The Roost Vol 1 Issue 2 by Robert Conroy

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Australian MTB Racing & Culture

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ISSN 2201-3938

PREVIEW THE ROOST Vol 1. Issue 2. RRP $9.95(inc GST) ISSN 2201-3938

VOLume 1 Issue 2

December - january

R Photographer : Kane Naaraat Deity fresh blood rider Tom Hall in front dipped three and Callum Rodgers behind, Woodcroft Jumps Adelaide.

KONA VIC STATE DH ROUND #2 MALDON Words : Tim Eaton Even with the successes of last year, I decided to get myself a coach from Breese High performance to help with both the physical and mental side of racing. Since the last round, I’ve been in the gym training on both cross country and road bikes, building on my weakness from the last round fitness. Sickness-free and with some training under my belt, I was feeling much stronger coming into this race.

I was staying with Kyle Coutts who also had a massive crash on the last step down, so we hobbled into his car and headed back to his place to clean ourselves up. I always prefer staying with mates at races as it’s cheaper and a more relaxed approach to racing (and definitely more comfortable when you get hurt.) I realised how lucky I had been to escape that crash after I had seen the footage played back to me.

I remembered that the Maldon track from last season - technical and fairly short - suited me perfectly. Heading there was trickier than usual due to my attending a wedding on the Friday night. I was left with little choice but to fly down to Melbourne on Saturday Morning. It was an early morning start, but a good change from driving down after work on a Friday and getting there around midnight, completely shagged.

On Sunday I woke up feeling just as sore as the day before. Arriving at the track, I rode my bike around the car park to see how I felt and if I could even race. It didn’t seem that bad after a few painkillers, so I headed up for a practice run. I came down with most of the pain coming from my ribs and shoulders but found I could still ride. I just didn’t know if I would be competitive. So the plan was just to do as well as I could and salvage some points in the series, trying not to let the other guys get too big of a lead. I was hoping for a top 10 at best.

Practice on Saturday started out well. The track was bone dry and had already blown out before practice had even started. A few new changes to the track had really opened it up, making it faster and rougher than last season but also creating room for some innovative new lines and gaps. There were two small rock drops close together in the middle of the rock garden and I decided to try and gap it. On the first go I landed it and blew off track, carrying a lot more speed than usual. So I did it again, this time setting up for the landing a bit better and got it. I continued to do this gap all day and then on Saturday throughout practice. I was finally feeling confident for race day, but when the last run came around, I came into it committed and got a little off line. I got kicked funny, blew a foot off in the air and nose-bonked the second rock, sending me ragdolling over the bars, into the rocks. I thought my weekend was over as I stood up (thanks to everyone who helped get my bike and get me off track). I decided to jump back on my bike and get to the bottom before the adrenaline wore off. I got down, checked myself out, then got some ice. I was badly banged up with some good bruises and grazes on my shoulders and back. I was very lucky to just come away with those minor injures, considering where I had crashed. The track took its toll not only on my body but my bike as well. Luckily SRAM helped me get my Giant Glory back on the hill!

Qualifying came around and I sat in the gate thinking; “just get to the bottom.” I rode fairly conservatively and had a clean run. Surprisingly, I came down into fourth place behind Dean Lucas, Connor Fearon and Rhys Atkinson. I knew I would have to race as hard as I possibly could in finals because there were about seven different guys who had the ability to take a win at any round this season. Trail conditions were quite bad; they were pretty much destroyed by the time finals came around. Maldon is a track where any mistake will cost you valuable time, so having the right approach is important. I came into the finals mentally the same as I had in qualifying, just trying to have a clean run. My run was pretty good. I started fairly conservatively, got through the rock garden and reached the short fire road sprint. I dug deep but the heavy breathing required started to give me a lot of pain. I knew I was over halfway, so I pushed through. There were a few little mistakes but my riding was still good enough to get me fourth place. Post presentations, still feeling quite sore, I got into the car with the Crimmins family, thankful that I didn’t have to drive the eight hour trip back to Canberra. I will now spend the next week trying to heal up and get back to work before the next race in Thredbo. www.theroostmag.com.au

Left : Jon Odams tweaks it over the double Right : Kristy Davis mid pack holds her line on the twisty course.

SCRIBBLED Words : Emily Cunningham Photos : Robert Conroy

Chocolate Foot Singletrack Mind Series Round 5, Rydal, NSW 28/10/12

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fter three months of nagging, I finally got everyone to agree to another Chocolate Foot race, this time in the heritage town of Rydel, fifteen minutes out of Lithgow. Last year had seen our girls team win the Women’s Three category, so we were excited to have another go. Organising our team had already had some difficulties with the late addition of Silvia ‘The Swiss Machine’ after one of our original members injured her leg dancing on a folding chair. “Off camber” was a term I’d never heard before last year’s visit to Rydal. As we had a couple of Rydal virgins with us, I decided we should get there on the Saturday to sneak in some “off camber” practice. Twelve months had done wonders to the track. The corners were bedding in nicely with more than enough off camber turns to keep us on our toes. We reserved our spot for race day in the shade of the trees, then headed into Lithgow Workman’s Club for dinner, an interesting insight into Aussie culture for our Swiss teammate. Our sleep that night was interrupted by droves of cars pouring in before 6am to set up for a day of fun racing, Chocolate Foot style!

