The Dirt Works 100km Classic should be on the calender of any Marathon Mountain Bike Racer who lives within cooee of St Albans. In my mind, it represents almost everything that any good Australian Mountain Bike Marathon should have.
1. A quality field: Thanks to being part of the new Real Insurance XCM Series, all the fast guys are turning up to the races, andmost of the field are hoping to have a good overall result to maintain their ranking. Better racers make better races.
2. An Interesting course: This is probably down to personal interpretation, but I like the DW100 course. The start lets things settle, and the first climb is non-technical, but highly decisive. Can’t climb? You probably won’t do amazingly well. For 1% of the race, the climb makes a difference. But the course isn’t a course with a lot of climbing. It also involves history, with the Old North Road. Andy Blair (Swell-Redshift) put it well in 2008, part-way through that years TransAlp:
“That was a great climb. It was historic. That trail is something I would have come here to ride as a tourist. Racing over it was mad.”
He was referring to the Forcola Pass above Bormio, which had been used extensively in both World Wars. But the section of the Old North Road is similar – it takes you somewhere, as was intended. It’s not a lap, it’s a journey that many people have taken.
3. Feed Stations. Yeah, it’s about self support and exploration… but having feed stations is highly enjoyable. Be it for a bottle hand up, a refill, a handul of lollies or a gel, or even just a high five from an event volunteer – I rate feed stations. And for the record, Eastern Swiss Marathons are usually still the best, followed by Austria.
4. An early start. Lots of people will hate me for saying this, but I prefer an earl start for a Marathon. Why not just get it out of the way? The first hour always sucks, but by the time you’re through this, you have warmed up, found your place in no mans land, and are absolutely buzzing! I’d much rather do this inthe morning than in the middle of the day.
2011 was my fourth attempt at the Dirt Works 100km Classic. Luck and form had served me well in 2010, with a last minute entry secured while still trying to get home post-volcano madness. Then the form gained from that trip got me to about the 60km mark in a good position, until my talent and ability ran dry.
So for this year I was uneasy and uncertain. The stakes are certainly higher with the XCM Series. At the start, chatting with hitters Shaun Lewis, Matt Fleming and Hamish Elliot, I was confident of staying with the bunch on the flat- but what of the climb? I was lucky to make it up last year, but with the consistent rains of the previous weeks, I was unsure what we would find.
The gun went, and apart from the oncoming traffic (where was the moto lead out?) it was smooth sailing. Until I went sailing out the hoop as we hit the first climb. I flailed, as just about everyone else in the Elite bunch rode past me.
Over the top, with team mate Graeme Arnott ahead, and Nick Both (Swell-Redshift) behind, the choice was clear: get this group together. I sat up a little for Nick, and he was on my in an instant. We started to bridge to Graeme, who was also moving up to a small group infront.
Nick and I discussed who would be up the road. We listed Mather, Lewis, Morris, Downing, English, Shippard, Elliot, Fleming, but were unsure of who else was up there. Regardless, we set about keeping the pace high.
The recently graded trail surface was sapping on the legs. Although not muddy, as you would expect, it was gritty and slow. The slippery clay made some of the descents interesting. Especially on the outside of the corner through the first feed. That’s a silly place to park a car.
On the Old North Road, our group started to get interesting. Gratefully I was still on the strong wheel of Both. He’s a gifted bike handler, and can make most terrain look smooth. Unfortunately it didn’t seem like our group was thinning though. We passed another team mate, Justin Maddog Morris, who had flatted, but was close to being on the way again. His form would see him back on our group soon. Arnott was still in, despite drivetrain problems. And then as quickly as I was comfortable in my position, I was out of contention.
A branch came up from Nicks wheel and tore my hydraulic brake line clear from the lever. To me, this was a bad situation at the 38km mark.
So I bumbled on, trying to judge the right entry speed on any of the rockier descents. I’m sitting here typing this, so I must have been right. Slow, but right. At the 50km point all I wanted was the most direct route back to St Albans, but Hugh and Aaron from CBD were doing mechanical repairs, and were unstoppable. My brake was in one piece in less than 10 minutes.
So my bike was working, the clock had been ticking, but my head wasn’t in it nymore. I tried to get started, but that time has passed. Coming down the gully I was happy to carry on along the road to St Albans. Stopping with True Swain, who was repairing a flat, I found a partner in crime. We tapped past the canoe bridge, and made it to St Albans in time to see Ben Mather take a stunning solo win.
Congratulations to Ben Mather for his stunning win, and all the other Elite racers for making it a great race. Well done to Graeme Arnott, who came in 9th despite a knee injury. And Maddog Morris, finishing 13th with two flat tyres and not enough spares. Great work to all!
Read the race report from fellow MarathonMTB.com racer Justin Maddog Morris on the MarthonMTB.com Race Team Website
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVLGBC0HpyE