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Convict 100 2013
St Albans, NSW
The Convict 100 is regarded as one of Australia's most challenging mountain bike endurance races, consistently inspiring all entrants to push their personal boundaries.
Now in its ninth year, the course follows the historic Convict Trail through the Dharug and Yengo National Parks. The mix of fast fire trail, technical rock gardens, rocky descents and spectacular ridgeline views is unmatched.by any other MTB event. The Convict 100 starts and finishes in the historic township of St. Albans and competitors can choose between the full "Century of Dirt" or the Convict half.
http://www.maxadventure.com.au/convict100/index....
Blog entries about this meeting (as this is a race standings and times are shown, click on the title for more and to comment)...
| Who | Title | Status | Time | Pos.Gen. | Category | Pos.Cat. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| jp | Convict 50 - Lucky I wore Lycra! | Finished | 02:01:25 | 61 | 50km Male Veteran | 14 |
| Antsonline | Get the F**ker Finished - Convict 100km 2013 | Finished | 04:01:25 | 7 | 100km Male Elite | 7 |
| Dicko | Mentally Challenged !! | Finished | 04:25:06 | 28 | 100km Male Veteran | 6 |
| Tristania | What am I being CONVICTED of? | Finished | 04:31:15 | 24 | 100km Male Open | 4 |
| GAZZA | My Convict Blog, Finally | Finished | 04:32:33 | 26 | 100km Male Veteran | 11 |
| doc | Convict 100 | Finished | 04:33:31 | 27 | 100km Male Veteran | 12 |
| Blades_Utd | Convict 100 - Womerah doesn't get any easier!! | Finished | 04:33:35 | 47 | 100km Male Sub Veteran | 9 |
| Brian | 2013 Convict 100 "Happy Days" | Finished | 04:33:36 | 48 | 100km Male Sub Veteran | 10 |
| ps | Convict 100 - 3rd time lucky | Finished | 04:40:55 | 44 | 100km Male Masters | 5 |
| dangersean | Happily Convicted | Finished | 04:47:08 | 64 | 100km Male Single Speed | 2 |
| jimnobob | Convict 100 | Finished | 04:57:52 | 86 | 100km Male Veteran | 36 |
| staffe | covict 100 | Finished | 05:03:23 | 100km Male Veteran | 44 | |
| obmal | What!! No beer means better times??? | Finished | 05:19:46 | 100km Male Veteran | ||
| xmas | There is no shame in walking | Finished | 05:43:54 | 251 | 100km Male Veteran | 104 |
| Fatboy | Big Hill Bites Back | Finished | 05:51:24 | 288 | 100km Male Veteran | 118 |
Were you there and have a story to tell?
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After only making it to 70km just a tad past 2pm I will be attempting this one again to prove I can do it. And to those who finish it in 6 hours and under just imagine how hard it is for me to be on the bike 7-8 hours
haha. Yeah I'm slow, but I'm going to finish this hopefully this year.
You can do it brother.. I took 8:10 for my first year.
I know that there's more, much more sense of achievement finishing after pushing through over 8 hours.
Don't forget that 8 hours is much better value; $/hours.. these fast basterds are paying like upwards of $30 per hour.. when your on the saddle for 8 hours you really really get your money's worth!
Entries are now open
To enter on my iPad.
Has anyone sucessfully entered yet?
No problems for me. I was on a PC though.
I'm in, it's on. Bring it!
Which one, 50 or 100
Seeing as how a did 2.03hr with no training for the 50 this year, then I really ought to pull my finger out and flog myself for a sub 5 in the 100.
Nice one.
I'm taking a slightly different aproach to my training in 2013.
Will see how it goes???
Hey Phil, sub 5 would be nice
Gotta have a goal Brian.
No Real Insurance Tents this year? Are they no longer a sponsor? Or did they get a slap on the wrist for planting row after row of tents on the town helipad this year? (Sorry Heath)
Speaking of Heath, will we see a return of The Black Flash? I sure hope so, come bury that Demon Heath
I guess they can't offer something until the series is announced. That's assuming there is a series.
Whoever authorised the planting of said tents deserves a lot more than a slap on the wrist.
Along with all the other negligent safety system failures around marshalling, comms and the basics like acting like you give a f**k when you get the news that someone's life is at risk, the organiser is lucky he didn't get to see how worthless his waiver of risk and assumption of liability really is in the courts.
