2003 Cyclegaine
2003 Cyclegaine, Buccleuch State Forest - 31 August 2003
The forests west of the Brindabellas had been a source of idle speculation for several years since the ACT 24 champs was over that way. There was LOTS of forest but also rumoured to be lots of blackberries.
After the bushfires last January the traditional areas for cycle rogaine were decimated. Julie and I took a trip out west on a rainy day and were quite impressed with what we found. Half a dozem trips later all controls were taped and most hung, and there were still several weeks to the event. A notable day of poor progress but a spectacular warning for the event itself was when we had to deal with 15cm of snow across the higher parts of the course - riding was impossible! Just check out the front cover.
The week before the event was one of tension on many fronts. Firstly the weather forecast, which was for blizzards at worst - many hours were spent trying to second guess the conditions, then warn and prepare competitors for Antarctic conditions. It is a credit to the participants that 3/4 still turned up - most withdrawals were those from further afield. Another hurdle was the lack of suitable map, which on Monday night came together after many hours slaving over a computer putting together the digital pieces of a complex jigsaw. The accuracy was largely thanks to the extreme cooperation of NSW State Forests providing all track data to us.
Saturday before the event saw Julie and I heading out to hang a few last controls and put out water drops then later in the day Adrian came out to set up the Hash House site. The weather was fine but cold.
The big day dawned and people started arriving. The sky was mostly clear and the HH site sheltered, so everyone got busy planning their day. A final briefing and reminder to be prepared for the worst, then the crowd dispersed quickly into the forest. After finishing the admin, I took to my bike to capture some photos, riding a big loop of the area and meeting many teams on the eastern fringes of the course. Lots of smiles, but a few curses about punctures.
Back to the HH and countdown to the finish. The caterers had arrived and were cooking up some delights including yummy spring rolls. The clouds were massing and light rain started to fall as competitors finished up in dribs and drabs. As the clock ticked over, the temperature continued to drop. A few late teams, then the frantic scoring, complicated by lots of wet control cards and pens that didn’t work. The rain turned to snow, and we realized we wouldn’t have much of a crowd for presentations as everyone packed up. A few die-hards remained crowded around a miserable campfire as the winners were announced.
Formalities over there was still the packing up to do, and snow-caked tents were folded - thankfully with another event the following weekend dryness was not a high priority. The downside was that we had to collect some controls in appalling conditions, but the snow had stopped and there were enough competent helpers around to do what had to be done. Not an experience to I’d care to repeat.
A big thanks to Julie Quinn (fellow course setter), Adrian Sheppard (assistance and general sensible person), Kristianne Hermann (admin), Alan Sargeant and Aranda Scouts (catering), Gordon Bossley (rescue), Bob Allison (map maestro), NSW State Forests (map data and total cooperation).
By Dave Baldwin
Read MoreThe forests west of the Brindabellas had been a source of idle speculation for several years since the ACT 24 champs was over that way. There was LOTS of forest but also rumoured to be lots of blackberries.
After the bushfires last January the traditional areas for cycle rogaine were decimated. Julie and I took a trip out west on a rainy day and were quite impressed with what we found. Half a dozem trips later all controls were taped and most hung, and there were still several weeks to the event. A notable day of poor progress but a spectacular warning for the event itself was when we had to deal with 15cm of snow across the higher parts of the course - riding was impossible! Just check out the front cover.
The week before the event was one of tension on many fronts. Firstly the weather forecast, which was for blizzards at worst - many hours were spent trying to second guess the conditions, then warn and prepare competitors for Antarctic conditions. It is a credit to the participants that 3/4 still turned up - most withdrawals were those from further afield. Another hurdle was the lack of suitable map, which on Monday night came together after many hours slaving over a computer putting together the digital pieces of a complex jigsaw. The accuracy was largely thanks to the extreme cooperation of NSW State Forests providing all track data to us.
Saturday before the event saw Julie and I heading out to hang a few last controls and put out water drops then later in the day Adrian came out to set up the Hash House site. The weather was fine but cold.
The big day dawned and people started arriving. The sky was mostly clear and the HH site sheltered, so everyone got busy planning their day. A final briefing and reminder to be prepared for the worst, then the crowd dispersed quickly into the forest. After finishing the admin, I took to my bike to capture some photos, riding a big loop of the area and meeting many teams on the eastern fringes of the course. Lots of smiles, but a few curses about punctures.
Back to the HH and countdown to the finish. The caterers had arrived and were cooking up some delights including yummy spring rolls. The clouds were massing and light rain started to fall as competitors finished up in dribs and drabs. As the clock ticked over, the temperature continued to drop. A few late teams, then the frantic scoring, complicated by lots of wet control cards and pens that didn’t work. The rain turned to snow, and we realized we wouldn’t have much of a crowd for presentations as everyone packed up. A few die-hards remained crowded around a miserable campfire as the winners were announced.
Formalities over there was still the packing up to do, and snow-caked tents were folded - thankfully with another event the following weekend dryness was not a high priority. The downside was that we had to collect some controls in appalling conditions, but the snow had stopped and there were enough competent helpers around to do what had to be done. Not an experience to I’d care to repeat.
A big thanks to Julie Quinn (fellow course setter), Adrian Sheppard (assistance and general sensible person), Kristianne Hermann (admin), Alan Sargeant and Aranda Scouts (catering), Gordon Bossley (rescue), Bob Allison (map maestro), NSW State Forests (map data and total cooperation).
By Dave Baldwin
