2011 Armidale Bicycle Centre 12h Enduro - 12 March 2011

Post date: Jun 13, 2011 1:37:56 AM

LOOKING FOR INFORMATION ON THE 2012 - UNE 12 Hours In The Piney

The Armidale Bicycle Centre 12-Hour Enduro

The Armidale Bicycle Centre 12-Hour Enduro was conducted in the Armidale Pine Forest on Saturday with the event being heralded as a major success. There were 85 riders who participated in this epic mountain bike race. There were exhausted yet satisfied riders everywhere as they went over the finish line for the final time after their last lap. The format of the race was to ride as many laps of the 9.3 km course as possible in the 12-hour period, between 10 am and 10 pm. Riders must start their last lap before the 10 pm cut off. For the last few hours riders strapped on lights to their handle bars and helmets so they can navigate around the rocks, roots, pine trees and structures that riders come across around the pine forest track.

15 riders competed in the solo men’s division. These people can be commended for the massive effort of riding around a challenging course for 12 hours straight. The winner was Jason English from Port Macquarie who completed a remarkable total of 28 laps. This is approximately 260 km. Jason’s efforts were not surprising as he is the reining 24 hours Solo Mountain Bike World Champion, so for him is was a bit easier to ride for just 12 hours. Scott Hazelton, also from Port Macquarie, was second. Scott completed 22 laps. Third was Mick Hoynes who completed 21 laps. Here is a summary of the results from all 15 solo riders.

Jason English, 28 laps, Scott Hazelton 22 laps, Mick Hoynes 21 laps, Dan Graham 19 laps, Jai Cooper 18 laps, Jamie Vogele 18 laps, Warren Clark 15 laps, Stuart McBride 15 laps, Richie Hardman 13 laps, Rowan Crawford 13 laps, Douglas Mcdill 12 laps, John McQueen 9 laps, Trevor Creighton 7 laps, Duncan Pretty 6 laps, Adam Younie 4 laps.

Most of the entries were in teams of 4 with riders completing laps relay style. Teams generally did one lap each time and passed the team card to the next rider. The winning team in the Men’s fours was Geoff Gilchrist, Muna Warburton and Liam Warburton from Coffs Harbour. These three riders needed to work harder than others as they only had three riders. Geoff, Muna and Liam did something that not many others have done. They completed more laps that Jason English! They completed a remarkable total of 29 laps of the course to take overall line honours. Second was the team of Dan Nichol, Ben Harris, Peter Harris and James Harris who completed 25 laps. Third was Timothy Parkes, Greg Warburton, Mark McKiernann and Brian Cockbain who also completed 25 laps. Just a minute behind them in forth place was the team of Steve Chapman, Peter Platts, Bill Perrottet and Peter Malcom who also completed 25 laps.

In the women’s team of four the winners were Justine Leahy, Jo Benham, Emily Parkes and Jaye Gilchrist. These girls showed the guys how it should be done and rode 24 laps.

The mixed teams of 4 was a hotly contested division with the winners being Holly Harris, David Harris, Ben Brunckhorst and Fiona Brunckhorst who completed 27 laps. Second was Michael Wooster, Megan Wooster, Peter Hosking and Barbara Hosking (21 laps) and third was Bill Platts, Jennifer Platts, David Symons and Miles Johe (20 laps).

The winner in the men’s pairs division was Mark Wood and Peter Marshall who rode 25 laps in the 12 hours.

In the mixed pairs division the winners were David Harlow and Susan Webber (17 laps) with Simone and Jeff Crawford second (14 laps). Joel Sim and Emma Lumsden were third (13 laps).

There was one junior team consisting of Katherine Hosking, Isabella Hosking, Emily Wooster, Oscar Lamb, and the Gilchrist brothers. These “stars of the future” completed 12 laps.

The quickest lap time was 23 min 17 sec by Jason English for his 10th lap. This now goes in as the new lap record time for the 9.3 km Pine Forest track.

The event was organised by New England Mountain Bikers (NEMTB). The publicity officer for NEMTB, Stephen Chapman, said the event looks like becoming a annual feature. “This is the first time we have had an event like this in this region. We are very happy with how it all went and will certainly plan on holding the event again next year. The feedback from all the participants was positive. The 10 am to 10 pm format enables all riders to experience a night lap or two which is an experience not to miss out on.” Steve went on to thank those who organised the event. “It was a big effort to organise the 12 hour race and I’d like to thank everyone in the club for helping out. I’d particularly like to thank Peter Hosking, who was the race director, and Bill Platts, who was the main builder of the track. As a club, we would also like to thank the Armidale Bicycle Centre for providing such great trophies as the major sponsor.” Steve mentioned their star competitor. "It was such an honour to have Jason English at our event. The kids were thrilled to see, and speak to, a world champion in the sport they love. It was amazing to see him churn out lap after lap".