The Sydney Sprint Adventure Race, on the 8th of May in Narrabeen, had a little bit of everything - bonus checkpoints that tested the faster teams decision making skills, a linear course with lots of varied terrain, and over 200 competitors with smiles from ear to ear. Read on for Ian Terley's (Team United Project Management) race report.
Sell out adventure race rocks Narrabeen
It was a glorious Autumn Saturday morning perfect for an adventure race. United Project Management entered 3 teams and we decided to all go off together.
The buses were well organised with everyone getting a seat for the journey to St Ives, where we disembarked next to some beautiful bush land.
The race started without incident and the group all moved off, we were at the back of the pack and got going at a steady jog towards the first check point. We managed to have a bit of a stretch as we queued for the first marker, but were soon on our way again.
The trickiest marker was point 4 where the helpful national parks ranger had seen it previously and decided in his wisdom to remove the marker, this did cause some confusion as we thought that we were reading the map incorrectly. After a few minutes and seeing the other confused and puffed adventure racers coming back from their wild goose chases decided to press on and risk the 30minute time penalty.
The mountain biking was fun and a little scary when a wallaby decided to cross the track in front of us. The worst part of the riding section was the incredibly steep up hills where we had no other option but to push our metal steeds up the hill. Coming down the hill on the other side John got a flat tyre and timed it perfectly as we stopped where another marker was. A few minutes later tyre was changed and we were off again.
We were glad that the race organisers forewarned us about the hike a bike section as it was very steep and rutted part of the track glad that there was a marker half way down for a quick rest.
The TA was exciting as we all got into our PFDs ready for the deep creek crossing, as I jumped in I thought that the water was a little fresh but I was glad to be well and truly warmed up from all the running and biking.
Once we got on the kayaks the legs got to rest but then the shoulders started to burn. The interesting part was seeing some shallow water thinking that it would be faster to push rather then paddle I got a bit of a surprise when I jumped off and sank into 10cm of mud. Note to self do not run in the shallow water as it is tiring and slower.
Back to the TA where we could abandon our water craft and began to run again, luckily one of our team members had a bit of local knowledge and guided us well to the time bonus marker. Back in the bog half wading half swimming through the cold water, back to the finish line to a well earned sausage sizzle to help replenish 2300 calories burned throughout the race.
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Tuesday, 08 May An ecstatic Andrew Blair bagged his first Real Insurance XCM Series win when he crossed the finish line first, smashing the Convict100 course record. A better day for a race on the Convict100 course could not have been dreamed up! A fresh misty morning turned into a beautiful dry sunny day in St Albans for the third event in as many weeks in the Real Insurance XCM Series. Slick event organisation by Maximum Adventure saw around 3,000 riders and spectators seamlessly fit into the tiny town, creating a buzzing and exciting atmosphere. A heavily loaded Elite field once again lined up with Series leaders Shaun Lewis and Jenny Fay surrounded by riders like Adrian Jackson, Andrew Blair, Jason English, Matt Fleming, Andy Fellows, Ben Mather and Trenton Day to name but a few. The previous 2 weeks of back to back racing unfortunately knocked 2011 Series champion Dylan Cooper off his best form rendering him unfit to start due to a cold. It was a fast start as usual with Matt Fleming looking eager to attack as he put his foot down from the word go. However it was Ben Mather who lead Trenton Day and Adrian Jackson over the KOM climb. With 3rd over KOM Jackson earned a vital point and took lead in the KOM competition over Shaun Lewis. Andrew Blair, Andy Fellows, Jason English and Anthony Shippard were not far behind. Series leader Shaun Lewis was still in the mix but was in visible difficulty, also nursing a cold. It was not meant to be for Lewis who sat up soon after the KOM and returned to the start line to see who would take the leader's jersey off of his back, going into the 4th leg of the Series. In the final few kilometres it was Blair and promising youngster Trenton Day fighting it out, but Blair proved too strong crossing the finish and breaking the course record by over 9 minutes. This also places Blair in the overall Series lead going into the 4th leg of the Series - the Stevens Bikes Husky100. Day came in second, also breaking the course record and establishing himself as one to watch should he be able to juggle his road calendar to do more XCM Series events. Third place was taken by defending Convict100 champion Ben Mather, who we will undoubtedly see more of as he regains his form before the end of the Series. Adrian Jackson and Anthony Shippard rounded off the top 5. The ladies race was once again dominated by Jenny Fay who seems to be in a class of her own this year. Fay was first over the top of the QOM ahead of Becky Mates and Janet Martin and went on to finish a very impressive 20th overall, almost 20 minutes ahead of Mates. Mates will wear the Queen of the Mountain jersey at the Husky in 6 weeks time. |
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Thursday, 03 May Property One offer luxurious and affordable holiday lettings in the Jervis Bay/Nowra area, perfect for families or groups of mates travelling down to compete at the 2012 Stevens Bikes Husky 100.
Property One is happy to support the riders at this years Husky 100 with the following offers:
Now you can book your accommodation for the Husky 100 with confidence and peace of mind. Get in contact with Antonia at Property One and organise your accommodation soon, and tell them iAdventure sent you!
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