Sergeant Roger Derrick has some fun on his way to winning the Solo Masters category.

There was a race within a race going on at the latest round of the SRAM Singletrack Mind Series held at Nowra recently, with nearly 10% of the entries taken up by the men and women of the Australian Defence Force.

The group 'before shot' at the 2010 ADO MTB Champs.

Defending champion Dion Blair was hot favourite again but was likely to have some stiff competition from the likes of Shane Taylor, Jamie Bailey, Michael Crummy and Michael Hernan. Most of these guys will be stepping up for the 24hr World Championships and were looking to get that psychological edge over the competition.

Corporal Michael Crummy working hard.

Ultimately, Dion took home the Defence Force Enduro Champion jersey again and finished 4^th outright as well. No doubt he’ll be looking for a podium at the next round of the Singletrack Mind Series to be held at Western Sydney’s Yarramundi track in June. It wasn’t all about the pointy end though, members of the nearby HMAS Albatross entered a couple of mixed teams while many of the solo riders were there just to battle with themselves.

The top three place getters from the 2010 ADO MTB Endurance Championships. (L-R) Flight Lieutenant Shane Taylor (2nd place), Petty Officer Electronics Technician Dion Blair (1st) and RAAF Corporal Michael Crummy (3rd).

A fantastic time was had by everyone and they’re looking forward to the other rounds of the series. The ADCC would like to offer a massive, Cannondale down tube sized, thanks to the crew at Chocolate Foot (the Singletrack Mind event organising team) for taking such good care of them over the weekend.

Scott Willacott saw the camera and put on his war face.

Flight Lieutenant, and Merida Flight Centre team member, Shane Taylor enjoyed the fun Nowra trails.

Photos courtesy of the Australian Defence Force.

Cross-country whippit, Anna Beck, rocked up to the Queenland’s Avanti 6 Hour Enduro hoping to have some fun and build some good kilometres into her legs.  She was surprised at how much the experience hurt, but we were not.  She did ride the event on a singlespeed after all.

Two Wheels Promotions’ Annual Avanti 6 Hour Enduro was held on the ninth of May, and is the event promoters’ most popular event. The action took place at Canungra, a fun little track that featured hot open paddocks, cool, dark and leafy low points, sandy loose descents and killer switchback climbs. The largely untechnical nature of this course was begging for a bit of love from some newer riders meaning nearly 300 riders graced the course on the day.

“Why is this format so popular?” I wondered. Surely once someone’s completed a six-hour lap race once, they would have the common sense and memories to abort entering any future events that are ‘Enduro’ in nature. Perhaps it’s like childbirth—all those ‘feel good’ chemicals make you forget how despairing and harrowing the 24 hours of pushing a watermelon out of your nether regions actually is (or so they tell me…yeuch!).

Instead of Oxytocin, us bike riders have Adrenalin and a system full of multi-caffeinated gel’s buoying us up, telling us that the race wasn’t as hard as it felt when we were out on track, teeth gritted and legs burning. I must be really stupid, then, to have signed up to the Avanti 6 hour Enduro, goin’ it solo on a singlespeed. Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, right? Either that or I respond far too well to those gels that have wiped my memories of past 6 and 8 hours races of torture.

On the brighter side, I am always surprised at how good coffee tastes after one of those epic days in the Sham-Wow, and how much of a lifesaver Sham-Wow cream is (if you don’t have some and are planning mega epic kilmetres, get some—your nether regions and love life will recover all that much quicker)!

At the end of the day, Tim Wynan smashed the solo men’s category, while I surprised myself by taking out the solo women’s category. As the blisters heal, the sunburn fades away, my back quits it’s aching and I can eat normal food again without throwing up, I find myself wondering whether other upcoming endurance events aren’t that bad after all. It’s nice to know that I can always make it a bit easier on myself by taking some gears and a mate along for the ride, but, I wonder if this less-hurty option will mean the coffee tastes as good on the other side of it?!

More info at www.twowheelpromotions.com.au

The Ingkerreke Commercial MTB Enduro (formerly the Anaconda MTB Enduro) in Alice Springs offered up some exciting and challenging racing.  There was sandy, rocky and stunningly beautiful terrain, 7 tough-but-fun race stages, lots of singletrack and many of the top positions shifted throughout the event. This kept riders on their game and gave everyone heaps to talk about during time at the pool or the dinner table after one stage and before the next.

Keen to hear about the best parts and the most challenging moments from a week of racing in the Red Centre, we caught up with a few riders to hear their thoughts on the race.

