You are hereForums / By Discipline / Mountain (off road) / MTB Events / Back Yamma Bigfoot 2011
Back Yamma Bigfoot 2011
We have begun planning for the 2011 Back Yamma Bigfoot. A few improvements and changes are planned, so this will be a great race.
The 2011 event will be held on the 4th September. http://www.backyammabigfoot.com.au/
What is the Back Yamma Bigfoot?
The BYBF is a 25, 50 or 100km MTB enduro in the Back Yamma State Forest. Back Yamma is 20km south east of Parkes, NSW. The race consists of a 50km loop (The Bigfoot) through a relatively flat forest of eucalypts and cypress pine. The course consists of approx. 30km of single track and the rest fire trail. The 25km option (The Little foot) covers the first half of the Bigfoot, while the 100km race (Two Big Feet) consists of two laps of the Bigfoot.
Because of the relative flatness (only 60m between highest and lowest points) of the course, the ride is fast. By all means it's still a tough race, but is ideally suited to those people wanting to step up to their first 50km or 100km race, or those riders wanting to set a personal best time over these distances. Just to give you an idea of how fast it is, the winner of last years 100km event finished in 3hr 47mins. WOW!
The single track is fun, with a few hills to make it interesting. There is a nice big camping ground where everyone can have their own personal camp fire, and camping is free. We are a small club, the Central West Off Road Bicycle Club (CWORBC), and our goal is to offer a good quality, fun event, at a reasonable price. This will be the second year for the event and we have lots of good improvements planned.
We look forward to seeing you out this way in September.
Cheers from the Back Yamma Bigfoot Team
- Login to post comments
- Bookmark & share
Thoroughly enjoyed last years race Chris.
Good to see it's on again this year, I just need to shuffle a few things and I should be there again. I'd thoroughly recommend it to anyone here from first time racers to hardened vets. Like Chris says, its a good quality, fun event at a reasonable price..... in a lovely part of the world.
CB
Did the 50 last year, had a lot of fun. Great vibe. Aiming to do the 100 this year.
Entries will open on Monday the second of May at 9:00am. We are finalising entry prices this week, but sure to be similar to last year. Entry numbers have been increased from 300 to 400.
We have expanded the range of categories available and will now include three age categories, Junior (under 18), Open and Masters (40+). We are also including a single speed category for the 50km and 100km.
yeah reckon I'll have a crak at the 50, sounds like a great event.
i am very interested in this one, but how far is it from newcastle
So how flat is flat? From a Single Speed perspective?...Is 32:16 ok? or will I have to go down to 32:14 so I dont wind my legs off?
You are looking at 6+ hrs from Newcastle depending on stops, traffic, route etc
Can either head across to Dubbo then down or down to Sydney and across through Orange.
There is only 70m between the highest and lowest points. It's not completely flat, more rolling low hills. Not sure about your gear ratio, but there are only a couple of short steeper hill climbs, and plenty of flat peddling.
Sasquatch has put together a list of activities to entertain the entire family over the weekend of the 3rd and 4th of September. Apart from the three different race lengths, the following activities will make a great family weekend away: Astronomy viewing night (Saturday night), kids bicycle skills workshop (Sunday), a variety of local tourists attractions (all weekend). For more details see http://www.backyammabigfoot.com.au/
Back Yamma Bigfoot Race Entry now posted - click the star if you're coming.
http://nobmob.com/node/21281Mod. here http://nobmob.com/node/19196
Great opportunity to organise car pools....
We'll the take the whole family....this is also a great opportunity to 'race' for younger riders and S.O.'s
attend this one as my brother & his son had a blast there last year , I am going back under the knife for my finger at the end of this month so I will see how training goes after the op.
A nice video of last years race by trailflix -
http://youtu.be/TyVftBSLc9g
The event schedule is now available on the Back Yamma website. www.backyammabigfoot.com.au
We’ve been busy designing a new set of jerseys and t-shirts for the 2011 race, and we think they look fantastic. We have also designed a stylish and debonair drink cooler; perfect for looking great whilst undergoing some post-race re-hydration! These are now available for purchase in the Back Yamma Bigfoot Store. www.backyammabigfoot.com.au/shop
Entries for the 2011 Back Yamma Bigfoot will close at 5pm on the 22nd August. Around 50 entries are remaining from the total of 400.
We are finalising the 2011 course and will have map showing the new and improved course soon.
Hey guys, considering doing my first event and am wondering how difficult 100km is? This will be my first event as i said so im a bit skeptical weather i should do the 50km or just jump right in and do the 100km. Im by no means the fittest or fastest rider out there.
So i guess im just asking for everyones experience.
Thanks everyone.
Best question to ask is, have you ever rode 100km? If yes then go for it, you can always drop out at the 50km mark if your not keen on the second lap.
Never ridden 100km. I've ridden 50km but not in a race / marathon format. With a bit of training i think ill be alright. As you said, i can always drop out.
Jono
100km is mind over body. You are young enough and fit enough, but you have to have the right attitude to finish the 100 kms.
