we know who will own what!

What were some of the challenges you faced throughout the event? Eating and drinking were a challenge with all the singletrack – cramps were going to be my demise had I not focussed on nutrition throughout the race. The tracks got greasy in parts with all the traffic over the boggy areas so I had to be on top of selecting good lines.

What do you think are the best aspects of holding the XCM championships in Tassie? Oh, its so refreshing to go somewhere completely new to ride – in all aspects – Tasmania is so different to Australia. Before we went there, everyone was on a level playing field in terms of riding unknown trails – it’s a good thing having them as far away as Tasmania. The people are so welcoming, its affordable to stay and eat there for everyone and the championship gives both Derby town and the trails credibility for the development of mountain biking there.

Who did you see were the main rivals leading up to the event? I have always battled with Jenni King in this discipline, this year and previous years and knew she wanted the jersey just as much as I did so I considered her my main rival. It’s hard to know how all the other girls were preparing for the event, so each one was going to

You’ve got the national XCM jersey on your back, So what now? Keeping it! I would like to represent the jersey as best I can for my season goals and sponsors – I am leading both Maverick and MTBA XCM Series so I am focussed on those key races to win the overall titles. - ENDuromag

ADRENALIN PUMPING, TRAILS TRIUMPHED

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PORT TO

PORT

e h t n w o d , s r a e The Three B d Humpty Rabbit Hole an the wall. Dumpty fell off RLY WILLIAMS WORDS BY CA PHOTO RO GI PHOTOS

he Port to Port is a relatively new multi-day stage race on the Australian mountain biking calendar and it features some of the best trails the East Coast has to offer. Presented by the same people behind the highly regarded Cape to Cape in the Margret River region of Western Australia, the Port to Port is billed a sister event and is raced over four days in the stunning Newcastle and Hunter regions of NSW. The 2015 event was the second running of the Port to Port, following on from a very successful inaugural event in 2014 in which a field of 300 recreational and elite

riders signed up. While the 2014 event was undoubtedly a success, there was some negative feedback from riders about the event including the amount of bike path and the devastating effects (on bike and body) of riding through deep sand, particularly along Blacksmiths Beach in Stage 4. Organisers had done a great job of taking this on board and made some exciting modifications to the 2015 course which featured more singletrack, less surf and sand riding, and a particularly exciting section which took in the Awaba Mountain Bike Park on Stage 3. With these changes, as well as the addition of a sundown shootout on Friday night, along

the lines of the Redbull shootout at Cape to Cape, the Port to Port certainly promised to be bigger and better than 2014. For a couple of punters from Melbourne, the Port to Port also offered a prime opportunity to escape a little winter gloom and to spend four days riding bikes and going to the beach! For my partner in crime, Ross Wilkinson, it was a nostalgic return to the trails he grew up riding, while for me it was the chance to explore the delights of an iconic area and ride awesome trails that I had heard great things about. Pack your swimmers, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going on holidays! With four stages of riding spread across

four days, each in a different location, there were a number of logistical options for tackling Port to Port. For interstate visitors, flying directly into Newcastle airport and picking up a hire car was certainly the easiest option. From there, we had a choice to either follow the race around, staying in a different location each night or choose somewhere central for the whole stay. We opted for the latter option, with a great little apartment on the western edge of Newcastle. With Stage 1 to the North in Port Stephens and Stages 2 and 3 to the west in the

Hunter, Stage 4 to the south at Lake Macquarie, and the beach to the east, all within 45mins drive, we were perfectly positioned for the four days ahead. Arriving Wednesday afternoon, we headed straight to Port Stephens to pick up race registration packs and see if there were any whales about (Port Stephens is well known as a whale watching and dolphin swimming hot spot). We came up empty on the whale front, but registration was made easy at the Port Stephens Caravan Park. After a quick pie stop, it was off to Newcastle to pin the

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SCENERY, RT, OTHER THAN THE ICONIC EVENT E THE BEAUTY OF PORT TO PO TH AT TH IS ORIOUS WEATHER, ING STUNNING BEACHES AND GL TH FRO E TH M FRO S TY OF RIDER CATERS FOR A WIDE VARIE S. IOR RR WA D EN EK WE LUCKY ELITE RIDERS TO HAPPY GO

numbers on and elevate the legs ahead of four days of racing. The beauty of Port to Port, other than the iconic scenery, stunning beaches and glorious weather, is that the event caters for a wide variety of riders from the frothing elite riders to happy go lucky weekend warriors. The longest stage is 64km and with plenty of long descents and rolling fire roads, it’s not too daunting for the average punter. There is also the option of riding individual or selected stages – no need to sign up for the whole four day deal – with entries available on a day-byday basis. With this in mind, and us being punters from the cold dark depths of Melbourne (where Winter had firmly arrived in…Autumn) we were not too worried at the complete lack of fitness we were carrying into the race. After all, stage races are about riding yourself into form, right? Thursday’s Stage 1 greeted us with glorious sunshine and we greeted it with naive excitement. This stage had had a few changes from 2014, but still started and finished in Nelson Bay, right alongside the Marina - a spectacular setting. Along with some new sections, to replace some squirmy sand of last year, recent storms and floods along all along the New South Wales coast meant there had been some late changes to the course. The infamous ‘Vertical Beach’ climb which had proved decisive for last year’s stage winners had been taken out. What a shame! That did

still leave the ‘Three Bears’ climbs (sounds friendly enough?) and a bit of rutted and water-damaged fire road to deal with, but with a distance of 34km and not too much climbing (according to the course profile) it sounded like a palatable way to kick off the racing. The start line for 2015 included plenty of big hitters in the front rows. Last year’s winners and Specialized riders Andy Blair and Jenny Blair (nee Fay) were there, as well as strong riders from the Torq and Trek Racing teams. The ladies from 4Shaw Deuce were also there to spice things up in the women’s field, as well a couple of Newcastle locals who were sure to give the favourites a run for their money. And behind them, more than 300 eager punters from as far a field as WA and New Zealand, all of whom were ready to saddle up and discover the Port to Port experience. A sea of smiling faces and short sleeve jerseys (‘sun’s out, gun’s out’, as they say) rolled out behind the lead vehicle to get the stage underway. A couple of neutral kilometres along the bitumen, although it may have tested the caffeine-fuelled nerves of the elite racers, was a good way to allow for positioning to take place and warm up some of the more aged legs! It was not long before we rounded a sharp hairpin to hit the first bit of dirt, and as it was a sandy dirt track climb with a few big ruts down the middle, the bottleneck was inevitable. After a little bit of on and off the bike for a few short walks, the field soon

strung out enough to make riding enjoyable. After the first section of rocky rutted climbs and descents, the sea of so far still smiling faces headed south towards Fingal Bay, keeping a careful eye out for whales as we rode along parallel to the coastline. From Fingal Bay it was on to Tomaree National Park where we were greeted by both rocky and sandy trails and a good bit of earto-ear grin descending. It was not long though before we arrived at the home of the Three Bears and I’m pretty sure Goldilocks was not interested in these bears or their porridge! Three steep, loose shale climbs make up the three bears, and they bite. The first one is challenging, the second one very challenging, the third one unrideable! (Personally, this punter found them all unrideable, but apparently at the pointy end of the field, all but the last one are manageable). Once the bears had been dealt with and a few deep breaths had been sucked in, it was time for a fast run downhill for a bit more squirming through sand before popping out of the National Park with four kilometres to go. Finishing off the stage with a glorious bit of singletrack through Fly Point Park, we finished back where we started at the picturesque Nelson Bay Marina.

‘Papa Bear’ In the elite categories, victory in the men’s

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race went to Torq’s Mark ‘Tupac’ Tupalski with an inspiring attack over the top of Papa Bear, while the women’s race was a very close battle between Specialized rider Jenny Blair and 4Shaw’s Rebecca Locke with both ladies finishing on the same time. Although most satisfied with the first day’s ride, we were left not only with dirty bikes, but with a slight emptiness having not seen a whale and so we headed back to Newcastle via Gan Gan Hill Lookout. With stunning views over Port Stephens from Shoal Bay to Fingal Bay and Tomaree National Park where we had just been riding, it was a spectacular perspective of the whole area, even if there were still no whales to be seen. As luck would have it though, a whale was spotted as we said goodbye to Port Stephens and we headed off in search of a car (bike) wash with a great sense of satisfaction and an appreciation for the range of experience this race had to offer.

Found a Whale Leaving the coast behind and heading for the vineyards, Stage 2 was the first of two days in the Hunter Valley region and by the look of the event guide, the course looked challenging! The race grapevine suggested that last year’s Stage 2 had been tortuous, with lots of climbing and mud, but for 2015, with a couple of tweaks and far drier conditions than those that greeted riders the year before, we were optimistic of a fun day out. There was going to be no hiding, however, from the 14km climb that opened the stage. With a few coordination issues that saw us running slightly later than ideal for the start, there certainly was not going to be any warming up or partaking in the fine fare put on by Lindeman’s Winery which was hosting the stage start. Again the neutral roll out behind a lead vehicle proved beneficial for position jostling and R VE ATE FOR WH leg warming. REASON I WAS AS There was plenty of staring at the stem in the EXCITED AS THAT first hour as the long climb from Pokolbin up to BLOKE PERFORM- the ridgeline took its toll. Recent grading of the ING HIS MORNING fire road meant that the surface was good, but a little soft, highlighting just how energy sapping YOGA Stage 1 had been. Who knows what was happening at the front end of the field (attacking apparently), but everywhere else it was a pretty consistent grovel. After finally making it to the top of the climb, there was no time to stop and admire the view over a picnic lunch with a quick diversion into some untamed motorbike singletrack. Riders with good bike handling skills and plenty of power had a blast in here: loose sandy tracks, short pinchy climbs and technical challenges. The rest of us just rode it the best we could! And maybe walked a little bit. Soon we arrived at the top of the Rabbit Hole Descent, which the race grapevine had been incessantly buzzing about! The descent was 10km of fast, plummeting descending though creek crossings, over loose ground and into deep ruts thanks to recent rains. While the mud was not a patch on 2014, there certainly was water in them there creeks that was enough to wet the shoes and socks (regardless of whether you walked or rode the crossings) and drivetrains sure got soaked in a solid amount of slop. Once down the Rabbit Hole, we rode 15km across the valley floor to Cedar Creek (with a quick hello to some fine looking bovines) and past Millfield Public School which celebrated the event with a ‘Ride to School Day’ and displayed great endurance by cheering and encouraging all riders as they passed by (much more fun than being in the classroom!). From here it was a left turn onto the second major climb of the day, up Mount View and back towards the top of the ridge. Although the steep pinches of the 2014 climb had been tamed and replaced with a super fast and fun switchback descent on the road, there was still a sting in the tail with a final nasty little grovel up

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100

through Briars Ridge Vineyards. Plenty of people enjoyed the opportunity for a last little walk over this mountain before flying down the other side through the finishing arch right at the cellar door of Briars Ridge Estate Winery. In the elite ranks, Torq riders Tasman Nankervis and Mark Tupalski attacked early in the stage over the first climb, with Tasman eventually taking the win and Mark adding more time to his overall lead. In the women’s field a strong ride from Specialized’s Jenny Blair gave her a commanding overall lead, with the 4Shaw’s Naomi Williams finishing in second. Williams’ teammate Rebecca Locke had a tough day after spending a lot of energy in Stage 1 but still finished strongly in third place. As a small boutique producer in the Hunter region, Briars Ridge Estate, put on an outstanding spread for the stage finish – market stalls, live music, great food and coffee and of course exceptional wine. While plenty of weary riders queued outside the much needed massage tent, ably staffed by the Muscletone crew, there was enough spark left amongst others and their support crew to enjoy the hospitality but on by the winery. Stage 2 was one of two stages at the Port to Port that could be logistically difficult without non-riding support crew, due to the finish being in a different place to the start. However, organisers had put on a shuttle bus to take riders and their bikes back to the start, which made things a lot easier. There was also the option of riding the 12km back to Lindeman’s winery via the bitumen road… you just had to make sure you eat something first! While the Rabbit Hole descent was certainly a highlight of Stage 2, it was perhaps eclipsed by the genuine swim at the beach that occurred after stage. For a couple of suckers from Melbourne, in a year where

summer never really happened, being able to wash the mud off with a swim in the ocean amongst surfable waves was truly glorious. With salty hair and sandy toes it was then off the car (bike) wash for day two, round two. New for the 2015 Port to Port, the Crown Plaza Hunter Valley Shootout took place late in the afternoon, after Stage 2 was all wrapped up. With a 2.5km technical time trial around the scenic golf course, elite riders were invited to race for some big time bonuses on their overall time, making for exciting racing. Trek Racing’s Pete Hatton took out the men’s event putting him in second place overall while Torq’s Mark Tupalski cemented his overall lead with third place in the shootout. A broken chain for defending champ and Specialized rider Andy Blair ended his chances of clawing back any time. Jenny Blair kept the Specialized flag flying however, continuing her strong run of form with victory in the women’s event ahead of 4Shaw’s Naomi Williams. Stage 3 for the 2015 Port to Port was all new, and had the field pretty excited due to the inclusion of sections of the Awaba Mountain Bike Park, one of the premier riding venues in the region. With 64km on the cards, the anticipated glory of Awaba was slightly tempered by the 4km slog up Mount Faulk that was to follow, allegedly steeper and uglier than Stage 2’s climbs. It definitely had the potential to be a pretty epic day. The stage was to start and finish in Cooranbang, at the foot of the Watagan National Park. With the weekend now upon us, there were plenty of fresh faces and legs on the start line in Cooranbong with local and regional riders joining the race for the weekend. Another neutral roll out along the bitumen provided the accustomed warm up and jostling for position but with 12kms of singletrack looming at the end of the bitumen

the jostling and ‘neutral’ pace was a little hotter than previous days. The race was pretty well spread out into small groups by the time we hit Awaba and it was all one-byone into the singletrack. Awaba was everything it promised to be: 12kms of awesome flowing trails, pretty friendly for the non-technically advanced, a few pinchy climbs but largely just a whole lot of fun. It seemed to go on and on forever but eventually the glory ended and we popped out at the base of the feared Mount Faulk. This too was unfortunately everything it promised to be: 4kms of grovelling fire road climbing with more than enough gradient. The remainder of the stage took us along the undulating ridgeline of Watagans National Park, and it certainly did undulate. Every flying descent seemed to be followed by a grovel back up hill and there was plenty of benefit in finding a little group to ride with to share the pacing. The course turned more consistently downhill at the 45km-mark and included a diversion into some more sweet motorbike singletrack, with plenty of deep ruts in here and loose stuff to get sideways in. Back out onto the fireroad and it was time for a solid downhill run dubbed the ‘Frequent Flyers Descent’, with some high speed water bars and a couple of deep puddles to get the mud flying. The dirt roads finished with a slip sliding diversion down some super fresh singletrack and then popped riders out onto Martinsville Road. This section of trail was a late addition to the course and was very fresh and loose making it pretty challenging. Indeed, after the stage there were rumors flying of a few riders engaging in a bit of koala-like tree hugging when they came unstuck in that section. A bit of bedding in and it will be a highlight of next year’s edition if it stays in the course route. Stage 3 winners were Trek Racing’s Reece Tucknott who latched onto the dynamic Torq

