We hope you’re all looking forward to the Convict 100 and finally being able to get out on course and ride! We can’t wait to see you at St Albans in October – and for you to be the first riders to capture a Convict 100 finishers medal!
We know you have all be patiently awaiting an update on this years event. We have some fantastic news, after visiting St Albans, checking out the trails, and consulting with NPWS and landholders we have an approved course on trails that we know you will all enjoy. It has been quite a journey to secure these new courses for 2022 but we are excited about the changes allowing the essence of the Convict to remain. Many trails will be familiar to regular riders, perhaps tackled in the opposite direction to normal, or perhaps familiar to those that completed the old 50km course of yesteryear. All in all we are pumped that we will be able to put this event on for all our riders, it was looking questionable at times! Updated course maps are linked below and a brief description on the changes can be found below.
The tiny village of St Albans has been hit multiple times by floodwaters over the last six months. The town is still cleaning up and repairing the damage, but also very much looking forward to life returning to normal, and keen to see riders back in town for the Convict 100. When you participate in this event you help support the local community in many ways, including the financial support that the event brings to local businesses, landholders, community and volunteer groups. Did you know that 100% of event camping fees are donated to St Albans RFS? And we know you all enjoy post race drinks at the historic St Albans hotel! So we hope you and your friends can join us all in October when we descend on St Albans and show them just how much we appreciate and support the town.
100km Course – Now 97km: The 100km course will retain all the classic elements of the normal 100km course, the kayak bridge, Old Great North Rd and feeling of adventure as your head out into areas rarely visited. Riders will head out of town to the North, crossing Joe’s Crossing (the river crossing) after about 5kms and then turning South, sticking to the valley road until reaching the famed kayak bridge and Aid Station, and crossing to the other side. Riders will then turn left and return back through St Albans, north to St Albans Common and to the bottom of the big climb of the day, Sullivans Arm. This tough climb will get riders up to the ridge top, through the second Aid Station and to the start of the Old Great North Rd. The next 20 odd km’s will see riders tackling a long untamed single track section, originally carved into the side of the mountain by Convicts many years ago. Once through you will pass historic Claires Bridge and reach the third Aid Station at 10 Mile Hollow. From here the end is in sight! A climb up a fire road before turning onto The 8 Mile and then the descent back to the valley floor. From there it is time to empty the tank as you blast along the valley road back to town and the finish line!!!
68km Course – Now 67km: Riders on the 67km course are in for a treat, a long unbroken loop from St Albans, out to the wilderness and back, a truly epic adventure. This course follows the last 67km of the 97km course. Riders leave town and head north to St Albans Common and to the bottom of the big climb of the day, Sullivans Arm. This tough climb will get riders up to the ridge top, through your first Aid Station and to the start of the Old Great North Rd. The next 20 odd km’s will see riders tackling a long untamed single track section, originally carved into the side of the mountain by Convicts many years ago. Once through you will pass historic Claires Bridge and reach the final Aid Station at 10 Mile Hollow. A climb up a fire road before turning onto The 8 Mile and then the descent back to the valley floor. From there it is time to empty the tank as you blast along the valley road back to town and the finish line!!!
44km Course – Now 41km: The new 41km course has had the biggest changes. The trails nearby to St Albans have been some of the worst impacted by the extreme weather earlier in the year and many will remain unusable for some time. This means the 41km will remain on the valley floor for it’s entire length, exploring up both sides of the McDonald River and neighbouring farms and taking on the famed kayak bridge. The 41km course will head out of St Albans to the north, across Joe’s Crossing (the river crossing) before turning South and back into town across the bridge, riders will then complete this loop again before continuing south to the Kayak Bridge, and Aid Station, and then coming back into town and the finish line on the same route as the 97km and 67km riders. We do acknowledge that the new 41km course is different to the original route – in distance, terrain and elevation. We know that this new course will be more attractive for some riders – and offer the opportunity for new riders to participate in what is (undeniably) a faster, flatter course. For those 44km riders who have trained for the original course and want more of a challenge we are offering free upgrades to the 67km course – contact us by email.
Distance transfers remain available until Wednesday 12th October 2022
We can’t wait to see you at St Albans.
