HMBA and @rideungog GFlow inaugural event was a success. As you drive over the morning sun-drenched hills you have a feeling of warmth and you know today will be a great day for racing! “RideDungog team worked tirelessly for 2 days prior to have the race stages in prime condition for exhilarating racing” Darcy Hopwood stated and we cannot disagree the trails were like jumping off a chairlift in the middle of winter with fresh snow falling overnight ready for the riders to lay first tracks!
The day kicked off with Sarah Booth and Laura Renshaw running a ladies introduction and intermediate Gravity Enduro skills clinic before the race. The skills clinic worked that is for sure as the ladies laid down some blistering times when they put their race faces on!
It was great to see many new faces enjoy the experience of G-FLOW a gravity enduro event designed to be the grassroots introduction to the ever popular and fastest mountain bike GRAVITY category on earth!
Race time was upon us, Mark Welsh our commissaire for the day could feel the energy, he decided to build the now known “BULL PEN”. Riders in 30second intervals were allowed to enter the pen ready for their one shot on each trail, you could feel the nerves of the competitors in the staging pen, they wanted it, one mistake and your day could be over, the joys of Gravity racing, how can I make up time? How can I get more speed? Do I win it or bin it? If you could have thoughts bubbles above each rider’s head I am sure this is what they were thinking.
Overall winners were in Women’s; Emily Dreaper with a time of 9:39.5 with Laura Renshaw chasing hard in second only missing out by 9 seconds to snatch the win.
Greg Battle smashed it, he lives for this style of racing, his coloured hair was a sign he was feeling confident, he was the man to beat. He set a time of 8:24.8. At this kind of speed, it was like watching a FA-18 fighter jet about to break the sound barrier!
The biggest field was U15’s and boy oh boy the future world’s best are competitive. We are fortunate to watch their development and hopefully be part of their mountain biking future! It was close. Oscar Berry winning the first and second stage of the day closely followed by Oscar Scarr who was less than 2 seconds by end of stage 2. Stage 3 was a bin it or win it moment for the top 3. Harper Nelmes was not having any of it. Harper laid a cooker of a time to take the win. The Top 3 were only separated by .8 of second after 8+minutes of stage racing, now that’s a heart stopper for the parents out there.
Other results:
U13 Boys:
Ruben Scarr
U13 Girls:
Talullah Berry
U17 Womens:
1st Cadence Campbell
U17 Mens:
1st Louis Foster
Master 2 Womens:
1st Karmell Macdonald
E-Bike Open:
1st Anthony Scarr
1st Sarah Booth
A massive thanks all the volunteers, ride Dungog, HMBA committee and you the riders for making these events a huge success.
Stay tuned for 2023, HMBA have exciting news that will be shared shortly, one thing that is for sure HMBA GFLOW gravity events will be bigger and better that is for sure!
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