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duo of Tupalski and Nankervis when they attacked on the tough climb out of Awaba. The three held off chasers for the rest of the stage and finished together with Reece taking the victory over the two Torq riders at the line. The women’s race saw another win for Specialized’s Jenny Blair who was certainly riding her way into the race, with 4Shaw’s Rebecca Locke and Naomi Williams finishing together in second and third. Stage 3 was certainly a long and pretty challenging day, the premiership quarter, to use a football analogy. It’s the day you either ride into form, or the cracks appear. For me, it was my best day by far and I saw small hints of form and despite very heavy legs and feeling pretty spent at the end of the stage, it was a really satisfying day. After presentations were all wrapped up, burgers were inhaled at the Cooranbang Fish and Chip Shop (recipe unchanged since 1992) and then we took the long way home around the south side of Lake Macquarie for the customary ocean recovery swim. And so we arrived Stage 4. The Port to Port experience so far had be well worth of the trip and the Stage 4 course promised to be the best of the lot, taking in both Wallarah National Park and a good chunk of the infamous Glenrock Mountain Bike Park. Notably thought, the much-maligned slog through the sand and surf of Blacksmiths Beach from 2014 was gone from the race, having been replaced by a meander along the fairway of Belmont Golf Course. Less time on the Fernleigh Track was also promised in response to rider feedback from 2014. It was shaping us as a pretty good day. Unfortunately the weather gods had different ideas. We awoke to light but consistent rain on Sunday morning and this drizzle turned what would have undoubtly been the highlight stage of the race into a particularly challenging one. The day commenced on the normally picturesque shores of Lake Macquarie at Cam’s Wharf. TO LE BEING AB Despite the rain and cooler conditions there were WASH THE MUD still plenty of smiling faces on the start line for OFF WITH A SWIM the final day of racing. There was 48km on the IN THE OCEAN cards for today, from the edge of Lake Macquarie AMONGST SURFA- heading north up the coast with the final finish for BLE WAVES WAS 2015 at Nobby’s Beach in Newcastle. While the overnight rainfall hadn’t seemed like TRULY GLORIOUS. much, the region had been experienced a good amount of rain over recent weeks and Sunday morning’s precipitation was just enough to turn damp ground into a full on mud pit. After the customary neutral bitumen roll out, we headed straight into the trails of Wallarah National Park, starting with a solid, rutted dirt road climb that had plenty of riders straight back off their bikes for a little uphill stroll. From the top of this first climb, things really started to go pear shaped and the mud got thick and deep! From there it was a 10km slog through Wallarah and going sideways or square on your ass was standard operating procedure for many. While it certainly would not have been easy at the front of the field, for those of us mid-pack and beyond, with a few hundred sets of tyres chewing up the trail before us, it didn’t take long for the usually benign fire roads to turn in to a war zone reminiscent of the Somme. Sadly, in this case, the mud defeated me, or rather it defeated my bike. Too much slop, and not enough chain lube resulted in terminal chain suck. Consistent jamming of the chain meant the day was going to be very long and tiresome and the decision was made to abort mission as the course exited Wallarah at Swansea. I was by no means alone in this regard, and mythical stories of snapped chains, clogged up drive trains and mud filled pants will be told around campfires for years to come. By all accounts, the race from that point on was pretty tough, with muddy conditions certainly not abating. Ross was able to plough on through the mud and has epic tales of bikes and bodies going sideways through axle deep mud in Glenrock.

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2015 Golden Triangle Epic

D ampene d T r a i l s ,

D r o p p e r Po s t s

and F r e e Be er 6.30am on an autumn morning in Bendigo is a pretty gloomy time of day, with the sun still about 30-minutes off making an appearance. Thankfully organisers decided to delay the start of the Golden Triangle Epic 100 Miler by 10 minutes. While not a big difference, it meant that by the time the lead riders got to the singletrack, visibility had improved a little—perhaps from gloomy to just dull. To make things easier for the 20 or so competitors in the 100 Miler, all entries also included free onsite accommodation at the race village based at Koolamurt Scout Camp, just 5km from Bendigo’s town centre. The more popular 100km Full Epic and 50km Epic Shorty started at 10.00am and 11.00am respectively, a strategic decision supported by local rider (and current National Road Race Champion) Peta Mullens to encourage more Melbourne-based entries. ‘The hardest thing about Bendigo is that people don’t want to come all the way down here…it’s still a long, long way…And that’s why I think the 50k is so popular. 11 o’clock start, you come down, you race, you go home.’ The plan seems to have worked with over 400 riders entered, a big increase over previous years.

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WORDS BY ASH HAYAT

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pleasant arrangement whereby recent wet weather gave way to a rain-free race day made for ideal conditions, Bendigo’s typical bulldust nothing but a dry and slightly choking memory in the back of the throat. Thankfully though, there was also a noticeable absence of mud on the bikes littered about the finish area, only a few puddles out on course, and local riders have agreed that conditions don’t get much better than those that greeted riders on race day. The Golden Triangle Epic runs on a lap format where the three main events are run over one, two, or three laps of the circuit. To make up 100 miles (or 160.93 km), the distance of

Odyssey and Wombat 100 winner Chris Jongewaard, it was still looking fairly stacked with talent, with fast young locals Chris Hamilton and the Nankervis brothers—Tasman and Russell—as well as big Paul van der Ploeg and Wollongong’s Kyle Ward all in attendance. Although Paul powered to the front early and shut the pace down to a manageable speed in the singletrack, Hamilton quickly split the field at a fire road section about 25km in. From this point on, it became a race of four, with only Tasman Nankervis, van der Ploeg and Ward able to maintain Hamilton’s furious pace. ‘It was awesome racing with these boys… and we were all together with 8k to go,’ ex-

Shox dropper seatpost on his dual-suspension Giant Anthem raised a few eyebrows too but he’s convinced that it made a big difference to his speed. ‘It’s a four-inch travel bike and if you have a seat as high as mine it’s 106cm from the pedal axle to the top of the seat so if I can get lower then you can pump through those dippy sections and…hook the corners…I was going on those short downhills and putting five, 10 seconds into those boys and they’d have to chase me down every time.’ Emcee Norm Douglas was also singing the component’s praises, believing it to be the most significant technological advancement in

each lap ends up at about 53.64km meaning that both the 100km and 50km riders are generously allocated a few bonus kilometres—the windfall generally not appreciated, particularly in the closing stages of the marathon event. The 100km (plus) Full Epic is probably considered the premier event and the women’s race evolved into two separate contests. Jenni King and Bec Locke were battling for first place until Bec crashed at high speed after getting caught up in a rut around the 80km mark, eventually coming in a minute down on the Torq rider who’s achieved some great results this year including first place at the Giant Odyssey and third places at both the XCO National Championships and the Wombat 100. The two exhausted riders embraced at the finish line, Bec thankful for the tough racing but also for the bike fit that Jenni performed for her earlier in the week, insisting she’d never felt so comfortable on the bike. Karen Hill ended up beating current National Champion, Mel Anset in the race for third place—one of her last chances to wear the green and gold jersey before next month’s Marathon National Championships in Derby, Tasmania. Although the men’s field was missing Giant

plained a breathless van der Ploeg at the finish. There were eight kilometres remaining when Ward ‘just clicked it down and launched an attack…then Tas was chasing him and he sort of blew so I went around him and managed to get across to Kyle.’ As van der Ploeg went past, Ward was on his limit, unable to contribute any further. ‘I’m in the box Paul, you just go.’ But van der Ploeg was a little sceptical. ‘I thought he was foxing because he stayed on my wheel for the next few k’s and I was like, “cheeky monkey, he’s going to roll me in the sprint.”’ Ward’s confession appeared honest, however, with van der Ploeg managing to get away on a small fire road climb with a couple of kilometres remaining to claim victory by about 20-seconds. Ward narrowly held on to second with Hamilton coming in third just five-seconds further back despite breaking two spokes during the race. Post race it was clear that van der Ploeg was spent: ‘Well I haven’t been able to put together a hundred-k race for a while…I was a bit nervous coming in…It’s an awesome course, the track was in perfect condition.’ Paul’s decision to run a newly installed Rock-

mountain biking for 25 years. Keeping in mind that the last quarter century includes the widespread adoption of disc brakes and dual-suspension bikes, this might have been a slight exaggeration, but it will be interesting to see if dropper posts do manage to make the leap from Enduro to XC, following in the footsteps of wide bars, chunky tyres, and baggy shorts. Peta Mullens and Jarrod Moroni, perhaps Bendigo’s preeminent local mountain biking couple (with some pretty fierce competition), both raced the 50km (plus) Epic Shorty event. Jarrod came across the line fourth, less than three minutes ahead of his partner. ‘That’s the first time in a while,’ offered Moroni at the finish, clearly relieved to have beaten Peta. While it would have been great to see Mullens and King battling out the 100km Full Epic like they did at the recent Giant Odyssey and Wombat 100, Peta’s priority is a World Cup road and mountain bike campaign that got underway the following day with a flight to Europe. Murray Spink took out the men’s 50km in a recent return to form, narrowly beating young Kian Lerch-Mackinnon. It was two Bendigo locals at the head of affairs in the 50km Masters (40-49) category, with co-emcee Scott McGrory having the pleasure of announcing himself as second

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place behind winner Andrew Paterson. Norm Douglas was able to provoke some friendly banter between the two locals, noting how it’s not too often that you get to beat an ex-professional (and Olympic gold medallist) of McGrory’s pedigree. ‘Nah, I do it all the time,’ scoffed Andrew jokingly, not missing a beat, ‘on our Tuesday morning bunch’—a tough road ride over Mount Alexander that is a fixture for many fast locals. The cycling scene in Bendigo is surely one of Australia’s most competitive, both on road and off, with such a huge volume of good training roads, trails and high-calibre athletes. At around 1.35pm Tobias Lestrell casually

rolled over the line, less than seven hours after starting the 100 Miler event. With only one other rider for company in the first hour, Lestrell just settled in to his own steady pace, eventually coming in over 21-minutes ahead of Ballarat’s resident diesel engine Phil Orr and Jason Archer. ‘I do all of my training alone…I don’t even have a heartrate monitor or anything…[So six hours on my own] sort of suits me. I would struggle more, to be honest, racing the 100k.’ Swedish-born Lestrell moved to Melbourne around seven years ago and has recently come to prominence on the local Victorian cross-country endurance scene. Returning

“‘I’m in the box Paul, you just go.’ But van der Ploeg was a little sceptical.

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after an extended break from racing, his pedigree includes a stint racing for Belgium’s second-ranked amateur road team in the late 1990’s. ‘The longer races are really my thing. I want to go and do the 24-hour Nationals in Canberra later this year. And the big goal is the WEMBO [24-hour Solo World Championships] next year in Rotorua.’ Lestrell is an enthusiastic rider with some incredible talent and an infectious love for the sport. With a bit of support, some big stage race victories might even be on the horizon. ‘I would love to do stage races…I would love to do the Croc Trophy…If I can get some proper support to go there, by all means. But if I’ve got to finance it myself, it’s probably not happening.’ Jess Douglas was the only finisher in the women’s 100 Miler, the effort from over nine hours in the saddle telling on her face at the finish line. There was some confusion over track markings with a number of riders inadvertently taking a small shortcut, which the organisers were quick to correct at the finish line. Tobias Lestrell actually realised the mistake on his second lap and took the honourable action of riding the short three-minute loop twice on his final lap in order to correct the anomaly. Now that’s some top-quality sportsmanship! Single-speeder Craig ‘Fav’ Favaloro crossed the line one hour and 42-minutes down on Lestrell, in 11th place, looking weary but still in good spirits while the last finisher came in just under the 10-hour mark—clocking a bit of overtime in what was clearly a very tough day at the office. Second place in the Veteran Women’s (30-39) category of the Full Epic 100km was Bridget Slocum, who survived a nasty scare mid-race. An aggressive snake lunged and made contact with her leg (probably an appropriate reaction after accidentally being ridden over), but thankfully did not manage to inject any venom. Race organiser Joel Rockes was at the finish handing out well-earned beers from a bathtub full of Beechworth’s excellent Bridge Road Brewers’ Pale Ale. Many local club riders are heavily involved in organising, promoting, and running this event, even at the elite level, with Peta Mullens and training partner Chris Hamilton spending part of the previous day out marking the course. Club Secretary Jo Wall was also visible around the event hub. With seven-month old daughter Lottie strapped to her chest, Jo outlined the club’s efforts at engaging Parks Victoria to further develop the trails and facilities around the area. With a Master Plan submitted that includes trail re-development, a new pavilion and extending the Spring Gully Bike Path to the mountain bike trailhead, the future certainly looks bright for Bendigo. With such a large, focussed, and hardworking local user group that is willing to put in the hours required to develop the trails, a brighter future for mountain biking in the region is hard to envisage—at least until meteorological advances allow for dust-dampening light rain requests to be booked in advance just prior to each major event. - ENDuromag

Dwellingup

he first week of September is a glorious time of year; it’s the first week of Spring, the weather starts to get warmer and the longer days beg you to stay out training a bit longer after work. The first weekend of September is also the date where Western Australia’s premiere marathon has slotted itself into the busy Aussie race calendar, and now in its 7th year this race continues to grow and attract riders from all over WA and Australia to the sleepy town of Dwellingup 1.5 hours south of Perth for the Act Belong Commit Dwellingup 100. With the 2015 edition also doubling as the 5th round of the MTBA National XCM Series as well as the WA marathon championships, stakes might have been high for some but there is no doubt the race retained its relaxed and friendly vibe. Something that Trievents have been able to do so well is to create a marathon that really engages with the local community and provides a great experience for riders of all levels. There are multiple race distances from the short 14km up to the 100km blue riband event, fun courses that increase in difficulty along with the distance, thoughtful race scheduling to avoid congestion and even a bouncy castle for the kiddies! The event is a also a big supporter of muscular dystrophy having raised over $500,000 for the cause since 2010 though donations and the “ride for someone that can’t” initiative. Trievents also sponsor some elite athletes to visit local schools the day before the race in order to encourage young kids to lead active lifestyles and perhaps take up the sport of mountain biking. All

Words by Andy Blair Photos: Russ Baker & Tri Events

good things in addition to a great mountain bike race that make it a significant event for the community. On to the race itself; a civilized start time of 8:30am saw the riders set off down the bitumen road out of town and then onto a series of fire roads. The first big selection happened when we hit a steep climb about 10km in and Mark Tupalski decided he preferred riding in a smaller group. This reduced the front group to Mark, Craig Cooke, Michael England, John Greig and myslef. We stayed together until the first main single track section of Turner Hill; 10km of really

a little while to get back across and John never made it. From there, the three of us rode together through the 8km singletrack of Marrinup and then back to the start/ finish for the end of the 60km loop. Heading out on the 40km loop I was feeling OK but as soon as we hit the climbs I knew I was in trouble as Tupac’s unrelenting pace was taking its toll. I was distanced slightly on the “power line climb” and managed to crawl back across, but at about 20km to go when we re-joined the end of the first loop I pulled the parachute and started the lonely time trial of pain to the finish. Little did I know, but

BEFORE LONG WE ARRIVED AT HELL GATE, THE FAMOUS GNARLY RUTTED CLAY FIRE ROAD DESCENT THAT HAS CLAIMED SO MANY SCALPS OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING CRAIG COOKE’S THE FIRST TIME HE RODE THE EVENT. . fun, flowy and classically slidy WA pea-gravel. I had a go at trying to split the group a little more but it wasn’t until local legend and last year’s Dwellingup winner, Craig Cooke, took the lead and showed us how to ride the pea gravel that Michael England was distanced. Out of Turner Hill there was some more fireroad followed by some narrow rough bush tracks and then eventually into some really raw singletrack called “the block”. Before long we arrived at Hell Gate, the famous gnarly rutted clay fire road descent that has claimed so many scalps over the years, including Craig Cooke’s the first time he rode the event. Having first-hand experience with how tricky it can be, Craig took the lead and all the good lines to sail down it and then gas it up the other side. I was right there and managed to stay close, but it took Mark

Craig was soon to blow as well with Tupac also getting the better of him. The race was now in bits and everyone was racing to the finish line alone hoping the guy in front would crack. In the end Tupac didn’t falter and took a very convincing win over Craig then myself. I have to say I enjoyed the battle and loved the course, but there is that inevitable feeling like you’ve been run over by a bus when you come off 3rd best in a tough race like that. As hard fought as our race was, the women’s race was even more exciting. Of the pre-race favourites Peta Mullens seemed to not have the legs she wanted after a big trip in Europe and the recent travel home, while Jenny Blair would lead the race early only to suffer a mechanical that eventually ended her race. This left the door open for

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AS HARD FOUGHT AS OUR RACE WAS, THE WOMEN’S RACE WAS EVEN MORE EXCITING.