Warm and cosy in my sleeping bag, it was hard to find the motivation to get up. I thanked God for the Long Point coffee van when I eventually rolled into my down jacket. Kirsty and I were handed first lap duties, which might have seemed like the short straw, but it got us out of packing up the camping gear. Once the all important ‘no dickheads’ safety briefing was over, we followed Gumby down the hill for a start which would quickly put us in our place; “skinny Lycra-clad folk to the front please!” After a warm up on the start line hill, my eagerness to get a good first lap time sent me flying into every corner, only to have to drop the anchors to stay on course, cursing and smashing my pedals out the other side. Keen to make up some time, I opened it up on the fire trail and dove off into the second section of single track. My heart skipped a beat when I locked up the back wheel and just managed to keep it on course around the first off camber turn. Whoops, I forgot we were racing in Rydal.

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In the Under 17’s field, Callum Morrison proved that he is going to be a strong force in coming years. He not only whitewashed the entire series, but often posted times that would have won Under 19’s and put him on the Elite Men’s podium. It certainly wasn’t a one horse race; Cody Barker was always right there, placing second in the series and pushing hard to keep Morrison under the pump. The Elite Women were few and far between, but Jolene Knight of Queensland origin, rode like she meant it whenever she donned the race plate and earned herself top spot at the end of the series. Keeping up with the Queensland speed was a tough ask for Molly Payne, who snagged second place and is looking like a real threat for next season James Chambers took top honours in the series and was the man to beat all year in the Under 19’s category. Matthew Taylor put in a stellar effort to make sure his name was up the top end of the list after each round and secured himself the silver. Jake Adams’ racing lifted this year and he came away in third place for the series. Finishing down the list in sixth, but still a contender to take the State Champ title in his class was Bryce Wing. The “Wing Man’s” top form at the beginning of the season was interrupted by a broken collar bone caused by a dirt jumping crash. Although the State Champion bragging rights would be strongly fought over in the other categories, none would compare to the battle that was set for the Elite Men. After the series left us with a different winner at each round, Steve Marsh rode away with the series win in the final round at Willunga. SteveGebert raced the most consistent season of all and finished every round on the podium. Young pinner Cameron Ryan had his eyes on his first win in Elites after he placed third in his maiden Elite Men series. Ngari Jenkins is always one who can pull out a blinder when his stars align, and Tyson Schmidt proved that he can mix with the best throughout the season. Besides the series’ top five finishers, there were plenty of other threatening names like Connor Fearon, Angus Maddern and Craig Yates, just to name a few! The Long track is a course that is well known by many riders in South Australia. The Fox Creek network consists of many kilometres of XC trail and multiple downhill tracks which make it a popular destination to punch out shuttles on the weekend. It goes without saying that this year the Long track was a particularly busy course, as riders clocked run after run in a bid to better their chances when the State Championships came around.

Clockwise : Michael Weston makes good use of some aerial time. Jake Adams gets on the screws, eyes of determination, Is that on or off the brakes.

Saturday morning of the Championship weekend brought a convoy of utes, vans and trailers into the pits, and tent after tent popped up to form a village of hopeful downhillers. The weather was perfect and the Inside Line club had a cracker event planned with stacks of prizes to be won including a carbon XC bike, one of Troy Brosnan’s World Cup jerseys as well as some shiny cups for those who could stay off the brakes! After a huge amount of work had been done in preparation, all that was left to do was to find South Australia’s fastest and possibly craziest riders. Starting with a quick pedal down an eroded fire trail, the course veers right into single track and leads riders across the face of the steep hill. Scattered with small drops, fast corners and a couple of long ski booters, riders are faced with a decision to triple or not before navigating a technical corner jump. From here, the course flattens out for a while and there is an opportunity to crank hard or pump over the undulating ground. Fast, flat and thin corners transport riders to more drops, doubles and gullies before the trail descends around long and rocky switchbacks that precede the “waterfall” gully. After this, the only thing that lies before the finish line is a series of short and fast descents that squeeze in between and around trees that seem to poses some kind of magnetic force. If the trees aren’t enough, their roots and the braking bumps between them ensure all riders are challenged to stay smooth and off the brakes before they cross the finish line. It was the usual suspects that were looking the fastest on Saturday morning. Conor Clancy will be another one to watch in coming years as the Under 19’s competitor looked comfortable in his first Championships appearance. Bryce Wing seemed to be back to his old self and was showing speed that would have him back at the top end of the list with the likes of Matthew Taylor and James Chambers. www.theroostmag.com.au

THE EIGHT BILT BY BILL // AN EXCLUSIVE

Wordsmith & Rider : Jon Odams Photos : DHB 94

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ONSALE AT YOUR NEWSAGENT NOW!

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