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Stinging Mettle 100km/50km/100km Relay
100km Solo and Relay
Euroka Clearing , Glenbrook National Park
50km Solo
Queen Victoria Hospital (Tablelands Road)
Wentworth Falls
Ever wanted to race from Glenbrook to Wentworth Falls and return? Here is your chance.
Stinging Mettle is a Mountain Biking weekend that offers a variety of events all based out of Euroka in Glenbrook. The course is challenging and the finish is fast and furious with a decent into Glenbrooks Euroka Clearing. Stinging Mettle is all about the challenge, recording a personal best time, starting a streak or recording the fastest time in your age category, seeing how fast you can tackle the course or spending the day riding in a group with friends. There are many prizes from our sponsors including from our major sponsor Bikeminded. Aside from the riding there will be live entertainment, top notch catering and great camping as well as activities for the kids.
The 100km Solo Enduro
The 100km Solo Enduro is the main attraction of the weekend. This is a challenging course as riders take a tour of the trails of the Blue Mountains. The journey starts from Euroka and climbing up Bennetts Ridge Fire Trail and take a left onto the famous Oaks Fire Trail. Riders then come into Woodford and are marshalled through to Murphys Fire Trail, tackling the Bedford Creek descent and then progressing through the creek and right up Ingar Fire Trail to Tablelands Rd. At the old Queen Victoria Hospital riders pass through the main aid station at roughly the half way mark. Riders then continue along Tablelands Rd and take a left onto Andersons Fire Trail and head east back toward Woodford, fanging it down the last 25km along the Oaks Fire Trail, Bennett’s Fire Trail and a fast downhill finish at Darug Campground in Euroka Clearing.
The 100km Relay Team
Share the load – ride half each!
Relay Teams – two riders – a leg each.
Leg One: The journey starts from Euroka and climbing up Bennetts Ridge Fire Trail and take a left onto the famous Oaks Fire Trail. Riders then come into Woodford and are marshalled through to Murphys Fire Trail, tackling the Bedford Creek descent and then progressing through the creek and up Ingar Fire Trail to Tablelands Rd. Once at the old Queen Victoria Hospital riders will pass the baton to their team mate who will start Leg Two.
Leg Two: Leg two starts at the Queen Vic Hospital in Wentworth Falls (roughly the half way mark). Riders then continue along Tablelands Rd and take a left onto Andersons Fire Trail descend into Bedford Creek and head east back toward Woodford , fanging it down the last 25km along the Oaks Fire Trail, Bennett’s Fire Trail and a fast downhill finish at Darug Campground in Euroka Clearing.
50km Solo
The 50km Enduro is a challenging course with some fast and furious sections. Riders are encouraged to ride at their own pace and there is plenty of overtaking space on the course. For the 50km riders the course starts at the Queen Victoria Hospital in Wentworth Falls and riders head along Tablelands Rd (dirt) before taking a left onto Andersons Fire Trail and heading east toward Bedford Creek and onto Woodford. From Woodford many riders will be in their element as they ride on familiar trails and fang it down the last 25km along the Oaks Fire Trail, onto the Oaks Single Trail, Ironbark Fire Trail and a downhill finish into Darug Campground in Euroka Clearing. The course finish is different than the 100km riders as we make use of the single trail on The Oaks for the finish.
Camping
There is plenty of camping at Euroka on Friday Night. Camping can be booked when you register online. Euroka Clearing is a great venue with plenty of trails to explore and the Nepean River not far away. participants are welcome to stay both nights and enjoy the surrounds.
Catering
Euroka Clearing:
Friday – Dinner 6pm onwards
Saturday – Breakfast, Lunch
Coffee Van – will be onsite from Friday check in until Saturday late afternoon.
Catering can be booked when registering online.
Entertainment
Friday Night – Live Band – “Repeat Offenders” in the Big Tent! Check them out here
Friday Night – For the kids – Possum Prowl with a Discovery Ranger – from 6:30pm – 7:30pm – FREE
Saturday – For the Kids – Treasure Hunt – pick up a map from 10am – FREE
Notes:
Stinging Mettle is open to all members of the public who think they have the mettle to take up the challenge. The course is challenging and promises a sense of accomplishment for all who finish.
Riders must be 15 years or older to take on the 50km distance or in a relay team and 18years or older for the 100km distance. There are some cut off times in place for sections of the event, check out the information pdf for details.
You do not have to be a member of a club or association to participate.
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Are you doing the 100Km solo Tim?
Nah, thinking of the 50km. How about you?
Not something I'd be keen to do.
Isn't the Ingar firetrail closed at the Wenty end?
I will probably end up doing the 100k but I'm not commiting just yet.
Sounds like hell to me....respect to anyone that doesn't think it sounds like a nightmare!
I'm not familiar with these trails so would be keen to understand how tough this course is. Any idea of total elevation? How do you think it would compare to something like the Fling?
Here you go. The Fling is much more enjoyable.
PS. Make sure you have a comfortable saddle as there is a lot of seated climbing
Sounds like hell to me too!
The map on the poster is upside down. Does that mean everyone will be getting lost?
Upside down map, doesn't that make the uphills become downhills?
I swore to never race again and I have someone wanting me for the team for the Capital Punishment.... that one looks a lot flatter.
I'll do the 100km ride if ALL of the regular BMORC crew does it with me. Hahaha, I'm just so funny.
"The Fling is much more enjoyable."