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a battle-royale between relative newcomers Karen Hill and Briony Mattocks. Karen looked certain to take the win when her lights went out in the final singletrack of Marrinup and Briony capitalised on the situation to catch and attack Karen to take her first big win. This is the 3rd time I have been lucky enough to make the trip over west for the Dwellingup 100. The race was and still is super fun, but the biggest difference since my first visit in 2011 was the amount of kids in the school visits that loved riding bikes. Four years ago a lot of them had barely seen mountain bikes let along ridden one. This year we got to visit schools that had mountain bike programs delivered by Rock and Roll MTB and the engagement on our visits was incredible. Don’t be surprised if you see some good Western Australian mountain bikers start to emerge in 10 or 15 years.

THE EVENT IS A ALSO A BIG SUPPORTER OF MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY HAVING RAISED OVER $500,000 FOR THE CAUSE SINCE 2010 THROUGH DONATIONS AND THE “RIDE FOR SOMEONE THAT CAN’T” INITIATIVE.

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rider: Toby Muller. Location Karratha WA

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Andrew Hall is an ultra endurance specialist from Canberra who covets the longest and the hardest events on the race calendar. With a strong dedication to methodical, science based training, he racks up consistent results week in, week out and is always in the mix come race day. INTERVIEWED AFTER AMB 100 INTERVIEW James Downing PHOTOS Outerimagecollective, Regina Stanger How’s things Hally? Did you pull up alright after the AMB100 on Sunday? Not too bad considering the course and race length. Stromlo always hammers the upper body, so the shoulders and hands were a bit sore - but otherwise no post-race issues. You went out with Martin from RockyTrail entertainment for a recce of the lap on the Wednesday before the race. What were your thoughts when you rode it with him? I keep reminding Martin that there is actually a heap of really good fireroad out the back of Stromlo - who remembers Andy Blair’s XCM ball-buster National course? I’d love to see some of these trails incorporated into the AMB100. I do also point to the Brindabella Ranges and poke Martin in the ribs to run a 100km/miler out there! During the week leading up to the race you said to me that this race was your ‘nemesis’….what was all this about? Yeah, I’ve race this event each year and something always goes wrong. Last year it was about 6 flats, 4 in pit lane, year before it was punctures or a light failure. Other years I’ve hit the deck and these all conspire to make for a long day. Last year after starting with the milers and after burning through all my spare tubes and CO2 I re-started with the 100km riders - but only after getting my wife and 2 month old baby out of bed to drive out my spare wheelset. #fail

This year I was waiting for it - sure enough, I’m out at Stromlo Forest Park at 4am setting up and my jersey zipper breaks! Lucky Martin had the Crocodile Trophy ones around.

and see what happened. I had no idea of the form of Ed, Lloyd or Callum. Ed set the pace up the climb, and then it was Callum pushing hard through Deep Creek.

I know that you’ve been pretty maxed with setting up Today’s Plan. When was the last time you actually did a big ride on the mountain bike?

Callum had a slow transition after the first lap and I was out in the clear. I just put my head down and tried to keep some consistent lap times up.

It’s been a while. Usually I get in some nice long Brindies missions over the summer, but this year I’ve just been doing shorter and sharper training. I’ve dropped down from 20 to 15 hrs per week, but in doing so am hitting up some more intensity and quality. Fingers crossed this keeps me in form!

It was not until the faster 100km riders came past that I really got an understanding of the time gaps, but by then it was the last lap!

Your race started pretty early in order to finish before it got super hot. What time did you wake up on Sunday morning to make the 5am start time? The alarm was set for 3:30am - it’s pretty tough but once you take in a few 100 mg of caffeine and get a morning hug from Brett Bellchambers it’s all good! Yes, indeed, nothing wakes you up faster than the ‘reach around’! So you slept well Sunday night then? I was looking forward to a little Monday sleep in, but my 14 month\year old decided that 5:30am was an awesome time to declare play time. I’ll get her back in years to come. How did the race pan out from the gun? Anyone who you battled with or did you just get the holeshot and just keep it pinned? My race strategy was to just ride my own race

Ed was unlucky with some flats as well. Take away his flats and we would have been sprinting (I use the word loosely) to the finish. What bike did you run for this race? Cannonade F29er - for a race like this the light weight hardtail is great. It’s an awesome bike. Did you go for the safe option of a 32 tooth SRAM XX1 chainring because of the huge climb out the back? – this was a 28% gradient sucker. Who runs a 32T chain ring? I felt lazy with my 34T XX1 setup. That little pinch climb is nasty but it’s over pretty quickly. Cressy would have run a 38T You’ve raced a few 24hour races, marathons and I’ve even seen you do dirt crits at Stromlo! Do you have any #protips for riding at Stromlo? Always run new tires at Stromlo and run lower pressure then you normally do. Be prepared for the 2-wheel drift and always watch out for kangaroos. Would you consider yourself a Stromlo Specialist ™ ?

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Not sure about that - I’d say Ed McDonald is the best long distance Stromlo rider out there. So 5 laps, 140km, 3500 vertical metres of climbing and 7 hours out on the bike for the day…that is a pretty solid effort right there. What was your nutrition strategy? I ran my usual strategy - a gel every 30 minutes and 2 bottles electrolyte drink / hour. Oh, and a bog-load of caffeine! Are you keen to ride Stromlo this weekend? Nah, you will find me playing in the reborn Majura pines. The best trails in #2602 Ok, so what it is on the cards for this year with regard to racing? I’ll hit up the usual marathons and probably some of the 7hr races to keep some ‘chug-chug’ form. Crocodile Trophy will be my main target for the year. I’m itching to ride the Atherton MTB park again. Apart from me, is there anyone that you would like to thank? Well you did set up the marquee very nicely … a big thanks to Robyn & Indi for their help and sorry for the 3:30am wakeup call. Thanks to Martin and Juliane from RTE - the AMB100 is a well organised and fun way to kick off the racing year. Nice one, thanks again for your time Hally. See you on the Tuesday bunch? I’ll be there - it’s all about Northside.

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The importance of understanding hydration

ver the years that I have been both racing and coaching there has always been some inconsistencies regarding what is the best method to stay hydrated and optimise performance during endurance exercise. Everybody knows that hydration is important, particularly during long episodes of exercise. For mountain bikers this is the case whether it’s recreational riding, training or racing. But how do you know if you’re getting it right? And what are the consequences of drinking too much or too little? Will it affect your performance and more importantly your health if you get it wrong? In this article we will explore these questions in the light of the best available research. But first a real life case history. A 49 year old male mountain biker lined up for the 2014 24 hour Solo National Championships at Mt Annan near Sydney. As a veteran of three previous solo 24 hour events he had prepared carefully and had a detailed nutrition and hydration plan for the race. After a midday start the afternoon temperature was forecast to exceed 30 degrees in the afternoon, with relatively high humidity and little breeze. He had estimated his sweat loss to be in the range 1.2 to 1.5 litres per hour during the sunlight hours. Our rider’s plan was to ride steadily and hydrate really well during the heat of the afternoon, putting him in a strong position going into the evening. He wasn’t keen on eating solids or gels during 24 hour events so had all his carbohydrates and electrolytes mixed into his drinks. He circulated at around 40 minutes per lap and drank an 800mL bottle each lap, together with a quick swig of 400mL or so of ice water each time he passed through transition. By around 8 pm the plan was progressing nicely and the drink volumes were reduced to 700mL per lap. Around 10 pm nausea was starting to become a problem, which became steadily worse as the race progressed. By 4 am lap times were out to around 50 minutes and our rider was starting to feel lightheaded. He had passed urine a couple of time throughout the night so was happy that the hydration strategy was correct. During the next lap he noticed that his coordination was deteriorating and had a few unexpected falls. On the following lap he had the sense that he was having micro blackouts each time he rode over bumps and had numerous falls. He completed the lap but by now felt extremely dizzy and uncoordinated so lay down in pit row to try and recover. Let’s leave our rider lying there for the time being as we continue our exploration of hydration. Under most circumstances humans do a great job of maintaining a relatively fixed amount of water within the body. A 70kg person is composed of about 42 litres of water, of which 28 litres exists within the cells of the body. This is known as the intracellular fluid or ICF for short. The remaining 14 litres is contained

within tissues surrounding cells or in fluid filled compartments such the blood, and is known as the extracellular fluid or ECF. Cells have a surrounding wall or membrane that encloses and protects their contents. The body maintains its fluid volumes within close limits by regulating the amount of water that enters and leaves the body. We’re all familiar with drink and to a lesser extent food being the way water enters the body. As well a small amount of water is produced within the body each day as a by product of carbohydrate metabolism. Water leaves the body principally as urine, but there is also a net loss of water in exhaled air, in the faeces, by evaporation from the skin and from sweat. The pituitary gland in the brain and the kidneys work in a coordinated fashion to maintain the water balance. This is achieved largely by regulating the volume of urine output and stimulating or suppressing the sensation of thirst. During exercise working muscle generates heat and raises the body temperature. Within the brain, an area known as the hypothalamus monitors body temperature and initiates sweating and a number of other actions to lower the body temperature. Sweating results in increased loss of water, to which the body responds by reducing urine output and stimulating thirst. In due course, the body returns its fluid volume back to normal. But things can get a little more complex during exercise. As the duration or intensity of an episode of exercise increases, subconscious parts of the brain can be fooled into thinking that there’s a real problem, and that perhaps the individual is injured or trying to escape from danger. This can happen even if you are really just out having a fun day competing in a 7 hour. The brain responds by preparing for the worst. Urine output is reduced to retain vital body water, and this can happen independently of the state of hydration.

Overhydration A situation can then arise where an individual continues to drink and the excess water accumulates in the body. To understand why this is bad we need to touch on the subject of osmosis. Briefly stated, where you have two different solutions separated by a membrane, water will flow across the membrane until both solutions have the same concentration. In our example here the first solution is the extracellar fluid, which is separated from the intracellular fluid by the cell membrane. (Water can readily pass through the membranes of living cells whereas electrolytes and molecules are limited to varying extents) Normally the overall concentration of particles (electrolytes and molecules) in the ICF and the ECF are the same, although their compositions varies markedly. When overhydration occurs, it is the extracellar fluid that is diluted by water initially. But then the law of osmosis kicks in and water flows across cell walls and into cells. This makes the cells increase in size. For most of the cells within the body this isn’t a big problem, you just start to look a bit puffy. However in the brain things are different. The cells of the brain are contained within a rigid enclosure (the skull). When brain cells swell the pressure goes up and the functions of the brain become compromised. The signs and symptoms of this usually start with dizziness and nausea, then progress through to a reduced level of consciousness and seizures. Finally there is unconscousness and death. An uncharacteristically low heart rate may be observed. Overhydration is measured as percentage of body weight gained due to excess water. For example if a 70 kg individual gains 3.5kg they have gained 5% body weight. The condition where symptoms develop as a result of overhydration during exercise is

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known as exercise associated hyponatremia or EAH. HYPOnatremia refers to a lower than normal concentration of sodium ions measured in the blood. It’s an indication that the blood has become diluted with water, and not as is commonly assumed that there has been insufficient sodium intake or increased sodium loss. It’s worth noting though that low sodium intake during exercise or increased sodium loss in sweat can contribute to but not cause this condition. Symptomatic EAH is very likely to occur when body weight has increased by 4% or more, but has been reported in individuals with no weight gain or even a small weight loss. This is explainable by the fact that some of the weight loss during prolonged exercise is due to the consumption of stored fuels (primarily carbohydrates and fat). Athletes vary in their susceptibility to getting EAH. The extent to which the brain conserves fluid even in the presence of overhydration varies between individuals. There is another protective mechanism where the body is able to extract sodium from some if its tissues such as bone and maintain a normal sodium level for longer. It’s thought that genetics play a role in how well an individual is able to do this. The treatment for exercise associated hyponatremia is hospitalisation, restriction of any further fluids and concentrated sodium chloride given intravenously. Blood tests are taken at regular intervals and the heart rhythm is monitored. Over 12 to 24 hours or so the body gets rid of the excess water as urine and the blood sodium returns to normal.

Dehydration The opposite problem occurs when there is a progressive net loss of fluid during exercise. Dehydration is measured as percentage of body weight lost. Using our previous example if a 70kg athlete loses 3.5kg of body water they are 5% dehydrated. Initially it is the extracellular fluid volume that is lost, making the extracellular fluid environment more concentrated. In this case osmosis dictates that fluid flows from within cells to the extracellular fluid. As the environment within cells becomes more concentrated the metabolic functions of cells become impaired. Furthermore there is a reduction in circulating blood volume compromising the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to cells and the removal of carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products. The symptoms of dehydration are thirst, fatigue, confusion, dizziness and headache progressing through to seizures, unconsciousness and death. A blood test will show HYPERnatrenia, with sodium levels exceeding the normal range of values. Again it’s important to note that there is not too much sodium, the problem is not enough water. Increased heart rate and concentrated urine will be observed. Few symptoms other than thirst occur up to around 3 or 4% dehydration. Beyond 5% the symptoms become increasing severe and beyond 15% is often fatal. Interestingly some studies on cyclists have actually shown that there is a performance sweet spot at around 2 to 3% dehydration where they actually performed better that non dehydrated cyclists. One authority on this topic believes that this is because our human ancestors in Africa succeeded because they could

hunt game for hours in the heat of the day. Those with the best resistance to dehydration were better hunters and were more likely to go on to breed. As a result we have a genetic advantage over other species when it comes to tolerating and thriving in conditions of mild dehydration. The treatment for dehydration is naturally enough rehydration. In mild to moderate cases fluids can be taken orally and recovery is rapid. Severe cases need hospitalisation and intravenous rehydration, with close monitoring of vital signs and blood tests. Returning now to our case study Lets check in to see how our rider got on. He staggered over to the trackside first aiders who weren’t sure what to make of him. A blood sugar was taken which was normal, as were blood pressure and heart rate. Our rider decided to take himself to hospital. Some blood test were taken at hospital and showed a blood sodium level of 118mmol/L. The normal range is 135 to 145, so this is classified as acute severe hyponatremia. The diagnosis of exercise associated hyponatremia was made and no further fluids were permitted. Over the course of the day the sodium level slowly returned to normal and a full recovery was made. Worthy of note here was that the treating medical staff did not consider giving concentrated sodium chloride despite the fact that it is a proven effective treatment. This is because of an entrenched belief that all cases of low sodium need to be corrected very slowly to avoid severe permanent neurological complications. This is certainly the case for long term (chronic) hyponatremia but not for rapid onset (acute) hyponatremia.

Prevention Dehydration is a common condition that is generally well understood and easily recognised and treated. There is much less awareness

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among the sporting community of the potential dangers overhydration. In the period from 1981 to 2010 there were more than 1600 reported cases of EAH. Of these 12 were fatal. Here are some guidelines for anyone wanting to minimise their risk of developing EAH during endurance events: 1. Adopt a low sodium diet. This is not just better for your long term health, it also trains your kidneys and sweat glands to minimise sodium loss. 2. Replace sodium during prolonged exercise. Understand though that this will not prevent EAH where fluid intake exceeds urine and sweat loss. 3. Get to know your fluid requirements. One way to do this is to weigh yourself before and after a variety of training sessions and races. Expect to lose 1 or 2% of your body weight with optimal hydration. At all costs avoid weight gain during exercise. If you want to take this further think about having pre and post race blood tests taken. Expect to see a small rise in blood sodium. 4. Avoid excessive drinking during exercise. The safest way to drink is according to thirst (despite everything sports drink manufacturers have been telling you – they want to sell drinks – right?) 5. Avoid non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as ibuprofen) during exercise These drugs disrupt the normal regulation of kidney blood flow. 6. If you think you may be developing EAH during an event stop riding and go to the medical tent. Flag the fact that you might have EAH. Don’t drink anything or allow anyone to give you intravenous fluids until a blood test diagnosis is made in hospital. The only exception to this is emergency on site treatment with concentrated intravenous sodium chloride.