Apparently it is a relatively flat course, so do some 70+ km rides and you know you will be able to get through. Let's face it if you are 75 km through it's going to take you at least 25 km to get back to the start anyway.
Keep a positive attitude and focus on the end goal. If you are thinking now that you will have a back up plan of dropping out at the 50 km mark that is exactly what you will do. Stay positive stay focused. As I say to my 7 year old - there is no such word as can't !
My 2 cents !
in practice, then treat your first 100 as a ride rather than a race.
I was working full time when I did my first 100, so training was limited to a few short rides on mornings mid week and a few longer weekend rides. I'd done a few 50's and 12 hr team events and knew from my pace that 100 km meant 7+ hours on the bike. I got to 5-6 hrs a few times on the weekends in practice, so the first 100 was a stretch, but after about 75kms you can more or less just roll it in (as long as it's not the Angry Doctor).
The other things to work out are nutrition / hydration. I found that I can't do that sort of distance / time on gels alone, so usually took some banana cake or banana bread to eat at the halfway point. A few gels on the run either side and plenty of fluid and that was all I needed. For 100kms I took a 3 litre hydration pack with dilute electrolyte drink and topped it up with whatever electrolyte drink was available at the halfway feed station, or water if they'd run out (there are some food / hydration issues with relying on the provided stuff, especially if you're towards the back of the field). Warm electrolyte drink tastes crap on a hot day, but it includes carbs as well as salts and H20, so it is worth persevering with. I find with bottles that I don't drink enough and my last couple of bikes have had the second bottle studs under the down tube near the bottom bracket - impossible to reach and likely to get covered in crap or crushed in a log roll over. So I recommend a hydration pack over bottles unless you're aiming to be at the pointy end of the field.
Either way, doing a few longer rides in practice gives you the chance to work out what you can stomach and still churn out the km's, how much fluid you need and the best delivery system.
I use a larger type hydration pack for the 100's (Camelback Blowfish), so there's room for food, spares, tools, phone, lounge chair. Well, most of that.
I also take a small amount of chain lube and a rag. Some events have chain lube available at feed station, but I'm not sure about the Back Yamma. Whether its dusty or wet, some lube at the mid point makes the bike feel a bit smoother and easier to pedal. Mentally, that can help a lot.
The other thing I recommend is some chamois cream - I don't slather it all over my chamois like some blokes do, but after a few longer rides, you can work out where you are most prone to chaffing and you need to make sure you are well creamed up in those spots. It's hard to keep spinning away when your legs AND your butt want you off the bike.
Depending on how much you sweat and how hot it is likely to be, something to ward off cramping is also worth thinking about. I use magnesium tablets (available from your local supermarket), but only really have problems with cramp when its really hot and I don't hydrate enough. Again, you need to do a few longer rides under various conditions to work out what is best for you.
At your age it all should be relatively easy, provided you pace yourself and don't try to stay with too fast a bunch. One of the good things about the point to point enduros is that you end up riding amidst people who are mostly similar pace, so it can feel a bit more relaxed than the circuit type races where you are regularly trying to keep up with / get out of the way of faster riders. In the point to point races, once you get a feel for how you are going, you can decide to pick it up a bit or ease it back.
And as the Back Yamma is supposedly pretty flat, it should be a great place to start. I've given up doing 100's, but will be out there for the 50 and I'm looking forward to it.
Good luck!
Last year the trail was quite loose. I'm not sure how much difference a year will have made, but the bulldust was amazing - like talcum powder, and would just hang in the air. Off the 50km start I was with the lead group but had to let them go because I couldn't see a thing, not even the Garmin on my stem.
Given that the trail is 2 different 25km loops, I'm guessing the dust won;t have been swept away and the track will be similar, so a front tyre that penetrates would be a good choice. I know Brian likes his Crossmarks, but I'd suggest something a little more aggressive on the front would be a good idea.
Also, you'll be told in the safety briefing but don't run off the singletrack in the meadows. Ever! There are things lurking in the undergrowth that like to bite mountain bikers!
This is a really good fun race, you'll have a great time. Given that (I'm assuming) you've not been doing any formal training or had a chance to work out your nutrition plan yet, I reckon give the 50km a go first up.
When are the entry's due by? Because i guess that makes a big difference to see how much training i can get in. Thanks for all the good advice guys, i no im talking to some seasoned veterans here
At the moment thou i reckon ill be able to do 10km before i die. Haven't been able to look at my bike for the last 2 months, hsc is taking its toll on me.
Thanks again..
Download the official course map http://www.backyammabigfoot.com.au/wp-content/up...
Most of the track was marked today. Looking good to ride.
Chris, will you be posting entry lists so we can see how many entrants there are in each category?
Looking forward to the weekend.
Can't guarantee it. Sorry. I'll try, but the database is held by someone else. I can remember that there is 201 entrants in the 50km, 202 in the 100km and about 50 in the 25km. Not sure about all categories.
I'll see if I can get a hold of the list or at least No. in each category. I'm heading out to Back Yamma to set up camp tomorrow so timing will be the challenge.
Still disappointed that there's no super masters category, but I guess I'll just have to be content with propping up the back end of the Master's group instead....