Building resilience and life skills on rocky trails!
This event is part of the Rocky Trail Academy junior development programme, sponsored by Marzocchi and Sendy Gear and endorsed by AusCycling.
VIRTUAL RIDER BRIEFING
RIDER BRIEFING CONTENT IN WRITING
Canberra Schools, the Rocky Trail Academy is back in town and we can’t wait to send our junior shredders out on the trails at Stromlo Forest Park! This will be the first of two planned Academy events here in Stromlo for 2023.
We also welcome the inclusion of Year 5 & 6 students to the event. With over 150 students representing 30 schools it is going to be a great day of racing.
New to Academy racing? Check out the Event Guide for everything you need to know. Jump on our Venue Guide for location and parking info. Hit the Track Guide for info on all the tracks. Our team has been on-site and have provided some more information about the race day – scroll down for the detailed Rider Briefing.
Key things to remember:
- EVENT FORMAT: 3 timed race tracks from 9am – 1:30pm offering a balanced skillset challenge and a rewarding experience for all – from “park rats” to inexperienced riders and already racing kids. Competition will consist of 3 timed stages and neutral liaison rides: Endurance, Speed and Technical Skills. Parent and teacher marshalling and volunteering welcome! Please see Jo at registration to offer your assistance.
- Important: riders may sign up individually, you don’t have to be part of a school team. You can nominate a school when you register, however, to collect points for a “Champion School Ranking.”
- Prizes will be awarded for the top 3 riders in each category, and Champions school.
Event services and facilities:
- Handlebar cafe will be open from 9am serving hot food, snacks and drinks. Card payments only.
- The crew from Crofto Mountain Bike Clothing will have a large display of protection gear and the latest cool clothing. Stop and say hi to Dave – https://www.crofto.com.au/
- No bike support available on site. Please bring your own spare tubes and tools to keep your wheels rolling.
- School marquees are welcome to be setup in the Event Hub area. Email jo@rockytrailentertainment.com to secure a spot.
- Toilets and showers are available under the Pavilion building near the crit track.
Weather:
Partly cloudy with a top of 21c. Bring a jumper as Stromlo is known to be windy and cold.
Volunteers:
We encourage volunteering and we need your help – parent/teacher volunteers required on the day. Roles are race starter or course marshall. Add your name to the list at registration, or register via https://rockytrailentertainment.com/home/volunteering/ and we will create a roster on the day. Bring a chair, jumper and sunscreen, wear walking shoes and prepare a loud cheering voice to encourage the kids out on track. Come and have a great day in the outdoors!
Venue Information:
Stromlo Forest Park, Dave McInnes Rd, Stromlo ACT 2611 – CLICK HERE FOR DIRECTIONS
More information about Stromlo Forest Park can be found here: www.stromloforestpark.com.au It is a public MTB track and you can ride it in the lead up to the race.
You can camp at the Stromlo car park and event centre on the Friday night.
Venue Guide:
If you’re new to Rocky Trail and Rocky Trail Academy racing – welcome – and if you are one of our seasoned #rockytrailracers, thrilled to have you at the start line! We launched a brand-new website for the Academy events and it has all the important info in a new Venue Guide Section on each event page. From now on, this is where we will drop all the race-specific info:
Race Course Description:
- Fox – The Technical course will use the very popular “Trebuchet” from the bridge to finish on the fire road above Old Duffy. Riders will need to be able to jump and handle small drops whilst maintaining speed and control.
- Stans – The Speed course will be the full length of the “Luge” track and down the “Old Duffy Descent” to the event hub. Riders will have to maintain speed over the 29 turns including tight bermed and open fast corners.
- Lazer – The Pedal course will start at the tunnel under the downhill finish. The riders will race “Papparazzi” “Fence line” and “Rascals”. This relatively flat one kilometre loop includes the fun pump section that might give legs a break but will keep the pressure on hearts and minds.
Note – riders will need to liaise to the track starts by riding. Liaisons will be marked. No self-shuttling allowed.
Schedule for the day:
Sunday
- 7.30am – Registration opens
- 8.45am – Rider call up – safety briefing
- 9.00am – All tracks open for racing
- 1.30pm – Last race run
- 1.45pm – Presentation
- 2.00pm – Event closed
Event Format:
- This round has THREE tracks on offer, to ride in any order, because it’s your adventure for the day!
- Competition will consist of 3 timed sections – track names are Fox/Stan/Lazer.
- Tracks have been designed to test a variety of skills, including endurance, speed and technical ability.
- To be in the results, each track has to be completed at least once.
- Riders may ride each timed section up to 5 times on each track with their fastest time counting.
- Tip of the day, first run is a sighter run, check the track and conditions, pick your line then race to improve.
- Combined best times will be tallied for the overall result for each rider.
- Riders are representing their school and will be allocated 1 point for each timed section completed, bonus points awarded for top 5 on each track per category.
- Overall Champion school will be awarded plus podium in each category, male & female.
