Bike Buller Festival 2013

Posted by Pedal Lab

March 12th, 2013

12/3/13

Bike Buller is a 3-day mtb race, organised by Rapid Ascent. With a relaxed atmosphere and the options of racing 1, 2 or all 3 stages, this event appeals to a wide range of mtbikers.

Giant were one of the main sponsors of this year’s event and they had certainly supported a stellar line up in both the men and women’s field. I felt a little ganged-up on as I lined up at the start of stage one alongside three of the lovely looking LivGiant girls in their poker-dot jerseys

Stage 1 consisted of a 50km loop that took us up the well-known Stonefly trail and then onto some newer trails around Mt Stirling. I was mighty glad to have opted for a heavier style tyre as, very early on in the race, I passed numerous riders off to the side of the track, pump in hand. Buller is known for its rough terrain and the 50km loop was certainly one of the tougher races I’ve completed. There was a good mix of lung-busting climbs, some techy single track and plenty of fast, arm-pumping rocky descents. The chair-lift ride at 4km to go sure was a nice way to finish off the race and I for one was mighty glad to climb aboard!

After a slow start I managed to gain a good 11min gap over 2^nd place Jess Douglas and Jo Wall was very close behind in 3^rd.

The following morning it was time to test the skills and also courage, with the brake burner stage. For those of us contesting the overall premier category, we were to complete 3 timed laps of a predominantly down-hill course, followed by a super D all the way to the base of the mountain. Here we were greeted with a food and wine festival…nice! The Rapid Ascent team had made sure to include all of Buller’s finest trails over the course of the weekend, and stage 2 was highlighted with the berms and jumps of Copperhead followed by the super-fast Delatite descent. By day’s end I had extended my lead by a few minutes and Jo Wall had overtaken Jess Douglass to sit in 2^nd place overall.

Most of us were more than a little weary to start day 3. Luckily the coffee shop opened early enough for a quick caffeine hit before race start! This stage featured some of the slower, tighter trails around corn hill area. The track was only 25km but each of these km’s were felt with some relentless uphill switch back sections including the infamous ‘silk lane’ and ‘medusa’ tracks right near the summit. The pace was on from the start as I could just see Michael Crosbie attack up the road climb to put a gap on the field. By race end, it was Paul Van Der Ploeg who stormed to victory and in doing so took the overall win for the weekend. Adrian Jackson and Sam Chancellor filled the podium spots. In the women’s event a close battle was on for 2^ndspot overall. Despite losing the stage to a fast finishing Jess Douglas, Jo Wall managed to hold onto 2^nd place while I was able to extend my lead and take out the overall women’s event.

Meanwhile in the vet men’s category, pedallab riders Daniel Skerry and Brett Kellett rode to 2nd and 3rd spot respectably. Both finished just ahead of me, but I did have them in my sights!