The Convict 100 is one of Australia’s longest running mountain bike marathons, and it’s the closest marathon to Sydney, Australia’s most populous city. The hamlet of St Alban’s plays host to the iconic race run by Max Adventure, with riders setting off early in the morning, returning in as little as four hours later, even for the full course, after tackling sections of the Convict Trail and other fire trails, farm roads and back roads in the area.
The funny thing about the Convict 100 is that while it’s a popular marathon, and a good result there is very prestigious – there’s not really any singletrack in the race. And mountain bikers love singletrack. Instead, there are sections of the Convict Trail that may be 3 or 4 metres wide, with just one clear line over the jumble of rocks. Or you may be faced with a myriad of line choices while tackling multiple step ups on a sea of tumbling sandstone ledges. So while you may not be carving corners in the trees, you’ll need to make sure you can tackle the technical elements that punctuate the 97km course in 2023. In 2023 the event falls on Saturday May 6th.
That’s right, there have been a few course changes of late, and in 2023, 97km will be the full course, with 67km and 41km course options too. You can even race the two longer courses on an eMTB if you like, and there are all sorts of categories to enter, from Elite to age groups, singlespeed and cyclocross (gravel). Get all the entry details online. But let’s take a look at the courses for 2023.
Convict 100 97km course
This is new for 2023, but features some classic Convict country. The start and finish is in St Albans, and riders head north out of town and into a river crossing on the left soon after. If you’re not first in, expect to be off and running – although this will depend on the water depth. Even so, you may be best to run the sandy exit.
On exit you go left and head south along the river, taking aim at the infamous kayak bridge. This will be super fast, and positioning will be important for the bridge. Will it be two planks? Three? Four? Let’s see!
You’ll be exiting the kayak bridge fairly spaced out, but now is the time to be sticking to your nutrition plan. Do you need to use the aid station? Skipping it to get a small gap may reap an early reward, but punish you later on. You’ll pedal back up the river, past St Albans, and turn right. This whole sections is fast on dirt road with some sealed sections. But you’ll be climbing once you turn, with the hills and climbing stacked into the back section of the 97km route.
You’ll likely be solo by the top of this climb, but latch onto anyone you can, as the route trends down with many pinch climbs from here, including going past the second aid station. Don’t forget to stick to your nutrition plan here! The aid stations have fruit, water, Tailwind Nutrition, lollies and salty potatoe chips. And first aid kits.
You’ll descend to the Great North Road and things start to get a little more technical, but that is wholly dependant on recent grading on the route. As you climb up, you’ll notice that there will be one good line, and in the sections where it plateaus off a bit, it can be insanely fast in a good group of 3 or 4 riders here, riding at warm speed in a blur of Gymea Lillies.
After descending past Clares Bridge, you make your way to 10 Mile Hollow and the third aid station. Now it’s time to climb again. It’s a reasonable climb up the Western Commisioners Track, before turning onto 8 mile track which can be pretty rough, but still fast when you read the trail well. A fast and loose descent back into farm land awaits, then hit the afterburners for the final push. It’s about 14km with a few small climbs, so don’t forget to leave something in the tank!
Convict 100 61km course
This one looks like a great route, being one big lap without the river crossing or kayak bridge early on. So if you’re not sure about the extra length, and the river crossings – this one’s for you!
Out of the blocks, this course is going to be fast, following the river upstream until you turn into the bush and the climbing begins. Overall, you don’t do much less climbing than the 97km event considering the shorter distance, but it’s no walk in the park. This course should be very popular, with no bottlenecks to slow you down.
For those racing for the win, you should expect a sub 3 hour race time on this one, depending on the conditions. There’s 2 feed stations on this route, and using them wisely will make the difference between a good day and a great one.
Convict 100 41km course
Short and sweet, this route is perfect for those new to mountain biking and riding off road. You avoid any major climbs, and any serious off road riding. But you do stick beside the river, and take in the challenge of the river crossing (twice!) and the kayak bridge.
Given the route is on high quality dirt roads (save for the river crossing, and on and off the kayak bridge) this route is ideal for anyone exploring the world of dirt on a mountain bike or a gravel bike. It’s no casual roll along the river though, you still need to tackle plenty of small climbs, and they do add up. But the technicality is highly reduced (unless you’re going really, really fast) and you should avoid any bie line ups to be served at the pub!
Why ride the Convict 100?
As one of Australia’s oldest marathon races, the Convict 100 has seen a lot of top riders take the start line and claim line honours. But it’s also been a stand out event for a lot of mountain bikers, and a social gathering as well.
READ: Convict 100 tips from the MarathonMTB.com Team
Away from your time against the clock, it’s easy to make a weekend of the Convict 100, while not neglecting your weekend duties with other friends and family. As a Saturday event, you can plan around an early finish at work on Friday, and drive out to St Albans to camp. There are other accommodation options, or camping tends to run at $10 per vehicle. Set up, kick back, and know that you don’t have to get up at a crazy hour to make the start line, or wait in the ferry queue!
The Convict 100 may be low on singletrack, but it’s got 3 courses so you can find your challenge, and it tackles a route that is historic and quintessentially Sydney-centric. From the landscape to trail features, you wouldn’t think you’re near any other capital. If you’ve done the Convict before, why not come back and test yourself on the new course?