Want to give mountain bike orienteering a go?

[marvin le rouge]

Mountain bike orienteering provides a great opportunity to take in some different parts of the bush in WA, test your riding skills and legs, and engage your brain at the same time.

The first event of what will be an exciting 2015 mtbo (6 race) state series is being held on Sunday 12 April. The event will be held in the Jarrahdale State Forest, just off the Brookton Highway behind Roleystone. The short and medium courses are intended to be fast riding on firetracks. Great effort has been made to avoid any problematic pea gravel (although at the expense of some moderate hills). The longer course is more challenging, both in terms of hills and navigation.

You can come either for some fast racing against the clock (with no rider hold ups) or else take a more leisurely ride through the bush tracks while solving the navigational riddle.

Courses: Short (6.9 kms straight line, 10kms actual riding) - Map provided is based on Roleystone 1:10000
Medium (13.0 kms straight line, 20 kms actual riding) - Map provided is based on Roleystone 1:15000
Long (18.8 kms straight line, around 30 kms actual riding) - Map provided is based on Roleystone 1:15000

Entry costs $10 for OAWA members or $20 for non-members
Bring: Sportident electronic tag (for registering controls) and mapboards if you have them (but both of these are also available for hire - and will be free for non-members on the day with deposit - bring some gaffa tape to protect your handlebars), bike, sunscreen and plenty of water if the temperature is over 25 degrees.

Registration: Starts: 9:00 am
Course times: opens 9:30 am and closes at 1:00 pm

Facilities: There are toilets at the Springdale Park Oval facilities. Assembly area will be either adjacent to the club rooms (or else on the service road by the main oval gate if there is footy on).

Directions: The assembly area is adjacent to the Springdale Park Oval, on Springdale Rd, Roleystone. Springdale
Rd is off Chevin Rd, 50 metres west of the junction where Chevin Rd meets the Brookton Hwy. One way to get there is to head out the Brookton Highway, go through Roleystone, turn left into Chevin Road, and immediately turn right into Springdale Road.

For more details see

http://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/2528" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or
http://perthmtb.asn.au/node/50437" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Thoglette]

The short and medium courses are intended to be fast riding on firetracks. Great effort has been made to avoid any problematic pea gravel (although at the expense of some moderate hills). The longer course is more challenging, both in terms of hills and navigation.

So are CX bikes welcome?

[mikedufty]

Any kind of bike is welcome.
Last year's event on the same map had lots of deep soft pea gravel and sand, which are probably even less fun on a CX than an MTB, but they say they've managed to avoid that on this year's courses.

They have map boards for hire, which are set up for mtb bars but should be workable with drops. At worst you'd have to make do without a board and put the map in and out of a pocket.

There are some nice tracks around there, and not a place many people would normally ride outside of MTBO.

I think they've promised to leave out the up and down the scarp 3 times legs from the State champs there a few years ago.

[marvin le rouge]

CX bikes very welcome - Dufty's in the know.

There is no escarpment in this section of the Park and virtually no pea gravel on the short and medium courses (that is, always a hard line to ride on, unless you are off the optimum route) - I reckon you would therefore make time on a cx bike on many legs. However, I'd strongly recommend tubeless and as low a pressure possible.

Map boards for a cx bike - an option is to cut yourself a foot square of stout cardboard (double overlay, or better still, plastic cardboard) and cable tie that to the handlebars - then use small bulldog clips to hold the map on to the board. If it is not raining, this should work well. If it is raining - cover the lot with a large ziplock bag and cable tie inside it. Then you can fold the map inside the ziplock bag.

[HappyHumber]

Map boards for a cx bike - an option is to cut yourself a foot square of stout cardboard (double overlay, or better still, plastic cardboard)

plastic cardboard aka. corflute and a few other registered trademarky type names. It's the stuff you see little folding road side signs made out of . Also, real estate signs these days and small advertising placards for shops. You can buy plain white sheets of the stuff at Bunnings, but if you sniff around a little, you can pick up an old unwanted sign from out of a shop skip or similar for free.

[just4tehhalibut]

You'll find that a lot of the corflute signs on street corners and traffic islands are not council-approved therefore illegal and considered littering. So these are fair game. There's even some big billboards on the Forrest Hwy that are illegal but on private property so leave those alone.

I do not have shares in any signwriting company.

[just4tehhalibut]

Been checking out the website but obviously you won't be posting up a course, apart from the start point it won't be clear until the event itself where riders will go. So, how spectator-friendly will this be?

(I have to run another event on the same day but could change that date and watch this instead, if there's much to see.)

[marvin le rouge]

Probably not very spectator friendly. just a bunch of people riding in all sorts of directions at various times. That is because 1) riders start every 2 mins as a staggered start 2) there is usually route choice so people go in different directions 3) there are three different courses (short medium long) with different routes and 4) people get off the optimum route.

[marvin le rouge]

Given the apparent cx bikes interest - I'd like to see how they go - so I am offering 12 Rogers stubbies as first prize for the fastest cx around the short course, and 6 Heineken for the second fastest cx (assuming they complete the course correctly).

Would it be correct to define a cx bike as having tyres less than 33mm in width, and no suspension?

[marvin le rouge]

Well the CX bikes prize offer stands - I will make it that a bike qualifies as cx if it has drop handle bars - irrespective of tyre width or suspension or not.

I was up there today and it is perfect cx terrain - a few puddles but otherwise mostly hard bush tracks with nicely rain packed gravel berms here and there.

The facilities are swish - undercover registration at the Springdale Park Pavilion:

http://www.roleystone.net.au/event-cale ... -park.html

[Thoglette]

I was up there today and it is perfect cx terrain - a few puddles but otherwise mostly hard bush tracks with nicely rain packed gravel berms here and there.

Can't make it - hope you all have fun

[mikedufty]

We got CX ish weather, a few good showers during the event, but didn't see any drop bar bikes.
Details of the course here
http://thebeatentrack.org/map.php?id=2528" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
You need to select a course in the box lower left for anything to show up.
I managed to just avoid riding off the edge of the map (medium).

[marvin le rouge]

Wow!

BTW, the next MTBO is Pickering Brook on Sunday 17 May. I'll be bringing along that beer again for the first and second drop handlebar bikes. I think CX might be the perfect weapon (CXO?) so it would be good to see someone hitting out on one.

Interestingly, we had a couple of guys with I think more road experience turn up at Roleystone (on mtb), coming a very impressive second and third on the medium course respectively. Just goes to show what a decent set of legs can do.