Topic: Lab-Gear: Two6Racing

: Underground Racing

By: fat-lenny | September 17th, 2011 | No Comments » |

I think I had come close to giving up on racing bikes. Not being the fastest or most skillful rider out there, sometimes I wondered if the agro and attitudes really made racing worth it (note: I think it is the minority that turn up to any racing event with the attitude that turns me off). There is no doubt that racing, even if your not in with a chance of winning, pushes you to expand your limits and step outside your comfort zone, but if its not enjoyable whats the point.

Well today I had a bit of a spin at a local  Dual Slalom event. Turns out to be one of the best days racing I have ever had. The racing is run by  group of like minded individuals and usually revolves around a late advertisement of a venue. Riders turn up, witches caps are thrown down and racing happens. No entry fee, no agro, no sheep-stations to be won, just people pushing themselves and having fun doing it. Race faces are expressly asked at the start of the day to be left at the door, I’m not convinced anyone actually bought one.

Thats not to say that racing didn’t happen, far from it. Some fast, loose and side by side action was had with plenty of spills and bike carnage, but at the end of the day winning wasn’t everything. In terms of riders, the day had everything from a World Cup 4X rider down to 7 year olds having a crack and racing side by side. The bikes on offer was even more diverse, BMX….sure, DH bike…..no problems, Xc rig…..yep, everything and anything was seen hitting the trail.

The format is simple. Turn up and practice. On timed individual run for seeding and then 3 moto heats followed by finals. No protests allowed. Plenty of cheering on of each other and the racing is nothing but fun on a course challenging enough to keep it interesting without being likely to hurt anyone.

When I said people weren’t racing for sheepstations, well I kind of lied. There were prizes on offer. Best stack (as voted by the riders) and best mechanical all took home prizes.

Want to race these events, well if your in the Hunter keep an eye on facebook for Hunter Local League DS, but I’m sure this sort of event is happening all over the place if you know where to look. If there isn’t, get out and start your own underground series.

: Who Lost Scooby Doo?

By: schacksta | March 7th, 2011 | No Comments » |

The treasure hunt. One of my favorite parts of the VVC races.

Watching people cart, on close to a full lap, an over-sized blue stuffed toy elephant never ceases to be funny. the elephant nornally brings the good prizes. Not because its hard to find. Far from it, although it may be wedged up a tree or far off the trail, no they are just big enough to be a hassle.

Despite the pain and the disruption to the riding, people love a treasure hunt. One un-named rider this race came back very excited with a cardboard sign thinking it was part of the hunt. Only to find out the toy animals had not been set on the course.

During the March race I went for a stroll to take photos prior to putting out the treasure hunt. It was here that I came across some treasure. The treasure was the Scooby Doo dog toy that was put out in August as part of the treasure hunt in the previous event.

For close to seven months this has hung silently on the side of the trails at Awaba waiting to be found. I left it after finding it and noting the location. Several riders were given very specific clues and still the prize is out there.

So, in the name of fun. The treasure hunt is on.  Bring it in during the August race (even if found before then) and we will sort you out with something for your trouble.

Your prize? Hmmmm, who knows. It may be something cool, it may be negative laps. We will work it out.

: End of Summer VVC Wrap Up

By: schacksta | March 6th, 2011 | 2 Comments » |

Lets get the cliche’s out of the way early……..Another VVC has been run and won.

To the victors a lovingly “I can’t beleive its engraved” drinking vessel, to the losers, well I don’t think there were any losers on the day. Everyone seemed to have fun, we had fun and the track stayed in stunning condition all event. The BBQ as always proved to be popular as did the open esky.

As I left home for the event at 8am, I was really fearing the worst. The skys over Awaba weren’t just dark, they were an ominous shade of black. It had rained overnight and I was expecting a mud bath. That I was greeted by a dusty carpark still amazes me. Drizzle during the day kept things in order and the dust down.

Once again the race got off without a hitch and surprisingly on time. People ran the half marathon with wheels in hand while the smart ones sat back and sacrificed a fast start for the comfortable and effortless start, sans run and wheel installation. Even with the laid back nature some cracking lap times were thrown down by the leaders and they continued to do battle for the majority of the race.

Once again there were no reports of agro on the trail. Hopefully we keep it that way.

