Roaring Success
The inaugural Tiger Tracks Gravel (TTG) event was a huge success, with more than 100 riders enjoying the laid back vibe of grass roots gravel in Jalbarragup.
The event program was designed to be fun and female-friendly, catering for all sorts of gravel enthusiasts. WA’s emerging gravel community embraced the concept: nearly half the participants were female, with riders ranging from beginners through to world-class racers.
Saturday kicked off with a Mechanics Session by Lukas Baker of Nannup’s Three Tanks Cycling, followed by a Skills Session led by MTB Instructor Tracey Chapman. The 18km Time Trial course on Saturday was a cracker, starting with a 1km climb up Jalbarragup Road before rolling and sweeping along bush tracks. Nowhere felt flat, and the final 1km climb up Crouch Road exposed riders who hadn’t paced themselves. The Tiger Tootle participation ride took in the same route at a more enjoyable pace!
Saturday was rounded out nicely with a long table dinner at Nannup Brewing Co - the perfect opportunity to relax and socialize.
L to R: Course builders Vanessa Johnson, Nilss Johnstone, Deb Kempe; Female Time Trial Winner Cassia Boglio with Starter Adam Ralph; PCITP tour de force Brett Dal Pozzo, Matt Shepherd & Male Time Trial Winner Mark Chong; Kicking back at Nannup Brewing Co.
On Sunday riders had the choice of two race distances - 40km Little Tiger or 80km Big Tiger - or the Tiger Trek participation ride.
The ride and race routes passed through the Wiltshire-Butler National Park and McCorkhill State Forests. Rain in the lead-in to the event had settled the pea gravel, but riders were challenged by the corrugations on Jalbarragup Road - bottles jettisoned, tyres punctured, chains dropped, hands bleeding. Completing the 80km course took true grit. The Big Tiger female winner Cassia Boglio averaged around 30km/hr over the 80km, and the male winner Mark Chong averaged a blistering 35km/hr (remember 2x16km of corrugations!).
The class of the fast riders was superb, but there was no shortage of inspiring stories from the bunch. It was great to see U15 junior riders Ruby Gallagher and Hamish McGillivray take on the Time Trial, adaptive athletes Heidi Thomas and Richard Williams tackling the Tiger with their handcycles, and so many novice riders discovering the joy of gravel and having a great weekend away with friends.
“I completed the 40km trail today with two friends. First ever time on a mountain bike and first doing a trail like this.
...
We were the last to start and the last to finish on the 40km ride and the man [Nilss Johnstone] who very patiently drove the ute behind us as the last riders, playing motivational music, shouting encouragement and helping with our technical bike issues was a legend...I wanted to thank him for being so welcoming to three new people and to all the others who made it possible – you were all so welcoming our first time round”
L to R: Start of the Big Tiger; Tiger on course chasing Rebecca Kelly; Tiger Trekkers Stephen Gallagher, Ruby Gallagher, Matt Poyner; Tiger racing
Thank you!
4Five+ was keen to include the local community in the event. The Darradup Fire Shed in Jalbarragup was the event hub, and the support of the local community was integral to the success of the weekend. Riders were well-fed with BBQs by Darradup VBFB and Nannup Mountain Bike Club, a cake stall, and delicious Blackwood River Pizza. Many thanks to local businesses Nannup Brewing Co, TigerValley Gallery & Giftware, Bonnet & Entrance, and Loose Goose Chalets for providing prizes. Next year we hope to have more local riders participating.
An Active Regional Communities Grant from the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries encouraged 4Five+ to host Tiger Tracks Gravel - this support was vital as we took a big leap into a new type of event in a remote location. 4Five+ also appreciated the financial and in-kind contributions and shared vision of our long-time supporters - Escape, Lakes Bikes and Ride WA.
Tiger Tracks was very fortunate to be able to draw on experienced crew and volunteers (40+ people) to deliver a well-organised and safe event. Key roles were expertly filled by Toni Burbidge (Incident Manager), Nilss Johnstone (Course Manager ++), Andrew Williams (Senior Marshal), Georgina Webb (Volunteer Co-Ordinator), Jodi Earnshaw (Ride Leader), Stuart & Louise Carson (Timing), Sam Bolton (Principal Commissaire). And Vanessa Johnson did a bit too as Event Organiser and Race Director (with assistance from the long-suffering Julian Johnson who picked up a lot of the loose pieces at home and during the event).
Rider feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and 4Five+ look forward to hosting another Tiger Tracks Gravel in April 2024!
RESULTS
DAY 1 – TIME TRIAL TIGERS
U15 Female - Ruby Gallagher
U15 Male - Hamish McGillivray
MTB Maven - Female - Sophie Coates
MTB Maven - Male - Craig Raynes
Female
Cassia Boglio
Marion Mundt
Darcie Richards
Male
Mark Chong
Matt Shepherd
Zander Mostert
DAY 2 – GRAVEL ROAD TIGERS
Little Tiger - Female
Sophie Coates
Jo Starlight
Janine Buck
Little Tiger - Male
Finbar Mulhall
Simon Nelson
Jose Paz
Big Tiger - Female
Cassia Boglia
Eva Czislowski
Darcie Richards
Big Tiger - Male
Mark Chong
Matt Shepherd
Joe Winfield
TIGER TRACKS GRAVEL GLORY - DAY 1 & 2 COMBINED
LITTLE TIGER TRACKS
U17 Male + Solo Male - Finbar Mulhall
Para-cyclist- Female - Heidi Thomas
Para-cyclist - Male - Richard Williams
45+ Female - Jo Starlight
55+ Male - Simon Stolton
BIG TIGER TRACKS
Mixed Pairs
Anny Kidd & Joe Winfield
Claudia Dohr & Alistair Press
Alison Duffy & Ben Thorman
45+ Female
Giselle Hosgood
Rebecca Kelly
Jacqui Richards
55+ Male
Craig Raynes
Tony Moore
Steven Knight
Solo Female
Cassia Boglio
Eva Czislowski
Darcie Richards
Solo Male
Mark Chong
Matt Shepherd
Zander Mostert
Notable Performance Awards
Navigation Award – Brett Dal Pozzo
Enthusiasm Award – Jamal Banvait
Final Finishers - Ingrid Roche & Martin Breuckner
Want more?
Tiger Tracks Gravel FB Page (announcements)
Tiger Tracks Community FB Group (share pics & chat)
Event photos and videos by Vanessa in G-Drive
Webscorer Results Day 1, Day 2
Survey Results in G-Drive
