Ingkerreke Red Centre Enduro

I've done this the last two years and spent a lot of time in Alice either side of the event.
The trails are awesome and its a great event.
Too busy at work to make it this year!

We all used to get into the pool up to our waiste after we got home from every stage. That and a good recovery drink and lots of stretching. I even had a massage mid week last year which helped a lot.
Don't worry about singletrack on the way there. Get the bike out in the sand and practice riding that. Although there's a lot of sharp rocky trails out there, there's a few stages where you hit a bit of sand. Keep the cadence up and the front wheel pointing forwards. It's tricky stuff to ride in if you're not used to it.

I'm bloody envious to say the least.
Enjoy the awesome trails!

Sounds like you getting in some good practice
I will be flying in on Sunday and hoping that the bike arrives without issue. Look forward to meeting you at the race.

All the best & most of all have fun!!!

.. a cool change arrived in Alice just after we did yesterday, and it's raining steadily this morning. Hopefully just enough to bed the tracks down nicely after a what has apparently been a long, hot dry spell here. Forecast for the rest of the week is cool and cloudy, so fingers crossed the rain doesn't hang around long enough to turn into much mud.

Time for some bike TLC this morning before heading off to rego and race briefing later in the day.

It rained lightly most of last night and was raining again as we drove to the start this morning. It rained again just after the start. There were a few puddles here and there, but all the sniggle was just damp and compacted and the sand was no problem.

Ended up getting my brakes replaced yesterday by the guys at The Ultimate Ride as the back XT unit had completely drained and they were unable to get the pressure to stay in it. So I hit the track this morning with brand new XT brakes, which should have had a bit of bedding-in, but hadn't because I was too soft to go for a ride last night in the rain.

This morning's 1st stage started with a 4 km ride through town under police escort. Crowds were not big because of the rain (or maybe it's not a mainstream event???). I managed to slip towards the back of the peleton, which was not hard at my pace. We were then released in a back street that led onto some 4WD tracks beside the rail line, leading to a KOM climb on one of the cuttings. Nearly came off on the way back down one of the cutting climbs as my not-bedded-in brakes were not strong enough to hold the line I wanted and I headed off into the long grass rather than run up the back of the rider in front, just managing to stop before a creek bed. Apart from that I had no incidents.

After the railway 4WD track, it was mostly great sniggle. The tracks out on the west side of town are pretty techy, with lots of rocky step-ups, angled rocks in the trail and little rocky ledges on the descents. In between there were some snaky, sandy sniggle across the flats and a few more bits of 4WD tracks. A rocky ascent near the finish had everybody walking at the back end of the field. The stage finished with a lap of the Alice Springs velodrome, which was a bit of fun.

Managed to finish in 2:14. My Garmin said 35km, even though the stage was advertised as 42km (who's complaining at the start of a week of riding?). That got me 142nd out of 180 starters and 25th out of 31 "Vintage" men (over 50's), but I had a ball. The track was a blast.

Andy Blair took out the stage in 1:27.

Stage 2 this afternoon was a 300 metre hill climb up Anzac Hill, on the asphalt, in reverse order of the finish in stage 1. A few open guys who had missed stage 1 (missed their flight I understand) took off first and set a daunting pace. I managed a 1:43, 149th on the stage and 24th in category and almost needed a bucket at the finish. Andy Blair took out the stage again in 0:44.

Not sure where that leaves me overall, but it's sure not near the front....

More sniggle awaits tomorrow.

Just tried to post a stage report and it's gone off into the ether without loading.....

Short story is another day on great trails, a mix of sniggle and 4WD tracks. I managed the 52km in 3:20, placing me 149th overall and 27th in vintage male. Michael Crosbie won the stage in 2:03. Series places do not seem to be available. Tomorrow is 88km, with a 5.00 am start from the event centre for a 7.00 am race start at the remote community of Santa Teresa. Rain is forecast again, with an overnight low of 7C. Fun is not predicted.....

Duh! Double post

Google is not my friend, well Android anyway

My alarm went off at 3.30am this morning. I’m a slow starter each day as well as each race. Then a drive into town and onto the bus at 5.00am at the event centre and out to Santa Teresa settlement to be re-united with my Niner, which had spent the night out there with 177 other bikes and a couple of minders. Pedals back on, warm clothes in the bag to be taken to the finish, a quick trip to the loo at the school (well quick until I got to the queue at least), and then we were ready to go at 7.30 am.

After a couple of km’s on the main road back to town (dirt after about 100 metres), we headed off onto station tracks on the east side of the road. The rain had stayed away, but the tracks were still nice and firm from the earlier rain and the pace was on. Red dirt and sand, pale yellow spinifex and grass and interesting ridge lines and mesas all looked special in the early morning light.

The tracks were pretty flat and having drifted to the back again at the off, I found myself passing a few riders as the Niner ate up the km’s. Pretty soon I was on the front of a train, although I didn’t realise how many until we had to stop at a gate. Others had been climbing over and through the fence, and I followed, only to have a guy on the other side realise he could open the gate and let most of the train through as I remounted and chased them.