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PHOTO: SVEN MARTIN

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WORDS BY TODD PALMER PHOTOS:

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Surly Ice Cream Truck w

hen I was given the opportunity to review this bike, I was more excited than a kid who had just heard an ice cream truck driving down his street in the middle of an Australian summer. First things first, lets talk about the elephant in the room. Those tyres! Why are they so big you ask? Well, a bigger tyre allows you to run lower pressure. Lower pressure gives you more grip. And more grip means more fun, right? Surly have been making fat bikes for about 10 years now, starting at about the same time that 29ers became popular. When the Surly Pugsley was first released in 2005, it opened up a whole new field of terrain to bikes that had simply been unreachable before on conventional mountain bikes - sand, snow and sloppy trails were now within reach and even enjoyable

The Bike Earlier this year, Surly unveiled the Ice Cream Truck (or ICT for short). The ICT has adopted aspects of modern trail bike geometry, something that has changed since the early days of the Pugsley, with trail bikes becoming longer, lower and slacker. This results in a more confidence-inspiring, playful ride. This is Surly’s idea of what a modern fat bike should be in 2015 - big, wide and ready to shred. All of Surly’s frames are built from steel, and the stock builds all run fairly middle of the range components. Each bike is classified by its wheel size rather than frame material or spec level. The ICT adopts the 26x4.8” tyre platform, which is obviously on the wider

side of things. There are a few other frame manufacturers making frames for the 4.8” tyres, including the Salted Sandfly, Muru Tanami and the Pivot LesFat. With brands like Maxxis and Schwalbe recently announcing tyres in this size, we are sure there will be more frames to follow in this category. Although not the lightest material, 4130 steel is strong, comfortable and has even been covered in a rust proof coating. The frame is painted in a colour that Surly like to call Jack Frost Blue, which is full of sparkles and really glistens in the sunlight. The thin steel tubing is in stark contrast to the massive black tyres and this really makes for a striking appearance, and certainly grabs attention. In fact the only thing I found that really slows this bike down, is people stopping you in your tracks to make a comment on how it looks. What makes this bike exciting for Surly, is it is the first fat bike they have produced with a symmetrical rear end (the old Pusgley kind of looked like it had been rear ended by a car). The ICT runs a 197x12 rear end, and a 150x12 front end. This allows you to bolt in the new RockShox Bluto fork without a new front hub, if your find yourself pushing the limits and wanting to get exceptionally rowdy. A dropper post would also slide into the 30.9mm seat tube, and there are provisions for an external hose.

The Ride A long 1115mm wheelbase matched up to a slack 68 degree head angle and 60mm of BB drop certainly makes for a long and low ride, with the feeling of being ‘in’ the bike,

rather than sitting on top of it. The geometry is really not too far off some modern all mountain/trail bikes, and this really lets you ride the same terrain as some bigger legged bikes if your arms and legs are up for the challenge. A common misconception with fat tyres is that they ride like a bike with suspension. Whilst the tyres do absorb a lot of the trail chatter like no suspension fork ever could, a rigid fat bike is still essentially a rigid bike. If you fly into a rock garden too fast, you will certainly know about it. The benefit to this is that pedalling on the flat is completely bob free, and once the bike is up to speed the tyres roll faster than expected. At low speed, the tyres tend to grab the ground, much like trying to steer a car whilst parking. Once up to speed, the tyres really come alive. I found that the key to riding the ICT fast was to stay off the brakes, pick a wide line and let the tyres roll through the corners and over obstacles. The bike didn’t respond very well to flying into a corner and trying to square it off at the last second, as there is just too much traction to get the tyres sliding. If you do find yourself slowing down, the big tyres do take substantially more effort to get back up to speed. Acceleration is slow, and the bike really favours a rider who can make use of the rigid frame and grippy tyres to pump their way through the trail. Point the thing down a hill and you will be amazed what you can get away with! Just like its namesake, you can certainly hear this bike coming. Those tyres just love to rumble over anything in their path, snapping sticks and spraying dirt.

Weighing in at a hefty 16.5kg, there is no disguising the weight and it is very noticeable on the climbs. Although there is a certain joy to riding up a trail without flicking a switch to “climb” mode, the ICT is no hill sprinting whippet. If you have the time and motivation, it will happily crawl its way up anything if you don’t mind sitting in the small ring and spinning away. With the retail price of $3850, SLX shifters and derailleurs may not be very exciting, but both performed admirably throughout the test period with not a hint of a miss-shift. While I was dubious about the SRAM Guide brakes, they turned out to be a highlight of the build, having plenty of power to slow down the massive rolling weight. Although having quite a similar lever feel to recent Shimano offerings, this is a huge improvement over the Avid brakes of years gone by. Apart from the weight, I had no issues with the Surly rims laced to Salsa hubs. The wheels were even laced with DT Swiss spokes, a component often overlooked for a strong build. The front and rear specific Bud and Lou tyres held up well after much abuse and many skids and wheelies. The medium was a perfect fit for my exceptionally average height of 5’10”. With a long 615mm effective top tube fitted with a 750mm bar and 70mm stem, Surly have clearly done their research on the intended riding style of this bike. In particular, the extra leverage of the wide Salsa bars really helps you point things in the right direction. I found the stock saddle and grips to be cushy but not comfy, although these are two of the most easily swapped out components. Throughout the 6-week test period, the only issue I encountered was a pinch flat on the rear wheel. Finding tubes to fit was difficult, but after acquiring one I squirted a small bottle of sealant into each tube, just to be on the safe side. I’ve had success in the past with running a “ghetto tubeless” setup with Surly tyres, and I’d recommend doing the same with the ICT. Tubeless saves a huge amount of rotational weight, lowers rolling resistance and eliminates the chance of getting a pinch flat. A spare tube won’t fit in your saddle bag either. Even with the 132mm press fit bottom bracket keeping the cranks as narrow as possible, the incredibly wide Q-factor gave my knees and hips some pain after a long day in the saddle. Unfortunately this is an inherent trait of fat bikes, and is something to be aware of if you have any problems in this regard.

The Verdict The Ice Cream Truck suits a rider who has spent many years on a hardtail and is looking for something comfortable, but doesn’t want the complexity of a dual suspension trail bike. If you live in an area with snow, sand, or even just very loose terrain, this could be the perfect bike. Heck, you could even strap some frame bags to it, load it up and ride across the country if you weren’t in a rush. It’s certainly not the first mountain bike you should own, but if you take the leap, you might be pleasantly surprised by where the Ice Cream Truck can take you and the fun you can have along the way. - ENDuromag

Frame

Fork

Surly Ice Cream Truck, 100% Surly 4130 CroMoly steel. ED coated. Triple-butted main triangle. TIG-welded Surly Ice Cream Truck, Tapered straight blade 4130 CroMoly. 483mm axle to crown, 47mm offset. 51mm IS front standard disc mount. 150mm x 15mm thru axle dropouts (axle included).

Wheelset

Front Hub: Salsa, 150 x 15mm thru axle Rear Hub: Salsa, 197x12mm thru axle Rims: Surly Clown Shoe, Single wall aluminum. Welded seam w/cutouts. 100mm width.

Drivetrain

Shimano SLX 2x10 shifters w/XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur, SLX front derailleur, Surly O.D 22/36t crankset & Deore SLX 11-36t cassette

Brakes

SRAM Guide RS, Hydraulic with reach adjust w/160mm front & 160mm rear rotors

Cockpit

Salsa ProMoto 2, 31.8mm. 11° bend. Black 750mm, Kalloy 70mm stem, Velo Vinyl saddle

RRP Contact

$3850www.scvimports.com.au

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WORDS BY MIKK GODFREE PHOTOS: JERZY LAU

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Scott Genius 910 S

cott Sports is a company that has been pushing the boundaries of the design and manufacture of sports equipment since it was founded in 1958. Perhaps Scott’s first game-changing innovation was the clip-on aero bar, used by Greg Lemond in the final time trial of the 1989 Tour de France, an innovation that is credited with giving him the overall win by eight seconds. But early success on the road didn’t stop Scott from looking for design opportunities on the dirt. In the early days of mountain biking, the company was known for its Unishock suspension fork, which it unveiled to the public in 1991. In 1992, Scott released its first full suspension mountain bike and its first full carbon fibre bike…And 23 years later, here we are. For those new to the sport, this extremely rich history is easy to miss, but when it comes to considering a new bike, it’s worth remembering that Scott has an incredible pedigree when it comes to designing and manufacturing cutting edge bikes. Here at Enduromag, we had previously tested a carbon-framed Scott Genius 710, with 27.5” wheels and 150mm of travel (and, like the Genius 910, that bike also had an XT-Syncros and Fox spec). The Genius 710 impressed us greatly on the demanding trails of Mt Buller so when the Genius 910 turned up on Enduromag’s doorstep, there was only one place to go…Mt Buller. With the gravity enduro market favouring 27.5” wheels and big travel, we were very

interested to see how the Genius 910 would perform, with its 29” wheels and its 130mm travel. In a way, the particular matching of big wheels with a tad less travel than the Genius 710 indicates that the Genius 910 is probably better suited to Scott’s Swiss backyard test ground. It is a bike with clear long-range capabilities, perfect for Eurostyle marathons, ones that don’t just take in over 100km, but also a few thousand vertical metres climbing and descending – think the Transalp. But with not too many equivalent races in Australia, we were keen to learn more about how the Genius 910 rolls on our trails.

The Bike The Genius 710 was a sight to behold, with its gloss black logos on the matte carbon frame…the Genius 910 is a little less subtle. It’s still subtle in a way, and when viewed from side-on, the matte black carbon frame looks pretty stealth with the bright orange decals located on the top of the down-tube and top-tube (it’s not a subtle bike when viewed from the cockpit!). Where things get decidedly less stealth is the parts package though, with orange highlights sprinkled throughout the bike, from the outercables of the TwinLoc lever to highlights on the rims, saddle, forks, grips, stem and bars. The mainframe of the Genius 910 frame is a super-light single piece of carbon fibre which is hooked up to a 6061 alloy swing arm with a U-Mono Link up top (with a mounting chip to alter geometry, more on that later).

While the frame is light, 100 grams lighter than the previous year’s model, beefiness abounds with a tapered headtube and an oversized, press-fit bottom bracket. IDS SL DM dropouts allow the rider to change the 142x12mm rear end to 135x12mm and 135x5mm set-ups. If you want to step it up, there is an ISCG adaptor for a chain device. Suspension is taken care of by Fox with a 32 Float Factory CTD Fit Air 130mm fork up front and a Fox Nude rear shock (developed in partnership with Scott) out the back. The shocks are both controlled remotely by the TwinLoc lever. This allows the rider to choose between three settings: Descend (130mm and the most sag), Traction Control (90mm, less sag and less air volume) and Climb (locked out). There is a second remote on the (already crowded) bars, for the Rock Shox Reverb Steal dropper post. The post is bolted up to a pretty lean looking Syncros XM1.5 saddle with titanium rails. Up front, Syncros also takes care of the bar (720mm with 9 degree sweep), stem and grips. The Syncros theme continues to the TR2.0 wheels, which come with DT spokes and a 28 spoke build. Schwalbe Nobby Nic and Rocket Rons (both 2.25”) wrap up the tubeless-ready wheels. In the engine room is a full Shimano XT parts kit with 180mm discs providing oodles of power. All up, the sensible but capable package comes in 12.8kg in the large size, which is not half bad. The Genius 910 is a bit of a Goldilocks in the Scott dull suspension range, which

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sports more than a few configurations of wheel size and suspension travel. If you’ll forgive the pigeonholing, the Genius 910 seems to sit in between the marathonoriented Spark and the gravity endurooriented Genius 710. Scott is clearly committed to giving its buyers every possible option, and the Genius 910 is pitched at those who are after a more XC-oriented trail bike that can take in some serious terrain as well as go the distance on a big backcountry loop.

The Ride Stretching the measuring tape out at 185 centimetres, I tend to be most comfortable on 29er mountain bikes. I like how they roll (both in a straight line and over obstacles), I like how they hold momentum and for me, it’s a good fit. Notwithstanding this, when climbing aboard the Genius 910, there was no denying that it is a lot of bike. On the flipside, when cranking to the trailhead with the suspension locked out, the Genius 910 sprang to life: it’s stiff, relatively light and there’s no denying that when you get that 29” rubber up to speed you feel like you could take this bike deep into the back country and cover some serious ground. As with the Genius 710, one of the first things to get your head around is the cockpit. With a 2x at the front, the TwinLoc lever and the dropper post remote, there is a heap going on at the bars and it definitely takes a while before cockpit operations

become second nature. Having said that, the controls give you the ability to transform the way the bike behaves, without taking the hands off the bars, in a fraction of a section. For me, this is a huge plus and one which outweighs the negatives of a busy cockpit and of not being able to independently tune the front and rear shocks on the go. Flicking between Traction Control and Descend settings with a flick of the TwinLoc lever, the Genius 910 becomes a bit of a chameleon and shows its multiple colours. For me, where the Genius 910 shone was on open and undulating singletrack where it seemed to hold momentum and eat up the trail with surprising ease. The bike taunts you to stay off the brakes and keep it wide open. The Genius was also surprisingly strong when the trail tipped upward, displaying a certain balance and poise that allowed me to conquer climbs that quite frankly I didn’t expect to get up on this bike. I started to wonder if the combination of bigger wheels and slightly less travel was the Holy Grail of backcountry bikes, but after some seriously demanding and technical descents, I wondered no longer and a perhaps inevitable weakness was exposed. Even with the suspension fully open and the seat dropped, in the really tight and rough stuff, the Genius 910 felt just a bit big and a little unwieldy. This was not a deal-breaker by any means, but I did find myself wrestling the bike into corners and through the tighter, technical sections.

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Slamming the stem was the first alteration I made that reduced this slight feeling of awkwardness. Step two was flipping the shock chip, which lowered the bottom bracket a touch, but also slowed the steering down a bit. These two tweaks certainly changed the feel of the bike for the better in my opinion, but I still never felt 100% comfortable in the more gnarly and rougher stuff during the test when compared to the Genius 710. On balance though, the characteristics of the Genius 910 struck a fine balance and certainly suited the kind of riding I personally like to do. In particular, the Epic Trail at Mount Buller was the perfect trail for this bike. The bike ate up the kilometres with ease, allowed me to crest both technical and never-ending ascents with the minimum of fuss, saving valuable energy on a days where I reached particularly deep. The bike also swept through the more open singletrack with confidence and speed (that last 10 kilometres of the epic trail anyone…!!) and allowed me to negotiate the more gnarly sections of the trail at a decent pace (even if some muscling was required) and with a totally acceptable level of confidence. Having said that, the big wheels are certainly appreciated in the back end of a big back country epic when the body is tired, the focus is wavering, yet the trail still keeps throwing up serious obstacles. In these situations, the Genius 910 certainly allowed you to just plow through the trail

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like a monster truck with seemingly more confidence than its 130mm of travel would suggest. The fact that I haven’t even mentioned the parts kit speaks volumes for the package. The XT groupset was flawless (the braking was a highlight and the 2x drivetrain providing more than enough range), the Reverb Stealth post continues to set the benchmark for dropper posts, the Syncros parts kit more than held up its end of the bargain (including the seat which went virtually, and happily, unnoticed despite some epic days out on the bike). While the Syncros wheels are pretty light and very capable, they do lack some stiffness. When combined with the Fox 32 Floats, the feeling up front can at times be a bit vague and is something that definitely contributed to pretty much the bike’s only notable weakness, that slight lack of directness in the tighter and rougher stuff. In fact, it made me wonder how the Genius 910 would feel with a set of Revelations or Fox 34s and/or some nice stiff carbon hoops. Otherwise, the only blemish on the parts kit was the Schwalbe tyres which had the dubious honour of setting some sort of puncture record for the Epic Trail and these would be the first item I would swap out, not really being suited to the aims of the bike.