Adrian Jackson (Merida Flight Centre, 4th Open Men, blitzer of the opening stage)

It was a really well organised race, and being based at the same place in Alice the whole week gives you plenty of time to relax after the stages. The main reason I came up this year was to get out of the cold Melbourne autumn for a week of solid riding in preparation for heading overseas this year, so that was really good too.

And the challenges?  Well, coming into the event with no specific training for a tough stage race like this really caught up with me by the end of the week. I don’t really train multiple hard days in a row anymore, so after blitzing day 1, I went downhill pretty quick! And when you are tired in the rough and technical tracks up here you quickly lose a lot of time.

Jason English (Pivot bikes, 1st overall, teacher at Heritage Christian School at Port Macquarie)

Gracie Elvin (Felt bikes/St Mel Clothing, multiple stage wins, first big MTB race after having her fingers sewn back together last Summer (ouch))

As a female rider you are often on the bad end of a sharp elbow or push into the bushes during a club race or even a weekly bunch ride by over competitive males. During the whole week of racing in Alice Springs I was not once pressured or pushed for an extra place by any other riders. The support and camaraderie amongst all competitors was so refreshing and made all the hours in the saddle eating each other’s dust that much more enjoyable.
The toughest aspect of the week, apart from the endless sand, was not being able to go back and ride those sweet sections of single track that we were charging through. Once the scratches have healed and the soreness of the muscles (that I never knew I had) is gone, I can’t wait to be back!

Jodie Willett (Merida Flight Centre, 1st Open Women, held a solid lead from the very first stage)

The best part of the event was the great single track in Alice, especially on days 2 and 5. It’s just such a surprise that it’s out there and being cut by some determined and committed locals. The camaraderie between the riders was also a highlight.
The biggest challenge was the night stage, especially when I punctured twice and had to change my tube in the dark with a headlamp and frozen fingers. Backing up day after day, both physically and mentally was a challenge as well.

Jarrad Needham (25th Open Men, Alice local, raced the hill climb time trail in a vintage shirt and tie)

The best part of the event was undoubtably the format. The stages were varied and unique and being based at home for the week certainly took off any logistical pressures normally accompanied by stages racing.

Being a local I thought that I’d have some sort of an advantage, knowing the trails. In retrospect, I think it was almost a disadvantage. I probably rode more conservatively than most as I know just how harsh and unforgiving the rocky trails can be. Also, when the sometimes strange course marking took a rocky overgrown goat track instead of reusing a perfectly good bit of trail, well that was frustrating!

Dave Sutton (10 Vintage Men, Alice’s newest local, has been riding longer than Enduro has been in print)

The best parts were: (a) Great SingleTrack. Even some of the 4WD tracks were awesome. (b) The amount of “Territory” covered – a journey as much as a race. (c) Discovering that those 2.35 Larsens were really good for roaring through the sand. (d) The amount of greenery – they have had a lot of rain this year.

The biggest challenges were: (a) Probably the last 5k or so on the last day. Nasty ultra-vague 4WD track going up-down-up-down right next to a barbed wire fence. Finding (or failing to find) that head sized rock that gave me a huge OTB and elbow gash added to the “challenge”,  I think. (b) I guess everyone found the long day a big challenge, too.

Ben Henderson (Crowne Plaza/Onya Bike Belconnen and Civic/Anytime Fitness, 5th Open Men, master of brevity)

The best part was how the event ran, with everything being in close proximity and easy to get around.

The super hard sandy sections and techo rocks definitely made for some tough racing, especially in the later days when fatigue was knocking on everyone’s door as well.

More info from the event website: www.rapidascent.com.au/AnacondaMTBEnduro

Photos courtesy of Emily Dimozantos: www.edimpressions.com.au

The rules at the famed kayak bridge, three-quarters of the way through the Dirt Works 100km race, changed this year.  Walking the bridge was no longer an option and riders had to  pick up their bikes and wade through the cool water, or give pedaling a go and cross their fingers and toes that they got to the other side without a slippery, sideways diversion!

The kayak crossing added an exciting talking point to the fun marathon course. The 104km route includes enough singeltrack and technical sections to keep the kilometres exciting and engaging. Fast, scenic fire roads combined with around 1600m of climbing means course records are fairly quick and more riders have the chance to enjoy hot chips, pizza and kebabs back at the event centre.

Congratulations to everyone who took part and made the event such a great one to be part of.  Extra congrats to those who kept their sense of humour in the water selflessly providing examples of how not to ride that bridge!

For more information, results, and details about the Victorian Dirt Works 100km event in November, check out www.maxadventure.com.au/100kmclassic/nsw

Thank you to Derek Waterman Photography (www.derekwaterman.com) for the vibrant images.