Rider Briefing | Rocky Trail Academy | Central West NSW

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.

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VIRTUAL RIDER BRIEFING

Read the full rider brief information below. Important NEW information for parking and event hub

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RIDER BRIEFING CONTENT IN WRITING

Central West Schools, Rocky Trail Academy is coming to Glenwood State Forest and we’re ready to absolutely send it!

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:

• Great news we have secured a Coffee and Food Vendor. Please support the businesses that support our events.
  • Great coffee and snacks by the Colorado Coffee Crew. Ready and operating from 7:30am
  • Food truck organised for refreshments, snacks and lunch. Hotdogs and Burgers on the menu from 10am
• The local D G Cycle store and crew will be on site for all the last minute bike issues.
• No water on site – please bring sufficient personal supply
• School marquees are welcome to be setup in the Event Hub area. Please ensure you bring weights to secure as the area is well known for high winds.
• Two unisex toilets are available on site.

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Weather:

Good news sunny skies. Warming up from 9c to 25c. Bring plenty of water as the hill is big and the weather will be hot.

Volunteers:

We encourage volunteering and we need your help! – Parent/teacher volunteers required on the day. Roles are race starter or course marshal. 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 Bike or 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:

Glenwood State Forest, Lidster NSW – Vehicles will access via Alf Meyers Way off Cargo Rd.

• The NEW Event Hub will be located at the mid point on Goat Hill Rd. Early bird parking will be between the Event Hub and Track starts, overflow parking will be available below the Event hub. We have plenty of fire roads available, with a little walk up to the Hub.
• School buses and trailers will be parked near the Goat Road intersection. please contact jo@rockytrailentertainment.com so we can allocate enough space. Limited turning circle on site.
• To get there, head out of Orange on Cargo Road until you get to the Alf Meyers Way turnoff on your left. Continue along Alf Meyers Way following the signs – see direction here
• PARKING
• Parking will be on the Goat Hill Rd and Alf Meyers Way parallel on the rightside (heading down) only, with areas set aside for cars to pass. An area will be allocated at the event hub to allow cars to turn around.
• Marshals will be on hand to assist with parking to ensure the roads are not blocked at anytime.

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 – From the Event Hub drop the upper section of “Trail of Awesomeness” before breaking right onto the “Magic Mushroom”. Length 1.6km and drops 190m
• Stans – The Flow – Sharing a start with FOX track, drop into the the “Trail of Awesomeness” for the first 2.3km. Length 2.3km drops 190m.
• Lazer – The Pedal – Starting on the “Trail of Awesomeness” immediately below the finish of STANS track and finishes on Boree Rd. 2.1km long and drops 80m.

Note – riders will need to liaise to the track starts by riding. Liaisons will be marked. No self-shuttling allowed.

Schedule for the day:

Friday

• 7.30am – Registration opens
• 8.45am – Rider call up – compulsory 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 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 – STANS track is the place to get that cool photo !

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 Manager – JO Parker – 0424 955 332
Event Director & Media Liaison – Juliane Wisata 0416 737 972

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What else is happening at Orange this weekend?

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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 300+ riders at each round and we are hoping to create this experience for NSW students and schools in the future. 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 2024 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.

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News

Last-minute changes are communicated via:

Rocky Trail Merchandise

• Rocky Trail Jerseys designed by Dharco ($75-$85)
• Limited stock: Rocky Trail X Sendy Hoodies $65 and T-shirts $35
• Socks $20
• Mudguards $20
• 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.

See. You. Soon.