Yes, mountain bike racing is a risk activity. It was the lack of planning, pitiful execution, and lack of interest in the outcome after the risk materialised that highlighted what can only be described as callousness in certain peoples' attitude connected with the organisation of the event. If you're aiming to motivate a judge to exercise his creative intellect in favour of the injured party, I can't think of a better way.
This is one event organiser I'll be avoiding.
I hadn't done the Convict/Dirtworks 100 for a few years. I was disappointed with the organisation and the lack of sponsor tents. Under the Dirtworks days there seem to be a much better presence of manufacturers and more organised. Just my 2 cents worth.
Don't think I'll be making the effort this year.
Evan
This will be my 6th Dirtworks/Convict 100 and the Dirtworks years did feel better represented I must admit. The DW100 was my first ever MTB event and it's responsible for me catching the MTB bug, I never thought I would ever do something like it in a million years. Without it I would be a short lardy hobbit so now I enter it every year.
I'm the same. This was my first 50 and then my first 100 so I'll continue to support it.
Just wish they could find a way to make the 50 a bit more interesting. The constraint of starting and finishing in St Albans limits the options I suppose....
Maybe a second canoe bridge when you come off the downhill when you meet with the road. it chucks you into some paddocks and then you ride to the last water crossing joining up with the 100 course?
They could finish the 50 at the half way point of the 100. That would make it more fun. The only thing with this is you would then have a 30km ride back to St Albans
and that 30km ride will be along the GNR and down Shepherds Gully. It's a win-win!
Havent decided about this yet...
Im not worried about the course, its actually a little boring (50km) and sometimes i wonder why i pay good money to ride fire trails... I get the sentiment part though, my first ëvent"was the Angry Doctor - the year the cyclone tore it appart. Sure, it was a sh1t fight later trying to refund/reschedule etc etc, and the organisers left a bad taste in most peoples mouths. But if they did run it again - im in.
The convict though - different story, different experience. I just feel that i dont want to support a group that got it so wrong. By group i mean the race organisers. The other groups (RFS, medical staff and marshalls) were fantastic. They wanted to learn from my experience to help minimalise the chance of something like that happening again. Im not talking about making sure there's no accidents - there will be, there always is, its the Sport/lifestyle we love. Im talking about the nightmare of no comms - for the doctor or the marshalls., the roaming ute and the possibility of putting a mattress in the back for spinal precautions. Not to mention tents on the helicopter evacuation site!!! The race organisers didnt seem to care/ want to know etc about issues during the race. Or after for that matter.
Anyways. Im still here, still riding - slightly slower and more cautiously, and loving every minute. Some people may think im weird saying this - but im one of the lucky ones, many on this site know what i mean.
So the Convict, to do or not to do? If i do, should i do the 100 or stick with short course riding (im not allowed to race anymore)?
Either way - if you here someone yell TRACK!!!!, and its from the tree tops, its just me, upside down. And you will know its me. I'll be the only guy riding in a wing suit just in case...
Side note - thanks again to one and all for your support and help.
If you need a wingman let me know I'll happily kick your ass all the way back to St Albans over the 100 course.
and if I start to flag, you can kick mine!
... 12 km "neutral" section to near the foot of the bastard climb, then on through to 10 mile hollow, up the road to the OGNR section, down spiders (that's the only bit I'm not sure about, as I've never done it and I seem to recall reading that it was pretty sketchy) and back to St Albans. Might be a bit over 50 km (even ignoring the neutral section), but at least it'd be something other than fire trail and dirt roads.... and no canoe bridge
That *might* be around the 50km too. You would still need the road section back into St Albans however.
Additionally you could also link-up the trail behind the back of the Monastery rather than the fire road in front.
Having done the 50 a few times with PB last year of @ 2:23 I've entered the 100, first 100 ever for me so far from sure how I will go. Weekend training rides are building up along with some running and spinbike sessions, but finding 5 hours to escape young family is not easy!
Obviously the 100 is more than twice as hard as the 50 so I will be pleased to finish in under 6 hrs. Hopes of this will depend on how tough the course is after the 28km mark beyond the Johnnys Camp refuel station, stamina and avoiding awful cramps.
Some big hills from looking at the course profile, can anyone comment on how rough and tough the course is compared to the 50, and how 100 v 50 times compare (for those who've done both)? I suspect some killer sections will have me begging for mercy and just happy to make the finish... anyway feedback would be appreciated. Cheers!
