2017 Otway Odyssey
Entries have just opened for the 2017 Otway Odyssey presented by Focus, which is set to take place on Saturday 25th February. As we’ve seen in recent years, the Odyssey will base itself in the small town of Forrest and a number of distance options will be offered; the 100km main event, a 50km ‘Otway Shorty’, the 30km ‘Rookie’ and the 10km ‘Pioneer’ for beginners.
With the race start and finish in the one location, the event centre takes on a festival atmosphere with plenty of family activities, a bike expo and more. To accompany this they’re also set to hold the ‘Otway Grommets’—a special kids ride to get the whole family out riding!
Forrest is surrounded by a mass of great MTB singletrack and the Odyssey makes full use of the flowing trails. For 2017 the organisers have expanded the options even further, now offering two dirt road ‘gravel’ rides for the roadies (or the mountain bikers looking for some non-technical pedalling). The Great Otway Gravel Grind (GOGG) will be held on Sunday the 26th and makes use of quiet 2WD dirt back roads. While it’s entirely possible to complete it on a traditional road bike, it’s best suited to a cyclocross or gravel road machine.
Riders can choose between the 97km GOGG ‘Big Ring’ and the 49km ‘Small Ring’. The Big Ring leads participants on a real journey, heading right over the Otway Ranges and out to the coast and back again. There’s some great scenery along the way and some pretty big hills too. The Small Ring provides a similar mix of dirt roads but with a lot less climbing.
For the competitive types, there’ll also be a King and Queen of the Otways awarded to the riders with the fastest combined time for the 100km MTB Otway Odyssey on Saturday and the 97km GOGG Big Ring race on Sunday. Riders entering both GOGG and MTB events receive 20% off the combined entry fees.
Go to www.OtwayOdyssey.com.au for all the details and entry information.
