Just before 2am on Saturday, Bundaberg mountain biker Mandy Cook set off from Kilkivan on an attempt to set the first Women's South Burnett-Brisbane Valley Rail Trail "double" record.
With Mike Zande (current holder of the Men's "double" record) alongside, 2 punctures and a broken chain in the first few kilometres saw them return to Kilkivan after repairs to make a fresh start. The morning saw temperatures as low as 0 degrees, and while the mercury rose during the day, so did a South-Easterly headwind. The two riders soldiered on through the day and into the evening, finally reaching the end of the BVRT at Wulkuraka station near Ipswich at 10:20pm. Mandy's time for the huge 306km ride was 19hr23m31s, after what Mike said was "a very determined ride", and supporter Stephen Chapman described Mandy's effort as "nothing short of amazing".
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On Saturday May 30th, not one but two riders took advantage of mild winter weather to smash records on the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail.
Gold Coast rider Michael Driesenaar took a shuttle with local business Out There Cycling to the northern trailhead at Yarraman, and aimed his Specialized Diverge gravel bike for Wulkuraka, 161kms away. In spite of a tough headwind and some recently repaired sections of the trail still bedding in, Michael reached Wulkuraka in 6hr8m26s, slashing an incredible 1hr16m from the previous record, set by Hervey Bay rider Mike Zande in July 2019. Zande congratulated Driesenaar on his new record, and said he was surprised how long it had taken for it to be broken. More than an hour before Michael left Yarraman, Brisbane rider Joris van der Tang set off from Esk, heading first to Wulkuraka, then all the way north to Yarraman before returning to Esk to complete an "end to end by 2". Joris covered the 323kms in 11hr55m11s, the first sub 12 hour E2Ex2, and more than an hour and a half faster than the previous record, set by Brisbane rider Russell Worthington in October 2019. Driesenaar said he believes the one way record can be lowered significantly with more favourable wind and trail conditions, and van der Tang says the Yarraman-Wulkuraka record is "on my to do list". |