Sunday 12th December marks the running of the 2010 Felt Alpine Assault, in Victoria’s High Country. The race starts in Falls Creek, Australia’s European style ski village. Falls Creek has recently made a longterm commitment to Australian Mountain Biking, by securing funding to increase the network of trails in the area. It is set to become a hub for great Mountain Bike adventures.
Like most Marathon races, the gun shoots early at 8am. Leaving Falls Creek, racers will face a climb, which is an essential way for mass start races to begin. A climb like the one on offer is the perfect way to sort out the talent in the field, reducing congestion further into the race. This climb tops out at 1781m above sea-level, and descends soon afterwards. The 10km descent to Howmans Gap loses 550m of elevation. Local riders will no doubt use their fitness and trail knowledge to full advantage, and last years winner Paul van der Ploeg could well be in the lead at this point. However it all depends who is there on the day, and who ahs the form. Entries will still be taken on the Sunday morning (see below) so the opportunity for a darkhorse to sneak in is ever present.
A tarmac climb awaits, and this leads into the Paralyzer trail to take you to the days highpoint of of 1871m. With a rough descent to the Big River, racers should keep their eyes on the water levels. High rain fall across this region in recent weeks necessitates prudence at such large river crossings. After some more climbs and descents, the last 4km of the first 67km is along flowing singletrack into Mt Beauty. And now the fun begins!
After the feedzone, the 100km full distance riders head out and up the hill for a 20km round trip. The descent back into town is via the fantastic singletrack – but avoiding the Big Hill downhill course. This is a good way to avoid those ‘late Marathon moments’ that can so often lead to disaster. Revisiting the feedzone, riders head out on the last loop of 13km including a climb, and another fantastic singletrack descent.
Entries are still available via the website, however entries will also be available on the day, although with a late fee. If you are not up to the 100km distance, try the 67km or 15km options for your own personal challenge. Whatever your choice, quality feed stations, a challenging course and outstanding natural splendour all await in Victoria’s High Country. MarathonMTB.com will be there to sample it all, so check back to see results and reports next Monday.