Having done both...
I can tell you that after the water station it gets a lot rougher particularly as you hit the Old Great North Road. If it has been raining then there will be some big stinking bog holes to navigate before Ten Mile Hollow. There's only 2 notable climbs. The first is after TMH up past the Buddhist temple. The second is the long slog up along the Womerah Range, both are fireroad so just dig in and you'll be fine. The good news is you get two fantastic face bending descents for your efforts, Shepherds Gully and Jacks Track.
If you've never ridden the GNR before then I would def reccomend you do. It's km after KM of lovely but very technical rock gardens. I woldn't race them unseen if I were you. Jacks Track is a very fast technical descent too, watch out for the big kicking waterbars, a couple are closely spaced, get your landings right and you'll be screaming with joy when you reach the bottom.
Hope this helps
EDIT: There's also the canoe bridge crossing at 70km. It's been discussed in great length on this site, do a search
If you haven't done the tech then this is a good run to give you an idea although continue on past ten mile hollow and you get even more technical trail
http://nobmob.com/node/3468
Anyone going up on Sat morning for this?
Just deciding whether to camp the night before or just have an early start from Manly? Open to give someone a lift if they need too!
If anyone is looking for a place to stay near St. Albans. There is a farm is on Settlers Road approx 8.5 kms from the Wiseman's Ferry ferry heading towards St Albans. (That means we are approx 12.5 kms from St Albans.) Peter & Sue own the farm and have a seperate building that has beds for six (bunks beds). There are toilets and a shower and kitchen in the main house which riders could use. They are not a B&B but they would be willing to help riders find a place for the race.
They would charge $50 per head per night. The address is 707 Settlers Road. If anyone is insterested please contact Peter & Sue directly either by email ([email protected]) or by mobile 0410 563 935.
If you're doing the 50km it is the most over rated, dead set boring, non challenging, non technical race I have ever done. $100 to ride on roads and fire trail.......seriously, I can ride Terry Hills for free any time I want for free with a Schnitzel at the end. The only challenge is the hill climb. I'll stick with the Willow, Hidden Valley, Kowalski Classic, 3 ring circus etc
I agree this is not the most exciting 50km course, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it last year and will be there again this year. Beautiful surroundings, and a great atmosphere. The challenge? For me, it's just to go faster than last year. If you're racing and pushing yourself hard enough, it will be anything but dull and definitely challenging!
That said, I loved the singletrack sections of Capital Punishment this year, and will definitely be looking for more of that. Kowalski sounds amazing.
St Albans is a magical part of the world, on a nice day the ride through to the GNR is sensational.
A lot of people find a 50k MTB race to be a challenge in distance alone, they don't care for the technical challenge of single tracks and rock gardens, the hills and gravel are their challenge. Lots of people sign up for the social aspects alone.
There are plenty of short club races on sensational tracks if you want that kind of racing.
You kinda sound like a big kid playing in the little kids sandpit and calling their monkey bars lame.. time to sign up for the 100 eh?
A race or ride is what you make of it. For me personally, every day I'm on my bike regardless of the trail/road I'm happy
A great way to look at it Brian. I'm the same, I just love being on the bike and if I can be off road I'm even happier. For me the races are partly about setting and achieving goals, but also about being around like-minded people and soaking up the atmosphere, since the majority of my riding is done alone.
I'm lucky enough to be able to commute to work (Thornleigh to North Ryde) via the Lane Cove Valley trails, and even after 4 years I still get excited about the ride home as 5pm approaches. Even in Winter - the bush trails at night are just fantastic.
I haven't stepped up to the 100km yet, but that would certainly make it more of a challenge for me. Maybe next year...
Start list and program is up
http://www.maxadventure.com.au/convict100/
Last Sunday tomorrow, great forecast, ideal for a big hitout before the Convict. Where's everyone going to be training? I'm just looking at my options, thinking about Oaks up and back - 50km, 1000m of climbing, so ideal prep for the 50.
I did a decent ride today. I'll be taking it easy now to the race with just a light spin here and there.
So - having done a bit of reconnaisance recently, I can share that its rougher than recent years (the weather has caused some rutting, and rock falls etc), so there are possibly gonna be a few more outings for the helicopter (coming down Jacks track in particular in the 100km is rutted on the 2nd section of steep descent).
