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 North Stromlo Forest Park! This is the second of two planned Academy events here in Stromlo for 2023.
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 & Food Vendor – check out the awesome menu on offer from Roundabout Bagels. Remember support the businesses that support our events. – CLICK HERE FOR MENU!
- 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.
- Portaloos onsite
Weather:
Sunny weather expected, low of 3c high of 17c. Don’t forget to bring plenty of water and sunscreen will be available from the ACT Cancer Council Sunsmart Station.
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:
Venue and Entry – Important: Uriarra Rd, Stromlo ACT 2611 – Western Carpark – Note: we are not based at the main Stromlo car park!
Event Centre – up the fire road (see parking instructions below and follow signage) at the track start of Double Dissolution.
Parking:
- Plenty of onsite parking – follow the orange signs from the Western carpark up into the adjoining fire roads.
- Stromlo Forest Park has permitted us to park people inside the gate and so we will parallel park on the side of the following fire roads near the event hub: North South Link, Forest Trail and Reservoir Link Track. Fire roads will be two way so park carefully to ensure the road remains open for vehicles to depart at the end of the day.
- If you do not intend to stay for the entire day please park outside the gate in the Western Car Park and/or along Uriarra Rd. Please follow the directions of the parking marshals.
The gate will be closed during racing.
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.
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 track – Starting on “Sunset Boulevard” the track cuts onto “pork Barrel” before finishing on “Slick Rock”. Length 1.1km and drops 80m
- Stans – The Flow track – Starts on Slick Rock before cutting onto “Pork Barrel” then dropping into “Double Dissolution”. Length 2.1km and dropping 120m
- Lazer – The Pedal track – “Party Down “Party Line” and back “After Party”. Length 1.6km down and up only 25m in vertical.
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 – STANS track is 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 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 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.
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.
