STAGE INFO & MAPS
PROLOGUE - MATANGI STATION MTB PARK
18km | 600m elevation gain
Fun, fast, challenging, exhilarating, this Prologue course has it all! Pretty much 100% singletrack, don’t let the short distance fool you, there is some serious work to be done here! A real mix of flowy fast trails, rocky climbs, rolling hills, twisty water race, bombing forest trail descents and janky gullys this course based fully in the Matangi Station MTB Park has some of the best trails on offer!
Heading out from our race venue at Centennial Park in Alexandra, the first couple of km along the cycle trail are neutralised and untimed until you get across the river and to the Matangi MTB Park carpark where the timing mat will be.
Starting off with some fast flowing water race trails the track soon heads for the hills, for your first real climb of the race the “round up trail” 3km long with some steep rocky sections on a twisty singletrack, taking you to up to the first ridgeline. The following 8km of the course is up and down gullys, along winding water race and along ridge lines before heading for the main descent of the day down “KTM”.
From here you carry on the sweet downhill flow into “AC” a rocky technical but shallow trail all the way to the finish line!
A gentle couple of km roll back to the Shaky Bridge across the river and back to Centennial Park for a debrief and a lie down in the grass! Coffee, smoothies & drinks available for purchase.
Wave B: Race Starts from 12pm
Wave A: Race Starts from 2pm
Individual start times will be posted in the days prior to the race
NOTE: Relay riders will ride this course together
Race HQ – Centennial Park, Rivers Street, Alexandra
Race Start – Matangi MTB Carpark
Race Finish – top of Graveyard Gully Rd
Spectator Spots – Race Start, along water race, walk in from Double Gates, Race Finish
STAGE 1 - EARNSCLEUGH STATION
56km | 1950m elevation gain
The first of the big ones! Stage 1 takes you on an epic journey through the timeless Earnscleugh Station where you will climb mountains, uncover relics of the gold mining heritage, experience stunning vistas and bomb down endless descents.
Nestled in at the very base of the hills, our race venue at the Fraser Domain by the Fraser River is a peaceful and secluded spot to start and finish your battle of the day.
The stage starts with a neutral roll out behind the lead vehicle for the first kilometer along the road before you are sent off into the hills. The climbs start immediately, a little shorter to start with as you roll along the foothills to the spectacular Conroys Dam where you have to cross the dam wall.
Here the real journey into the mountains begins. A bit of a grunt up to the high point (800m elevation) of the whole event at and past the infamous castle rock.
A long fast open double track descent follows as you drop down into Omeo Gully at the mid point of the course, here you will find the Aid Station and for our relay riders, the end of the first leg and where you will tag your team mate.
From the Aid Station the next climb begins, less steep than before but at 7km long it will drag on until you reach the plateau at the top above the Fraser Dam and looking over towards Bannockburn. A short section across the paddocks at the top before a steep drop into the head of the Fraser River, where you get to wet your feet with a refreshing river crossing.
No sooner are you across the river then you climb again steeply up the other side to the top of the Hawksburn. Across the top here leads you to the final big feature of the day, the epic Clyde Dam singletrack descent. About 3km in length this trail will challenge you at the end of a long day so keep your wits about you. For those who have an allergy to gravity this is a real treat after a day battling the climbs. We love seeing the smile on everyone’s face as they roll into the finish after this final descent!
No doubt the only thing on your mind after this one will be how to recover as fast as possible before you have to do it all again tomorrow…
7.45am: Group A Race Start
7.50am: Group B Race Start
7.55am: Relay Race Start
Relay Part 1: 30km | 1100m
Relay Part 2: 26km | 850m
Race HQ, Start & Finish Line – Fraser Domain, Strode Rd, Earnscleugh
Spectator Spots – Conroys Dam, Omeo Gully, Clyde Downhill
STAGE 2 - MATANGI STATION
MATANGI CLAIM ADVENTURE RIDE
58km | 1800m elevation gain
The ultimate day of XC riding you will find on this south side of the hemisphere. A true test of fitness and skill on the land known locally as “MTB heaven”, this day will have you finishing off the weekend in style and with a smile on your face.
The 58km course starts from the rustic Matangi Woolshed in the heart of Little Valley, a world of its own, just 10km from Alexandra town centre. A quick blast on the gravel road to stretch the legs and bunch out before you head off into the rolling hills of Matangi Station to explore the expansive network of trails.
Friday’s prologue will have given you a taste for the rocky natural features and today you will get to become best friends with this awesome terrain. Follow the pink dots over the rocks for the clean, safe and rideable lines, and push hard on the pedals to get up and over the countless inclines along the way.
After some rolling hills in the first 10km you will hit the first testing trail of the day “Deep Purple”, marked as a black track simply due to one main feature where the track drops through a rock chute, not steep and a simple couple of steps if you are not confident to ride. All the main rock features on course are marshalled with one or two experienced local riders to help guide you through these sections, as well as the aforementioned pink dots!
There are another two main descending tracks (graded blue) to tackle before you get down to the Lower Manorburn Dam, here a long section of flat twisty water race winds above the Otago Central Rail Trail heading back to Alexandra.
Just before crossing over Little Valley Rd at the bottom of the clock hill is where the relay changeover point will be. Once through here its up the short road section to the Aid Station and then back into some water race trails before the climbing begins again.
Resurrection is the main downhill track in this half of the course, a fast track with a lot of flow before some steeper sections towards the bottom, no drops or jumps all rideable at your own pace! Once down here and out through the Rock Garden you head into ‘AC’, heading the opposite direction that you finished in your Prologue, and into the beginning of the long grind up to the top of the Three Kings climb and back down into Little Valley where Prospector glory and the best tasting beer/soft drink you’ve ever had awaits!
7.45am: Group A Race Start
7.50am: Group B Race Start
7.55am: Relay Race Start
8.00am: Matangi Claim Adventure Ride Race Start
Relay Part 1: 32km | 800m
Relay Part 2: 26km | 1000m
Race HQ, Start & Finish Line – Matangi Woolshed, Little Valley Rd, Little Valley
Spectator Spots – Tucker Hill Rd, near the Clock, Double Gates, Finish Line
