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Ourimbah vs Mt Annan - the verdict


staffe's picture

By staffe - Posted on 05 July 2014

There has been some discussion after the Shimano GP event at Ourimbah wether Mt Annan would be as challenging or not with various view put forward.

This unresolved issue were taking over my consciousness and I had to get it resolved so I just had to take one for the team and go and do a thorough assessment and bring closure to this very important matter. Today was the day to do it. No rain for a long time, blue skies, lubed up chain and the camel back full of water.

This discussion was initiated by another rider on this forum who encountered a few challenges as Ourimbah so my study was conducted with a 4 hour solo event in mind.

There are two places where there is an A line and a B line at Mt annan. The first one is a big log with ramps up and down followed by two elevated log rides and a little drop off. Go the A line, the elevated logs are safe to drop off so it is very safe. Then there is a big rock an on approach for the first time you can;t see the ramp behind it. Very safe and unchallenging decent behind it that leads in to a berm and that's all the difficult stuff.

Racing the tracks, for me with appalling skills, is very different. Ourimbah did not allow me to just go cause my technique is shit and I had to hold back all the time not to clip the handle bars or have some sort of stack. Mt Annan felt much easier and I could go as fast as my little legs could propel me. So racing Mt Anna will (at least for me) be much more intense and thus heaps harder.

So the conclusion from me is that Ourimbah is technique constrained but Mt Annan will be fitness constrained.

andyfev's picture

Someone had to do it!! Well done Staffe! Good write-up but I think it goes deeper than just fitness. I would ride each track with the same push for speed but would be quicker at Mt. Annan and not feel as beaten up afterwards. I tend to go relatively quick on the rough stuff which shakes me up a lot.... I really should have bought an all mountain or trails bike but I got an XC one... An expensive mistake that dictates my riding experience.

hawkeye's picture

I thought so too with my Xc race bike purchase but running softer suspension and lower pressure in the tyres has helped restore confidence. Not that I had much ability but a grippier (if slightly slower) front tyre has helped a lot too.

andyfev's picture

@ Hawkeye, must admit I do use highish pressures usually around 30 in the rear (tubeless) and 25-28 upfront (standard tube setup). Given total rider weight of me plus bike plus camelbak and water etc I'm up around the 100kg mark.

I have recently softened the rear suspension and it is more plush. It's more the lines I choose they tend to be rough!

Russh's picture

I wont complain which ever I am riding on but I find the back section on Mt Annan boring. Almost like an after thought to jut get you back the the start of the green run again.................hmmmm but maybe thats just me.

Antsonline's picture

I tend to agree - Annan is a real fitness test, as there is less free-wheeling / coasting. The back third of Ourimbah really can be ridden with very little hard pedalling for almost the same speed. The back end of Annan really requires some pressure on the pedals, and isnt constrained by much of a technical challenge.

I think the first 50% of Annan (until the grassy wide, fast descent) is quite tough technically to go really fast on. You need to be feeling 'perfect' on your bike - from a skills perspective. Often times, the 2nd lap at Annan is faster than the first for that reason.

Good on you for getting out there and testing them out - its the only way to know.

Captain Chunder's picture

Good Summary - i think alot of the confusions about tracks could arise from the use of the work "technical".

As a new MTB rider, i would define "technical" as a track that is difficult to ride around without crashing or needing to unclip on the climbs, things like switch back corners with large rocks and tree roots appearing half way around, drop off's, and climbs up through rocks etc, where its not so much your leg strength that determines whether you will climb up successfully but your ability to manage the bike over these obstacles.

Coming froma road background where when confronted by a hill you just select #1 and sit and suffer, then stand and suffer some more, its the obstacles and traction loss that causes the issues for us novices. Then there are the drops etc, where you are sh1t scared of going over the bars etc - this is what i would call technical.

What i read is that for more experienced MTB'ers technical can mean the ability to complete the track quickly, exact tyre pressures, shock settings etc.

So Staffe - to summarise your report, Mt Annan has WAY less "oh !@#$" moments than Ourimbah for the riders with far less MTB skills - so far less chance of donating blood on the course. But suffer you will as you will be riding/pedalling harder for more of the lap.

Now just to secure a leave pass from the Prime Minister and i will be at Rnd 4!!

Jeff

Hasbeen Racing's picture

The last half of the black section at Mt Annan is finished yet. There are plans to make it single track for the whole section. The current fire trail sections are boring, but they test your fitness.

Mt A definitely not an obstacle course but it does require commitment to go fast.

staffe's picture

moments at Mt Annan but you can go faster.

I personally don't think any part of the track is boring. There is a fast decent over grass that then forms a bit of a fire trail. Charge it and that is an adrenaline rush just as good as any other and then try to maintain momentum through the fire trail before hitting single track again. Managed to get an OK position on the leader board on that fire trail bit which made me really fond of that particular section of the track. Unfortunately that was not the case on any segment featuring obstacles such as berms and turns. Maybe it is a sign I should convert and become a roadie?

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