The Verdict The Genius 910 is a very interesting bike and the combination of 130mm travel matched with 29” wheels is something that will appeal to many. In particular, this bike offers versatility while sitting slightly to the XC end of the XC-gravity enduro spectrum. It’s the sort of bike that is most at home on backcountry epics but you could easily beef it up (chain device and fatter tyres) to do gravity-enduro or put it on a diet for a demanding marathon course. Whether this combination is for you really depends on the type of rider you are, what riding you do most, and the characteristics you value most in a bike. If you just like getting rowdy, this bike and its big wheels might not be for you, but if you want something more efficient and something suited to big days in the backcountry over serious terrain then this may well be the bike for you. - ENDuromag

Frame

Genius Carbon / IMP / HMF / BB92 / Alloy swingarm with 180PM U-Mono Link / Tapered Headtube IDS SL DM dropouts for 142 × 12mmBB height adj. Travel Front 130mm Rear 130 - 90 - Climb / Shock 190 × 50

Suspension

FOX 32 Float Factory CTD FIT Air CTD remote damper with 3 modes 15mm QR axle / tapered steerer reb. Adj. Rear Shock: FOX Nude / SCOTT custom w. travel / geo adj CTCD 3 modes: Climb - Traction Control - Descend / reb. Adj. Remote System

Wheelset

Hubs: Syncros TR2. 0 CL /15mm/142 × 12mm/ RWS axle by DT Swiss Rims: Syncros TR2. 0 28H / TR Tyres: Schwalbe F: Nobby Nic EVO / 2. 25R: Rocket Ron EVO / 2. 25

Drivetrain

Shimano 2x10 Deore XT shifters w/XT DM Shadow Plus Type rear derailleur, XT 38/24t Hollowtech2 cranks & Shimano XT 11-36t cassette

Brakes

Shimano Deore XT w/180mm Ice Tech rotors

Cockpit

Syncros FL1. 5 Tbar 720mm flat handlebar, Syncros TR1. 5 stem +/- 5°, RockShox Reverb Stealth seatpost 125mm & Syncros XM1. 5 / Titanium railed saddle

RRP Contact

$4,999.00 www.sheppardcycles.com

Santacruz bike launch

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Stigmata / Highball 27.5 WORDS BY ROD BARDSLEY PHOTOS: SVEN MARTIN

bet there is no better way to release a new bike (or three) than fly them and a bunch of journos to the West Coast of NZ for 4 days of wild west adventuring so I was pretty stoked to get invited along for the ride. After a few hours of driving, coffee, great food and me keeping my mouth shut so no one would realise I had never ridden a CX bike…ever, Sven Martin (driver, guide, and photographer) yanked on the handbrake at Granity, a quaint little mining town just north of Westport and the moment I had been dreading arrived as the car-load of Santa Cruz Stigmata CX bikes were unloaded and we stripped off and into our riding gear for a 2-3 hour gentle climb up Charming creek to the Rough and Tumble Lodge where we would base ourselves for the next few days. We headed up the gorge riding an old rail line that was used to bring coal down out of the hills in the old days but gentle it was not. The stunning scenery was balanced by the railway sleepers that were still in place and many were 4-5 cm protruding from the surface. It made for a rough ride and it was testament to the quality and build of the stiff and light carbon Stigmata frame and fork with ENVE wheels that allowed my normally 160mm-suspended body to still enjoy the rigid beating it was getting. I threw down a sprint or two to try to impress on upon the other journos that I wasn’t just some old washed up 90’s DH legend, but unfortunately this just highlighted that I was indeed old and washed up, as they reminded me that they were younger, fitter and very used to this type of

machine and effort! The Stigmata hasn’t been available for a few years in the Santa Cruz line up as they knew that some radical changes were coming to CX and they wanted to wait untill the timing was right. It comes in carbon only, and unlike the Highballs, the frames are available in the CC version only. CC is the high end frame that Santa Cruz have always made, but lately their mountainbike carbon offerings are now also available in just ‘C’, which is a cheaper way of building the exact same looking and riding frame , just with a different carbon which ends up a bit thicker and heavier (200g). The Stigmata is a full carbon frame with its own carbon fork, integrated headset and a pretty rad chainstay/rear axle mounted rear disc brake mount. Yes, this bike is disc only and comes with a high direct-mount for a front mech if you go for the Sram Red 2x11 groupset. Go for the 1x11 group and you get Sram Force CX1 with the x-sync ring. Then you have Maxxis Mudwrestler rubber on ENVE rims in DT240s or WTB i19s on DT350’s with 142x12 rear and 15mm front Maxles. Zipp supply the stem, bars and carbon post with a WTB saddle. For the Stigmata they decided to go for a PFBB30 bottom bracket so they could build a stiff, fat tubed frame to take all the modern crankset spindles. Cable routing is internal and super tidy, and has the internal frame sleeve for easy brake threading with room to install the thingimajigs which unclip your brake hoses. The front and rear shift cables have ferrules in the frame so bare cable runs

through the downtube and has a removable cover on the BB underside to make this as easy as pie. I had the 1x11 version and I gave this bike a hiding on the fast stuttery railway sleepers and the chain stayed on fine. The Sram brakes were amazing and had me throwing skids and nose wheelies all over the place. The next day we set-up our Highball 29ers for a gentle climb up the Old Ghost Road which was perfect for this bike. We had plenty of places to really open it up and put on the odd sprint and three hours later we arrived at the trail end to wait for the helicopter which gave me a chance to have a good look at the bike. Once again a full carbon frame with a similar chainstay/axle brake mount which is much more expensive to make but add so much more stiffness and negates the vibration noises that a seatstay mount often gives. Same internal cable routing as the Stigmata. Chainstay is shorter, reach is longer and the head angle is a tad lazier than previous Highballs. Two frame options and five build kits are available but we just had the two top models. An XX1 group with RaceFace Next SL cranks and matching 32 direct mount ring OR 2x11 XTR drivetrain. ENVE M50 or WTB i19 rims on DT240S hubs with 142x12 and 15mm Maxles and XTR race brakes on both. Fox Float Kashima 100mm forks. Syntace f109 stem with a carbon 720mm XC flatbar from Santa Cruz. Tyres were Maxxis Ikon 2.2 Maxspeed 3C which were way out of their depth as I was soon to find out the following day.

S7.2 After a long night of hut life in Ghost Lake hut filled with snoring, farting and creaking we were woken early by Paul the trailbuilder starting his morning ritual of coffee and breakfast. We flailed about getting caffeine and carbs and setting up the Highball 275 race bikes which had been dropped off by the helicopter the day before. Unfortunately there had been a mix up at HQ and they sent me a 60cm Stigmata for my three hour downhill to Lyell, so alas I had to stick with my trusty 29er for the day with the consolation of a dropper post installed. This was a testament to the ENVE’s that they didn’t get a scratch on them. Another standout was the Fox Float fork. Super dynamic in compression and brake dive was negligible in the open setting, I think Fox may be back in the game. Santa Cruz didn’t set out to make a different bike with the 29er v 275. Sure, the frames have different geometry, as they should, but they were designed to ride the same, for the same trail or race. It is more a question of what rider the bike would suit. Are you a 29er or a

275 person? Answer this and then choose your Highball accordingly. I brought a Highball 275 back home with me for a long term test and raced the Karapoti Classic on it and am still getting the odd clap on the back from fellow riders who were impressed with my race time. It feels so similar to the 29er, that I forgot I had a different bike. The 29er comes in M/L/XL and a massive XXL (which has a 472.8mm reach!) and the 275 in S/M/L/and XL We also got to see the Highball alloy singlespeed frame which has the brilliant swinging drop-out. Sorry, it only comes in alloy though. After spending time with the Sanat Cruz guys and witnessing their passion and perfection and knowing their history of only settling for the best and having so few failures compared to their competition, I can see why they have a cult following, in fact, I have never met anyone who has regretted buying a Santa Cruz bike. - ENDuromag www.lustyindustries.com / www.santacruzbicycles.com

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WORDS BY PETER KNIGHT PHOTOS: ADAM MACLEOD

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Avanti Torrent S 7.2 T

here’s something rewarding about returning to the scene of the crime. Especially when the last visit had you playing the victim, and this time out you are the one handing out the punishment. The scene of the crime was Mt Buller and this time I was heading away with the notso-subtly painted Avanti Torrent S 7.2 for a look at the new Epic Trail. The previous outing resulted in me being pushed for the last few kilometres home, something I was keen to avoid a second time ‘round. Thankfully this time, the Torrent S was fully capable and so were the legs pushing it. Part of the Torrent range from Avanti, with both aluminium and carbon options available, and a higher spec version in the 7.1 model, it neatly fits into the all mountain/trail riding category. But with 150mm front and rear, the Torrent S offers some very serious huckability while also dishing out a little more punishment to the rider while climbing - but hey, that’s great training.

The Bike Built around a 6061 aluminium frame, the 4-bar linkage rear end gets its bounce from a RockShox Monarch RT shock. Offering rebound adjustment, there is also the option of lock-out, but the shock misses out on an intermediate ‘pedal’ option. Out the back are some seriously beefy stays, which bolt up to the rear wheel with a Syntace X-12 throughaxle. There’s not a lot of room for anything much more than the 2.2 tyres, so if you like the mud, the frame may not - although

thankfully this was untested. Up front, a Marzocchi 350 CR fork balances the package surprisingly well. Offering the same 150mm travel to complement the rear, with rebound and compression adjustment, this 15mm axle fork easily took on all comers. It does lack lockout though. For a fork that will take some seriously big hits, I was surprised just how supple the fork was in that first inch beyond the sag line, offering confidence-inspiring feedback and trail feel. The 2x10 drivetrain and braking department are all well spec’d with nothing controversial in there. A mix of Deore, SLX and XT is keenly aware of the price point and offers good value. If you’re already an experienced rider and can show a bit of pace, I’d consider upgrading the Deore brakes. For the money, the feel the brakes provide is surprisingly good, but they do lack the finesse of more sophisticated setups. On really loose and fast corners, I found I couldn’t quite get the feel I wanted to trail brake into the corner, having a few ‘moments’ along the way. That said, for the price they’re a perfect match and will serve anyone well while developing their riding. The 2x10 drivetrain’s moving parts are all XT and SLX, offering dependable performance. The e*thirteen cranks are unremarkable, along with the chain guide. I suspect these have something to do with slight weight issues of the bike. The wheels are dependable Mavic rims on SLX hubs sporting some Kenda Honey Badgers. Despite being pretty rough on them, they stayed true

and only one pinch-flat (on a very rough trail) was suffered. Again, at a competitive price point, the control surfaces are a mix of forgettable, unremarkable, uninteresting and completely adequate components. All those bits work just fine, and of note, pretty much all use a 4mm Allen key - rather than the usual combo of keys and Torx fittings. I found the seat suited me fine, and the grips destroyed my hands - a cheap fix and only an issue on really long rides. The X-Fusion dropper post behaved well, although I’m never convinced it quite returns to the exact same spot. Either way, given this frame’s downhill ability, dropping the seat is a must.

The Ride   Along with returning to the scene of my previous destruction, this was also the first Avanti I’ve ridden in many years. My second ever mountain bike was an Avanti Hammer back when forks had foam in them for springs and I still recall it as being one of the best-balanced bikes I’ve ridden. Although entry level, what it offered was very consistent and predictable. And I’m pleased to say the Torrent offered just the same. Sweeping down the Epic Trail for the first time, drifting the big sweepers and floating effortlessly over the whoops, I couldn’t have wanted for anything. Even those moments where you realise you’re going way too fast to control the situation and you just go into passenger mode through some unexpected crevasse, the Torrent shone through. In the slower technical stuff, the slacker

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head angle that makes descending so assured does dampen the twitchiness, but at moderate pace, it’s not detrimental. If you really push, then the slower steering does become apparent, but as a trade-off for the descending stability, it’s a fair swap. Climbing is tricky though and although I found it the bike to be a reasonably assured climber, being able to get enough weight forward to stop the front wandering off on switchbacks and the like was an issue. I tested the large, well suiting my 187cm ‘rugged’ frame, which tipped the scales minus pedals at just over 15.1kg. In the big hills where climbs go on for kilometres, I felt every gram of this weight. Likewise the less sophisticated suspension lacking pedalling modes or lock-out (absent from the front only) meant seated climbing was the only way. Thankfully, the rear stays pretty active under load so traction is well maintained if at the expense of a bit of energy.

The Verdict   Excess weight is a hollow criticism in this case though, as it’s only heavy due to its price. What’s great about the Torrent s 7.2 is that it offers a very complete package for the money. The only things I would change on the bike all relate to adding more expensive bits, not different bits. For the entry-level racer, or weekend trailrider, if you can’t have fun on this bike, you never will. It’s also a bike that warrants upgrades as you grow with it, loosing a bit of weight and adding a little component performance. Balance is a surprisingly hard thing to get right, but Avanti has nailed it with the Torrent. The elephant in the room is the colour of course. Even Avanti has it listed as black on their website... - ENDuromag www.sheppardcycles.com

Frame

ADT 6061 Ultralite Formed Alloy, 150mm Travel Tru4 Independent Suspension System, Cartridge Bearing Pivots, 1. 5”” Tapered Headtube, PF30 BB, Syntace X12x142, ISCG05 Mount, Internal and External Dropper Post Routing

Suspension

Fork: Marzocchi 350 CR, 150mm, 35mm Fork Legs, 1. 5”” Taper, 15mm Axle, Rebound Adjust, Compression Adjust Rear Shock: RockShox Monarch RT, Rebound Adjust, 2 Position Compression

Wheelset

Rims: Mavic EN421 Disc, 32H Hubs: Shimano SLX M678, 15mm Front, 32H, Rear: Shimano SL, 142x12mm Thru-Axle, 32H

Drivetrain

Shimano SLX 2x10 shifters. Rear - Shimano Deore XT Shadow Plus, SLX M765, e*thirteen TRS, 30mm Alloy Axle, 2-Piece, 38/24T, Shimano HG50 Cassette, 10 Speed, 11-36T

Brakes

Shimano Deore M615 Hydraulic Disc, 180/160mm Rotors

Cockpit

Bar: Zero Strike Pro Riser Bar Alloy 31. 8mm Stem: Zero Strike Pro, 4-Bolt Clamp, 31. 8mm, Saddle: Zero Zealth Seat Post X-Fusion HILO, 100, Remote

RRP Contact

$3,999www.sheppardcycles.com

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WORDS BY PAUL BRYANT PHOTOS: ADAM MACLEOD

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GT Sensor Carbon Pro GT

bikes are synonymous with two things in particular: racing and speed. The company started out manufacturing BMX bikes in 1974 after a drag car builder, Gary Turner, set about building his son a lighter, stronger BMX frame. The bikes became known as “GT bikes” and within a short period of time the company stamped its authority all over BMX racing through the late ’70s and ’80s. In the early ’90s, as BMX racing’s popularity was waning, GT turned its focus to the mountain biking scene and was set about becoming a real player. Indeed, over the past three decades, GT has been responsible for developing some of the most innovative and cutting edge mountain bikes, including the RTS, LTS and i-Drive suspension systems, to name but a few. In 2015, things are no different and GT are still at the cutting edge of innovation and design.

The Bike On test here is the 2015 GT Sensor Pro, available in 650B only, built around a carbon fibre frame with 130mm travel at the back and 150mm up the front. I have to admit that I had been looking forward to riding the Sensor for some time. I have owned two of GT’s highly successful i-Drive frames in the past and I was interested to see how the Sensor design would compare. With four Sensor models in total for 2015 (two carbon, and two alloy), the carbon Pro tested here is the flagship model. GT has thrown some serious gear onto this bike.

Most notably, is the inclusion of a 150mm travel Fox 34 Float 27.5” CTD fork. This is a big improvement over the previous model, which felt a tad under-gunned up front, both in beef, and travel. The 2015 model uses the same frame as the 2014 sensor, which says one thing: GT nailed it! The Sensor is the product of the same philosophy that bought us the i-Drive, whereby GT have attempted to maximise suspension performance throughout the 130mm of travel while minimising brake jack and chain growth. The design, which has been dubbed Angle Optimised Suspension, has a high main pivot offering an upwards and rearwards axle path, which translates to keeping your rear wheel on the ground, and power to the pedals. The construction of the rear end is all about maximum stiffness and minimum weight. The large seat stays are attached to the main triangle with a through axle and this is coupled with a142mm x 12mm rear through axle. Other the aluminium Path Link system (explained below), the frame is a full carbon fibre construction that, for a trail bike, is really stiff and surprisingly light. The chain-stays, however, are much smaller and are connected to the linchpin to this whole design: the ‘Path Link’. This is essentially an alloy monocoque linkage at the front end of the chainstays that upon compression is pulled rearward by the chainstays, it cantilevers on a frame pivot, and as it does so it compresses the shock. It is this system gives the Sensor the optimum travel path while minimising the chain growth.

