The coastal NSW town of Port Macquarie is well renown for its touristy drawcards including stunning beaches, coastal rainforests and abundant Koala population. Less well known is the beauty of the close by hinterland around towns such as Wauchope and Beechwood. Very fertile ground has made way for a healthy dairy industry peppered with the odd winery. One such is the Bago Bluff vineyard which is flanked by its namesake, the awe inspiring ‘Bago Bluff’. Looking at this stark limestone mountain it would take a truly hard bike rider to ever imagine to run a bike race up such a landmark! Luckily, Port Macquarie has no shortage of world class bike riders within it’s population to make such a prospect a reality. Port Macquarie is the home town of current road professionals and creators of the ‘Thereabouts’ cycling documentaries Lachlan and Angus Morton. Also hailing from Port Macquarie is 7 time world 24 hour champion Jason English.
The Bago Bluff: A scary sight for XCM racers!
On top of these better known names are local gurus Jamie & Cindy Voegel who are the brains behind ‘Trail Terra’ hosts of the emerging ‘Bago Bluff MTB marathon’. This was the 2nd running of the event, with the first ‘test event’ run earlier in 2016. The race consists of either 1 or 2 laps of a 50km lap with 1600m elevation gain per lap. The word had spread from those attending the first event that this was arguably one of the most difficult marathon MTB courses in the country. Aptly, the race drew twice the numbers to the 2nd event than the first as with most XCM enthusiasts the appeal of the challenge is upmost in the draw of any race. With options of a 1 lap 50km event, a shorter 16km race and the 100km marathon completed as solo or part of a 2 person relay.
After a Buckling Bluff marathon! The author was BUCKLED!
After a 5km start loop encompassing some farm road and a selection of the finely carved singletrack on the grounds of the Bago vineyard the race heads straight UP the Bago Bluff summtiing at close to 1000m above sea level. The climb would be the hardest I have encountered in any XCM race. After finally reaching the top on the first lap, the prospect of having to do it again sent a sense of dread at what lay ahead. Many suffered with many entering either the 50km option or withdrawing after 1 of the 2 laps. However, your hard work is justifiably rewarded as the descent is a mix of fast fire trail, dirt road and some AMAZING, flowy, fast singletrack back down the mountain, there are a few more climbs to keep you honest before the final 5km of singletrack to the finish. The race was taken out by Jason English of PIVOT/JetBlack with former roadie from Italy Manolo Zanella in 2nd, I held on for 3rd myself after a 2nd lap that nearly ended me. HUGE respect to Max Richardson coming home in 4th on a singlespeed!! A true hard man effort on such a course. Charlie McCabe took out the women’s 100km event wearing her competitors down to be the only one to finish in the heat of the day.
Top 3 for the 100km event. 1st-Jason English (Jet Black/Pivot) 2nd- Marco Zanella (Campos) 3rd- Justin Morris (Subaru-MarathonMTB.com)
Reflections on the Bago Bluff XCM
This is a race deserving to become a classic in the Australian XCM calendar. A truly HARD race, with a mix of old school fire trail smash fest and new technical and flowy singletrack sections. The Trail Terra crew do a great job of hosting the event, conveniently located on a winery for post race recovery beverages and a pass time for spectators. Local massage services were on hand to assist the buckled bodies crossing the finish line and a bevy of friendly volunteers all bonded together to make the event a success. The plan is for the race to be held early September annually from 2017. Get this one on your list for a truly HARD day in the saddle that you will never forget!
