The New Year is here so now is the time to start planning your mountain bike adventures for the coming year. After the wash that was 2020 we are all itching to get back out on our bikes, enjoying the atmosphere and buzz of lining up at the start line with fellow like-minded individuals. All in a COVID-Safe and physically distanced manner of course!
The Convict 100 on Saturday 1st May 2021, offers you the perfect opportunity to set yourself the goal of conquering some of the most challenging and fun mountain biking on offer in NSW. With technical rock gardens and ridge line views, the course offers a true epic adventure, out against the terrain and the elements as you tackle the one long uninterrupted route that circles St Albans. No tedious loops or out-and-backs, just 44, 68 or 100km of adventure stretching out before you as you toe the start line.
Speaking of St Albans, the sleepy hamlet on the MacDonald River is transformed come race weekend. The population quadruples as old friends catch up around the campfire and new friends are made with the riders in the next tent over. The camaraderie is not easily forgotten – although some memories can grow hazy for those who spend too long in the historic Settlers Arms pub.
As the evening mist settles and riders turn in for the night you can feel the buzz of excitement in the air. Race morning routinely dawns with the mist obscuring the surrounding hills, hiding some of the climbs to come. The anticipation builds as “Good Morning St Albans!” reverberates from the speakers, calling the last riders out of bed and to the start line. Then the butterflies really get going: gear is quickly checked, then re-checked, and riders reflect on their journey to this point… Will my training pay off? Can I set a PB this year? Should I have maybe ridden my bike before turning up for the event? Then the starters gun is sounded and all thoughts are wiped away in the dash from the line.
After spinning up the climbs, rolling over rock gardens and flying down the descents, as you roll back into St Albans having conquered the course, the sense of accomplishment is real, the crowd welcoming and the beer cold.
If you have experienced the Convict 100 before you won’t need anyone twisting your arm, you know you will be there come the start of May. If you haven’t experienced the special buzz that the Convict 100 provides, make 2021 the year to do so, you won’t leave disappointed.
Many riders have already signed up, you should join them.