The benefits of this system are a low centre of gravity of the bike, a suspension arc that helps the wheel stick to the terrain, and maximises power delivery to the ground. The idea is really simple, and really effective. The only perceivable downside is that it does create a bit of a cable routing nightmare. The Sensor is not an easy bike to run cables on, and takes a bit of extra attention to make it all neat. The cables running down the down tube, however, do offer some level of protection to the carbon from impacts of sticks or stones. The Sensor Pro is no exception to the recent trend of bikes coming with longer top tubes, shorter stems and wider bars. The Sensor comes with a whopping 760mm wide Raceface Turbine bar and the steering is fantastic, though you quickly become very mindful of approaching trees. With an e-thirteen TRS wheelset underneath the Sensor there is simply no sneaking around. It has to be one of the loudest free-hubs in the game, resonating through the largest hub-shell of the modern era. Surprisingly though, the wheels are relatively light, weighing in at 1867g for the pair. They are a stiff, light and capable wheels that, unless you are hell-bent on carbon hoops, will not disappoint. The Continental X-King rear and Trail King front tyres are equally up for the task, with plenty of bite for any terrain, rain or shine. The Rockshox Reverb Stealth dropper post is a great addition to any bike and is certainly no exception here. The actuator even fits in well with the XT brake lever. And XT brakes? What can we say… ‘off’ or ‘on’, your choice.

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Another notable feature is the 1x10 drivetrain. This features the XCX high direct mount chain guide, Raceface’s Turbine crank-set and a 32t Narrow/Wide chain-ring - an aftermarket drivetrain, straight from the factory!

The Ride So how does it ride? Well, you don’t go to all the effort of designing a completely new suspension system for nothing. First impressions were dominated by how well the rear end of the bike tracked. It seemed to stick to the ground through all manner of terrain, maintaining maximum traction and control. Most dual suspension bikes merely take the edge off the hits to the rear wheel, while the Sensor completely absorbed them. Ensuring the front wheel does the same is also an important task, and the 150mm Fox Float 34 does a good job of that. Small bump sensitivity is not a strong point of most Fox forks, but this fork dealt with mid range to larger hits well. As far as the CTD goes, for me they may as well call it the ‘TD’, as the climbing setting is really just along for the ride. Similar to the Rockshox Pike, a fork which I much prefer, the highest compression setting is just overkill on a bike like this. As for the rear shock, the same can be said for it. If you run 15-20% sag, (rather than 50% sag like a surprising number of people) you just rarely, if ever feel the need to crank the ‘climbing’ setting. With the GT Sensor this is a good thing, as you want a healthy lower back to be able to reach all the way down just above the bottom bracket to flick that lever. Changing shock settings can always be a challenge on the fly and with the Sensor this is even more so. The upside is that I rarely ever felt that I needed to make adjustments on the fly, as when I had set the suspension up to my liking, the bike just took it all in its stride. As for climbing, I have not ridden any bike that climbs as well as the Sensor. Provided you keep your weight centred, and your cadence steady, it will keep traction and climb things you thought impossible. Sure, you will notice the weight when compared to a carbon hardtrail, but as far as its capability in conquering tough climbs goes, the Sensor excels. Unsurprisingly, the wide bars and more than capable rear

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suspension make descending on the Sensor a dream. It has a super low centre of gravity, and all the right angles to make it dig in and rail the turns, be they smooth or rocky.

The Verdict So all in all, the Sensor is a fantastic bike. It is a trail tamer that will not leave you wanting for anything more. The build quality, the suspension system and the wheel-set, are all very well suited to its intended purpose. The only reason for you to change anything would be for personal preference, otherwise, 10-15mm off the bars would be the only thing I could think of. So, if you wanted a trail bike that stands out from the crowd, that’s birthed from a long history of racing synonymous with speed, then contact your GT dealer and check the Sensor out. - ENDuromag

Frame

COR Trail Philosophy, FOC Ultra Carbon Frame, 130mm Travel Independent Drivetrain © 27.5 AOS Suspension System w/ Forged Linkage, Pivots,1 1/8”-1 1/2” Integrated Head Tube, and 12 x 142mm Maxle Dropouts

Suspension

Fox 34 FLOAT 27.5 CTD FIT w/ Adjust, 150mm Travel, 15QR, w/ FIT Damper, Lockout & Rebound Adjust, Tapered Alloy Steerer Rear Shock: Fox Racing Shox Float CTD BV w/ Adjust, 7.25”x1.75” Air Shock, w/ Rebound Adjust & Lockout

Wheelset

e.thirteen TRS+ 27.5, Centerlock Wheelset, 15x100mm Thru Axle, 142/12 Thru-Axle on the rear Tyres: Continental Mountain King 27.5x2.4”folding

Drivetrain

Shimano XT 1x10 shifter. Rear - Shimano Deore XT Shadow Plus DM, e.thirteen XCX+ High Direct Mount guide, RaceFace Turbine Basic, 32T Narrow Wide & Deore XT, CS-M771-10, 10-Speed, 11-36T

Brakes

Shimano Deore XT, BL-M785 front & rear 180mm rotors

Cockpit

Bar: RaceFace Turbine 35, 760mm Width, 10mm Rise Stem: RaceFace Turbine 35 - 60mm, Post: RockShox Reverb Stealth, 34.9mm & WTB Silverado Race SL saddle

RRP Contact

$5,499www.monzaimports.com.au/bicycle/

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Rapha

BIB SHORT RANGE

hile Rapha’s finely tuned marketing machine hasn’t (yet) turned its attention toward the fat tyres and dirt, many mountain bikers are turning their attention to Rapha when in search of bib shorts that will go the distance. By their very nature, mountain bike marathons and endurance mountain bike races inflict mental and physical discomfort but a top-quality pair of bib shorts can reduce or eliminate any further discomfort. For years, Assos was the go-to company if you were after the best pair of bib shorts money could buy. These days, the top end of the market is much more crowded with brands and options, with Rapha developing a very serious range of bib shorts (and many other garments besides) in the last few years. Rapha’s impressive marketing strategy is backed up by a research and development program that is equally impressive, working intimately with road teams such as Rapha Condor and Tour de France-winning Team Sky. In doing so, Rapha has racked up literally hundreds of thousands of hours of saddlehours of testing. While the roadie association might be a deal breaker for some mountain bikers, those who are looking for the best bib shorts on the market should put associations aside and give the Rapha range some serious consideration. On test here are the Pro Team Bib Short,

WORDS BY MIKK GODFREE

PHOTOS BY SARAH JANE CLARKE

Pro Team Lightweight Bib Short and the Lightweight Bib Short which range from $295- to $235-. The focus of this test is the Pro Team Bib Short, the flagship bib shorts of the Rapha range and shorts with the same fit and construction as those worn by Team Sky. At $295-, the Pro Team Bib Shorts do not come cheap, but neither does quality, fit and comfort, three things which these shorts offer in spades. First impressions of the shorts were good. The Italian-made, Lycra-based fabric has a slightly more robust feel to it than other Lycra blends. The seams are low-profile all neatly finished, the styling is a bit retro and a mix of understated (right side: glossy black logo on black fabric) and garish (left side: loud big-block logo, in this case hi-vis pink) and the Cytech chamois feels very substantial. Slipping the shorts on, you immediately feel that these Italian-made shorts are different. The pro fit combined with the Lycra-based fabric feels very snug on the legs and body (and I’m no quadzilla by any stretch of the imagination). It is a slightly unusual sensation, akin to that of compression tights, and is what you should feel if these shorts fit correctly. On the other hand, it does take some getting used to as the fabric doesn’t have a heap of give. The snug fit and the subtle but effective leg grippers mean you may need to spend a good ten seconds plucking the shorts into place

RRP:

$235.00 $295.00

when you slip them on, but once in place, they’re in place for good. The bib straps have minimal stretch in the mesh and this is one of the keys to the snug fit of the shorts. Indeed, when off the bike, the bibs tend to pull down on the shoulders just a tad, but when on the bike, the bibs sit at the perfect tension to keep the shorts and pad in position. A word of caution though, those with long torsos may want to check this aspect of the fit carefully. The heart of these bib shorts is the Cytech pad, which is made specifically for Rapha and these shorts (Cytech also supply pads to other leading short manufacturers, including Assos). The pad, like the fabric of the shorts, is substantial and is slightly thicker than what I expected to find on these shorts. Initially, I wondered if the bulk would prevent the shorts from conforming enough and offering the comfort I would expect from shorts in this price range. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these shorts shine when you stop looking at yourself in the mirror and swing a leg over the saddle, grab the bars and get pedalling. It’s here that the bib straps relax a tad, the luscious Cytech pad beds in around the saddle and your body and the Lycra-based fabric provides just enough give to provide the required range of movement while holding the pad in place. Right from the trailhead, the shorts felt the goods. With the initial hurdle passed, the true test of longer rides awaited. When rides stretched over the five hour

mark, the Pro Team Bib Shorts continued to impress. In particular, no amount of on-bike gymnastics budged the shorts from their original position, with the pad, cuffs and bibs all staying in place. There was no chafing at the seams and the chamois and Lycra-based fabric wicked moisture well. On hotter days (remember those?) the shorts remained cool despite the substantial nature of the black fabric. This is largely due to the ‘Coldblack’ technology in the fabric, which promotes cooling by reflecting UV rays. The only criticisms I have of these shorts are entirely personal and relatively minor. First, the snug fit of the shorts can feel a little constrictive on the thighs. While they do not seem to restrict movement at all, the fit is clearly very different to other shorts I have worn. Of course, this sensation may be amplified or reduced depending on your body shape, and is something to bear in mind. It should also be noted (and I see this as a positive, rather than a negative attribute) that after months of wear and many tens of washes, this snug fit did not seem to relax at all and it looks like these shorts will hold their shape for years to come. Secondly, while the Cytech pad is a market leader and is certainly up to the task of rides up to and well in excess of five hours, it may not be for everyone. I know there are many riders who prefer a more minimal and flexible pad, one that offers less cushioning and will conform more easily to their body. Personally, I appreciated the bulk of the pad, but it is something that may put some people off. Finally, and perhaps most disappointingly, after five months of pretty consistent and sustained use, one of the stitches around the chamois started to unfasten. While a

5-minute sew-up job fixed the problem, I would hope that the issue I experienced was an isolated incident given the price-tag on these shorts. For those looking for a more relaxed fit and lightweight materials, Rapha offers the Pro Team Bib Shorts in a ‘Lightweight’ version (for $10- less, at RRP $285-) and also offers a substantially cheaper Lightweight Bib Short in a non-Pro Team version (RRP $235-). The Pro Team Lightweight Bib Shorts look almost identical to the non-lightweight version in terms of styling and fabric, however the fit and feel of the shorts is quite different. Specifically, these shorts are made with lighter fabrics to keep the rider cooler on hot days. This lighter fabric results in a more relaxed fit and the pad is lightweight and perforated to wick away moisture. A mixture of a slightly different cut and different leg grippers also results in the cuff sitting a little higher up the leg than the non-lightweight shorts. On hotter days, the lightweight version did feel cooler and, much like the top of the line shorts, the Pro Team Lightweight shorts performed very well in all conditions and particularly on longer rides. Interestingly, but not that it means much these days, the lightweight shorts tested were made in Portugal while the nonlightweight shorts were made in Italy. Finally, the (non-Pro Team) Lightweight Bib Shorts. The shorts are summer-specific and are made with a lighter and more breathable chamois and a lightweight fabric, one that still provides SPF Factor 50+ protection. The fabric (both in the shorts and bib) is also softer and provides a more relaxed fit. The cut is summer-specific, with a slightly

shorter cuff length in the leg to keep you cool (something that may potentially expose your meticulously-maintained tan lines - gasp!). The shorts also feature a wide colour-band on the left leg. Perhaps the best way to summarise the difference between the Lightweight Bib Shorts with the Pro Team Bib Shorts (both lightweight, and non-lightweight versions) is that the Lightweight Bib Shorts felt better immediately after putting them on and the Pro Team Bib Shorts felt better after hours in the saddle. With the Lightweight Bib Shorts, the fit was not as snug, the chamois didn’t feel as supportive and the fabric of the shorts didn’t feel as substantial. Of course, this is precisely in line with the design and purpose of these shorts, but personally, I would reach for the Pro Team shorts ever time, even in the height of summer. At $235- and with a more relaxed fit, there will definitely be riders who will opt for the Lightweight Bib Shorts, but for me, the Pro Team shorts are worth the extra coin for the performance benefits they offer. Mountain bikers, roadies, gravel grinders, brevet riders and randonneurs alike should all consider Rapha when on the hunt for bib shorts that will go the distance; not despite Rapah’s roadie links, but because of them. Over the last few years, Rapha has developed some great gear and, in particular, the Pro Team Bib Shorts are jewels in the crowns of the Rapha range. Of course, bib shorts are a very personal garment and the snug fit of these shorts mean that they will not suit everybody, but for those they do suit, they are excellent bib shorts that perform at a level that corresponds with their price tag. - ENDuromag www.rapha.cc

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RRP: $249.95

POC

VPD 2.0 SPINE PACK 16

eflecting the current trend of bigger-travel trail and gravity enduro bikes, the POC VPD Spine Pack 16 is a bit of a Swiss Army knife of the trail pack world, balancing form, function and protection. While it performs well as a trail pack, this pack is also a hydration pack, helmet pouch and can be configured to provide potentially crucial spine protection. First up, the pack itself. In classic POCstyle, the bag is understated, stylish and highly-technical. Its simplicity belies the goodies which you can pack inside. The pack’s outer material is highly durable (as we can attest to, having dished out a bit of abuse to the bag over the test period). The outside of the pack also contains a helmet pouch, which is tucked away behind a single zip near the bottom of the bag. It’s nice to have a helmet pouch that is basically unseen the 98% of the time it is unused. When it is needed, the helmet pouch folds out and holds everything from a lightweight XC lid to a bulky full-face. The pouch is a strip of material with elasticised sides that is secures a helmet by use of four anchor points on the outside of the bag, which enable you to securely fasten all types of lids and ensures the helmet doesn’t flop about when on the trail. The shoulder straps are generously padded, as is the back-section, which includes seven raised pads to encourage ventilation. This design clearly favours durability and comfort rather than breathability, and indeed, out on the trails during warmer rides, this was noticeable. The flipside of this is that the bag is incredibly comfortable, even with heavy loads (full hydration bladder, food, tools and helmet etc). The shoulder straps offer a great deal of adjustment with anchor points of the two cross-straps at the sternum and waist, being on long tracks to tailor the fit depending on rider shape and the contents of your pack. Notably, the waist strap is heavy duty elastic, which makes for a very comfortable fit. The inside of the pack is accessed by a single opening, with two zip sliders, each with solid plastic loops for easy access with gloved or cold/muddy hands. The zip extends 2/3 of the way down each side of the bag, giving good access to the inside. As the name suggests, the bag has 16 litres of storage. But the bag isn’t just an empty shell, it has six, cleverly designed internal pockets/ compartments to divide up your gear. The largest compartment is against the spine and is for the hydration system and removable VPD 2.0 back protection (more on that later). The supplied hydration system is pretty standard with a decent bite valve and a neat clip to secure it inside the pack. The remaining five pockets are in the outside of the pack. The bottom pockets are set low in the bag and fit wallet and keys perfectly. The remaining three pockets are mesh and zippered. The top zippered pocket is perfect for small items like keys and a small

tool. The middle two zippered pockets have the zip at the bottom, so that when you open the bag up wide and flip the back of the bag over, you have easy access to these pockets. This is a clever design 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time was when I had a fair bit in the bag, including small items that didn’t fit in the pockets, and to access these middle pockets I had to either unpack the top of the bag or I had to fiddle around awkwardly to reach into the bag to access these pockets. Finally, and possibly most importantly, the removeable VPD 2.0 back plate. The back plate is a pretty serious bit of kit, complying with motorcycle standard 1621-2, which requires extreme shock absorption abilities. The ‘plate’ itself is neither hard nor soft; rather it is a high-density foam which hardens up in the case of an impact. Owing to its highly technical construction, the back plate is not light so it’s handy that it is removeable. I didn’t

find that I wanted to lug the back plate around on six-hour trail rides, but for two to three hour rides over more aggressive terrain, it was nice to know that I had that extra level of protection in the bag, so to speak…Thankfully, I never had to test the protection qualities of the VPD back plate, but it is an excellent design made from material that will offer your back that extra bit of protection in the case of a back impact. Overall, this is an excellent product from POC. It is clearly pitched at riders who demand toughness from their bag and those who will benefit from some added protection too. This toughness comes at the expense of some breathability and bulk and, as such, I wouldn’t recommend this back for XC-only trail rides. However, if you are after a sturdy bag that offers a heap of features, including optional back protection, then the POC is worthy of serious consideration.

