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Convict and Capital Punishment Entries Open
For those that aren't aware, just letting everyone know that Capital Punishment entries (March 15th) opened several days ago and Convict 100 (May 3rd) entries open tomorrow... so take the big step and make up your mind whether to do these great rides. The calendar is a bit hard to find on the site, but mark your attendance to represent the NoBMoB crowd here:
where you can also find a link to their respective websites.
I know that they're the first things I book next year - particularly for the special 10th anniversary Convict.
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yep entered the capital P last week. Will be first race so pretty pumped about it.
Lets not forget that Cap Pun is also the first event from the new Maverick Marathon series...
www.maverickseries.com.au
I also hear a rumour that Convict will be slightly different this year (although this is tbc)...
Both are very well run events, and I reckon Cap Pun is probably the ideal 1st 100km race for anyone nervous about the distance....
And there'll be at least one tandem on the Convict.....if not also the Cap/pun... remember to smile as you breeze past.
Hey Ant,
What makes you think it is the ideal one? I have been trying to will myself into trying another one ever since only getting through 70km of the Convict last year but I just can't seem to get my head around it. 60km at the Fling this year hammered me and I really thought I was ready to give 100km another crack!
@teeps - there are a couple of factors.
The first is the most obvious. The Capital Punishment isnt 100km of 'racing'. You get to 60km, and have a 10km break in a neutral zone. You can meet family, friends, take a stretch, go to the loo, visit a bike shop even!
3 years ago, I stopped at the servo, bought a Snickers, and then resumed racing.
That break makes a big difference.
The other reason is the nature of the trails. They flow well and the links are all pretty fast rolling. the amount of Single-track means that there is a fair bit of free-wheeling in the first section, as there is only so much you can pedal. Its not too hilly either.
Of course, its not an easy ride, it still a fair while in the saddle, but because its broken into manageable chunks, and its also quite fun (in large sections), its a great race for new-comers to marathons.....
I've entered the Convict. As they use your EOY age it puts me in the 40-49 category
I came 6th last year with 4:25 in masters - not sure moving out of the slow category to the fast category will help
about the Convict is that it might be run in reverse ?. Nice climb up Shephards Gully !
not a fan of that idea
shepherds gully is not the issue, Jacks Track will be the real test !
It's one or the other, I don't reckon it'd be too much harder in the other direction, the hill up Womerah is basically 85% uphill over 14km so have no problems doing it in reverse and the GNR section would be comparably difficult the other way. Think about it, it wouldn't be too bad other than the factor of getting used to it (so just train on it!)
There's at least a dozen or so reasons to keep it the same.
1. The longish downhill run into 10mile hollow is kinda fun and welcome one for a 50k feed station.
2. The grind up from 10mile hollow is about the correct grade on legs with 2-3 hours of riding in them.
3. GNR through to Shepherds is a hoot and finishes with manageable bone jarring decent to the bridge, the other way its mostly an annoying grind.
4. The final run from the highest point to the finish is perfect.
12. The route has been the same for so long, its an iconic route, I suspect that its not only myself that continues to come back year after year with a purpose to better last years time.
13. If they change it.. thanks but no thanks I probably wont be back.
Perhaps one thing that they could change is moving it back to Sunday.. I'm pretty sure it used to sell out faster than a One Direction concert when it was run on a Sunday?
It could be run in reverse and still be fun although they would have to think about the canoe bridge as coming after c.30km there may be more congestion. Thinking about it in reverse, even getting onto the canoe bridge would be an achievement in itself having ridden through the deep sand on that corner.. a good picture opportunity for the photographers.
... with the 50 km version. It's a bit ordinary by today's XCM standards.
Well "if" it is run backwards, I'd be up for it.
Sure, it would be different, but it would be fun.
There is talk of the canoe bridge being a bottleneck - which it might be - but just imagine the sandy water crossing (that comes in the last 3km of the race)- elbows will have to be well sharpened for that little bit of madness!
I'll do a few training rides going up Jacks Track just in case
The first Convict 100 or Dirtworks as it was back then was much more difficult than today's version. It had 3 big mutha climbs and was a clover leaf type course. Jacks track was the first climb. The current big climb at the 13km mark was there and there was another similar one but don' t know where. All I recall is Paul Rowney won it in a time about 45min slower than the current race and I did 9:51 just finishing in the dark! My mates & I somehow thought 100km through the forest would take 4hrs so I packed about 3 gels and a muesli bar for my nearly 10hrs on the bike. It was my first event and first time I'd ridden more than 20km so it was quite an experience....
I remember the course changing in the first 2 or 3 years of the convict (DW
). I remember one year hike-a-biking down a steep section then up it the following year (or vice-verse). It was a hiking trail behind some ones house on St Albans Road.
I think the current course is good. The only thing that keeps me going the first 70km is knowing the Sheperds gully decent is coming up. The only thing that keeps me going the next ~20km is knowing the water bar jump decent (Jack's Track?)is coming up... those jumps are awesome, I've done some ridiculously large jumps down there.
After that I usually have nothing left for the last 8km, and hope there's someone's wheel I can jump on and work with. Though the thought of beer at the pub helps
I'm sure there'll be some fun descents in reverse too
I just remembered that the first year we went down Jack's Track it was quite sandy and loose and felt like snowboarding. Though I'm getting old now and I could be completely making this memory up.