2014 Interwinter @ You Yangs

Riding the You Yangs Trails has been on my MTB bucket list for quite a while. I was hoping to have crossed it off the list before venturing out for Round 3 of the Interwinter MTB series, however the weeks kept ticking by and the opportunity never presented itself.

From Parks Victoria

The distinctive granite peaks of the You Yangs rise from the flat volcanic plains between Melbourne and Geelong.

The You Yangs is a fantastic park for mountain biking. It has two mountain biking areas with over 50 kilometres of exciting trails catering for riders of all ages and ability.

From Wikipedia

The name “You Yang” comes from the Aboriginal words Wurdi Youang or Ude Youang meaning “big mountain in the middle of a plain”.

Race 3 of the Interwinter series consisted of 3 races starting off with a Cross Country, followed by a pairs Time Trial and then an Eliminator race to finish you off.

I met up with Richard and Sean nice & early to get a couple of practice laps in before the racing got underway. The trails were in sensational condition and in no doubt thanks to Parks Victoria, via money raised by the Geelong Mountain Bike Club from donations and a percentage from race entry fees, to make it so.

Great burms, pave sections, some tight twisty wooden boards, elevated platforms and the fast sweeping decsent skirting the quarry were magical. The XCO race was heading along the Dam Wall and down the Lactic Acid Trail which was flagged as being “difficult”. We had a look at this and yes.. there was some tricky rocky sections which was going to make racing very interesting.

Just before completing the first practice lap, I managed to kick up a branch which wedged into my back wheel and ripped out a couple of spokes. I couldn’t believe it and was pretty disappointed that my MTB race was over before it had even started. I managed to limp back to race central to see if there were any bike shops setup who could help me out in my moment of need. No luck there. The MC then made a plea over the PA system on my behalf. One kind chap came forward. The kind chaps name was John and he was from the Geelong MTB Club and was helping run the show. My luck had definitely changed as the replacement wheel popped in nicely & I was soon back out on the course doing another practice lap.

After the flack I received from my effort in C Grade at Castlemaine, I thought it would be wise & appropriate to have a crack at B Grade. I kind of thought the other blokes who also placed in C Grade at Castlemaine would too have been bumped up a grade, however Nigel and my good buddy Sean managed to slip under the radar of the handicapper.

In B Grade we had 52 starters and we were to do 3 laps of the 8km XCO course. When the bell rang to get us underway, there was the usual flurry off the front as Corry Mitchell, Brodie Gardner and Adam Blazevic were looking for the hole shot. Meanwhile I had a relatively easier start and was happy to find MTB guru Steve Munyard‘s wheel & cruise up the first part of the climb. Once we got to the top it was a drag race where I was passed by a couple of riders including Karen Hill and triple World Solo 24Hour Age Group Champion, Craig Peacock.

As we turned down lactic acid, my main concern was to stay right side up and those that passed me were well and truly away and no longer in sight. The intensity had definitely been switched up a couple of notches and we were now racing for sheep stations.

The 2nd lap was a hard slog and I managed to get thru it without being passed, however I did not catch anyone either. It looked like the pecking order had been sorted.

On the third lap I started to come good and managed to catch Michael Fautley on an uphill section and soon after that we reeled in Ash Lehmann. We were having a good 3 way battle however once we hit the decsent and technical section Michael found his second wind and left us for dead. Michael put 30 seconds into us in less than half a lap to finish in 13th place, while I only just managed to hold off Ash for 14th.

Up head it was Corey and Brodie who came in 1st & 2nd with a 4minute gap back to Adam. Steve & Karen were having a ding dong battle where Steve prevailed and avoided the honour of being “chicked”. An honour Karen was able to bestow onto 42 other blokes.

For the pairs time trial, I was matched up against Michael and similar to the XCO we started with an up hill section and I knew I needed to get some breathing space if I was to have any chance of finishing with Michael. The first climb was nasty and aptly name “Vomit”.

By the time I got to the top of Vomit, I couldn’t see Michael, however Ash and his partner John Petersen had already closed down the 20 second gap to me. We were going along OK, however Michael was simply flying the down hill section and quickly caught us up, passed us and setting a cracking pace. We caught back up to Michael on lead into the Quarry and the 4 of us ended up finishing together. The overall rankings did shuffle around a bit, with Michael & I earning one spot. Probably more due to Steve missing his start and Craig missing a turn off.

Group of 6 riders raced the Eliminator over a twisty little CX style source followed with some single track and then a 100 meter dash to the line where the first two riders go thru the next round, while the others can hand in their race plate in exchange for a sausage. A good fast start is vital and winning the hole shot in most cases meant you were going to win the race. In my race I struggled off the line and was eliminated in the first round which freed me up to take some pics.

The Eliminator final, for B Grade, was contested by Michael, Adam, Corey & Matt Stephens. Michael won the start and true to form won the race. Adam chased hard, however it was Corey who timed his run home best to take 2nd, followed by Matt with Adam roiling thru for 4th.

Overall it was Corey who won the round for B Grade with Adam in 2nd and Brodie 3rd.

Both Sean and Richard went well in C Grade and it was great to meet new Warrandyte Mountain Bike Club member Rob Twigg. Sean made the Eliminator final, however it was Nigel who rode it out for a solid win.

Jane Ollerenshaw had a good day which included a win in the Womens Eliminator final.

Plenty of excitement in the A Grade, with Tasmin Lewis sliding out and team mate Chris Hamilton getting up for the win.

Big thanks to Geelong Mountain Bike Club for hosting the event and in particular John who helped me out in my moment of need. Also thanks to Benidgo Mountain Bike Club for some great pics.

See also:

• Overall Results
• My Pics
• Bendigo Mountain Bike Club Photos