POC

RRP: $219.95

TRABEC HELMET

s with the POC VPD Spine Pack also reviewed in this issue, the Trabec helmet is pitched at the more gravity enduro end of the mountain bike spectrum. Despite the focus on protection and safety, POC managed to put this highly-technical and exceptional looking helmet together at only 340 grams. While the Trabec (tested in white – medium/large) may look like a Storm Trooper’s choice of gravity enduro equipment, its arguably plain looks disguise a very technical and well thought-out lid. The heart of the helmet is an Aramid fibre grid, which is built into the polystyrene body of the helmet. This grid spreads the forces across the helmet and keeps the polystyrene together during any impact. In addition, POC has also designed the Trabec so that the seams of the PC outer shell are away from the most common impact zones to further increase the sturdiness of the helmet. The shape of the helmet itself provides good protection around the back of the head and 16 vents do their utmost to ventilate the head. Out front is an adjustable visor while out back is a size adjustment system that is operated by two buttons (by either two hands or thumb and forefinger on one hand) on a retention system. The retention system is also adjustable up and down on tracks

inside the helmet. The straps are the usual fare, with the anchor points nice and wide out on the helmet shell. The medium/large size Trabec felt slightly more generous than equivalent sizes from the likes of Bell, Giro and Scott, but once the straps were all adjusted and the retention system fastened, the helmet fit snugly. In addition to the generous fit, the helmet felt ‘big’, sitting low on the head (providing increased protection), but it is also quite a bulky helmet. While this is likely a consequence of the technology packed into the Trabec, it took some getting used to. Out on the trail, the helmet performed well. For its size and intended use, the helmet breathed pretty well and the helmet fitted snugly and stayed in place through rough rock gardens. While we didn’t test the helmet in a crash situation, we are confident that the POC would provide the protection it claims to, and this is definitely be a major benefit to consider. However, when we used the Trabec with a trail pack, including the POC VPD 2.0 Spine Pack, we found that over rough terrain and heavy braking (most often with the head tilted back and when the trail pack came into contact with the ratchet system) the ratchet system had a tendency to release.

In addition to being annoying, this was quite disconcerting, especially as it tended to happen when we were on the edge of control and trying to focus all of our attention on the trail. For us, this was a significant drawback for the helmet. Overall, the POC Trabec is a highly-technical and good looking helmet. The only blemish on the Trabec for us was the ratchet system, which is something we hope is addressed in future iterations. This aside, the Trabec is a solid lid option.

POC

RRP: $79.95

INDEX AIR ADJUSTABLE GLOVES

f you want maximum control at the bars, then these POC Index Air Adjustable gloves are for you. The Index Air gloves are super lightweight with just enough fabric to protect your hands while giving you maximum feel of your bars and controls. Slipping on our medium test pair, the ventilated, suede-feel palm fit very snugly. The Velcro tab at the cuff and the thin strips of elastane in between the fingers provided for some wriggle-room, as did the slight ‘give’ in the mesh backing of the gloves, but the bare

bones construction of these gloves means that getting the fit right is important. The palm (and underside of all fingers and thumb) is ventilated while there are a total of six grip patches spread across the index finger and middle finger. On the thumb there is also some cross-stitching to provide for some durability at the point where your thumbs will do quite a bit of gear-lever pushing under load. The gloves are also touch-screen compatible, which is quite handy. Out on the trail the gloves were practically unnoticeable, almost like a second skin. When there was a bit of dampness about, the grip patches were noticeably helpful and even after some decent use, these showed no signs of peeling or flaking off. In the heat, the gloves breathed really well, while the terry-towelling patch on each thumb got a good workout clearing sweat, snot and mud off face and glasses as required. The only downsides to these gloves are those that necessarily go along with a lightweight trail glove – crash protection and palm comfort. The Index Air gloves will still provide you with crash protection and some comfort,

but not as much as other gloves. But this is not the point of these gloves. These gloves aim to provide a snug fit and control, which is something they provide in spades. These gloves are not cheap, but they achieve exactly what they set out to. - ENDuromag

www.snowsport.com.au / www.pocsports.com

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Creux

URBAN ENDURO SHORT

RRP: $184.95

WORDS BY ENDURO TEST CREW

reux have been making stylish casual cycling wear for about six years now but the Urban Enduro Short represents the most technically advanced garment in the Melbourne brand’s product range. At just under $185, you get a lot of short for your buck. The Urban Enduro Short has been developed from a range of shorts made primarily for bike couriers who wanted something casual but that could be worn comfortably all day on and off the bike. The Urban Enduro Short was specifically developed over the course of 14-16 months as the Creux crew went about trying to strike a balance between technical performance and good looks. The Urban Enduro Shorts might just look like one of the most stylish pair of shorts on the street, but they are much more than that. We tested the medium in the ‘Mudslide’ colour (a subtle brown) which has an outleg measurement of 50cm, meaning that it looks the goods, but is also short enough to be comfortable on the bike. The fabric of the Urban Enduro Short is Swiss-made Scholler Dryskin treated with Nanosphere, which means the shorts are both fast-wicking and offer some water and dirt resistance. The fabric also provides just the right amount of 4-way stretch for maximum comfort. The fabric on these shorts is one thing, but it’s clear that a huge amount of thought has gone into the cut and construction. They feature a chamois that is sewn into the short from the gusset to the waist-band at the back. At 2mm, the chamois is pretty thin, but with only a small zippered pocket at the back there is plenty of seamless chamois real estate for you to get comfortable on. On the outside of the shorts there are a host of features. Down each side of the short are two zippers for ventilation, which complement four small metal eyelet vents in the gusset. Out the back there is a single zippered pocket (moved to the outside so as not to interfere with the chamois) and a loop and snap button to hold a small U-lock. There is also a neat, white leather Creux logo patch, which is a work of art in itself. Up front there are two pockets, each with a smaller internal pocket for a phone and wallet/cards/etc. The right internal pocket is slightly deeper than the left and neatly fits an iPhone 5 with a slim case (meaning that it probably won’t fit a big Samsung or iPhone 6). Saving the best to last, the shorts are secured with two Riri-snap lock buttons – a neat and super low profile alternative to traditional buttons. The fit of the medium shorts was spot on for me both on and off the bike. Off the bike, the shorts were super comfortable and looked great. The 4-way give in the Dryskin fabric was a nice touch and meant that these shorts definitely didn’t feel like riding shorts when off the bike. In fact, during the test period I found these shorts my go-to short even on days when I wouldn’t be riding. The only thing that reminds you that these are riding shorts when you are walking about

in them are the metal eyelets in the gusset which seemed to rub the inner thigh a bit. This really was the only a minor blemish as far as off the bike performance goes and they are otherwise spot on. The only other thing to note was the Riri-snap buttons take a bit of getting used to and can be a bit fiddly, but this is the price paid for low profile and secure buttons.

On The Trail On the bike, the shorts performed surprisingly well, or perhaps not-sosurprisingly when you appreciate the effort that has gone into them. For me, the Urban Enduro Short would never replace a good set of stand-alone knicks if I were setting off on a three hour ride. Having said that, the 2mm in-built chamois provided a huge deal of comfort for rides of up to up to one hour. The fabric also wicks sweat well and keeps things relatively cool and dry even without the need to reach for the zippered vents. The fabric also wore well during

testing, surviving a few scuffs without any damage and only the tiniest amount of pilling noticeable on the inside of the short after some pretty decent wear. All this puts the shorts in the range of something you could happily use for gravity enduro racing.

Our Take While you may need to wait a season or two for Creux to bring out a dedicated trail short, the ‘urban’ aspects of these shorts (such as the phone pocket and U-lock loop) don’t hold them back and are not things you necessary notice out on the trail. Quite often products that try to do too much aren’t really much good for anything. The Urban Enduro Shorts from Creux on the other hand do it all and are a perfect mix of form and function which will keep many a rider happy on and off the bike.- ENDuromag www.creuxcycling.com

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Scott

WORDS BY ENDURO TEST CREW

ERP: $229.99

STEGO HELMET

cott Sports is a company that has been innovating since it was founded in 1958. Most notably, Greg Lemond used Scott aerodynamic handlebars to get an aerodynamic advantage and win the 1989 Tour de France. In the ‘90s, Scott played around with some of the first suspension forks and the first full suspension designs. While this is all very interesting, it sets the background for the Scott Stego helmet on test here. The Stego (tested in medium and black/ orange matte) is a fairly unassuming lid. In the gravity enduro style it features a peak, generous coverage out the back and a pretty solid construction. The helmet has a nice matte finish with orange flashes on the side and out the back. The styling of the helmet is slightly blocky-looking from the front, with a pretty ‘square peak’ straight lines heading toward the back of the helmet. Side on and from the back, however, the orange highlights bring the helmet to life and the styling out the back with six large exhaust vents and the MRAS2 fit system look spot on. The real story with this helmet though is the integrated MIPS brain protection system. MIPS is a third party company which has been working with Scott on helmet design for four years. MIPS has been researching head impacts for over 15 years. The MIPS protection system is a relatively simple yellow low friction layer that sits between the rider’s head and the helmet foam, fixed by flexible anchors but well away from the vents and straps. This low friction layer is designed to absorb rotational energy experienced in a crash and allows the helmet to move around the protection system, which reduces the shock to the brain - sensible. The Stego offers a good fit in the medium tested. The helmet immediately felt natural on, while the Micro Rotary Adjustment System II (MRAS2) made the fit nice and snug. Once cranked up (with one hand) the system didn’t budge until released. Despite the relatively minimalist padding inside the helmet, which sits over the MIPS layer, there were no pressure points and the helmet was comfortable to wear for hours on end. Possibly more surprisingly though was the helmet’s ventilation. Despite a modest number of vents, their placement and shape meant that my head stayed much cooler than expected (even if it was a bit hotter than it would have been with a lighter XC lid). The Scott Stego is a bit of a sleeper but it exceeds expectations. Given how well the

helmet is ventilated, that it is 340 grams and that the package includes increased head protection, you could justify using this helmet for much more than just gravity enduro riding and could easily find its way onto your head for your daily trail rides. - ENDuromag www.sheppardcycles.com

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Candle Power TRAIL TORCH 3000

RRP: $398.00

WORDS BY MICHAEL DROFENIK

t seems every year the technology in cycling lights gets better and more affordable at an exponential rate. It is hard to keep track. It seems like only yesteryear that I was forking out big dollars (like the same amount to buy a high end fork) to buy a 500 lumen light that lit up the night trails like nothing before it. Since then bulbs have changed, batteries too and some bits in-between. Candle Power Technology is an American company that produces custom lights in-house, sourcing as many of their components from within the US as possible. Their latest creation, the Trail Torch 3000 (or TT3000) is an eight LED unit that boasts a massive 3000 lumens. The bulbs are mounted in a small machined and anodised aluminum housing covered in heat sinks. On either side there are slots machined into the body to accommodate a mounting strap or you can choose to use the bottom main mount that is the same as a GoPro. I mainly used the GoPro mount as it adds greater adjustability of the unit and the stack height with the mount was pretty low. The straps and helmet pad supplied with the unit worked well on different helmets and the weight, or lack of weight (the head unit comes in at under 100grams), is barely noticeable. The battery pack is about two thirds the size of a mobile phone, slim and fitted well in my jersey pocket. The arrangement of the LEDs is similar to the lightbar driving lights that are becoming more popular on the front of cars – basically a rack of bulbs, but without as much of a directional reflector behind them as you would usually see on a head light. This gives a big flood of light to the front, sides and all around, however this is at the expense of a directional spot out in the distance. Standing at the trailhead flicking between a few different lights to compare, the TT3000 displays a greater flood but not as much of a defined spot in the distance. A few of us initially thought that this could be a hindrance to the light and had us wondering whether Candle Power weren’t optimising the bulbs to their full potential. If you’ll excuse the pun, it was in the bush and these lights really

begin to shine. The big flood of light meant that everything within a range of seven to ten meters was lit up. The lack of a defined spot really helped with finding the right lines and not being distracted by following the beam, especially in tight, wooded singletrack. The colour of the light was quite warm and good for picking up depth definition in the trail. This is a very subjective observation and comes down to what you can see clearer with. Personally, in the past I have found some LED lights to produce a cold blue colour that seemed to flatten the trail and didn’t give me much depth perception, but this was not the case with the TT3000s. I had to clasp at straws to come up with a couple of shortcomings with the light, but here they are. Firstly, there seemed a significant drop in brightness between the high and medium settings. This was really noticeable when riding a fire road section with the light set on medium then hitting the single track and needing to cycle through the settings to find high. Secondly was the shortish run time on high, being 1.5 hours. However, this light is available in an “Enduro” kit that comes with two battery packs to double the run time. The real test though was the first ride back with my old faithful light set, a 1500 lumen, reputable brand of lights that deliver plenty of punch but with more of a spot beam. When compared to the TT3000 lights, I found the defined beam of my old lights to be a hindrance in picking lines. Looking back on my initial observations I feel the power and spread of light from the Trail Torch is fantastic and is perfectly suited to my riding style and local trails. As far as run-time goes, I’d be more than happy to carry two battery packs to last me through a ride and would recommend this option if you are happy to drop a little bit more cash. -ENDuromag www.fullbeam.com.au www.candlepowertech.com

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Shimano

WORDS BY MIKK GODFREE

XC90 MTB RACE SHOE

n 1993, I upgraded from toe clips and straps and bought a pair of the coveted Shimano M100 shoes and a set of M737 pedals. At that time they had been on the market for a few years (hence Shimano SPD celebrating its 25th anniversary this year) and they were THE upgrade item. I can still remember the smell of the suede as I slipped the shoes out of the box and the intoxicating aroma of the factory-applied grease as I turned the pedals around in my hand for the first time. Over the following 22 years, I have ridden many a Shimano road and mountain bike shoe and they have never disappointed, but those early memories endure. Shimano shoes and I had a ‘break’ for the last four or so years. I played the field, had affairs with flashier and funkier shoes. I had some fun times, but I was never truly satisfied, until recently, when Shimano shoes and I kissed and made up (to be clear, I remained faithful to Shimano pedals throughout that time). Unboxing the XC90 shoes for the first time brought back memories of the M100 shoes, but oh my, how far they have come. The XC90 are available in blue (tested) and black (with blue highlights). While the shoes are technically are ‘blue’, it’s a very loud, electric blue that may not be for everyone, but which many love (including me). The XC90s are Shimano’s elite XC racing shoes and are the culmination of years of refinement under the world’s top XC athletes. The shoes are packed with features, are light and durable, yet you can pick up a pair for under $400, which is a mere two thirds of the cost of the top-line race shoes from Shimano’s competitors. First, the package: in size 44 (tested), the XC90s tipped the scales at just on 700 grams for the pair, which is pretty good given the comfort, stiffness and durability on offer. The loud blue uppers are made primarily from a very fine Rovenica synthetic leather that is both supple to touch and does not stretch when the straps are all cranked up and the hours are ticking over on the bike. There are two big vents set into the generous rubber toecap and strategically placed vents above the toe box and both sides of arch. While the vents seem a small, the two front vents seem to do most of the work and overheating was never an issue. Fastening is taken care of by the usual high-strength Velcro strap across the toe, a Cross X strap over the arch which closes the opposite way to the Velcro across the toe, and Shimano’s tried and tested microadjust ratchet buckle. The Cross X strap is supposed to ‘relieve tension on top of the food during push off motion’, a claim that I’m still not sure about. However, cranking up the two Velcro straps in opposing directions (combined with fastening the ratchet buckle)

did seem to result in a more snug fit, without creating pressure points. I can only foresee two issues with the Cross X strap. First, those with a smaller volume foot may find the Cross X strap too long and may need to trim it to avoid it fouling on the crank – but this will be a small minority of riders. Secondly, riders who like to make small adjustments on the bike may find the Cross X strap slightly harder to adjust given its inward orientation. A further issue that has been reported with the Cross X strap on the wide version of the XC90s is that the strap is too short for those with a high-volume foot, with those riders wishing the strap was in fact longer. However, the same riders have reported that the Velcro is strong enough that even with a small amount of overlap, the strap stays fastened. The final point on the uppers is the heel cup. As Shimano has done for many years now, the heel cup is lined with a sort of cat’s tongue material that grips the heel when being pulled upward. This is a nice touch that reduces heel slip without the need for an aggressively shaped heel cup. The heel cup is flexible but firm and while you will never find a heel cup that suits every foot, the heel cup on the XC90 seems to strike a good balance. The underneath of the XC90s is probably the most race-driven aspect of the shoe. While the design focus of the uppers is comfort, breathability and pedalling efficiency, the sole is pretty sparse and is pretty much a carbon sole (which includes an additional carbon plate set over the ball grid section) and a small number of strategicallyplaced polyurethane lugs. This set-up offers excellent grip on softer ground as the lugs (and optional front studs) really dig in, while

