#Superflow Hits the Ourimbah Trails
Rocky Trail Entertainment kicked off their Fox Rollercoaster Racing Series at Ourimbah State Forest on the weekend, officially launching their 'superflow-style' of racing.
More than 200 riders participated and local club rider Shane Gillett from Lake Haven took out the fastest elite mens' time, completing the three timed race tracks in 11 minutes 11 seconds. Each track demanded different skill sets of the riders - from tricky sections around rocks and tight corners to flowy berms and quick sprints that needed pedal power and endurance. A gap of only two seconds put Sydney's Lincoln Verass into second position and Anthony Elliot from Wallaroo came in third. Competitors had to ride to the start of the timed sections via fire trail climbs and the Ourimbah cross-country club trails. In the women's divisions, Sarah Booth won in 13:40 min ahead of Michelle Crisp (14:18 min) and Vanessa Thompson (14:29 min).
Rocky Trail has been organising gravity events since 2008 and the Fox Rollercoaster events are now in their fifth season. "As one of the first organisers of these kinds of events in Australia, our concept has been loosely based on the popular European and North American enduro races", says Race Director Martin Wisata. "However, we have adapted the race for our NSW and ACT trails and venues over the years - we pick sections that give the riders that super flowy feeling, they're not as technical and allow us to run a fun race for a wide audience of mountain bikers", he explained.
"The bulk of the riders are in the 30+ and 40+ categories. The junior classifications ranging from under 15 to under 17 and under 19 years have steadily grown as well", he added. The unique factor about the Superflow events was that riders can freely choose the order of race stages and the special timing set up allows competitors of different categories to ride together. "We see many groups of friends, couples and parents racing with their kids - everyone has a blast and races for the fun of it, however, the atmosphere at the finish lines is still electrifying", Wisata said.
All five series events are stand-alone races and all riders are welcome - the next Fox Rollercoaster Superflow event, hydrated by Camelbak, will take place in Thredbo on 2 April 2016 as part of Rocky Trail's big gravity weekend together with the RedAss Downhill Enduro race. "The RedAss Dowhill events are run on more difficult trails and participants need full face helmets and more body protection", Wisata explained, so there's a distinct difference between the two formats.
Full results from the weekend and further details are on the Rocky Trail Entertainment website.
Photos: OuterImage.com.au
