Singletrack Mind Series

The Chocolate Wrapper - Event Report, SRAM Singletrack Mind Series Round 4

Dear Singletrackers

Needless to say really, but we were studying the forecasts in minute detail in the lead up to Round 4, even regularly phoned locals for reports, as naturally we were concerned about the possibility of a wet race or calling a postponement with plenty of notice. However, our experience from living in this area, combined with the advice of the Southern Highlands Cycle Club, told us that as long as it didn’t rain on Sunday itself the track would dry out nicely, little or no damage would be done, and competitors would still have a fine day out on the fantastic Wingello singletrack. Thankfully, for once the weather forecast was fairly correct and, despite a damp start, Sunday turned out fine and the sun even poked its head through the clouds for most of the day!

Thanks to you all for being such great sports as you trudged through the quagmire that was the Event Centre to register! Thankfully the trails were nowhere near as boggy but we understand that a few might have been put off racing from this initial impression. We’re also grateful for your understanding of the course featuring a couple of km of extra fireroad due to us relocating the Event Centre from the impossible-to-reach airstrip, our original site. Of course, we’ll do our best to deliver more singletrack and less fireroad at the next event ;-)

And to those of you who stayed in bed, turned up only to retreat to the safety of the local café without riding, or took your Chocolate Foot too literally and turned up with two right shoes (yes, this was the excuse of a certain rider who shall remain nameless): just look at the fun you missed out on!

Congratulations to all the category winners and place getters for their incredible efforts, and who walked away with around $12,000 in cash and prizes from our fantastic sponsors SRAM, Avid, RockShox, Truvativ, Leyzne, Merida, NZO, Hammer Nutrition, Jimmy Jack wine, Aussie Butt Cream, Kenda, Mountain Biking Australia magazine and Muc-Off! And congratulations also to Kate Power, who’ll be benefiting from the vast experience of The Body Mechanic with her Bikefit prize worth $330, Rhys Flahive, the lucky winner of the $1500 Merida prize, and Mitch Codner who headed home with new bling for his bike, an Avid Elixir XO brakeset worth $700!

A big thanks goes out to our awesome event sponsors who were there on the day: Castech Sports Technology for their fantastic timing service with massive scoreboard, results café, and live to the web results. SRAM and City Bike Depot provided awesome tech support, and a shiny fleet of Merida demo bikes (which didn’t remain shiny for long!). Many of you sought the advice of The Body Mechanic Blair Martin on bike setup, stretching and physio, Mountain Biking Australia magazine provided free copies of their magazines, and  we must make special mention of Gaz from Muc-Off who worked tirelessly all day long helping keep your drivetrains clean and lubed with the fantastic range of products from Muc-Off!

Results, Photos & Reports

Preliminary results and updated Series Points are up on the website. In the Series Points, we currently have ties for the top spot in two categories – Female Solo and Mixed Pairs, and there are only two points separating the top two teams in Male Threes! And since we’re now half way through the Series, it’s a good time for teams to revisit rule#27 regarding rider substitutions for Series Points. Please also note that you need to use the same team name each event to keep earning points.

As always, event photographer Dave Bateman got some incredible shots, and event crew member Josh Nicholson kindly shot the action from the children’s race. Check them out in the Gallery. We’ve posted a couple of event reports on the website and also a summary of comments received from competitors, supporters and event services – thanks to all that have sent kind words, we in turn would like to thank all of you for the great vibe on and off track.

Event Crew

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who assisted in the successful running of the event:

• Southern Highlands Cycling Club – Meg Patey, Brendan Den, John Lascelles, and the rest of the dedicated crew from SHCC who helped make Round 4 a fantastic experience.
• Course Marshals – thanks to all the fantastic marshals from SHCC who were out there on the course cheering you on!
• Riders – As always, we’ve received great feedback on the fun vibe and politeness of other riders, we’re totally stoked that you guys are doing your best to obey Rule # 31! We also heard plenty of tales of Good Samaritans, and we thank you for putting aside your race to assist a fellow rider.
• Wingello P&C – for providing such great food and for being a fun crew to have along!
• Espresso Mobile Cafe – for just being there, need we say more?
• St John Ambulance – Who tended to your bumps and scrapes all day in less than ideal conditions!
• Volunteers – We couldn't have done this without our wonderful volunteers! Special shout out goes to Josh, Liss and Jason who never complain about the 5am start and help keep the event ticking smoothly all day … and to the crew who helped us pack up while daylight still remained – Sean, Lachie, Pete, Bob and Big Dog – you’re all awesome!

Transponder return

Did you find an orange timing chip attached to your fork leg when you got home? Oops! If you did, please pop it in a tuff bag or wrapped in bubble wrap and post to:

Castech Sports Technology
PO Box 219, Wahroonga NSW 2076

Lost and Found

We can't help you find your lost fitness or "mad bike skillz" but if you lost some gear at the race we might just have it here. We’ve got a pump, a gore-tex coat, and a few tyre levers, so get in touch if you think you’re missing something.

Jimmy Jack Wines – Free Freight in August

There’s still a few days remaining to take advantage of the offer of free freight from James Estate on all their wines, including Jimmy Jack. Order at www.jamesestatewines.com.au or simply give Jacqui a call on 02 6547 5168 (valid for orders delivered within Australia). And, if you click ‘Like’ on their Facebook page today, you’ll be in the draw to win a six-pack of yummy spring wines!

Hammer Nutrition Special Offer

Don’t forget that, as a competitor in the SRAM Singletrack Mind Series, Hammer Nutrition offer a 15% discount off their fine products purchased on their website. Purchase the products online then proceed to the checkout cart. Insert the code CHOC FOOT into the coupon section, check out, and your discount will be applied.

Putting our best foot forward …

We’re heading to Mount Annan this weekend to help buff up the new section of trail that’ll be part of the course for Singletrack Mind Series Round 5 on 18 September. More volunteers are needed for trail work, for this weekend and also during the week – email Dan Bishop on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to assist. Entries are coming in thick and fast for this round, and no wonder, it’s a great venue! If you’re staying overnight (yes, there is camping available), the venue is hosting Cinema Under the Stars on Saturday night. We look forward to seeing you there – and don’t forget, each entry to the Singletrack Mind Series gives you another chance to win the $3000 Golden Ticket!

That's it for the Chocolate Wrapper, our event wrap-up and again we'd like to thank everyone for contributing to the success of Round 4. We really look forward to delivering more great days out on the bike!

Cheers

Joe & Fi