Oh. It's taken me several years to get to the point where I can use the words Fling and enjoyable in the same sentence. Having said that it's still tempting given that all the other enduros are getting a little repetitive.
I'll be saving my legs for the Wombat 100 the following weekend.
I'll take that bet Chuck
Who else is in?
Signed up for my first race! I'm doing the 50 Solo. Will be nice to meet a few more BMORCers! How seriously are you taking it? I'd be keen for a training runs...especially considering I've never been down Andersons.
Im a slow rider (by comparison anyway). If you dont mind a slower pace I'll be in for a ride. You could consider it a social tour.
JP Ingar is open but it's a punish at the moment with corrugations most of the way. Andersons on the other hand is sweet.
I thought the crazy guy who owned that bit of land need to get access had shut it again. Ingar always has corrugations. A terrible bit of track.
Todd, Jeff and I rode it after it was graded a few years back and it was as smooth as a... well a really smooth thing... corrugations would have broken the hideous monotony!
Just entered, I'm in for the 100. It would be crazy on the SS, thankfully there is no category for it to temp me.
I rode up ingar the weekend before the fling and the gate was closed but easily rode around. Looks like it was just so the guy can do his subdivision, it was really muddy around the gate so maybe its just to prevent damage.
I can vouch for the fact that Ingar has terrible corrogations. I've ridden down it twice in the last couple of months, the second time a lot faster (thought it would be easier because it's shorter). If you have anything loose or about to break, Ingar will find it! Going up hill would not be so bad I guess...Can't wait to try Andersons!
In for the 100 too. I haven't ridden Ingar or Andersons, so I'll be in for some pain. I'll try to ride those in the coming weeks if time permits.
...but wondering why the 100 skips the singletrack, while the 50 gets it. No fair!
Event has been cancelled
Recieved via email
Stinging Mettle Announcement to all entrants.
With deep regret, April's Stinging Mettle mountain bike enduro has been cancelled.
Recently a crucial section of private land along the course was sold to a new owner. Mountain Sports has been in negotiations with the new owners to allow access for the event however we have not been successful at this stage. We recognise people all need to make travel arrangements and there are many many commitments we have to make for the event which cannot be put off any longer.
All competitors will receive a refund of entry fees over the next week.
Unfortunately we cannot say if the event is likely to be re staged at this point and we will keep you updated via our website.
We would like to extend a MASSIVE vote of thanks to the riders who showed their faith in a new Mountain Sports event, the people who have all done work on the event to date and the supporters of the event in our sponsors. Please be sure we have done all we could to get the issues resolved in time for what we figured was to become one of Sydney's iconic events, unfortunately it is not to be this time round.
We hope to see you at the Kanangra Classic in spring. NPWS is keen to have us back for a third year at Kanangra and we are really looking forward to it. Kanangra Classic will be on the weekend of the 19/20 October 2013.
www.mountainsports.com.au
Well that sucks and kinda a relief at the same time.
So what piece of land is Sean refering too? I have to assume we are all riding through it when we do this ride normally.
I'm assuming its the private land at the top of Ingars.
Yeah I thought the same but how can it be that the National Park fireroad access including the camping ground etc be blocked by private land? There must be an easment through that land that allow's bikes, cars, hikers but not organised events or something to that effect.
From what I understand the private bit of land restricts ALL ACCESS to Ingar. If the owner chooses to restrict access, nobody can get in or out, be it walker, bike, car or yak! It's one of those things. It looks like the original grumpy owner has sold to a new grumpy owner.
There is access to Tableland road via national park and crown land but as they say, if I told you I'd have to kill you. JP - I think the issue has always been the public liability as people pass through this land, that's why the road access to the Aboriginal site on the right hand end of Queen Elizabeth was closed and fenced off as the tourist buses used to arrive from dawn till dusk. I think that also suits the custodians of the area as it cuts down the number of visitors and helps preserve the site. Unless someone is willing to stump up the cash and buy this owner out there will always be an access issue to Ingar for people wishing to visit by car.
What it would have been like.....
http://youtu.be/yioNGHx8n0Y
Why not just re-route the event to use Andersons for both up and down?
Because the 50km crowd would be rocketing down as the 100km riders were coming up - would lead to a number of high speed crashes I think.
http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/NationalParks/...
Closure
Ingar camping areas:
Vehicle access along Ingar Road may be closed at the end of Queen Elizabeth Drive while private property development works are underway. NPWS requests that visitors respect private property closures.
When the gate is closed Ingar Camping Area will remain open to walkers who access around the private property. Walking distance approx. 13kms.
So can this loop be done
The property at the end of Queen Elizabeth Drive/top of Ingar Fire trail, is under development and the theory is that if the gate is closed then your not allowed to enter. I would like to point out that to date I have never seen the gate closed. There is only one gate and it is located at the bitumen. So if you ride up Ingar you have already travelled through the private property before you get to the gate. So I'm assuming that he doesn't mind people coming up Ingar(walkers and MTb's) Just wants to stop vehicular traffic going down.
You would think that NPWS would have some sort of say or agreement that the track stay open so people can access the camping grounds in vehicles.
If an access point to a NP is on private land, the owner of the private land determines who or what has access. According to NPWS, they always try to come to an amicable agreement with the land owners but sometimes it doesn't take much to have access denied. There arre some truly beautiful NP areas 30-60 minutes from the mid mountains that have no vehicular access (and it's a looong hike in) because some shitty land owner has their knickers in a knot over something or other. Perhaps they want to keep the area all to themselves and know they can't be made to open up access? I dunno.