RRP: $459.00

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the pretty ‘open’ pattern does a good job of shedding mud. On harder, slicker surfaces, the shoes do lack some grip (and can be lethal on polished concrete…). Another aspect of the sole is the low stack height. In fact, in switching to the XC90s for the test period, I had to drop my saddle height 5mm to keep my leg extension consistent. This might be a minor point, but a low stack height can improve the feel of pedal efficiency greatly (and arguably improves pedal efficiency itself – although reasonable minds differ on that point). This also lowers your centre of gravity without dropping your bottom bracket height, for a slight increase in stability and control. Now, the fit! Those familiar with the Shimano shoe fit will feel right at home in the XC90s. The regular fit is relatively narrow (but not excessively so) and those needing a wider fit can opt for the wide-fit if need be. The toe box is relatively generous, although not as generous as the top-of-the-line road shoe, the R310s. The XC90s fit me pretty well straight out of the box but the Shimano custom moulding was the icing on the cake. They went from fitting well to being like putting on slippers,

Thule

carbon-soled, studded, race-ready, electric blue slippers. The moulding is a four-step process whereby each inner sole is first baked and moulded then the uppers are moulded. In addition to the moulding, the inners are also tunable with the shoes being supplied with medium and high arch supports. Whether you should take the extra step of moulding the XC90s is completely personal. If the shoe fits, wear it. If the shoe doesn’t fit then you should be guided by your local bike shop as to whether moulding will be sufficient to improve the fit of the shoes so that they are right for you. Moulding will provide the greatest benefit to those who fit the shoes pretty well to start with and the moulding perfects that fit. With the moulding done, the fit was glorious and I was ready to hit the trails. The excellent fit combined with the Dylanast XC last, cat’s-tongue heel cup and the carbon sole felt fantastic when putting the power down, getting bounced through rock gardens and hours of regular old pedalling. As the hours wore on, my feet didn’t develop hot spots, nor did I notice any pinch points. On hot days, the combination of the well-vented shoes and the moisture wicking uppers

WORDS BY ENDURO TEST CREW

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did a good job of keeping things try and comfortable. Over the test period, the shoes held up well to the beating dished out to them. In particular, the toe shield provided good protection when rocks were encountered. The Rovencial uppers also coped well with scrapes and bumps that I expected to leave a mark. The underside of the shoe showed evidence of a few scrambles up some rock gardens, but these were only cosmetic and it would take a near nuclear blast to do any lasting damage to this sole. Overall, the XC90s are a whole lot of shoe for the money. They are top-level race shoes that are stiff, durable, and thanks to the custom fit technology (and normalwide options), will fit a wider range of feet. Personally, it will take a lot for me to stray from the XC90s again. A special thanks to 99 Bikes in Fitzroy North in Victoria for the expert moulding. - ENDuromag www.shimano.com.au

RRP: $169.00 $199.00

CHASM DUFFEL BAGS

wedish company, Thule, are not just a serious player in the bike rack game, they also have a range of luggage, which we tested on a recent trip. We tested the Thule Chasm Small (40 litre capacity) $169- and Thule Chasm Large (90 litre capacity) $199-. The Chasm is a duffel which converts into a backpack, making it an ideal choice for those who are after something with serious carrying capacity but something that can be carried on the back if necessary. The first surprise when we received these bags was how small they are when rolled up (which is how they are sold), meaning that when they are not in use, you can pack them down to the size of a small sleeping bag (in the case of the large). The Chasm bags pack down so small because they are basically just a shell with some strategically placed pockets and straps. But to reduce the bags to this is to sell them very short. The bags are made out of a waterproof tarp-like fabric that means they (both the small and large) tip the scales at just over 1kg. The bags are only water resistant though as neither the main zips or the seams are taped. As with all duffels, the bags are essentially one massive storage space, but the large comes with three mesh pockets inside (two in the lid and one on the side) to organise your gear. The small size has mesh pockets only on the lid. Both bags have a zippered pocket at the end of the bag (or top of the bag if it is being used as a backpack) for

items you want to access more easily. There is really no mystery about how to use duffels and they were used successfully to carry everything I needed (other than my bike) for six months overseas. One handy thing to note when packing is that the material is semi-rigid, which makes packing a little easier. The real story with the Chasm bags though is on the outside. You can use the bags as a simple duffel by using the two grab handles, or you can convert the bags into backpacks if required. Converting the duffel into a backpack takes about 30 seconds and is simply a matter of attaching the padded straps, which are secured to the bag by threading the metal clasps at the and of the straps to the loops on the bag. While these straps are pretty simple (there are no chest or waist straps), they are adjustable length-wise at both ends and extremely handy when you need to carry your gear some distance. There is no padding in the base of the bag so you might need to

put some thought into how you pack if you intend to use it as a backpack. The bag also has four compression straps, which can be tightened to secure the load before using the bag as a backpack. While many people opt for roller-bags, the Chasm bags have the edge in terms of weight, the space they take up when they are not in use and if you need to navigate stairs or anything other than smooth pavement/ tiles. After some solid use and airline abuse, the Chasm bags came up trumps. Sitting out on the tarmac through rain showers, the bags did the job (although a big downpour might have been a different story) and the fabric held up to many a bump and scrape. The heavy duty zips didn’t flinch at some ambitious packing and I would expect these bags to put up with years of abuse. - ENDuromag www.thule.com

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Giro

WORDS BY GEOFF VIETZ

RRP: $219.00

TERRADURO MTB SHOE

ost mountain bike shoes these days have stiff, hard soles. This makes them as capable for walking over rocks as road shoes are for swaggering across café tiles. But in the last two decades or so mountain bike shoes may have come full circle. Back in the early 1990s, mountain bike shoes had soft soles you could actually walk in (why that’s novel!). Shimano’s first mountain bike shoe, the classic M100, was a light hiking shoe with a cleat. That off-bike capability, however, came at a modest cost, with the pedalling platform equivalent to that of an ugg boot. It seems now though, 20 years on, that we can get off-the-bike capability without hugely compromising onthe-bike performance, and this is where the new Giro Terraduro really excels. While most of us have had a Giro product on our head at some point or other, the Californian-based company is now supporting our feet, most recently with shoes for the dirt inclined. The Terraduro shoe is squarely aimed at all-mountain riding. It has a nylon shank meshed to a grippy Vibram sole, and a breathable microfibre upper with a ratchet and two Velcro straps. The shoe weighs in at respectable 420g per foot, particularly good considering the additional weight of the rubber tread. So what does a mountain bike shoe need to do? I figure there are five things we should expect of this shoe – good fit, good on the bike, good off the bike, durability, and good looks. The fit - This is obviously personal and depends on anatomical make-up. For me, with a relatively long, narrow foot, the Terraduro shoes fit perfectly right out of the box (like a glove, you could say). Luckily for those with a higher volume foot there is also the creatively named ‘High Volume’ version of the shoe available. The inner sole is also super comfy, not to mention having an anti-microbial treatment to stop your feet getting too funky. On the bike - The highly rigorous first stage of testing (the ‘ol hand flex test)

demonstrated that the sole on the Terraduro deforms more than a carbonsoled shoe would, but they are still reasonably stiff. This difference, however, was mostly imperceptible on the trail, even when hammering the hard-tail up a steep climb. Despite this, I found it hard to not keep comparing the Terraduro to a carbon-soled race shoe. The foot hold has a very solid feel, with the ratchet and wide straps holding everything in place (certainly a massive advancement on the M100 slipper!) Off the bike - This is where the Terraduro really excels. It has obviously been the main focus for the shoe design. The wide and grippy Vibram sole is similar to what you would find on a climbing approach shoe (a high-traction hybrid walking/climbing shoe). The tacky sole grips to even rounded river rocks, not to mention enhancing your swagger on the café tiles. The sole is wider than an XC race shoe, providing a stable platform for that stylish tripod or for a quick dab to save yourself from a fall. The curvature of the sole enhances forward foot roll while walking, making covering longer distances easier than you would expect than in your standard bike shoe. The solid upper and resulting foot-hold meant my heel didn’t slip even on the steepest of ascents. I did find, however, that on steep soft dirt hikea-bike sections the toe tread lacked bite. I was craving a toe spike to dig in and found myself having to use the edge of the shoe to get hold. Durability - We all know that we give ‘em hell! This is something I couldn’t test thoroughly in the two months I had the shoe, with the only signs of wear being the usual scuff marks. Reports of last year’s Terraduro shoes included that the first version was plagued by poor durability, specifically delamination of the sole from the shoe. Looking at the construction of this year’s version I can’t help but think that Giro has gone

out of their way to ensure this doesn’t occur again, with a sturdy band of rubber welding the upper to the sole, and a toe box that could kick a door in. Looks - If you get these shoes in what Giro calls ‘Glowing Red/Black’ — but which the rest of us would call ‘orange’ — you can almost hear them shout ‘look at me’. They will undoubtedly draw comments. Alternatively, the more subdued black option is more incognito, to the point that you could wear them for several hours at the pub before someone yells: “hey, aren’t they bike shoes?” Finally, the question must be asked: Are these shoes for everyone? Well, not if you like your shoes super stiff. I will still be riding a carbon-soled shoe on my hard tail when I head off to the trails, because of the pedalling efficiency of a solid platform (even if it is only a perceived difference). When I take out the gravity enduro bike, however, or ride into town, I slip the Terraduro shoes on every time. I believe Giro has really hit the mark with the Terraduro for an all-rounder mountain bike shoe. The shoes are great for allmountain riding, gravity enduro racing, or for those who spend a lot of time getting on and off the bike whether it be exploring remote places, riding to spectate, or just ensuring you don’t spill your craft beer walking back from the bar. They are also pretty good for riding the kids to school, but I wouldn’t say that out loud. It is great to see shoes hit the market that are not just road shoes with grip stuck to the bottom, but are designed with a wide range of mountain bikers in mind. The almost universal appeal means you are likely to see this shoe on the feet of many mountain bikers. So step in and get your swagger on! - ENDuromag www.sheppardcycles.com

Pedla

LONG HAUL G2 KNICKS AND WIND CHEATER GILET

RRP: $260.00

WORDS BY MIKK GODFREE

ustin Abrahams and Marcin Wojcik, had a vision of how they wanted their cycling kit to look, and they didn’t see it at their local bike shops, or online. So they went about building a brand that could produce the kit they wanted – Pedla. These days, cycling kit is not just cycling kit. Our sport has evolved to a point where many people put as much effort (and money) into selecting their cycling wardrobe as the bike(s) they ride, and Pedla is a reflection of that. The guys at Pedla make no secret of the fact their goals are the pursuit of form AND function and their 2015 summer and winter ranges illustrate the breadth of their designs; from low-key and minimal designs and colours to the more recent styles which really push the boundaries. These designs are matched with a constantly evolving push for more technical fabrics and comfortable cuts. Earlier in the year we got the chance to test the Long Haul G2 Knicks and the Core Gilet and have put many thousands of kilometres in on each. At the end of a pretty rigorous test, it’s safe to say that these new kids on the block are here to stay. We look forward to seeing what Pedla comes up with in the seasons to come, in particular the implementation of a material that is highly abrasion resistant, which could be a huge asset for mountain bikers

Long Haul G2 Knicks – RRP $260These days $260 is not a huge amount to spend on a pair of knicks, especially knicks made from Italian fabric with a Cytech 3D endurance chamois. Pedla has been working with a number of companies over the globe to source the best material for their garments and the fabric they have used on the Long Haul Knicks is exceptional. The material has a great mid-weight feel to it that means the knicks strike a great balance between support and comfort for long days on the bike. In fact, I’d probably go so far as to say they are the most comfortable knicks I’ve worn, fit wise. The mid-weight fabric is cut superbly and the addition of a relatively thick silicon gripper band adds to this, as do the wide, mesh bibs. The Cytech chamois was slightly thinner than other knicks I had been using during the test. While this added to the formfitting nature of the cut of these knicks, I did wonder if the chamois would provide sufficient support. On the bike, the knicks felt even better and long hours of pedalling were taken in the stride of the aptly named Long Haul Knicks. The chamois provided sufficient support, the knick fabric wicked moisture well and everything stayed where it should. It must be said that while the knicks wicked moisture well, the bibs tended to hold slightly more moisture than I expected and would be a point worth revising in later designs. Also, while these knicks were pretty much

my go-to choice for big days in the saddle, they did tend to show signs of wear as the kilometre count started to tick over the several thousand mark. The fit started to ‘relax’ slightly and they didn’t have that feeling of support that they had at the start. Having said that, the chamois held up well, and for the price point, these knicks delivered value that far exceeded their asking price.

Wind Cheater Gilet – RRP $186Like the Pedla knicks, the Wind Cheater is one of the nicest gilets (vests) I’ve worn. When you need some protection from the elements and you crank up the sturdy YKK two-way zipper right up to your chin, and pull the bottom of the gilet down and settle the silicon gripper, you feel ready for battle. While the gilet is described as lightweight, it is not the lightest-weight gilet I’ve worn. The Italian-sourced Windtex windproof membrane used on the front puts up an impenetrable barrier to wind and light rain. Most of the magic for me, though, is out the back with a quick-drying microfiber providing

ventilation and moisture wicking…and three external, reinforced, reflective-piped pockets. While a gilet is a gilet, I thoroughly enjoyed these external pockets, especially when rugged up with bulky gloves. I also made good use of the double-zip, spending much of my mid-winter rides (after I had warmed up a bit) with the top half zipped up and the bottom half unzipped. The only negatives I identified with the gilet was a bi-product of the double-zip which I so enjoyed tweaking – the two-way zipper has that extra weight to it that meant it sometimes took a bit of force to engage the zip from the bottom, and when the zip was undone and the gilet was flapping about a bit, the zip ends tended to ‘whip’ a little, which could cause the odd smarting sensation (one that you just wouldn’t get with a lighterweight zip). The flipside of this though, other than the great functionality mentioned above, is that this zip will outlast nearly every other zip in my wardrobe. - ENDuromag www. thepedla.com RRP: $186.00

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ENDURO 30

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Hans Rey & Steve Peat in Iceland | Photo: Scott Markewitz

GT TEAM RIDER / DAN ATHERTON PHOTOGRAPHER / ALE DILULLO LOCATION / UTAH

TO RAGE Your day on the bike isn’t about deciding between technical trails or steep ups and downs, it’s about deciding which to do first. With a lightweight frame, Angle Optimized Suspension, and a progressive geometry, the 2016 Force X is ready to rage.

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