HOT RACING AT THE SNOWIES MTB FESTIVAL
After a year with very few mountain bike events in the southern half of Australia, many riders have been cautiously entering events in the first part of 2021. Those who booked in for the Snowies MTB Festival at Lake Crackenback in the NSW Snowy Mountains were rewarded with three days of great trails and friendly, competitive racing.
The overall format for the Wild Brumby and Brumby stage race at the Snowies MTB Festival changes a little from year to year, but they remain really diverse offerings. On the cards was a race up the Thredbo Valley Trail, a time trial, marathon stage and a time trail style stage down the whole Thredbo Valley Trail – from Friday Flat through to Gaden Trout Hatchery. The Brumby had some slightly shorter courses, but all the same fun.
MUSTERING AT LAKE CRACKENBACK
I hadn’t been on a plane since flying back from Jordan in February 2020, so travelling from Brisbane to the NSW Snowy Mountains felt a little surreal. But it was easy to remember the appeal of travelling to bike events once driving into the NSW Snowy Mountains region, with the clear air, big views, and plenty of familiar faces in and around the event venue at Lake Crackenback Resort.
Stage one kicked off on Friday morning, with riders lined up behind a Snowy Mountains local, with a hat that could tell better pub yarns than most riders on the start line. With the crack of a whip, possibly very close to the front line, we were off. As the elite riders hit the afterburners on the first climb out of the resort, the group of riders was strung out as we entered the Crackenback singletrack.
Twists and turns took us all towards the Thredbo Valley Trail, and already gaps were forced in the front of the races, with Zoe Cuthbert and Bec McConnell locked into battle, and Dan McConnell about to make his strength and experience felt.
At under 20km to Friday Flat, the pace was on, and Dan McConnell won as some light rain fell, with Zoe Cuthbert winning the women’s race, getting away from Bec in the closing kilometres. Adrenaline and endorphin fuelled chatter filled the finish line area, as riders descended back to Crackenback or loaded into vehicles – the afternoon time trial was ahead.
A hot lap around the resort for the afternoon time trial tackled some skills features, flat out trails and riverside flowing singletrack – but it made no real impact on the front of the race.
Overnight the region copped a pounding, with 100mm of rain at Thredbo, and a little less downstream. Still, the river rose a long way, submerging trails and closing the Thredbo Valley Trail which we were due to race. Race organisers In2adventure were quick to hatch a plan, and with the sun out, a modified version of Sunday’s stage was put together, for an afternoon 20km stage. It’s fair to say we had hero dirt, and while lower placings started to shuffle, the leaders jerseys sat firmly on the shoulders of Zoe and Dan.
THE FINAL STAGE, THE FINAL GIFT
The benefit of the rain, fast draining rocky soil and warm alpine sun, is that on Sunday, the trail conditions were all time. We bundled into the shuttle buses in a COVID safe manner, and unloaded at Friday Flat in Thredbo. Each rider would be tackling the whole Thredbo Valley Trail, plus a loop of the Crackenback trails, in a time trial format. So riders went off according to where they were on general classification. Normally in a time trial the slowest go first, and fastest last. But with 20 second gaps and a couple of hundred riders, it was Dan McConnell who would be leading it out, with the rest of us behind him.
The Thredbo Valley Trail is a multi-use, dual direction trail. So riding it at top speed isn’t particularly safe and not great trail ettiquette. Unless it’s a closed course time trial like this. Having ridden the top section I knew where some of the challenges would lie at speed, but the bottom section kept me guessing, with a little more rock, and a few more pinch climbs than I was expecting!
Few people crossed the finish bridge at Gaden Trout Hatchery without a smile on their faces. Zoe Cuthbert and Dan McConnell won the elite events, and full results are on the In2adventure website.
“This is my second time here, these are super fun trails and I really like it here,” said Jon Odams, who was 2nd overall. “Getting to do the whole Thredbo Valley Trail was awesome, it was really fun. It’s a great spot to be, being between Thredbo, Crackenback and Jindabyne. They’re amazing places to be, and its good to ride somewhere different. It’s not really like anywhere else we race.”
Riding this iconic Snowy Mountains trail in this format was an amazing way to close out the event, and an experience I’d love to have again soon. Keep an eye out for the 2022 dates on this one.