Across the weekend Wingello State Forest, in the Southern Highlands of NSW, turned on perfect winter weather and set the perfect stage for performers taking part in both the Night and Matinee 3 Ring Circus mountain bike races.
The Night Performance (Saturday 26th)
Over 100 riders blazed a trail of light in the forest for 3 rings making up 20km of combined single track and fast fire road riding. Guy Frail took the win in 54:24, followed closely by Brad Morton in second (54:58) and Stu Adams, riding his rim with a flat for the final kilometres, in third (58:42). Mel Nuttall took the women’s race in 1:10, saying it was a little harder than she’d anticipated navigating the single track in the dark. Heidi Whalley claimed second in 1:13, and Leah Childs third.
The Matinee Performance (Sunday 27th)
The main event saw around 500 riders ready to find out if their rehearsals would result in the performance of a lifetime (or the weekend at least). Heading the field was a strong men’s line up including Shaun Lewis, Anthony Shippard, Ed McDonald, James Downing, Jack Lavis and Sebastian Jayne, along with the Night performance’s Guy Frail and Brad Morton ready to make it a double act.
The top riders kept the racing tight, with Jack Lavis making a break in the third and final ring to take the win ahead of an incredible sprint finish that saw Anthony Shippard finish ahead of Shaun Lewis by the smallest of margins.
Anthony Shippard: “Jack made a break and we really did think we’d be able to pull him back in on climbs, but we couldn’t. He did it alone out front. It was a good ride by him.”
Jack Lavis: “It was just awesome fun. The new single track is beautiful. Tactically, I sat in with the group and then managed to drop them on the climb. I put my head down and time-trialled it home.”
In the women’s field, Rachel Blakers was first across the line in 2:34, with Wendy Stevenson taking second (2:39) and Mel Nuttall (2:43) backing up for a third in the Matinee, following her win the previous evening.
Mel Nuttall: “My legs felt OK this morning, but the undulating hills of the red lap soon start to wear you down. It was a great race though, I really enjoyed it.”
The introduction of some new Wingello State Forest single track was a popular inclusion, with most riders commenting that they really enjoyed the challenge of the new trails.
With a weekend of stunning racing finished, performers slowly left the stage, and the Big Top was packed away and grease paint removed from faces for another year.