Its a bit over-grown, so glasses are gonna be important if you want to keep your eye-balls 'un-lashed', but otherwise its the same Convict that we all love. That first climb hasnt gotten any shorter, and the rocky sections still drain the legs with all the step-ups etc.
Have a good ride everyone. Be safe.
Hi
What is people’s nutrition plan on race day. Last year I ran out of energy about 30km from the end so this year I’m planning to take 4 Cadel Evans energy bars and 4 GU gels as backup, 2ltrs of water and a 250ml can of red bull and I still plan to stop at each feed station.
This year I have also created some race notes, feel free to correct or add anything else. For my notes what kilometre is the creek crossing after the kayak bridge?
Convict 100 Race Notes
0 - 12km Flat Road
12 - 15km Blue Hill Climb 1
15 - 28km Undulations
28km - Feed Station 1
28 - 33km Sandy Firetrail
33 - 48km Rock Gardens, Single Track
48 - 50km Smooth Firetrail Descent 1
50km - Feed Station 2
50 - 54km Firetrail
54 - 64km Technical Rocky Section
64 - 68km Fast Fireroad
68km - Feed Station 3
68km - Kayak Bridge
68 - 71km Fast Fireroad
71 - 76km - Grass Climb 2
76 - 89 - Undulating Fireroads
89 - 96km - Fireroad Descent 2
96 - 100km - Open Roads
I go 1g carbs per kg per hour
What do you mean by grass climb 2 at 71-76
Ill add that the 50 course is rough as well. The long decent into the common has a few large washed out sections and is pretty loose. It’s also no good when you ride it in the wet and are braking on backing pads only!!!
The common road also has a few decent holes after the floods we had up there 2 months ago. Keep an eye out as some will eat a wheel....
FYI town helipad is sorted this year. Area has been agreed and pegged out.
any tips for those camping, good spots, not so good spots?
obviously it will be cold etc... bring food... water...
That's mostly what I‘d say, though a couple of comments on the course: If we look off the track elevation, we note that at the top of Blue “in the face“ Hill the track tends upwards from 15-23 km or so, just to keep in mind so you don't burn out then. Likthewise, the fireroads tend in an upward direction at the top of the second hill.
The 64-68km involves Shepard‘s Gully rocky descent (watch out here) followed with 2km on dirt road to the feed stop.
After the bridge has a painful grass hill (through private property) followed by 4km of Tarmac.
The GNR section before TMH seems, in places, quite wet with several deep puddles and is indeed overgrown in places, but hopefully if you're far enough back hopefully it'll have been “ploughed“ out but it's something to keep in mind... it managed to catapult me on my recent group ride there.
Although lots of firetrail, I think this is a great race, and GNR is probably my favorite track in Sydney so have indeed been inspired to push my physical boundaries and hope everyone else is!
Saturday forecast is currently 22°C and “partly cloudy“ so very thankful for that!
@horizon - as @brian says a good rule of thumb for energy intake is 1g carbs per kg of body weight per hour. For the race Saturday I'll be consuming about 440g carbs as I'm 80kg and will race for about 5.5hrs. Most bars have about 45g carbs and gels 25g so you are taking 280g. We are all different and it may work for you though.
Looking at the 100 course profile and comments here ( thanks PhilB for earlier reply), can anyone comment on difficulty of descents & rock gardens compared with Manly Dam - which is my yardstick for tech difficulty. Any biggish ledges - say more than 50cm drop or steep rough as buggery outcrops that are best to dismount for - or roll through with dutch courage & speed?
Riding giant anthem 29er which thankfully is pretty steady over this sort of terrain - I hope! Must return in one piece to wifer & little terrors. Good luck to all on Sat and thanks in advance for advice. Cheers.
There are some drops. Mostly between the 55km and 65km mark. None of them will have you ejected out of the front - assuming you dont go grabbing any front brake. YOu can roll off them all without any worry for bottom bracket clearance. Hesitation will be your worst enemy here, not the trail. Big wheels, and the confidence that there is nothing too bad on there will see you right. let the bike do the work, and if in doubt, hop off.
As always though - speed is your friend in rocky out-crops.
There's definitely everything you mentioned. The last two times I've been up there I've put it down.
@Brian - you dont mind having a lay down in the dirt though
Your speed and strength has progressed faster than your skills!
(in a russian accent) "Too much power"