For those of you for whom this will be the first Rocky Trail event, we differ from most other events by offering a much more relaxed format. For the Rocky trail Academy:
- Expect less of a winners-only-focused competition, but a positive and inclusive experience for all racers.
- We allow marshall riders to support students on the track, so teachers grab your bike and support the students.
- Our staff at rego and at the starts are there to help. Talk to them.
Course Marking:
- Course marking is a combination of Orange laminated A4 signs and Aus Cycling bunting tape.
- Liaison stages (=untimed “up” to start trails) are marked with “Neutral to Start” and arrows signage
- On track riders must stay within the designated trail and are not allowed to cross bunting tape.
- Riders who are seen to shortcut race tracks will have timed runs removed from the result.
We can’t wait to see you smashing it! – Remember, your race photos are included in your entry, be sure to download them after the race and share your stories using our hashtags. Spread the word!
#rockytrailracer
#rockytrailacademy
Rider List and Results
All weekend you can find links to Rider List and LIVE Results via the drop-down menu from the event page on our website! You can check these now and throughout the weekend via your mobile devices – to reduce touch points we will not have any public display computers on-site.
Come along and join the team to make the Rocky trail Academy a great success for the Region!
Event Photos
Official photographers will be on site to snap that action photo you have been dreaming about. School Managers gather your team before racing to capture the perfect shot for the Year Book and help promote Mountain Biking in your school.
Emergency contacts:
Race Director – Bob Morris 0458 299 558
Event Director & Media Liaison – Jo Parker 0424 955 332
Managing Director – Martin Wisata 0403 090 952
About the Rocky Trail Academy Schools events
This popular schools comp with timed sections and multiple runs provides a fun racing experience for the next generations of mountain bikers. The Queensland season of Academies has been huge with over 200+ riders at each round and we are hoping to create this experience for NSW students and schools in 2023. Chat to Jo at rego if you are interested to have your school involved in the planning.
The format was the brain-child of Bob Morris and Jo Parker, our National Event Managers, who looked to create a format that tested multiple skills of mountain biking, whilst challenging the skilled pinner and yet providing an opportunity for riders of all abilities to have a go. Courses are designed to have a flat pedal for XC riders to excel, a technical gravity track for the gravity pinners to shine, and a flow track for the funsters to speed down. The format duplicates our very popular Fox Superflow with 3 tracks, multiple runs, and live timing, in a social safe environment.
Watching the growth of schools offering Mountain Bike programs as a school sport just demonstrates the tremendous popularity of Mountain Biking in the community and the benefits to all. Jo Parker, strives to see #morekidsonbikes and #moregirlsonbikes.
We have already started planning 2023 and guarantee more school events for more students and schools. Subscribe now to our newsletter to stay up to date with all of our announcements.
News
Last-minute changes are communicated via:
Rocky Trail Merchandise
- Rocky Trail Jerseys designed by Dharco ($75-$85)
- New in: Rocky Trail X Sendy Hoodies $65 and T-shirts $35
- Socks $15
- Mudguards $20
- Rocky Trail hats made from recycled materials “eco-choice” – $30
- Available from the Rocky Trail rego desk all weekend!
Shout-out to our main sponsors
Marzocchi
Marzocchi suspension forks are a reliable and cost-effective option for those looking to upgrade their mountain bike’s suspension. With their simple design and easy-to-follow setup instructions, even novice riders can quickly and easily tune their suspension to their liking. Additionally, Marzocchi forks are known for their durability and require minimal maintenance, making them an excellent choice for riders who want to spend more time on the trails and less time in the garage. Overall, Marzocchi suspension forks offer great value for their performance, ease of use, and low maintenance requirements. Find out more…
Sendy Gear
Sendy Gear is such a great fit with the programme because this is kid-specific mountain bike gear that is built tough and technical enough to endure all-mountain conditions, for kids who love to send it… just like our Rocky Trail shredders.
Sendy Gear is native to Australia’s Snowy Mountains and they’ve taken taken inspiration from their environment so that the designs are always on-point, pure and practical.
Did you know they also do custom-gear – get in touch with their team for information about school-specific garments. Find out more…
General race regulations
- Race etiquette – Important: you MUST adhere to social distancing rules AND rude behaviour out on track is not acceptable. Please be kind to each other. We are all here to have fun. Chat to our Event Managers if you have any questions.
- We love to help and chat! Our staff at rego and at the starts are there to help. Talk to them.
- Don’t litter – please take your rubbish back with you or throw it in the bins/bags near the registration tent.
- Timing will be done with your timing chip – please ensure it is on your bike/attached to your chest and in the MTB that the plastic doesn’t touch any metal parts of your bike (e.g. don’t wrap the number plate around your handlebar).
- You agreed to our RACE WAIVER when you registered online – here is a link to the RACE WAIVER again
- Click here for DETAILED RACE RULES
Any questions?
Talk to us via our online chat – click on the orange circle symbol on your bottom right screen corner and we’ll be right with you! (We always love talking bikes, racing and riding!)
See you soon.