I then managed to lead a few riders astray when the track marking got a bit faint and we ended up in a creek bed / paddock with no wheel tracks to follow. A bit of looking around and backtracking by some had us back on the right track without too much time loss.

About this time I ended up with a 2-person entourage. One was the legendary Jenny Caldwell, the only over 60 female in the race, and Ciara O’Sullivan, a Veteran. I don’t particularly like following wheels as I get apprehensive about the line when off road. They were quite happy to tuck in behind. Even to the point that when we got to the only real hill on the course, a rocky, 50 metre pinch, they waited for me at the top as I walked the last 20 metres.

Anyway, we gradually hauled in a few more riders, stopped at the 41 km feed station and then headed off back onto the main road for a long spell into a slight headwind. I started to fade a bit towards the end of this section and Ciara took the front wheel for the last km or so to the next feed station at 61km.

After the feed station we went off onto station tracks again and we got on the back of another two riders until I felt a bit stronger. I went up to take a turn at the front and found soon after that we had dropped the other two.

We basically continued like that until near the finish when the track got a bit choppy, sandy and wallowy and I had trouble keeping tempo. The girls took over again and got us through to the last fence. I lifted Jenny’s bike over for her again as she is barely as high as most of the fences we’d had to get over / through!

We finished the 85 km's together in 3:55. The winner, Sean Lewis did 3:05, so I was pretty happy with the time, even tough it only got me to 135th overall and 23rd in category, my best placings so far nonetheless.

I’d told my wife I’d be a bout 7 hrs, so had to ring to get her to bring the car and pick me up.

It really was a perfect day to ride that track. Hotter and drier could make the sand a much tougher proposition. I really enjoyed the teamwork and encouragement of riding as a group. It made me dig much deeper than I would have if I’d just ridden my own race and helped me out when I started to flag. Not sure I could do it on sniggle however.

Loving the reports ! Wish I was there rather than working.

Well done on todays effort. Maybe coming into some good form. Keep it up.

Sounds like you're getting better as the week goes on?
Maybe these stage races are your forte?

This morning was a 23km individual time trial. Riders started off at 30-second intervals, starting with the various “unqualified” riders (DNS’s, DNF’s), then the rest of the field going off slowest to fastest.

The course started with some sandy tracks around the Alice Springs Golf Club, including a muddy water crossing after about 150 metres. So much for cleaning the bike yesterday!

The sandy tracks were a bit soft from rain yesterday afternoon and last night, but the following sniggle was in great nick. Some great swoopy sections amid the red rocks and soil on the east side of town.

I managed to pick off a few of the earlier riders and only got passed by 1 follower in the first three quarters of the track. Then the climb up sunset (sunrise?) hill brought my climbing averageness to the fore and I got picked up by a few more later starters, although I did get past a few more of those ahead of me as well.

Over the top of the hill there was a bit of what looked like a DH track where I got spooked a bit by another fast-closing group behind me. I nearly lost the front wheel, so pulled over to let them through and then struggled a bit to get rhythm back.

The last couple of kilometres was a head down grind back along the sand tracks into the golf course, including the muddy water crossing just before the finish. Hope that dries out a bit in the sun today before the night race this evening on the same track.

Managed to complete the course in 1:16:49, putting me 139th overall and 23rd in category and keeping up the marginal improvement on the earlier stages.

Andy Blair took the honours again with a blistering 48:29.

After a few days riding out here, I think something a bit beefier than a Crossmark on the front would be the go for the single track, especially if it were drier, but I think I’ll stick with it for the final stages and start my tubeless tyre tinkering a bit closer to home…..

Very hard to get going this morning. Today's tracks reprised some sections of Stages 5&6 and 3, with some super techy rocky sections thrown in and nearly 400m of climbing in the 40 km course. Not really what my legs were looking for....

Started a bit slow again but gradually found some rhythm, though I seemed to get dropped regularly by a couple of locals who were able to put their knowledge of and practice in riding the local tracks to good use. I eventually hauled them back on some double track towards the finish. The last few kms included a 4Wd track climb up to an old telegraph tower and as the organisers had said last night that the stage would be 36km, I thought I was just about home. But it was about another 5 km of thankfully mainly downhill or flat sniggle before we emerged into the grounds of the Old Telegraph Station, beside the Todd "river".

Finished in 2:32:40, in 158th place overall (although this included a whole bunch of "single stage" riders who were only doing the Friday stage) and 22nd in category. The other old blokes at the back of the field must have also been feeling the pinch as this was my best category result. Andy Blair won again, in 1:34:25.

Will find out tonight what my final placings were, but it's likely to be in the 140's overall (out of 180 starters) and mid 20's in Category (out of 30 starters). Nothing spectacular, but it's a race that is heavily populated up the top end of the field. Unsurprisingly, it's mainly serious mtb riders who make the effort to get to this sort of event!

If you're fit, love your mtb riding, love lots of sniggle in beautiful scenery, it's a great race. And well organised (apart from a few minor glitches with track markings).

Really enjoyed the reports Lach. Your blog Michael was a great read too. Looking forward to the final instalment!