Blue Gum Lodge XC race!!!

[Gotta Ride!]

That's right folks we've managed to line up another race at Blue Gum Lodge. It will be on Saturday 20th October with races starting at 9:30am (race schedule coming soon).

For those that don't know Blue Gum Lodge (BGL) is a Camping and Conference centre in Springwood. The track has been built by some passionate Mountain biking staff who work there and is normally inaccessible to the public (Private Property).

WSMTB Club held a club round at BGL in July this year and it was very well received. Following that race I've been constantly asked "when the next race at BGL?" Since July Blue Gum's track designer Steve Melbourne had been busy adding another loop onto the track taking it from 3.5km to 4km. It's a short track but it's very sweet!

Please remember Blue Gum Lodge is Private Property so you cannot ride the track before race day!

More info will be put here and on www.wsmtb.com on the XC page soon. There will be no organised kids (U/10) racing on the day.

[Gotta Ride!]

Here are a few pics from the last race at Blue Gum. This track was so good even Spoon Boy managed to smile :)

[alchemist]

I call photoshop!

[Gotta Ride!]

8:00am
Rego open
Track open for Practice

9:15am
Rego Closes for 9:30 races

9:30am
C Grade Men
B Grade Women
D Grade Men
U/15 Boys
C Grade Women
U/15 Girls - Modified laps
U/13 Mixed - Modified laps

11:15am
Rego Closes for 11:30 races

11:30am
A Grade Men
B Grade Men
A Grade Women

The number of laps has not been decided yet due to the extra 400m of track added. The number of laps will definitely not increase from last time.

A single speed category might also be added. Was it a hard track to do on a SS last time? And would you consider doing it again?

[alchemist]

A single speed category might also be added. Was it a hard track to do on a SS last time? And would you consider doing it again?

Not hard at all. Would do it again.

[MrCove]

Booooooooooooooooo!

always work Saturdays

[Gotta Ride!]

Sorry :(

But because it's a conference centre races have to fit in the gaps between groups who pay lots more $$$ than we do.

[Gotta Ride!]

Again I remind everyone that Blue Gum Lodge is Private Property so you cannot ride the track before Saturday.

Sadly there wont be a BBQ this time but there will be cans of drink for sale. Springwood Shops are only about 1km up the road if you get hungry.

For those who don't drive or can't get there hands on a car for the weekend you can catch a train to Springwood station and roll the 1km down to Blue Gum Lodge.

[Gotta Ride!]

OK, your probably getting sick of me adding to the thread all the time but I just want to get you excited. :D

Here's some pics from our new section of track this bit is the Karussell (carousel).

Sorry there's no pics of someone riding it.

[DaGonz]

I'm gonna head up and test my legs out... see if I can't get my ass whipped by BigDog and Harrison again ;)

....might even bring the bullit for a lark ;)

Cheers
Gonz

[Mr Pants]

I call photoshop!

Agreed, someone turned Spoonboy's frown upside down. You'd never see that in a race!! ;)

[rockydog]

The number of laps has not been decided yet due to the extra 400m of track added.

Can we get an estimate of the ride time for the various categories?
pleaseandthankyou

[Gotta Ride!]

The aim is to have the race for each grade just a bit shorter than a race at Yellomundee because Blue Gum's track doesn't have many sections to catch your breath.

But as we've never raced the whole track it's hard to work out. So all I can say is that I plan to make the race times slightly shorter than Yellomundee.

Sorry if that doesn't make sense or it wasn't the answer you were looking for my brain has stopped working.

[schacksta]

Great Race Erica and Steve and Bigdog... well done and props for all your hard work on the track. me likes...

cheers,

schacksta
president
www.wsmtb.com

[faz]

Any one got some pics??

[Gotta Ride!]

I didn't see anyone taking pics, did you?

We had someone who was going to come up at 10am and take pics but in the end they didn't make it. :(

Actually now that I think of it I did see someone taking pics, I wonder if they're at Dirt Works today?

[drindiana]

There were a few folk taking photos. I know for sure one of them was just shooting his son as it was his first mtb race. He had lunch at my place and with the 3 other juniors boys they were stoked. Could not stop them talking about how good it was. For me it has been a lean number of WS club rounds this year so a chance to ride Blue Gum Lodeg was really nice. Can't say enough thanks to Erica & Co for sharing it with us. Steve M I hear is the main track builder (from the website). In a word "superb". Many thanks:)

[Gotta Ride!]

A huge 72 riders (77 riders came to rd 5 in July) turned up to race or in the case of the A grade Men to ride around together until they got worn out from talking (all DNFs).

There were a few sandbaggers in C Grade Men. So to take away their 'I have other stuff to do today' excuse for not racing at 11:30am in B Grade, next time A Grade Men & Women and B Grade Men will have their start time moved forward to 10:45am (just as the 1st lot of races are finishing).

I don't actually know when this next time will be :D Hopefully not too far away.

After a lot of instructions over the phone from our timings guy, I've managed to sort out the results and put them into a PDF. So hopefully you should be able to see them.

Thanks for all the positive feed back about the day and most importantly the tracks.

[go to bed jessica]

A huge 72 riders (77 riders came to rd 5 in July) turned up to race or in the case of the A grade Men to ride around together until they got worn out from talking (all DNFs).

There were a few sandbaggers in C Grade Men.

Bah, I used this race to conduct a very serious experiment: The effects of chips, gravy and coffee flavoured milk on performance when taken within 15 min of racing.

Test results: Actually, it didn't go down as badly as I thought it would, though I did have one burp during the 3rd lap that had "potential" :D

As for the usual C grade shenanigans, well, look at the B grade times in comparison!

Oh, and Saturday was actually Erica's birthday, so thanks to her for spending her day setting up and packing up :)

[rockydog]

As for the usual C grade shenanigans, well, look at the B grade times in comparison!


yeah , I did...
any of the top 14 C graders would have podiumed in B grade, based on average times.

C were so competitive, it looked like a world cup title was at stake.
Seriously, what's the deal with that?

[DaGonz]

C were so competitive, it looked like a world cup title was at stake.
Seriously, what's the deal with that?

We were serious! no really! did you see the elbow action from BigDog at the start!! full on... I thought it was going to get real uggly real early...

;)

Cheers
Gonz

[rockydog]

As a noob to clubbie racing, it's seems bit bloody odd.

See, I'm probably a C, except when I see C, it looks like it should be 'B', which I shouldn't be. I can't see myself as an A but I could maybe see myself as a B one day. When C become B.
See, if C was B it would be A-OK, aye?

[go to bed jessica]

We were serious! no really! did you see the elbow action from BigDog at the start!! full on... I thought it was going to get real uggly real early...

;)

Cheers
Gonz

oh you poor thing, that big bad Big Dog was being nasty to you, tch, tch. :p

[MrCove]

rocky

welcome to my world!!

there are always about 10 people in C grade who should really be ashamed of themselves for not being in B
best heing to do is just race in B grade and treat the bludgers with total contempt (or race singlespeed, where everyone else will treat YOU with total contempt!!)

[alchemist]

or race singlespeed, where everyone else will treat YOU with total contempt!!

Well YOU insist on racing a jump bike ;)

[MrCove]

Well YOU insist on racing a jump bike ;)

i think the term 'racing' it stretching it a bit far!!