Our first retirement came at the end of lap one. One happy punter had a ball, a small stack and took the opinion that one lap was enough awesome for the day and the rest of the day would be track side with a beverage.Thankfully all the retirements of the day were along this line and once again (with the exception of the last event) our fist aid guy got paid to sit around and do nothing. Money well spent. Darkness saw the biggest outflux (is that a word) of riders. To mount the lights or retire to the esky?? I think the later prevailed.

Great to see the number of people staying the night and making a weekend of it. Think I’ll have to do likewise next event.

Highlights of the day………

- Custom Plates. Quite a few this time, from Beer Coaster Compilations, to L-Plates, to Batman Symbols to illuminated rear mounted flames, this race had it all. Batman won the prize, but personally I’m going for the flames.

- G’s drastically cut short lap on his super secret proto bike due to a malfunctioning pedal (at least that was his excuse).
- Fancy Dress. A few people took it on, but our centurions from last race came back slightly more sophisticated.

- The BBQ. Three Beers, Six Sausages and a few Cokes. Awesome. Great way to actually meet the people who come along to make the event what it is. The BBQ will be back.

This however lead straight to the low light.

The sweep lap. No one was keen, and fair enough after 10 hours, to do a sweep lap. So yours truly went out for a spin. Now there is a reason that your told as a kid not to swim after dinner. I’m now convinced the same stands true for cycling. Rides and stomachs full off greasy food and sugary beverages do not (and should not) mix. I won’t do it again and sorry I kept you all waiting while I went through my own personal revelation on the importance of appropriate nutrition and diet.

Next race is booked in for August 13, 2011. We are looking to mix it up a little and bring in something new, something fresh. Then again we may not. If youve got something you want to see though, let us know.

Full results will be up very shortly, in fact as soon as I get the race lap top open to extract them. Keep checking back for the results and more photos.

: Numberwang

By: g | August 9th, 2009 | No Comments » |

6 years!

We were as shocks as…. well us. That’s how long we’ve been involved in running events, 8 if you include the two we sponsored before going out and doing it ourselves.

Saturday past, May 9th, was the first event of the season, an event we called the Vestal Virgin 10hr Classic. The ‘virgin’ bit came from the fact that it was the first 10hr, or enduro race period, that has been held on the brilliant Awaba Mountain Bike Park course.

We are not afraid to say that we have been working hard over the years to cultivate a particular type of enduro race, one where all are welcome, except if you are a serious weekend warrier lap counter, who times your fun by the second hand. We guess if there was ever a marker by which we’ve known we’ve succeeded, this event was it. Small (140 odd riders), cozy and so laid back and friendly, as an organiser we were sorta sad it had to come to an end.

Everyone loved the track, just over 5km of pure, leg burning single track. More than we thought would loved the sausage sizzle and we loved all the booze that kept turning up at the lap counting table to bribe us.

A full write up with pics will pop up at Twenty Six Inches very soon.

Oh, and if you are wondering, that up there is Scott, aka ‘Numberwang’ enjoying some ‘Blue Elephant Love’ (carry the animal, win a prize).

Oh, Numberwang…..? [Here] and [here]

: 5D 12 Hours of Not So Much Daylight.

By: g | August 7th, 2007 | No Comments » |

It’s come and gone for another… well few months in anyway. Another successful, if I may say so myself, 5D Event.

This time around we ran the 12 Hours OF not so much Darkness, a first as it seems we seem to have developed a fetish for doing things at night! Anyway, numbers were up, down considering the pull outs due to change of dates, but still up. I think next year it will be 200 easy and the event series should be full.

As usual there were a range of highlights that always make running the events such a joy. Smiles all round and ‘Tripples’ from the Sydney Single speed Society courier crowd topping it out by nabbing not one but near all the treasures on the track AND still riding 15 or so laps solo AND having been hit by a van at work in Sydney’s CBD!!! Bloody hell.

The crew from the Hunter Valley Mountain Bike Association as usual ponied up a brilliant track…. apparently (this is the first course I have not ridden) and the timing and the rest went flawlessly. it’s amazing what can be achieved by doing things simply!

In all though, as a pre run to the 2008 5D ‘..OF..’ Race series, I gotta say we are all convinced there will be great times to be had. Of course being true to 5D form, there will be a bunch of new features coming up that will make the events a better and funner (is that a word?) experience. What’s best though it that it has rebirthed my love of the sport and that has to be a good thing!